Legacy: the Preservation of Wilderness in New York City Parks December 4, 2009

Join master photographer Joel Meyerowitz for a book signing at ICP on the occasion of the publication of Legacy: The Preservation of Wilderness in New York City Parks (Aperture, October 2009). This compelling body of work is the result of a unique commission Meyerowitz received from the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to document, interpret, and celebrate one of the city's greatest legacies: nearly nine thousand acres of parks in the five boroughs. Through this stunningly rich archive of parks, shorelines, and forests, Meyerowitz's Legacy transports the viewer into the heart of a lush wilderness while contextualizing these corners of nature as an inextricable part of city life today. Meyerowitz is the first photographer to document New York City's parks since the 1930s, when they were photographed as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's WPA program. An exhibition of this series will open on October 9, 2009 at the Museum of the City of New York. Joel Meyerowitz (born in New York City, 1938) is an award-winning photographer whose work has appeared in over 350 international exhibitions. He is a two-time Guggenheim fellow, a recipient of both NEA and NEH awards, as well as a recipient of the Deutscher Fotobuchpreis. He has published over fifteen books, including Cape Light (1978) and Aftermath: The World Trade Center Archive (2006). He lives in New York City and is represented by Edwynn Houk Gallery.