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American Idyll

September 24, 2003 -
September 30, 2004

at MetroTech Center, Brooklyn

Public Art Fund is proud to present a new exhibition of contemporary art at MetroTech Center. American Idyll continues MetroTech's commitment to supporting the work of emerging artists. Each year artists are asked to respond to the Commons, the public spaces surrounding the vibrant downtown areas of MetroTech Center and Brooklyn Polytechnic. The artists in this year's exhibition - Jon Conner, Amy Gartrell, Dave McKenzie, Pentti Monkkonen and Roman de Salvo - have each created works that observe and playfully comment upon outdoor recreation, roadside Americana, and idyllic pastimes and pleasures.

For his project at MetroTech Center, There's No Place Like Home, McKenzie decided to recreate an existing statue of Paul Bunyan from Rumford, Maine. Paul Bunyan, the legendary woodsman, is the heroic embodiment of the American frontier. Tall tales about his incredible feats and ingenuity - such as scooping out the Great Lakes to get water for his big blue ox, Babe - began circulating in the early 20th century. Since the 1930s, statues of Paul Bunyan have dotted the country, standing guard at the town limits or, just as frequently, at local gas stations. By inserting this iconic statue into downtown Brooklyn, McKenzie brings small town America into the heart of downtown Brooklyn, a modest attempt to bridge distances across geography and time.

Artist Bio
Dave McKenzie received a BFA in printmaking from the University of the Arts, Philadephia, PA and also studied at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, Maine. His videos, sculptures and installations are motivated by the desire to make mundane objects and gestures relevant. His most recent group exhibitions include In Practice, Sculpture Center, Long Island City, New York (2003; traveled), 24/7, Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius, Lithuania (2003), and Queens International, Queens Museum of Art, New York, (2002). Among his most recent video screenings are Videos in Progress: Dave McKenzie, RISD Museum, Rhode Island (2003) and Videodrome II, at the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York (2002). He lives and works in Brooklyn.

Sponsorship
American Idyll at MetroTech Center is part of an ongoing program organized by the Public Art Fund and sponsored by MetroTech Commons Associates, an organization that consists of MetroTech companies Bear Stearns & Company, Forest City Ratner Companies, JPMorganChase, KeySpan, Polytechnic University, Securities Industry Automation Corporation (SIAC) and DOITT. Special thanks to Forest City Ratner Companies and First New York Management.

Location
MetroTech Center is situated in the Civic Center/Borough Hall area of Downtown Brooklyn.
By Subway: M, N, or R to Lawrence Street Station or the A, C, or F to Jay Street/Borough Hall, exit at Myrtle Promenade.