Have a Seat

edited by Sheila Kim -- Interior Design, 10/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

The CowParade is over, and Christo is still ahead. Benches, meanwhile, get their day in the sun. As a public-art tribute to the 150th anniversary of New York's Central Park, Target Corporation and the Central Park Conservancy are sponsoring "Target Benchmarks Central Park." The two organizations commissioned architects, artists, designers, and celebrities to transform 53 standard 4-foot-long park benches into works of art. Ideas range from the sculptural (architect Charles Gwathmey's marine plywood and teak dowels) to the space-age (artist Kenny Scharf's fiberglass alien family). The pieces go on display in Central Park, October 1 to 15, and in select Chelsea galleries, November 1 to 8. On November 20, Christie's will auction the benches to benefit the Central Park Conservancy.