Sculptor Steve Tobin’s latest public art installation is on view in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Seven of his towering tree-root sculptures are lining plazas on Broadway between 39th and 40th streets and 40th and 41st streets. Tobin has an extensive background in creating public art installations, the most recent of which was a year-long exhibition on Maui titled Earth to Sky, 2024. He is perhaps best known for Trinity Root, 2005, a monumental bronze sculpture cast from the roots of the sycamore tree that sheltered St. Paul’s chapel during 9/11. It was on view in lower Manhattan for a decade.
This current public installation, Steve Tobin: New York Roots, is part of Garment District Art on the Plazas, a year-round public art program made possible through NYC DOT Art Partners, an initiative of the New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program. New York Roots embodies both the unseen strength of roots and the dynamic energy of human connection, evoking the sweeping motion of Japanese calligraphy and the fluidity of dance and embrace. These colossal structures—with the tallest reaching 22 feet—not only create striking landscapes through their sheer height but also through their flowing, intertwined shapes and the negative spaces they create. As viewers move around and beneath the sculptures, the forms shift and evolve, revealing ever-changing perspectives of the sky and cityscape. Tobin fabricates these modernist, painted steel constructions from pipes recycled from the oil industry.
“New York Roots is a captivating addition to the Garment District that transforms our public plazas into spaces for reflection and serves as an important reminder to stay rooted in our communities,” said Barbara A. Blair, president of the Garment District Alliance. “By framing the city through sweeping curves, Steve’s impressive sculptures invite passersby to engage with their surroundings in a new way, offering a moment of sanctuary while celebrating the energy that pulses through the streets we call home.”
“Thanks to the Garment District Alliance, New Yorkers and visitors to our vibrant city will have the chance to interact with Steve Tobin’s towering, modernist sculptures in a way they can’t in the gallery,” said Sundaram Tagore. "I hope as they wander around, under and through these sinuous root forms, they discover the awe and delight art can awaken."
ABOUT STEVE TOBIN
Celebrated for his expansive sculptures, Steve Tobin (b. 1957, Philadelphia) seamlessly intertwines nature and industry using a wide range of materials, including steel, bronze, stone, glass and ceramics. With a background in theoretical mathematics and physics, his work is deeply influenced and guided by scientific principles as well as his time spent teaching in Japan and travels in Africa. Tobin’s work has been collected and exhibited worldwide, including at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Lowe Art Museum, Coral Gables, Florida; New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana; White House Permanent Collection, Washington, DC; Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio; and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Lausanne, Switzerland.
ABOUT THE GARMENT DISTRICT ALLIANCE
The Garment District Alliance is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1993 to improve the quality of life and economic vitality of Manhattan’s Garment District. Through programs in the areas of streetscape improvements, sanitation and public safety, marketing and promotions, economic development, and community service, the Garment District Alliance supports the neighborhood’s transformation into a modern, 24/7 destination for dining, nightlife, hotels and unique office space.
ABOUT NYC DOT ART
The New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program (NYC DOT Art) partners with community-based, nonprofit organizations and professional artists to present temporary public art on NYC DOT property throughout the five boroughs for up to eleven months. Artists transform streets with colorful murals, dynamic projections and eye-catching sculptures. Sidewalks, fences, triangles, medians, bridges, jersey barriers, step streets, public plazas and pedestrianized spaces serve as canvases and foundations for temporary art. Since 2008, DOT Art has produced over 475 temporary artworks citywide.
