Socrates Sculpture Park Unveils New Monument Series

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Socrates Sculpture Park is expanding its ongoing exhibition of monuments with 10 new works by artists chosen from an open call for submissions.

Entitled "MONUMENTS NOW: Call and Response," the new collection of sculptures goes on view Oct. 10 alongside a series of commissioned monuments by acclaimed artists Jeffrey Gibson, Paul Ramírez Jonas and Xaviera Simmons that debuted over the summer.

The artists included in the second phase of the exhibition were selected from a pool of more than 200 entrants.

They include Kiyan Williams, whose sculpture of outstretched arms is made of soil from Queens burial grounds of enslaved African people, and Aya Rodriguez-Izumi, whose colorful beaded gate serves as a monument to communities that survived imperialist military occupation.

Their artistic takes on the role of monuments will be accompanied by a monument sculpture made by local high school students who were part of the park's "Socrateens" art education program.

"In this turbulent moment when we find ourselves reevaluating American identity and values," a description of the three-part show reads, "the 'MONUMENTS NOW' exhibition at Socrates Sculpture Park seeks to address the role of monuments in society and commemorate underrepresented narratives such as diasporic, Indigenous, and queer histories."