NYC Parks to install "Public Address" at Lieutenant Petrosino Square; opening event set for Oct. 18

Community Board 2’s Parks & Waterfront Committee heard on Sept. 2025 that NYC Parks will host a temporary public-art installation, "Public Address" by artist Alex Strada, at Lieutenant Petrosino Square starting in mid-October with an opening event planned for Oct. 18 and an exhibition run through February.

The project grew out of Strada’s Public Artist in Residence (PAIR) placement with the Department of Homeless Services that began in 2022. "She spoke with over 500 people living and working in the shelters to write log entries," Elizabeth Masella, senior public art coordinator at NYC Parks, told the committee, and the finished works combine those entries with imagery to “debunk harmful stereotypes and encourage the public to consider addressing homelessness as part of their civic responsibility.”

Masella said the Department of Transportation’s sign shop will fabricate the pieces using their standard, durable materials. Smaller works will be bracketed to existing fencing; larger pieces will sit on freestanding concrete footings with steel support legs and will not be affixed directly to paved surfaces, making them removable at the end of the run. Masella described materials as "inkjet print on aluminum" and gave size ranges from about 1.5 feet high by 1 foot wide up to roughly 6 feet high by 3.5 feet wide. Masella said the Canal Street installation that the artist previously worked on was completed after fabrication delays and is now in place at Canal Park.

Committee members asked about maintenance, vandalism and whether the exhibition might displace other regular uses of the square, including a seasonal Christmas-tree vendor. Masella acknowledged some minor vandalism on past projects—"stickers, people... draw on things with Sharpie"—and said the works are engineered for outdoor display and partners near the site (Storefront for Art and Architecture) will provide day‑to‑day oversight. Friends of Petrosino Square met with the project team and, Masella said, were "very supportive" of the installation.

Neighbors and committee members raised long‑standing questions about a 2021 letter of commitment referenced by community members that pledged a study and $500,000 to evaluate potential redesign and expansion of Petrosino Square, including changes to adjacent roadway geometry and the bike-share station. Committee Chair Rich Cacapolo and others asked staff to relay the installation’s timing to borough and DOT offices in hopes of reviving interest in that unfinished study.

The committee offered general support for the exhibition and asked Parks staff to circulate details about the Oct. 18 opening and how residents should report damage or other problems during the run. No formal vote was taken; the presentation was informational and committee members said they would share contact information for reporting issues.