FREE ESSAY ON POLICE MEMORIAL

POLICE MEMORIAL

Throughout Battery Park, in downtown New York City, the sculpture I found to be most
intriguing is the New York City Police Memorial, by Stuart B. Crawford. Memorials and
monuments create solid, deeper meaning to the public. This is because memorials contain
certain information, which is clear to the viewers. This New York Police Memorial serves
as a constant reminder of the officers who have past away serving the people of the city.
The emotion that this piece emits is very different compared to sculptures by Alexander
Calder or Ned Smyth's The Upper Room which therefore produce a different kind of
interaction of the audience and the piece. In my analysis, I will have a well thought out
argument on the reactions of the public to works of public art. I will discus how the
Police Memorial's historical background and how it was developed. I will furthermore
provide a formal description of the Memorial and how the work functions. 
When an artist displays a work of art in a public place he or she must take into
consideration many different aspects before making the structure. The degree of
interaction that may take place between the public and the work of art is well thought
out by the artists. The artist considers what the piece is portraying and the purpose of
making art. At the same time, different types of people are attracted to art in different
ways. In this case, viewers are either fascinated by the work, reminded of the deceased,
taught a lesson or simply admire the work of art. The reaction of this piece by the
public ranges greatly, I witness people interacting with the work to eat their lunch or
read a book, as well as people walking by it without noticing it. 
Memorials are meant to function as a constant reminder of the people that served the
nation in some way and who have died while doing so. This is comparable to cemeteries in
a way that it is for people to remember the ones that passed away. Monuments on the other
hand, are meant to celebrate life or victory instead of celebrating the dead. They are
similar though, in that they both unite the nation as one by bringing the people as
viewers. Both monuments and memorials convey greater meanings than other works of public
art, because they are functional works of art that operate as an emotional stimulant.
They usually have names, dates or sometimes a little passage on the piece that explains
the work's purpose.
There are other public works of art that are also functional. For example, The Upper
Room, by Ned Smyth. This is a structure that has chairs and tables, which are created in
a very beautiful, pastel colored mosaic. It's a called a room because it act as an
interior room although it is part of the exterior environment. A series of columns
separates it from the surroundings. People are attracted by the soft pinkish colors and
the very elaborate glass and stone mosaics. People go there to eat their lunch, relax,
read a book, or just to enjoy the view of the water. Sometimes children go there and
pretend the sculpture as a castle or some enchanted site that they imagine. The artist
wanted to make a place for the people to come together; to commune and interact with one
another. It is a place for the community to take time to relax and to break free from
their busy schedule. Where as the Police Memorial is not as brightly colored because it
is made to mourn the dead. The sculpture is much more private, and does not attract many
viewers. There is a bench for people to sit, but the reactions of the public of these two
pieces are clearly different.
In comparing the Police Memorial to the works done by Alexander Calder, a sculptor of
mid-twentieth century, I find that his works were more playful and pleasing to the eye.
He made large metal, mobile-like pieces that stand outside buildings. His purpose behind
the pieces were simpler, it was more a study of forms, shapes, color and balance. So
people are attracted to the sculpture because it is a definition of what Art is. Thus
they can relate structures like these more to art then the Police Memorial. Calder's
pieces do not function like Smyth's and Crawford's. 
I will now discuss the historical background of the New York City Police Memorial.
Governor Pataki, says that this memorial is a symbol of our eternal gratitude to these
courage officers, and their families. The city of New York felt that such a structure was
to be made to honor the five hundred seventy New York City Police Officers killed in the
line of duty since 1854. On 1989 a committee comprised of various NYPD shield groups was
formed to decide in where it should be made. After one hundred eighty artists created
designs on what the Memorial should look like, Stuart B. Crawford was chosen to do the
structure. The work was commissioned by the city, who agreed that such a memorial must be
built. There you can see that a lot of time and consideration went into creating this
work of Art. An entire Committee carefully chose the exact location and structure of this
work. The reaction and interaction of the public was also carefully thought out. The
artist wanted to convey a sense of commemoration rather than a sense of cheer or
playfulness as in Smyth's and Calder's works. 
The Police Memorial has three walls that make up a rectangular shape. But the structure
is split up into two different sections. Looking at the work, you notice that the left
side is a long skinny fountain that leads to the right, where the water is disposed into
a little pool. Directly next to the water is a green granite wall, which is approximately
six feet tall. The granite wall is very thick and highly polished. Engraved directly on
the stone are the names of the deceased police officers. They are listed in alphabetical
order by last name according to the year of death from the earliest in 1854 up to the
most recent death, in 1996. On the center wall lies a plaque, which states Dedicated to
the memory of those members of the police department who lost their lives in service to
the people of the city of New York. The center wall is not as tall and is made from a
different type of stone, which is rough in texture. In between the two separating
sections, there are three flag poles, each containing a different flag: the American
flag, the state of New York flag and the city of New York flag. 
The space that the Memorial is placed in was carefully chosen. It is separated from the
rest of the surroundings, and placed in the corner of the Esplanade. The viewer has to
make a step down in order to enter into the enclosed memorial where he or she can read
the names of the deceased. The step down represents the fall of the police officers, and
the Memorial is enclosed to serve as privacy from the outside world.
As I explained, the Police Memorial creates different emotions than the works of Ned
Smyth and Alexander Calder. The main components in this difference of interaction are;
color, medium, style and location. Each of the artists I discussed, carefully thought out
the details of their work in order to gain specific reactions from the viewers. I feel
that all of the artists are successful because the people that interact with the works
react in the ways the artist intended. These artists not only created works of Art, but
they create different moods upon all of their viewers. As I have come into contact with
all of these pieces, I noticed my mood was quite different for each.