Lawrence Weiner NYC Manhole Covers

Streets

On Permanent View — Installed November 21, 2000

About the Exhibition

Lawrence Weiner (1942–2021, b. New York City, NY) created NYC Manhole Covers, functional manhole covers that read: “in direct line with another and the next” in reference to the grid of New York City’s Streets. They can be found in 19 locations below Union Square.

This exhibition was a collaboration with and made possible through the cooperation and support of Con Edison and Roman Stone.

West Village Vicinity
1. W. 12th Street & Hudson Street (SW corner)
2. Bleecker Street & Bank Street (SW corner)
3. In front of 124 Bank Street (Between Washington & Greenwich Streets)
4. Hudson Street (near the park, between W. 11th & Bank Streets)
5. W. 11th Street & Hudson Street (NE corner)
6. Bleecker Street (near the park, between W. 11th & Bank Streets)
7. W. 4th Street (east side, between W. 11th & Bank Streets)

Union Square Vicinity
8. Union Square Farmers’ Market (Broadway side)
9. Union Square Farmers’ Market (Park Avenue South side)
10. Union Square Park (East edge of park at 15th Street entrance to the subway)
11. Union Square Park (in park enter on East 15th Street)
12. Union Square Park (14th Street East near Broadway)

Washington Square Vicinity
13. Washington Square Park (west sidewalk, Washington Place W. & MacDougal Street)
14. Washington Square Park (west sidewalk, W. 4th & MacDougal Streets)
15. Washington Square Park (in center of park, near the fountain)
16. Washington Square Park (Entrance at W. 4th & Thompson Streets)

Astor Place Vicinity
17. Astor Place, traffic triangle at the Uptown 6 subway stop (8th St. & 4th Ave)

St. Mark’s in the Bowery Vicinity
18. In the Abe Lebeworth Park (2nd Avenue & 10th Street)

Tompkins Square Park Vicinity
19. Avenue A & 7th Street (NE corner)

Photo Gallery

About the Artist

Lawrence Weiner View Profile

Lawrence Weiner (1942–2021, b. The Bronx, NY) was a seminal figure in the Conceptual art movement of the late 1960s. His importance lies in his radical rethinking of sculpture and art itself—proposing that ideas and language could be considered works of art; he believed that the idea (or concept) is more important than the object itself. Rather than a passive spectator, the viewer must be an active participant in the creation of the work. Weiner believed that art should be accessible, reproducible, and socially engaged and therefore located works like posters, books, and manhole covers in the public sphere to reach a wider audience.

Weiner’s solo exhibitions have taken place at the Holstebro Kunstmuseum, Denmark (2021); Milwaukee Art Museum, WI (2017); Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria (2016); South London Gallery, UK (2014); Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Spain (2013); the Jewish Museum, New York City (2012) and the Whitney Museum, New York City (2007, travelled to MoCA, Los Angeles, and K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2008–09). He lived and worked in New York City and Amsterdam.

Public Art Works: a Public Art Fund Podcast

In Public Art Fund’s podcast series, Public Art Works, artists and cultural leaders explore topical subjects like activism, representation, feminism, and even street food through the lens of public art in New York City.

Did you know that Shake Shack originated as a Public Art Fund project?
Who should be represented by monuments in our public spaces?
What role does art play in activism and protest?

These topics and more are unpacked in our first six-episode season, hosted by actor Jeffrey Wright and featuring conversations among diverse voices including artists Ai Weiwei, Sue de Beer, Kate Gilmore, Xaviera Simmons, Hank Willis Thomas, Lawrence Weiner, and Erwin Wurm; activists Paola Mendoza and Arianna Gil; chef & restauranteur Danny Meyer; Ford Foundation President Darren Walker; Commissioner, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Bitta Mostafi; food writer Joe DiStefano; Director of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and former Director of Public Art Fund, Tom Eccles; former Project Specialist at Con Edison, Lisa Frigand; Public Art Fund’s own Nicholas Baume and Susan K. Freedman; and everyday New Yorkers!

Episodes are available on our Public Art Works page and on iTunes, Spotify, Google and Alexa.

Hear from Lawrence Weiner in the episode below:

Public Art Works Episode 4: In Direct Line

Download Transcript

In the year 2000, Public Art Fund installed 19 functional manhole covers in Lower Manhattan, conceived and designed by the renowned conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner. We brought Lawrence and former Public Art Fund Director Tom Eccles back together to discuss the project and process, which included working in close collaboration with Con Edison. It was a significant project for both Lawrence and Tom in that it emphasized the quieter, more personal experiences that certain kinds of public art can provoke, especially in New York City. Con Ed’s Lisa Frigand also joins the discussion to touch on the sort of magic that happens when artists work with civic engineers and designers, as well as the meaning the piece took on for her personally in the wake of September 11, 2001.