public art - EL DORADO - tHE new forty-niners
Promoting ideas of transformation, immigration, and community, EL DORADO - The New Forty Niners is a public art installation traveling to each of the five boroughs of New York City, one borough per year. The installation pays tribute to the 49% of NYC households that speak a language other than English. 100 colored “guagua” (Quechua for baby) sculptures, 49 painted gold, 8 to 24 inches tall, arranged at ground level and presented as a contemporary archaeological site and accompanied by location-specific community programs.
2021 - Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza - Manhattan
November 2, 2021 - August 30, 2022
Encaustic, plastic, plaster, clay, fiberglass reinforced resin, paint
8 ft x 18 ft x 3.5 ft
In this fifth and final iteration the sculptures were arranged on 17 colored planks representing the 17 UN sustainability
goals. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
Made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by LMCC.
Photos: Argenis Apolinario
2020 - Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art at Snug Harbor - Staten Island
October 9, 2020 - June 30, 2021
Encaustic, plastic, plaster, clay, fiberglass reinforced resin, paint
80 ft x 48 ft x 2ft
The 100 sculptures with blue-and-white coloring referring to blue-and-white ware and arranged in the shape of a ship’s hull, alluding to trans-oceanic migration and trade, and honoring Staten Island’s maritime history.
2019 - Wave Hill - The Bronx
July 21 - December 1
Encaustic, plastic, plaster, clay, fiberglass reinforced resin, paint
16 ft x 22 ft x 2 ft
Image courtesy of Wave Hill. Photos: Stefan Hagen
2018 - Lewis Latimer House Museum - Queens
May 12 - October 14
Encaustic, plastic, plaster, fiberglass reinforced resin, paint
16 ft - diameter x 2 ft
In Queens, EL DORADO has luminous elements to honor Lewis Latimer’s life’s work with lighting technology.
2017 - Sunset Park - Brooklyn
June 23 - December 31
Encaustic, plastic, plaster, fiberglass reinforced resin, paint
70 ft x 12 ft x 2ft
As part of community outreach at Sunset Park, El Grito, the Mexican Independence Day was celebrated with the local community. Hosted and sponsored by the Dedalus Foundation.
