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Saturday, January 23, 2010

Grains of Sand, in Union Square

Sand art, Union Square
Photo by myself in Union Square, at Broadway and 16th Street.

An artist named Joe Mangrum drew a small crowd last week as he created a large piece of colorful art on the ground.

Made entirely of brightly colored sand, this large design took the greater part of the day. As he added more to the artwork, Joe talked about how each of us was like a grain of sand in the larger context of the city.

Luckily for all of us, there was no wind that day. For more of Joe's work, click here.

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The size of Union Square makes it a popular location for performance art. There are often jugglers, musicians and mimes there, doing their thing. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the square is filled with a Farmer's Market.

Folks from upstate New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania drive over to sell organic produce, honey, meats, eggs, baked goods and even fish. For New Yorkers who appreciate fresh food and love to cook, it is heaven.

Artists and vendors often set up booths on the same days, selling their paintings, pins, t-shirts, photographs and all else. It's a delight to tour around the square, browse around and watch people.

Related posts: Union Square is Where it's at, Sound the Horns in Union Square and Painting by Numbers.

9 comments:

barbie said...

Very nice....reminds me of the Navajo sand art used for healing rituals. Have a great week-end.
Barbie

Luis Gomez said...

Beautiful. Nice work.

Laura Cousins said...

This reminds me of a Buddhist mandala - a piece of scared art created over a period of days entirely from coloured sand, and then ceremonially destroyed. It is symbolic of what happens to all of us, eventually. We are all fantastically complicated and individual works of art but ultimately we all end up blown apart by the wind.

But then, you can always make another one.

irinapictures said...

Great find. Sand. How does he stand the fact that his art will disappear with first wind blow?

Shrink to Fit said...

Amazing! It must have been mesmerizing to watch.

Great shot.

Unknown said...

amazing art! from someone that has never been to New York, it sure sounds like a lot of fun with a little something for everyone.

Fashion Schlub said...

wow! that's amazing! and beautiful...i'm sad to think that by know it's probably totally gone....

dianasfaria.com said...

I always loved shopping here when I lived in Gramercy Park. I remember hanging out by the flats of flowers in the late Spring just so I could stare at them and bringing home fresh farm tomatoes to make sauce with. Ahh, sweet memories!

Susu Paris Chic said...

This is what big city life is at its best. Things to discover every day - when you least expect them. Have a great New York Sunday!