In the center of a park on crossroad of 23rd Street and Broadway five black and white sculptures stand tall and proud. One, who walks by there on their way to work might never give it any attention, another, who is searching places like this one might be charmed and inspired by it.

Markers, the sculptures made by Mel Kendrick are very much as a lot of his art is. He often “removes a form, only to put it back in a slightly different position or to add it to some other part of the composition. In short, each piece is a sum of many angled and rounded elements abutting on one another at different slants” (The New York Times: Sculpture: Mel Kendrick, April 15, 1983).
We can see it quite clearly on the sculptures found in Madison Park; they look as if he cut shapes from the inside of a cube and simply stacked it on top to the original piece. This form is quite interesting for it allows us to see the interior of the cement block and makes us imagine what other shapes can be possibly produced from that mass. It is almost as if the artist turned the sculpture inside out and revealed all its secrets.

It is also very important to mention the setting where the sculptures are located. They are right in the middle of a busy city but lay on a bed of greens. Trees form a sort of shelter that is a barrier between fast paste streets and relaxing atmosphere of the park. It is a place where people come to relax during a busy day at work and receive a moment of peace. The sculptures might seem as out of place but at the same time they fit in perfectly. There is already so much happening in the background that the artwork harmonizes with the “mess” around it but at the same time stands out. The fact that the sculptures are painted in horizontal black and white lines makes them cut verticality of trees and buildings.
It is also worth mentioning that Madison Square Park constantly hosts different outdoors exhibitions. This one will be there until December 31, giving the public opportunity of observing it within different seasons. According to the official MAD.SQ.PK. website the location of Makers references other monuments that are displayed all around the city. This idea permits us to go back to the subject we have already mentioned couple of time in class: public display of art. Do people who sit in the park and eat their lunch appreciate the sculptures as much as if they were displayed in a museum or a gallery? Also, was it artist’s original idea to display it in such a surrounding?

Personally, I think that the sculptures were designed to be displayed in a park. Their size- 10 feet, and material- concrete are simply too large for a closed room. They need to breathe with fresh air, need to be surrounded by people and nature. If they were to be enclosed they would feel out of place, it would be as if an elephant stepped into the room.