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multi-media installation

Target Art in the Park
July 12 - October 31, 2002

At Madison Square Park
(Madison Avenue between 23rd and 25th Streets)

Target Art in the Park, an unprecedented three-year contemporary public art program in New York City, opens with its final exhibition on July 12, 2002 in Madison Square Park. The exhibition features new works by Dan Graham, Mark Dion, and Dalziel + Scullion that highlight the link between city life and the natural world, and explore the present and past of historic Madison Square Park. Visitors will encounter a series of cast-aluminum expedition tents invoking distant, exotic landscapes; a glass pavilion that creates a kaleidoscopic visual experience; and a field station for learning about the natural wonders of the park.

Working closely with scientists and non-art institutions, Mark Dion mines the fields of ecology, botany, ethnography, and natural history museum displays in realizing his installations and sculptures. His long-standing interest in environmental issues has led him to create Urban Wildlife Observation Unit, a constructed urban ecological centerthat will allow park visitors to reexamine their surroundings by taking a closer look at the natural environment - the animals, bugs and trees - in Madison Square Park.

Fashioned after a 19th-century wildlife refuge viewing area, Dion will adorn his field station with objects, drawings, and other props that pertain to the park's natural surroundings. Created with input from park rangers and New York-area naturalists, Dion's interactive sculptural area allows for a unique and educational engagement with Madison Square Park.

Artist Bio
Mark Dion was recently commissioned to create works for Aldrich Museum of Art in Ridgefield, Connecticut; the Tate Gallery, London; and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco. He has exhibited in major museums and galleries worldwide, including solo exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver; Galleria Emi Fontana, Milan; Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York; and American Fine Arts, Co., New York. Mark Dion explores the fields of ecology, botany, ethnography and natural history museum displays, as well as works in conjunction with scientists and non-art institutions to create his installations, sculptures, and video work. Born in 1962 in Massachusetts, Dion lives in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania. Dion has an upcoming exhibition at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in December 2002.

Sponsorship
Target Art in the Park is organized by the Public Art Fund on behalf of the City Parks Foundation.

Minneapolis-based Target Stores serves guests at 1,081 stores in 47 states nationwide by delivering today's best retail trends at affordable prices. Whether visiting a Target store or shopping online at target.com, guests enjoy a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to thousands of unique and highly differentiated items. Target Stores, along with its parent company Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), gives back more than $2 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.

Location
Madison Square Park is located on Madison Avenue between 23rd and 25th Streets.
Nearest Subway: N, R, 6 to 23rd Street stop.