How Do Like These Apples?

The Apples are coming! To celebrate the city, huge four-foot acrylic apples decorated by hundreds of artists will be popping up around town during Big Apple Fest, who are the people behind Cow Parade. After the city has had its fill of apples for two months, the fake fruit will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to City Harvest, the Police Atheltic League, and NYC & Company, the city's official tourism group. Newsday spoke to artist Maria Tsesarskay, a Ukrainian printmaker, who said, "New York is a Big Apple and so it's a great idea. Even for years to come, it would be great if they keep doing it because...(it would) give people an idea what the Big Apple is about." Her designs include an American flag apple, constellation apple, and apple with Manhattan skyline. The Apples are kind of hokey, but they seem to be popular with the politicos. Gothamist is holding out hope that there's a "Bad Apple" with a rat gnawing at it somewhere.

DC got Panda-Mania.

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By Jen Chung in News on July 15, 2004 12:14 AM

Comments [rss]

Myron

True, the cows of 2000 had nothing to do with New York but they were used because of the large area for artists to work with. You only have to compare the dimensions of a cow vs. an apple.With the apples, as well as the dogs from last year, the artist has much less space to work with. In that respect, the cows made for a better display.

Debbie

I agree with Sue, you people have to lighten up. Suzie, it's not art or "art." I don't think it even pretends to aspire to being "art." It's like a teddy bear -- cute. It's like a penny on the street -- something you might ignore, or something you think is a nice surprise, pick up, and imagine that you'll have a good day because of it.

How do the cows and apples compare to Takeshi Kitano's installation in Times Square a few months ago?

Stunji

tourists eat this sh*t up.

suzie

It's not art - it's "art", something made deliberately to appeal to the lowest common denominator, and something which shies from provoking any emotion or thought. Whomever thinks up these ideas should be banished to Disney World (or Times Square). I mean, this is just embarrassing.

sue

i loved the cow parade, don't understand why people seem so sour about it! anything relating to art should be encouraged people, especially art that is colorful and brings smiles to new yorkers. yes, lighten up..

Mike

They're doing something like this with big metal hearts in San Francisco. Eh.

folklaur70

I think they're cute, and they won't be here forever. The auction will go to charity. Lighten up, fellow New Yorkers!

sam

At least the apples have something nominally to do with NYC, as opposed to the cow parade a few years back. The cows worked in Chicago because they were an homage to the Stockyards, but really made no sense as anything more than "me-tooism" when NYC got on the cow bandwagon.

Dirk

I like DC's panda better than the apples.

NYC should do painted C.H.U.D.

sarah

don't you think this must have something to do wth gwyneth?

greg.org

Ugh. the republicans have already won.

pjh

would someone please have an original fucking thought already...this is the topper in a long line of recent remakes, redues, sequels, and all around autopilot projects....and in nyc none the less...take the 100 artists, give each a 5x5 ft parcel of space somewhere conspicuous..give em a vague vague theme...let them just run...

jkottke

If you'd like to see the apples in progress, they're using an old retail space on 5th Ave and (I think) 44th Street. Ground floor, big windows, lots of huge apple painting in progress.

erikka

Ugh, hasn't the city already covered this topic? Remember the hideous painted cows? Can't we celebrate the city wtih something that doesn't look like my grandmother bought at Hallmark.