Nyack’s Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center is holding a public sculpture competition asking artists to submit proposals to design and build an Edward Hopper inspired bike rack.
Edward Hopper’s bicycle, Illustrated by ©2018 Bill Batson
America’s preeminent realist painter rode a bicycle while growing up in Nyack during the late 19th century. His wooden wheeled 100+ year old bike is on display at his childhood home, which has become a museum and study center. Hopper was also a fan of all things cycling: images of bicyclists appear in his work. A drawing of his original bike has become a popular symbol for Nyack, a fitting image for a community that hosts as many as 5000 cyclists spinning north from NYC on busy summer weekends.
When completed, the rack will installed in front of the Hopper House Museum and Study Center on North Broadway and will be available to the public.
A digital bike tour of Nyack, designating places of significance in Hopper’s life and his evolution as an artist, will be available at the time of the bike rack unveiling in May 2020. A self-guided walking tour will soon be available to visitors, sponsored by Rockland County Tourism, R2M Realty and 25 other businesses and non-profits.
When the Shared Use Path over the Mario M. Cuomo bridge opens, thousands of two-wheeled visitors will arrive in Nyack. The bike rack sculpture will demonstrate that Edward Hopper House, one of Nyack’s premier cultural destinations, welcomes cyclists. “The Hopper bike rack will make a visit to the Hopper House, a launch pad for a bike tour of all of Nyack’s shops, restaurants, parks and of course, our lovely housing stock,” said R2M broker/owner Kenyatta Jones-Arietta.
Artists interested in designing and fabricating a bike rack/sculpture must register by September 1 by sending a letter of interest and CV to info@hopperhouse.com. Interested parties will receive design specifications and contest rules and regulations. Artists will submit proposals that include the design of a sculpture that will serve as a bike rack and fabrication plans. The deadline for submissions is October 1; selection of winning submission will take place on November 1; the bike rack unveiling is planned for May 1, 2020.
