Mark Dean Veca, Forest Frieze, 2011, acrylic paint on wall, PS/IS Beekman/Spruce Street School, Manhattan

For PS/IS Beekman, artist Mark Dean Vecca has designed an artwork for the area above the cafeteria serving line. He has chosen to treat this horizontal space as a frieze consisting of repeating landscapes that will be painted directly on the wall. The imaginary landscapes read as portholes to places and spaces outside, beyond the wall and building. Rendered in a style reminiscent of Dr. Seuss and comic book illustrations, the artwork represents a thoughtful incorporation of both a contemporary aesthetic and traditional art historical elements such as architectural friezes and landscapes. Its overall effect is one of fantasy and whimsy. The rounded forms and overall composition work in harmony with the curvilinear design and aesthetic of the building and complement Gehry’s visionary style and the Beekman building as a whole.
 
Forest Frieze is a fantasy landscape depicting what lower Manhattan might have looked like thousands of years ago. While alluding to our origins, it also evokes a bright future as we peer through the forest at cheerful skies beyond.