Staten Island Artist Dazzling Homage To Wildlife Refuge In Upcycled Artwork Commissioned By SCA’s Public Art For Public Schools, DCLA

To create the artwork, Maffia researched “Days Afield on Staten Island” (1892), a memoir by naturalist and entomologist William T. Davis, the namesake of the nearby wildlife refuge that is home to Main Creek. Davis’s scientific observations of wildlife in Staten Island inspired Maffia’s selection of species; from left to right we see a scarlet tanager, a monarch butterfly, cattails, blackberries, a cottontail rabbit, a prickly pear cactus, a green heron, pussy willows, goldenrod, bluet flowers, a bluebird, a dragonfly with huckleberries, a bluefish, a bloodroot flower, and a tree swallow.

“With ‘Ode to the Wild,’ Jessica Maffia has created a living tribute to Staten Island’s natural beauty,” said NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “Through our Percent for Art program, we’re proud to bring artwork into schools that sparks imagination and deepens our connection to the world around us. By using reclaimed and repurposed materials, this piece shows how creativity and environmental care go hand in hand, reminding us that every student is a steward of our city’s future.”

“’Ode to the Wild’ is a shining example of how art can connect students to the world around them,” said President and CEO of the NYC School Construction Authority Nina Kubota. “Jessica Maffia’s breathtaking use of upcycled materials not only celebrates Staten Island’s natural treasures but also inspires our students to see the beauty, history, and responsibility within their own school and communities. At SCA, we are proud to create spaces where learning and creativity go hand in hand, fostering curiosity and care for the environment.”

“’Ode to the Wild’ captures the spirit of Main Creek through its inventive use of materials and its profound respect for the local ecosystem,” said Public Art for Public Schools Director Tania Duvergne. “With its combination of reclaimed aluminum, wood and intricate fabric inlays, this artwork offers a visually luminous interpretation of the wetlands and is a distinctive addition to our collection.”

“Noticing can lead to wonder, wonder can lead to care, care can lead to protection,” said artist Jessica Maffia. “We are all part of the same ecosystem. May we work together to care for and protect our more-than-human kin.”

Jessica Maffia’s artwork was fabricated and installed by LEERFORM. Additional expertise was provided by project architects Mitchell Giurgola Architects in conjunction with NYC School Construction Authority’s Architecture and Engineering team.

Jessica Maffia (b. 1983, New York, NY; lives and works in New York City) is known for her works in video, audio, sculpture and installation that celebrate the resilience and beauty of the natural world. Drawing on urban landscapes, she transforms found objects and upcycled materials into evocative artworks that invite reflection and wonder. Maffia has achieved notable recognition in the art world; she has exhibited throughout the United States and has received numerous artist residency fellowships, including at the Albee Foundation and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation. She has also created a public artwork for the National Audubon Society’s Mural Project. The commission at The Travis Community Campus is Maffia’s first permanent, large-scale installation and her first project created in collaboration with fabricators, a milestone that has sparked new ambitions for creating at this scale.

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The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is dedicated to supporting and strengthening New York City’s vibrant cultural life. DCLA works to promote and advocate for quality arts programming and to articulate the contribution made by the cultural community to the City’s vitality. The Department represents and serves nonprofit cultural organizations involved in the visual, literary, and performing arts; public-oriented science and humanities institutions including zoos, botanical gardens, and historic and preservation societies; and creative artists at all skill levels who live and work within the City’s five boroughs. DCLA also provides donated materials for arts programs offered by the public schools and cultural and social service groups, and commissions permanent works of public art at City-funded construction projects throughout the five boroughs. For more information visit www.nyc.gov/culture.

Public Art for Public Schools (PAPS), a division of the New York City School Construction Authority, is the only program in the country dedicated exclusively to public art in pre-K – 12 schools. As stewards of New York City Public Schools’ public art collection, PAPS oversees more than 2,000 artworks, dating from the late 19th century to the present, installed in schools throughout the five boroughs. PAPS preserves and celebrates this rich visual legacy through conservation, educational outreach and research. For newly constructed school buildings, the program commissions contemporary site-specific artworks that enhance learning environments, foster critical thinking, spark curiosity and inspire creativity. Together these initiatives offer students the joy and transformative potential of art as an essential part of their educational experience. For more information visit www.nycsca.org/publicartforpublicschools.

The School Construction Authority’s (SCA) mission is to design and construct safe, attractive and environmentally sound public schools for children throughout the many communities of New York City. We are dedicated to building and modernizing schools in a responsible, cost-effective manner while achieving the highest standards of excellence in safety, quality and integrity. Established by the New York State Legislature in December 1988, the SCA has provided over 333,000 new school seats to New York City students, and protected, repaired and upgraded over 1,800 schools in over 1,400 school buildings with over 12,500 capital improvement projects. For more information visit www.nycsca.org and follow us on social media.