Popular Japanese retailer Uniqlo and the NYC parks department have collaborated for the Art in the Parks: UNIQLO Park Expressions Grant. After reviewing plenty of submissions, ten artists were chosen to fan their feathers in parks across the five boroughs. Among them are Gallery Aferro residents Patricia Cazorla and Nancy Saleme!

Saleme and Cazorla’s “Flying High for Equality” will migrate from their shared studio at Gallery Aferro to the Bronx this June.  Their project, an homage to Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, calls to a higher theme of self-discovery and introspection that is concomitant with the search for equality. You can find out more about the duo and their process here.

The proposal image, courtesy of NYC Parks

In the meantime, here are a few things you can do before the big reveal:

• Read Michelle Wilson’s Migratory Book/Libro Migratorio in Gallery Aferro’s Art Shop! Wilson’s book also uses birds to make a larger statement about migration and borders. It’s bilingual, offering translations in both Spanish and English. After you’re done checking out the accompanying blog, you can see more of Wilson’s work on her website.
• Consider birdwatching, especially after recent hawk sightings in Newark.
• Aferro Resident Tasha Lewis recommends Boria Sax’s Crow, which is part of a series of books that details the cultural significance of various animals. Crow just so happens to focus on the corvid and its role in history and literature.
• And, of course, read the book that inspired their project: Johnathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.

An excerpt from Migratory Book/Libro Migratorio.

 Happy reading!