... This is a sculpture that asks to be touched and is an invitation to all children to please come up and touch it....
Upon hearing that the sculpture was meant to be touched, the Roosevelt Island kids rushed forward to meet their new Blue Dragon....
The Roosevelt Island kids at the unveiling like the Blue Dragon.
So, come dance around and enjoy the Roosevelt Island Blue Dragon at Southpoint Park Saturday June 18 from 1 - 3 PM. There will be music, refreshments and crafts too.
was unveiled this morning at the entrance to Southpoint Park. (Ulla & Gustav Kraitz pictured in front of from left to right, Consul General of Sweden in New York, Leif Pagrotsky, RIOC's Susan Rosenthal, Gallery RIVAA's Tad Sudol and Elisabeth Stapen)
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Acting President Susan Rosenthal hosted the Blue Dragon Unveiling Ceremony telling the assembled crowd:
... part of our mission is to improve the quality of life on this Island and I believe truly the introduction of art is one of the best ways....
Through a translator Gustav Kraitz added:
This is a sculpture that asks to be touched and is an invitation to all children to please come up and touch it....
Upon hearing that the sculpture was meant to be touched, the Roosevelt Island kids rushed forward to meet their new Blue Dragon.
Here's a portion of the Roosevelt Island Blue Dragon Unveiling Ceremony including remarks from Ms. Rosenthal, Mr. Kraitz and NYC Council Member Ben Kallos. Don't miss watching the Roosevelt Island kids rushing to meet the Blue Dragon.
Roosevelt Island resident Elisabeth Stapen was one of the prime movers behind the Blue Dragon coming to Roosevelt Island. Ms. Stapen said:
My collaboration with Gustav Kraitz started with the inauguration of the Wallenburg Monument in 1998 outside the United Nations at 47th Street and First Avenue - I was at the time working as Cultural Affairs Oficer at the Swedish Consulate. The Swedish Government and the Nobel Foundation had commissioned the Kratizes to create a monument to honor the life and work of diplomat and humanist Raoul Wallenberg in New York....
... I had moved to Roosevelt Island from Westchester in 2011 and the Island had made quite an impression on me with all the new art projects and Cornell Tech in the pipeline to be completed in 2017. I asked Gustav Kraitz if he wanted to have a tour of the Island and meet with Gallery RIVAA and its dynamic President, Tad Sudol, before Gustav went back to Sweden.
Said and done. We went there on the Tram and Gustav was impressed with what he saw. He said he had a sculpture in mind that he wanted to donate to Roosevelt Island. He made good on his promise and the next time he came, he brought a picture of a children's play sculpture which has now been named "The Blue Dragon".
We are gathered here today to celebrate the arrival of Ulla and Gustav's gift to the Island and we hope that this sculpture will be the symbol of the beginning of a new chapter in the plans of a sculpture park for the Island for everybody to enjoy.
Here are some more scenes from the Roosevelt Island Blue Dragon unveiling today
Please join us for the unveiling ceremony of the BLUE DRAGON sculpture, donated to Roosevelt Island by world renowned Swedish artists Ulla and Gustav Kraitz,on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 11am at Southpoint Park Entrance.
The BLUE DRAGON embarked on a long voyage to its new home, departing from Hamburg, Germany on March 6, 2016 and arriving on Roosevelt Island on March 30, 2016. Cut from a Swedish quarry, the polished black granite diabase sculpture weighs just over 4,400 lbs. (2,000 k) and is 10 feet long.
Ulla & Gustav Kraitz, whose careers have been interwoven since their marriage in 1961, are among the world’s foremost sculptors and ceramicists, having their work featured in nearly 100 exhibitions internationally, including the United States; in Washington D.C., Chicago, and New York. The technique they have developed for firing large pieces in kilns modeled after those of the ancient Chinese style has allowed them to achieve shimmering ceramics in classic glazes, such as oxblood, cobalt, and celadon.
Elizabeth Stapien, Tad Sudol & RIOC Staff Resting On Blue Dragon From Gallery RIVAA
A dedication ceremony for the Blue Dragon sculpture, donated to Roosevelt Island by world renowned Swedish artists Ulla and Gustav Kraitz, will be held at Southpoint Park on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 11 a.m.
The Blue Dragon embarked on a long voyage to its new home, departing from Hamburg, Germany on March 6, 2016 and arriving on Roosevelt Island on March 30, 2016.
Cut from a Swedish quarry, the polished black granite diabase sculpture weighs just over 4,400 lbs. (2,000 k) and is 10 feet long.
In May of 2014, while working on repairs at the Wallenberg Monument, Hungarian-born Swedish sculptor, Gustav Kraitz was given a tour of Roosevelt Island by local resident Elisabeth Stapen and Roosevelt Island Visual Arts Association (RIVAA) president, Tad Sudol. Kraitz was very taken by the island’s beauty, history, and family atmosphere.
“He’d made a few children’s sculptures, including the Blue Dragon which he’d initially intended to sell to a museum.” Stapen recounts. “It was quite a bit of fate, his visit to the island. Right then he decided to donate a sculpture.”
Sudol adds, “When we gave Gustav a tour of the island, including the RIVAA Gallery and the murals at Motorgate Gallery, he saw not only the uniqueness of our location between Queens and Manhattan, but also our vision of being a community for art and embraced it. That was something! This famous artist donating his work to our small but vibrant community.”
Susan Rosenthal, acting President/CEO & General Counsel of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC), says, “After many months of coordination with the Kraitz’s and RIVAA, a scenic location in Southpoint Park was chosen to display this generous gift, which we are delighted to accept from our neighbors across the Atlantic. Positioned directly towards the United Nations, the Blue Dragon is flowing out to the East River, connecting it to Kraitz’s symbol of hope.”
Ulla & Gustav Kraitz, whose careers have been interwoven since their marriage in 1961, are among the world’s foremost sculptors and ceramicists, having their work featured in nearly 100 exhibitions internationally, including the United States; in Washington D.C., Chicago, and New York. The technique they have developed for firing large pieces in kilns modeled after those of the ancient Chinese style has allowed them to achieve shimmering ceramics in classic glazes, such as oxblood, cobalt, and celadon.
RIOC and RIVAA are honored that the Roosevelt Island community has been presented with this gift. Visitors and residents alike will enjoy the Blue Dragon as a beautiful new landmark and a continuing representation of the island’s commitment to the arts.
Gallery RIVAA's Tad Sudol made this October 2015 presentation of his idea for an Island Of Art on Roosevelt Island to the RIOC Board Of Directors.
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
