They didn’t stick a pin in it — they stuck 7,000 pins in it!
The Prospect Park Alliance planted thousands of yellow pinwheels in an oft-overlooked corner of Brooklyn’s Backyard as part of its ongoing 150th anniversary celebration. The effect of the spinning sea of golden petals is pretty snazzy, according to a spokeswoman for the conservancy.
“Oh my god, we’re so over the moon for it,” said Deborah Kirschner. “It looks wonderful.”
The Alliance hopes its new art project, on display through July 17, will draw patrons to the Rose Garden, a once-vibrant corner of Brooklyn’s Backyard near Flatbush Avenue, between Grand Army Plaza and the Prospect Park Zoo. The area has fallen into neglect by both the city and park patrons, who — before the legions of pinwheels — found little to attract them to the fairly bland stretch of parkland.
The wheels were set in motion by a series of workshops and tours of the area as the park conservancy solicited public input for what is expected to be a substantial renovation project, Kirschner said.
“We thought it would be wonderful to have the art installation focused on this space to draw attention to the area and give the public a unique and sort of whimsical way of interacting with the space,” said the spokeswoman.
As part of the park’s interaction with locals, patrons were invited to submit artwork for the pinwheel display. Hundreds of amateur and professional artists heeded the call to leave their work spinning in the wind, printed on the back of the bright yellow spinners.
“We love this idea of doing an installation where the community contributes their artwork and are part of the celebration,” said Kirschner.
And if you have an idea for an artistic design that you want to stick on a pinwheel, you can join the Alliance in Grand Army Plaza every day until July 15, between 11 am and 7 pm, to create your own pinwheel, Kirschner said.
Connective Project in Prospect Park’s Rose Garden (near Flatbush Avenue between Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park Zoo in Crown Heights, www.conne
