Yvonne Shortt’s Labor of Love

For the last 7 years artist, mathematician, and community member Yvonne Shortt has worked on a small 750 square foot of space in Rego Park. “It all started when she and another woman went in like ninjas in the night to remove over 100 umbrellas several men setup for their drug den,” says fellow artist Selena Mathews. “We kept calling the city but they couldn’t do anything because people were living there. It was filthy and during the umbrella cleanup there were several needles found. It was egregious that the city could not do anything,”says Mathews.

Once the needles and umbrellas were cleaned out, fellow community member Maya Shenkman went and hired a dump truck to clean out the rest of the garbage left there over the years. Then, the real work began: Installing Lavender and other sustainable plants, watering, and keeping the space clean.

I want people to know the future of this space is up to us,” says Shortt who came up with the concept for the sculpture while cleaning the space. This new sculpture is a departure from past sculptures. It invites the viewer to come closer to see what it says. “I want people to stop taking things for granted and I hope this sculpture helps,” says Marina Slavoco, a local community member who volunteers sometimes in the space.

Thanks to Councilmember Koslowitz more plants and cleanups have been happening in the space. “I couldn’t do this without help. Her team is truly a Godsend,” says Shortt.