Recycling Gates

Today is the last day for "The Gates." The awesome public art display by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude has decorated New York's Central Park for the past 16 days, creating quite the topic of conversation. Central Park officials said an estimate on the total number of people the piece drew was not yet available, but it will be millions. More than 1 million saw it in the first four days alone. The $21 million cost for the exhibit was picked up by the artists, who say they haven't made any money from it. Profits from the sale of souvenirs, including posters, T-shirts and maps, are being donated to the city's parks and to Nurture New York's Nature Inc., a nonprofit that supports arts and the environment.

A huge dismantling project starts tomorrow, with 300 workers aiming to remove the 7,500 fixtures within a week. And now the saffron gates could soon be a part of your home - as a flowerpot or piece of gutter. Every part of the artwork, which brought massive international attention - and lots of tourists - to Central Park, is scheduled to be recycled. From Central Park, every single part of 'The Gates' will be taken to a warehouse in Queens. From there, they will be sent to recycling plants.

And then it's back to battling bureaucracy for the artists, who hope their next project, "Over the River," will cover sections of Colorado's Arkansas River with fabric.

- When I first saw this project previewed, I thought it was rather awful. However, after seeing many amazing photographs in various weather conditions, from aerial photos to close-up shots of a father carrying a child on his shoulders under one of the gates, the project grew on me a great deal. I suppose there is more to be said about the fact that the work of art created such a stir. While "The Gates" was unusual, I appreciate the fact that the public display pushed the envelope on what people consider to be art. The other projects of these two artists - created all over the world - have all rendered fascinating photographs as well as public controversy. At the very least, the public displays stimulate people to talk about art, and in my opinion, that is nothing but positive.