New Sculpture Dedicated at Ward Acres Community Garden

On Sunday afternoon gardeners and art lovers gathered at Ward Acres Community Garden to celebrate its 10th anniversary with the dedication of a new sculpture, “Nature Bath” by Justin Carafotes. The new public art is the result of a collaboration with the New Rochelle Council on the Arts and the New Rochelle Department of Parks and Recreation. Joseph Rogot of the WACG steering committee thanked the artist as well as NRCA.

“The idea behind this project was to celebrate the success of the community garden,” said Stephanie Tomei, one of the WACG founders. (In addition to Tomei the WACG steering committee included Joe Rogot and the late Maggie McGovern.) “We also hope this public art will provide the opportunity for dialogue between the artist and visitors to the garden." Artist Justin Carafotes says the chromed aluminum surface of his work is designed to "reflect the immediate garden and its seasonal changes."

Justin studied at the Art Students League of New York and received his BFA Magna Cum Laude from SUNY Purchase in 2015. He works in a variety of mediums; his paintings were recently featured at West Elm in Eastchester. Justin is the Founder and Creative Director at Hand Crafted catering + events, a bespoke catering company that uses seasonal ingredients and supports local farms, maintaining sustainability, minimizing cookprint, and nourishing our community. He also serves on the Board of the New Rochelle Council on the Arts, which recused itself from the selection process.

Nestled in a meadow of Ward Acres (the entrance is near the intersection of Quaker Ridge and Broadfield Roads), Ward Acres Community Garden was created in 2009 with the idea of “Building Community from the Ground Up.” Starting with just thirty-six 10-by-12-foot plots it has grown to 88 plots that are distributed on a first come, first served basis at the beginning of each season. Two of the plots contain vegetables which are planted and then harvested and donated to local soup kitchens, and another plot is used by neighboring Ward Elementary School for educational purposes. The mission of Ward Acres Community Garden is to build community, follow organic and ecologically sustainable principles, share knowledge and help feed the hungry – but in the process friendships have been cultivated and neighborliness nurtured: Several fun events for all ages are held throughout the growing season.

“Happily, our garden reflects the richly diverse community that makes up the City of New Rochelle,” says Stephanie Tomei. “Our gardeners are a mosaic of the ages and people from the Queen City of the Sound.”

In 2011 WACG collaborated with the New Rochelle Council on the Arts (NRCA) on its first piece of public art, a mosaic seating area titled “The Meeting Place,” that was created by children from the Boys and Girls Club of New Rochelle working under the direction of ceramic artist Judith Weber and featuring artist Sarah Coble. “We were delighted to work again with Ward Acres Community Garden,” says Theresa Kump Leghorn, President of the New Rochelle Council on the Arts. She explains that NRCA has a commitment to sponsoring public art and creating collaborations with other city organizations to create projects which enhance its mission. “NRCA believes public art is important because it enhances quality of life and brings art into the every day experience of the entire community, while demonstrating civic pride and defining a positive sense of identity.”

For more information please contact the New Rochelle Council on the Arts at info@newrochellearts.org.