Anne Finkelstein Unveils Permanent Artworks at McBurney YMCA’s Annual Kickoff Campaign
02/03/2016
Art scene
The McBurney YMCA at 125 W 14th St. in New York City is one of the largest and most historic YMCAs in the world. The original McBurney branch on 23rd St. first opened in 1869 as the New York Association’s headquarters before moving to its current location off 6th Ave. in 2003. Merrill met Lynch in the swimming pool here in 1913. Pop art legends Andy Warhol and Keith Haring were once members, and so was Al Pacino. Today, more than 6,000 people swipe into the McBurney YMCA each day.
In January 2016, native New York artist and decades-long McBurney YMCA member Anne Finkelstein unveiled a permanent art installation paying homage to the branch’s storied past and adding to its visual identity. The Golden Bannister and Pier and Ocean were stars of the McBurney YMCA’s Annual Kickoff Campaign, a fundraiser for its Financial Assistance Program.
The Golden Bannister features two 75” x 30” montages of images depicting the staircases at the original McBurney YMCA on 23rd St., fittingly installed in the 14th St. McBurney Y’s staircase. Pier and Ocean is a sweeping, 72” x 20” panoramic montage of Coney Island imagery hanging near the front desk at the branch’s entrance.
Duggal Visual Solutions is proud to have been entrusted by Finkelstein to produce all three pieces for her McBurney YMCA installation. Visual consultant Hope Savvides led production, which also included 500 exhibition postcards. A longtime teacher at both FIT and Parsons, Finkelstein has also been bringing her students to Duggal for Hardy Rosenstein’s group tours since the mid-2000s.
