JoAnna Black

For many people, the High Line was a mysterious, looming figure in the streetscape of Chelsea. They saw it without noticing it. The High Line started as a freight line that connected Manhattan’s West Side with upstate New York. It deteriorated into an eyesore over the twenty-odd years it lay in disuse. Many people fought to have it torn down, but many others fought to save it and put it to a new use in Chelsea. Today, the High Line has been converted into a unique park.

The High Line: An Urban Allegory explores the relationship between the elevated tracks on 10th Avenue and Chelsea, the neighborhood through which it runs. The exhibition will use photographs, advertisements, artifacts, videos and maps to illustrate the changes in Manhattan’s West Side and the High Line from the late 1920s to the present day.