Giant Outdoor Art Installations Take Over 2 Suffolk Parks This Fall

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A public arts festival is expanding across Suffolk County this fall, bringing large-scale outdoor artwork to parks in Deer Park and Huntington.

The Long Island Public Arts Festival, or LIPAF, is currently on display at Geiger Memorial Park in Deer Park through Oct. 4 before moving to Heckscher Park in Huntington from Oct. 9 through Nov. 1.

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The festival transforms public parks into open-air galleries using three-sided structures known as "prisms," which display enlarged canvas reproductions of original works by contemporary artists from across New York State.

The Deer Park exhibition, which opened Sept. 1 at the recently renovated Geiger Park, features 21 selected regional artists, according to organizers. The installations are placed along the park's pathways and are free to view during regular park hours.

Organizers said a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Town of Babylon officials will be announced at a later date.

The festival will then head to Heckscher Park in Huntington, where its next exhibition will debut Oct. 9 in partnership with the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce.

The opening coincides with the Long Island Fall Festival, which runs Oct. 9 through Oct. 12 at Heckscher Park. The LIPAF exhibition will remain at the park through Nov. 1 and will include public art installations, workshops and other community programming.

"Our mission with LIPAF has always been to bridge communities through the power of public art," said Jose Tutiven, co-founder of LIPAF and founder of Colored Colors. "By expanding into Geiger Park and teaming up with the Huntington Chamber for Heckscher Park, we are bringing high-caliber artwork directly into the everyday lives of Long Island residents in beautiful, shared public spaces."

LIPAF was developed through a partnership involving Colored Colors and the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts, with support from the Suffolk County Office of Cultural Affairs.

The festival is designed to give artists greater exposure while making artwork accessible to residents in public spaces.

The exhibitions are free and open to the public during park hours.

Geiger Memorial Park is at Grand Boulevard and Long Island Avenue in Deer Park. Heckscher Park is at Prime Avenue and Main Street in Huntington.

For more information and an artist directory, visit longislandpublicartsfest.com.