While still adjusting to the weekend’s time change and in search of as much sunlight as we can gather, we wandered through New York’s Central Park in search of “First Sun”, a stunning aluminum sculpture by Senegalese artist Monira Al Qadiri. Positioned at the park’s southeast corner, the piece greets visitors with a mesmerizing play of color and light.

“First Sun” reimagines Khepri, the ancient Egyptian god of the rising sun, denoted by the deity’s scarab face, cast in shimmering purples and blues that shift with the sunlight. The sculpture’s reflective surface and ever-changing hues engage the viewer in a dynamic dialogue with the piece and the natural world which surrounds it.

Al Qadiri’s choice of location is extremely intentional. The sculpture serves as a symbolic gateway to one of New York’s most beloved green spaces, encouraging visitors to reflect on the transition from the stylized cityscape to the wild of the park. “First Sun” invites us to pause, reconnect with nature, and appreciate the balance between humans and the humble creatures that share our world.

At the center of Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park is a small, rocky mountain covered with trees. It wasn’t always so verdant, though. Less than 100 years ago, the mountain was mostly bare rock, but over time, trees that were planted at the beginning of the twentieth century grew through the solid Manhattan Schist. Today, the entire park is shaded with trees. “Ascending the Mountain” is a three-part installation by artist Susan Stair, created as a tribute to this urban forest and the trees that make it up. The first part of the work, called “Roots in Rock,” is at the bottom of the mountain, visible from the first step of the staircase that leads to the top. You can look through the artwork, you can see the actual roots of the trees anchored in the rocky ground. The next part of the work, “Growing Powerhouse,” is a bit higher up on the winding stairs. This piece “illustrates the trees’ ability to bring gallons of water and minerals up the side of the mountain through their trunks.” The upright shapes of this portion echo the tree trunks and branches visible through the fence behind them. The final part is at the top of the staircase, near the highest point in the park. The flowing greens and golds of “Tree Canopy” look like an extension of the leafy treetops behind it. Looking out from the top of mountain, you can see out across the small forest and into the urban landscape beyond, offering a rare and wonderful perspective on the city and its relationship to nature.