New Harlem Artwork Climbs Marcus Garvey Park's 'Mountain'

HARLEM, NY — One of Harlem's most picturesque parks has been brightened by a colorful new art installation that climbs its enormous rocky outcropping — and Harlemites can do the same when the artwork is unveiled this weekend.

Titled "Ascending the Mountain," the work by Harlem-based artist Susan Stair consists of three different sections of tile mosaics along the staircase that runs up Marcus Garvey Park's characteristic schist outcropping.

With a few segments already installed, the full work will be unveiled Saturday afternoon in a free event that will also invite visitors to tour the Harlem Fire Watchtower — the 164-year-old cast iron structure that sits at the top of Mount Morris and boasts sweeping views of the neighborhood below.

The first section of tiles sits at the base of the stairs near the basketball courts and continues up to the summit. Between 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday, visitors can climb up to the observation deck and ring the bell

The artwork, meanwhile, will remain on view through June 2022, according to the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance, which organized the installation.

Each of the three sections corresponds to its placement in the park: the lowest focuses on roots and rocks, the middle illustrates trees using water to photosynthesize, and the top section depicts the tree canopy.

"'Ascending the Mountain' is a dream project for me, an opportunity to tell the remarkable story of how a few trees planted in the early part of the 20th century on a mountain of Manhattan Schist in Marcus Garvey Park, self seeded, their roots pushed down through the rocky outcropping and grew over time to create an urban forest," Stair said in a statement.

It is one of six temporary art installations coming to Harlem this summer courtesy of the Parks Department's Art in the Parks program.

"Susan Stair's work is where science meets beauty and a conversation about environmental justice begins," said Connie Lee, the project's organizer.