Artist Hulbert Waldroup was arrested Friday for installing a sculpture outside a Harlem gallery, purportedly without permission from the gallery's owner. The Jersey City artist put his work "The Gates" — which consists of two 10-foot tall antique iron gates decorated with hand-painted offensive street signs reading, "No blacks, No Jews, No Gay!" among other messages — in front of the Heath Gallery on Tuesday and was arrested when he tried to retrieve it. more ›

Wife of Christo, and artist herself, Jeanne-Claude has died at age 74. She co-created the 2005 "Gates" installation, that spanned 23 miles in Central Park, alongside her husband (the installation brought $254 million to the local economy here). Mayor Bloomberg spoke with Christo this morning to offer condolences on the behalf of the city, where Jeanne-Claude died last night of a brain aneurysm. more ›

For two weeks in the winter of 2005, Central Park was filled with 7,500 saffron-paneled gates. The project was a gift from the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who had been trying for four decades to launch the project. Their struggle - and success - comes to the the small screen with tonight's premiere of The Gates on HBO. more ›

Details have emerged on the ambitious, $15 million East River waterfalls project coming to New York in mid-July to cap off the Olafur Eliasson retrospective at MoMa. The project will consist of four man-made waterfalls, ranging 90 to 120-foot tall, installed temporarily at four sites along the shores of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Governors Island: by the Brooklyn anchorage of the Brooklyn Bridge, between Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn, in Lower Manhattan at Pier 35, and on the north shore of Governors Island. The waterworks will flow from 7am to 10pm seven days a week, will be lit after sunset, and operate from July to October. more ›

), who've been filming Christo and Jean-Claude's work since in the '70s. They were there with their cameras in '79 when the artists first pitched their idea to the city of installing hundreds of orange gates throughout the park for two weeks in winter. To hear the nay sayers shooting the idea down originally and then to see footage of the rapturous crowds in 2005, is to understand just a little bit better Christo and Jean-Claude's tremendous artistic vision. Ultimately they insist they do their work for themselves alone, but to be reminded how public art enriches our city dwelling experience is really inspiring. We see the gates drawn on photographs, fabricated, constructed, unfurled and then enjoyed against the backdrop of a lush snow storm. Gates from up above, from far away and then from close up--this movie is a gates-gasm. While some of the extensive footage of the orange sails flapping in the winter winds does drag in spots, it's still some very lovely camera work. Maysles and his co-director Antonio Ferrara have done a wonderful job of documenting that particular moment in New York for posterity. more ›

• A $100,000 donation to study how a free subway can save money? Yes, someone really did it: The NY Sun explains that 92 year old Theodore Kheel has donated the 100 G's to the Institute for Rational Urban Mobility to study the concept. The belief is that making subways and other mass transit free, then drivers would have an incentive to switch. The IRUM is the group behind the 42nd Street light rail idea vision42 and Auto-Free New York. Fun fact: Kheel (who does use a chauffeur - as a commenter notes, Kheel needs assistance and uses a cane - but would be willing to pay a fee in order to be in a car) represented Christo and Jeanne-Claude Christo in their legal fight to show The Gates.
• The 7 train had its first weekend of service disruptions, and it really sucks. NY1 spoke to customers, who say, "The weekend service is already slower, but now it's 30 more minutes to get into the city. It's ridiculous," and "There's so many people here that are working people, and they have no other options, some of them. It's very difficult." The service disruptions are due to signal and track switch upgrades along the line and will last through March. 7 train riders, you tell us how your weekend travels were.
• And New York magazine asked design firm SHoP to create a fourth airport proposal-counterpoint because who in NYC really cares about Stewart Airport in Newburgh. SHoP's idea? A high-speed shuttle that would travel between all three airports and stop at major neighborhoods, plus improvements to JFK. It's the stuff dreams and billions of dollars are made of.

This is almost like The Burg's baby years! Here's the part one of the pilot of the Columbia University soap opera, The Gates (here's part two and part three). One of the actors told the Columbia Spectator, "I don't think I'm going to have any more friends. I'm scared I'm going to come off as a spectacular douche bag." more ›

Doctors Without Borders will be pitching a tent in Central Park this fall. There will be an 8,000 square foot exhibit that looks like a refugee camp placed in Cherry Hill (near Bethesda Fountain) to give an approximation of what's it's like to live in a refugee conditions after disasters. Here's what Doctors Without Borders says:

Guided by MSF aid workers, visitors to this outdoor educational exhibit are asked to imagine that they are among the millions of people fleeing violence and persecution in, for example, Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, North Korea, or Sudan. more ›

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Remember the Gates-- 7503 panels of saffron colored fabric in Central Park? Hard to believe that was less than a year ago, but it's true. Gothamist briefly went mad for saffron, and our Gatesapalooza lasted for about two weeks! Some of the highlights: more ›

Albert Maysles, Documentary Filmmaker more ›

It hardly feels like The Gates happened six months ago, but they did and the Post has an update of where they are now. Most likely, The Gates are headed to a home improvement store not in this NYC-area, as the materials have been recycled as promised. The billowing curtains were stripped and respun into "new" nylon thread, while the metal parts were melted down and the saffron metal parts were ground into 500,000 pounds of chips. Then Plastival, a Chicago company, turned the chips into fencing that is white vinyl on the outside but saffron on the inside. So, a little bit of our shared Central Park experience may be on the lawns of Middle America, where they won't have to deal with a Gates hangover. Now, for the Floating Island's dirt to be spread across the the country as well. more ›

Psych - it's April Fool's Day! The Project for Public Spaces has issued its April Fool's newsletter, which includes a faux-Christo project that would involve gating city sewer grates in New York (photo, above). Gothamist loved this "quote" from the Mayor:

"The Gates raised so much money we couldn't believe it. We've got to capitalize on this wrapping craze fast if we're going to fund the MTA's capital budget AND build the Jets stadium."

Short of naming saffron the Big Apple's color, Mayor Bloomberg bestowed The Gates masterminds Christo and Jeanne-Claude with the Doris C. Freedman award for enriching the public environment. Interesting facts: Freedman was the founder of the Public Art Fund, and Mayor Ed Koch created the "Percent for Art" law, "which requires the city to spend 1 percent of its budget for eligible city-funded construction projects on art for city facilities." The AP said that Christo and Jeanne-Claude didn't say much, except Jeanne-Claude did add that two volunteers for the project fell in love and were going to get married. That's a nice coda for Gothamist's coverage of The Gates to end - however, if some of the frames suddenly turn up at a loft party in South Williamsburg, we're going to be all over it. more ›

When out-of-town relatives pay the occasional weekend visit, Gothamist is happy to play tour guide to the culinary and cultural delights of our fine city. But sometimes even the best-laid restaurant plan can fall apart on a technicality, forcing us to improvise. For instance, two weekends ago, we had planned a grand tour of The Gates and a little museum-going, but first we needed a hearty brunch to start the day. It was a cold, windy Sunday, only 10:15am (those out-of-towners are quite the early risers) when we arrived at Public, only to discover that it wasn't scheduled to open until 11am! Already hungry, and now freezing cold, we looked around and spotted Cafe Habana. more ›

The Gates crews continue breaking down the exhibit, but not without some incident: A man from Astoria, described as being "kind of artistic," was arrested after he tried to steal one of the saffron fabric panels. Leopoldo Chang and a worker struggled over the fabric, but then Chang gave up and left. However, a worker alerted authorities and Chang was arrested for misdemeanor larceny and possession of stolen property (Gothamist is a little confused, because from the story, it doesn't seem like Chang got away with the material, but whatever). Given that there were few incidents, it seems that all you need is several hundred cops, plus private security and passionate workers, on alert to ensure peace. more ›

Clearly, someone at Newsweek must miss The Gates, because the cover of Martha Stewart busting out of what looks like are saffron colored curtains! The AP is all over the cover illustration, because Martha "appears to be sporting a model's body." A Newsweek editor says, "Anybody who knows the story and is familiar with Martha's current situation would know this particular picture [was an illustration and not a photograph]." Well, it sure is a flattering illustration. It's not like Newsweek-sometimes-partner (what is the relationship between Newsweek and NBC again? we forget) NBC will be airing the Martha Stewart version of The Apprentice. more ›

When it comes to sweets, candy gets no respect. In New York, grown-ups can--without embarrassment--satisfy their collective sweet tooth with high-end chocolates, beautiful wedding cakes (and trendy cupcakes), gourmet doughnuts, and Viennese pastries. But for those of us who still get cravings for good old-fashioned candy, is there a place for us in NYC? Gothamist had been wondering this for awhile. And when an old college friend came to visit last week to see The Gates, we figured we'd take her in search of some fancy candy, as she was the one who had gotten us hooked on Swedish Fish in the first place. more ›

It's Bloomberg time: Let's see...First, Mayor Bloomberg told the City Council to mind its own beeswax and stop "picking-and-choosing" which big chain stores come the town. This refers to scaring Wal-Mart out of Queens (at least for now), saying that Wal-Mart had a right to be in NYC, just as people have the right to unionize or not unionize. This comes as former Secretary of the Treasury Robert Reich wrote a NY Times editorial, "Don't Blame Wal-Mart," and NYU urban planning professors think NYers will want Wal-Mart eventually. Well, of course New Yorkers want good deals and that the face of the city changes all the time, but there's something about fighting a mega-corporation like Wal-Mart that turns some people on. more ›

New York magazine tries to estimate the impact of Mayor Bloomberg's ideas, actualized and proposed, on the city. They look at last summer's Republican National Convention, The Gates, and the Olympics, factoring in cost, purported benefit, the disruption factor, etc. The Mayor does seem hellbent into making NYC the world's "second home," but Gothamist hope that this still means, if he's reelected, that even if we don't these projects, he'll make sure the city is great as possible, as it's millions' first and only home. If Bloomberg would like to win another term, Gothamist thinks he should buy all New Yorker's another home, so we can say NYC is our second home, too. more ›

The Gates have finished their popular run in Central Park, delighting visitors from around the world as well as around the corner. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, whose roof was open to the public to see The Gates, was reportedly overwhelmed with visitors (even more so than the holidays!) and there was spillover into other museums and neighborhoods in the city, leading vendors and store owners, whose businesses were up anywhere from 50-100%, to regret the closing. The NY Times spoke to artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude about the end of the exhibit: They seem very ready. Gothamist is glad that The Gates came to Central Park, delighting some, challenging others, because the exhibit was successful in making people rethink their relationships with the park, what art was, or let them go to town with their cameras. What did you think? more ›

Gothamist is pretty excited that Michelin will be reviewing NYC restaurants, because we love strange, pudgy, benign seeming characters. However, we were wondering how Michelin, a tire company whose guides have become as essential as AAA guides (like an indie rock band, Michelin is "huge in Europe") with the stature of Zagat, would work in our less driver-centric city. Luckily, the NY Times article filled us in:

The star system retains Michelin's link to car travel: restaurants that are "a good place to stop" receive one star. Those worth "a detour" are given two, and those worthy of a "special journey" are awarded three. There are five levels to show luxury in restaurants, represented by crossed spoons and forks. A symbol, "Bib Gourmand," is for good value.

Are you going to Central Park one more time this weekend to see The Gates? Here's Christo and Jeanne-Claude's site on The Gates. And the hansom cab drivers of Central Park love The Gates for giving them business - so many small industries the saffron sheets have affected! more ›

Finally, the first big, non-graffiti The Gates accident that isn't some art lover accidentally walking into one: A cab crashed into one of the frames yesterday morning after hitting a patch of ice at 8:30AM. The Post reported that one of the frames at Central Park South and Sixth Avenue was mangled; however, these kinds of incidents were anticipated and the frame was replaced by 9AM. The cabby said, "I don't want to be famous for destroying art. I'm glad my customer was OK, that's the bottom line. I'm just glad we're all OK. I'm just sorry for the 'Gate.'" Seriously. Those Christo fans are out for blood! more ›

Wow, it seems like Christo and Jeanne-Claude are like the Sean Penn and Madonna of the art world - at least for a few moments - as Newsday reports that the most famous public-art touting-and-building couple, plus their photographer Wolfgang Volz, tussled with a Newsday reporter and photographer:

Jeanne-Claude, whose saffron hair has evoked comparisons to the billowing bright sheets in Central Park, seemed to see red yesterday when a Newsday photographer tried to take the couple's picture in the park's northwest corner. more ›

-Check out the latest additions to our family: Bostonist and Seattlest more ›

reports that committee members will be taken up to Central Park for a look at members of the Road Runners club racing through "The Gates," will dine at the Bloomberg mansion, and will ride in horse-drawn carriages to a performance of Jazz at Lincoln Center (now at the Time Warner building). Some of the members will even be driven down 5th Avenue just as a fencing match takes place on the steps of the Public Library. Of course, committee members will also have to endure all of the requisite power points from the mayor's office and will race around the city to all of the facilities (existing and yet-to-be-built) where it all could possibly take place. more ›

Though the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is over, Gothamist has been enjoying city rag's photographs from the final night. The win of the "liver-colored" German pointer Ch Kan-Point's VJK Autumn Roses (aka Carlee) was shocking to us, because "liver-colored" doesn't really sound so good, unless it's foie gras. But the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the only awards show where they get to say, "This bitch really deserved to win"...well, the only awards show until Chris Rock hosts the Oscars in a week and a half. Anyway, Gothamist found this NY Times piece almost helpful on why purebred dogs have such crazy names; we say almost because the names are still insane. more ›

There are so many wonderful things about The Gates. How the city is coming together to talk about art. How Central Park, so barren and quiet in February, is buzzing with activity. And how people are selling bits of The Gates, from detritus to actual parts of the installation, on eBay. The NY Times notes how a 15 year-old kid's eBay auction of a plain old cardboard tube (used in the unfurling) has caused controversy, causing people to complain with the Manhattan DA's office and call him a moron. Listen, the only controversy is that he set that reserve to $12,000; it's a freaking cardboard tube. When you look at the eBay auctions of The Gates-related items, they are mostly swatches of the saffron fabric handed out by volunteers (if you were nice), souvenirs from the exhibit or even a stray volunteer smock; we couldn't find the orange bolt or plastic pieces mentioned. While the kid isn't accused of theft, a spokeswoman for The Gates said that all the elements from the production were to be recycled. more ›

Whoa, the Weather Service is getting very specific on us for this afternoon: more ›