Friends of the High Line

💬 “I call on the developer to withdraw their current proposal, and to work with the community on one that delivers more housing and access to open space, not less.” Thank you, Brad Lander, for speaking up and standing with our park! 📰 Read more about the rezoning proposal threatening the High Line and surrounding neighborhood: https://buff.ly/tToA5up

Did you know that in many New York City council districts—including the High Line’s District 3—residents can decide how to spend more than $1 million of the city budget? Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process that gives people the power to make their voices heard on how to spend tax dollars in their neighborhoods. As part of an ongoing partnership with the New York City Council, the High Line Fellows are once again leading Participatory Budgeting efforts in District 3. Through their work in this paid, part-time program, the High Line Fellows on the Civic Engagement Pathway support aspects of the process to allocate $1 million for our district, while learning about community engagement and civic leadership. This experience helps equip students with the skills, knowledge, and experience needed to excel in their careers and communities, fostering a new generation of leaders in green spaces and public engagement. It was phenomenal to kick off the Participatory Budget voting period alongside Councilmember Erik Bottcher, and thank you to the High Line Fellows for their thoughtful work to engage our fellow New Yorkers!

This week, the Fellows from the High Line Fellows: Emerging Leaders program joined park advocates from across all five boroughs at City Hall to rally in support of increased funding for the New York City Parks Department. Although the High Line and other NYC parks with conservancies can fundraise the bulk of their annual operating budgets, there are more than 1,000 underfunded neighborhood parks and playgrounds that rely entirely on the city’s budget for their operations. As part of their journey on the Community Engagement pathway of the program, the High Line Fellows have been learning about the ins and outs of the parks system and how to create change through civic involvement, and they harnessed their knowledge and passion for our city's park this week. Together with New Yorkers for Parks, we are proud to join the advocates fighting to keep New York City's parks safe, clean, and accessible for all New Yorkers. #ParksPower #NYC #PlayFair #RestoreOurParks

If you walk along the High Line's gardens in the month of March, there's a chance you will see a few special guests working in the gardens! Today, our senior manager of horticulture Yuki Kaneko is walking us through our largest horticultural undertaking of the year—Spring Cutback! Throughout the month, our community of staff members and volunteers will be selectively cutting back 3.5 acres of our gardens. By planning our annual cutback for March, the High Line's gardens serve as a 1.5 mile-long source of food and shelter for New York City's overwintering pollinators and birds throughout the winter. Additionally, we cut back select portions of the garden to make room for the season's new growth—and we're seeing new blooms emerge earlier and earlier each year on the High High Line! Keeping our park's unique urban ecosystem throughout all four seasons requires patience and expertise, and Yuki and her team of fellow horticulturists deftly navigate this balance with exuberance and skill. To everyone spending the next few weeks cutting back the gardens—thanks for your incredible work to keep our park healthy for New Yorkers and parkgoers! 🌸 : https://bit.ly/4bCKjZa

On this day in 2002, the Friends of the High Line team prevailed in a lawsuit to halt New York City’s demolition order signed by Mayor Rudy Giuliani. This marked a turning point in our efforts to establish the High Line as a public park, with support from Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration and public support propelling our efforts. Today, we are especially grateful for the herculean efforts made to envision, create, and maintain the park. Days like this remind us that we can never take the existence of this public green space for granted. This year, the anniversary of the overturning of the demolition papers holds great significance as we rally New Yorkers to #ProtectTheHighLine. A new development proposal produced without any community input is threatening the northernmost section of the park. If this new proposal were to be enacted, the development of three massive towers and a proposed new casino would negatively impact the experience of millions of visitors. When New Yorkers band together with a shared dream for the future, there’s no telling what we can achieve. Looking to join our work to preserve the magic of this beloved section of the park? Follow Protect the High Line and follow along for opportunities to speak out (in-person or virtually) to #ProtectTheHighLine. 📸: Joel Sternfeld, David Wilkinson

We are heartbroken to have learned about the passing of Ric Scofidio, one of the architects of the High Line. Together with his partner, fellow architect Elizabeth Diller, and the Diller Scofidio + Renfro team, Ric played an instrumental role in transforming the High Line into a public park. Over the span of 15 years, Ric Scofidio's bold vision, innovative design, and incomparable expertise brought to life a public space beyond our wildest dreams. As our executive director, Alan van Capelle, shared, “We mourn the passing and celebrate the tremendous life and legacy of Ric Scofidio. The High Line would not be the success it is without Ric’s thoughtful approach to revealing the magic of a wild and natural environment in an urban setting. New Yorkers today can still experience the special spirit of the historic High Line, thanks to Ric. He will be forever memorialized in the wonderful design he created for the park.” Ric leaves behind a prolific legacy, one that has inspired parkgoers, New Yorkers, and folks all around the world to dream big. As we mourn the loss of Ric, we extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones and collaborators and remain committed to keeping his legacy alive in the park every single day. Photo Credit: Barry Munger, Rowa Lee

We were thrilled to learn that the first-ever High Line Plinth commission, Simone Leigh's "Brick House," has been named by ARTnews as one of "The 100 Best Artworks of the 21st Century!" "Brick House," a 16-foot-tall bronze bust of a Black woman with a torso that combines the forms of a skirt and a clay house, was the inaugural commission for the High Line Plinth. It was an honor to bring this work to life in 2019 in the park's first space dedicated solely to new commissions of contemporary art. Following the sculpture's departure from the park in 2021, we have continued to follow the journey and legacy of "Brick House" with enthusiasm and pride. This is the first sculpture at this monumental scale in Simone Leigh’s "Anatomy of Architecture" series, and she would later go on to win the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2022 for this piece. We are honored that this High Line Plinth commission was showcased alongside so many thought-provoking and moving pieces of artwork, and we hope you take the time to learn more and explore the works in the full ARTnews list! 🖼️: https://lnkd.in/efnS5agw

Want to take a deeper dive into the High Line's gardens? On Thursday, February 20, our senior director of horticulture, Richard Hayden, will facilitate a Bad Grass 2025 conversation, "The High Line: Wild by Design." During the conversation, folks will experience a first-hand exploration of the ecological habitats, keystone native plants, and horticultural techniques for evolving and caring for the High Line. With our native plants and year-round access to nature and resources for wildlife, we are proud the park can serve as an exemplary example of urban ecology in New York City. This is a phenomenal opportunity for horticulture professionals and passionate gardeners looking for a behind-the-scenes peek at how we tend to 1.5 miles of gardens on the West Side of Manhattan. We hope you join Richard and our fellow horticulture enthusiasts this Thursday! 🏙️: The White Hart 📅: February 20 ⏰: 5:30pm, with reception to follow 🎟️: https://lnkd.in/eKGxKFTK

"As a curator of public art, one of the most rewarding parts of my job is...that once the artwork is in the public sphere, you have no control whatsoever. The beauty of what we do is that the artwork itself gets its own life," — Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art. Last week, Cecilia moderated a panel at the Museum of the City of New York about the crucial role public art plays in shaping urban spaces. It was a phenomenal evening alongside artists Derek Fordjour (Fordjour Studio) and Saya Woolfalk, Sandra Bloodworth (former Director of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Arts & Design, founder of Bloodworth Arts International), and Jean Cooney (Vice President of Arts and Culture for the Times Square Alliance and Director of Times Square Arts). Thank you to the Museum of the City of New York for bringing together this marvelous group and for hosting this conversation! It was an engaging and poignant tribute to the magic of public art—and to the friends, supporters, and fans who make it possible to transform our cities into open-air exhibitions.

We are thrilled to share some very exciting news for the next chapter of the High Line Network. First, we are pleased to announce that Kira Strong will be joining the High Line Network as its new Senior Director. Kira is the former Executive Director of the Rebuild Initiative of the City of Philadelphia, where she led the implementation of the city’s historic $500 million capital improvement program to rehabilitate Philadelphia’s parks, recreation centers, libraries, and playgrounds. At Rebuild, Kira provided leadership across all facets of the program—from design and construction and budget administration, to communications and fundraising. Her accomplishments in this role include shepherding $150 million in projects into the construction phase, raising an additional $40 million, and launching an award-winning social media campaign. Additionally, we are also very pleased to announce that Carol Coletta, a long-time Network member, will be coming on board as a consultant during Kira’s first few months to support the exploration of new opportunities for the Network and its members. Carol is the former President and CEO of Memphis River Parks Partnership, where, among other projects, she oversaw the $61 million renovation of the award-winning Tom Lee Park. Carol will be partnering with Kira to lay the groundwork for the future of the High Line Network to ensure we are continuing to deliver valuable support to our Network members as their projects mature and progress. Kira’s extensive experience in animating long-neglected spaces, helping communities articulate a vision for these spaces, and her hands-on leadership style will be a tremendous asset to the High Line Network. Carol’s long career and groundbreaking work in urban planning and design, infrastructure reuse and non-profit management has made her one of the most respected and renowned leaders in this space. We could not be more excited to see how this dream team will shape the future and advance the mission of the High Line Network. Kira and Carol join us on the heels of the extraordinary vision and leadership of Asima Jansveld, whose impact over the past four years is impossible to quantify. Welcome Kira!