The new park is about to open and it's really exciting. The neighborhood has been waiting for the site to become a public park for decades. The whole block feels so much more open and inviting since the construction walls came down recently. The Memorial is being constructed in two parts: the steel canopy sculpture and all the granite elements. The Memorial canopy sculpture is in fabrication in an architectural metals factory just outside Buenos Aires, Argentina. I had the pleasure of visiting the factory with the architects earlier this summer, and we are getting exciting weekly progress updates. Because everything about the Memorial sculpture is custom, its fabrication is taking longer than the rest of the site. Fabrication should be complete by late Fall, at which point the large pieces of the canopy will be disassembled, shipped north in containers, and then reassembled on site this winter. It will be impressive to see cranes lift the 18 ft. tall pieces of the canopy into place and complete the assembly over several weeks.
Chris Tepper and Studio a+i architects Mateo Paiva and Esteban Erlich, the Memorial architects, review a mock-up showing one of the corner pieces at the height it will be at the Memorial
Mateo and Esteban at the factory discussing details with the fabrication managers
The canopy in fabrication at the Argentine factory. Here, they are grinding down the steel to a smooth surface
The sparks are flying! Welders working on the Memorial canopy framing pieces
And what about the inscribed text curated by Jenny Holzer?
All of the granite elements of the Memorial (the two rows of benches, the large central water feature and the pavers which will feature Jenny Holzer's design) are being fabricated together at a granite factory in Minnesota. All of the elements are being constructed from the same type of dark-colored granite with the same finishes.
Finishing the fabrication details of Jenny Holzer's powerful selections from Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" was a truly impressive typesetting challenge. It took Jenny's team, along with the architects and graphic designers, several months to get each letter and word just right so that the poem can be read smoothly, with no letters cut by joints between the slabs of granite. This process took a little longer than expected, but the final work will be worth the wait.
Our team reviewed stone selection and how they will be assembled at the granite factory
Mock-up of engraved granite pavers
When do you think the Memorial will open to the public?
The Memorial will open in the late Spring of 2016 with a large public dedication ceremony. For quality and longevity purposes, we've been advised by our contractors to wait for the granite installation until after the winter's freezing temperatures. Therefore, the granite installation will happen after the thaw. We will celebrate the opening of the Memorial together before the start of next Summer. We're so excited to have come this far in building New York City's first significant public space dedicated to the ongoing history of AIDS and will use the Fall and Winter to plan a special community event for the Memorial's opening.
How do you think the Memorial will be used?
We really want everyone in the City to feel like this is their Memorial. It has always been important to us that the site be more than just a physical tribute, but that it serves as a gateway to further learning about the ongoing epidemic. Toward that end, our Board of Directors has made it a capital campaign priority to raise funds for both the construction of the physical memorial and educational programming to leverage the site as a community resource. In addition, our Board recently created an Educational Programming Committee, which is being co-chaired by Kendall Thomas and Eric Sawyer. Both have a strong commitment to making sure we focus on the role AIDS advocacy played both in changing the trajectory of the crisis and revolutionizing the global healthcare system.
We are already working on some very exciting digital programming with amazing partners that will help amplify the Memorial's impact and allow for easier sharing of history and memories about the epidemic. We are looking forward to announcing this partnership later this year. Next year we'll have a ceremony on World AIDS Day and are discussing having the annual Reading of the Names done at the site as well. As we near the completion of the physical memorial, we are continuing to raise funds for maintenance and programming.
