Ella Parker
On September 7, 2025, the final section of the East River Park closed to the public for demolition. This closing marked the beginning of the final phase of construction in a six-year coastal resiliency plan for the area, scheduled to be completed in 2027 with a new, exactingly-designed park in its place. Running from East Houston Street to East 14th Street along the western banks of the East River, this particular section held much more than a beloved track, ball fields, mature pin oak and London plane trees, and walking and running paths. It was a place populated by complex ecosystems, memories, moments of sensory bliss, and inspiration for the artistic community of the East Village and Lower East Side.
Across 32 photographs, stories, lyrics, and artworks — shared by members of the community — East River Park Memorial captures alternative, uncompensated methods of care for public space. As visions of the lost East River Park emerge from collective memory, the space between community and ecology collapses, insisting that meaningful public spaces require a capacity for human imprint.
This project was conceived in August 2025 by Ella Parker and published in January 2026 in a limited edition print-run of 58 copies. Each edition features a different tree from the park on its cover, captured on Polaroid, representing each of the 58 trees that remained until the end. In a gesture toward those in communal grieving for the Park that was lost, each edition returns one tree into the care of someone who cared for the space. The full collection of Polaroids can be viewed here.
- All artists retain full copyright privileges to the images reproduced above.
Ella Parker (she/her) is an artist and researcher interested in the fundraising methods used by cultural institutions. She is currently the Institutional Giving Manager at Public Art Fund, and has previously worked at the Jewish Museum, the Museum of Chinese in America, Firebird Community Arts, and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival.
She holds a B.A. in Art History and Economics from the University of Chicago.