Artist Talk with Zaq Landsberg

Zaq is the recipient of the 2020 Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award for “Tomb Effigy of Margaret Corbin” on view in Fort Tryon Park through June 18, 2022.

Landsberg’s public artwork pays tribute to Revolutionary War hero Margaret Corbin (1751–1800), considered the first woman to fight for America, and namesake of several Fort Tryon Park features. Corbin took control of her fallen husband’s cannon and fought during the Battle of Fort Washington at this site in 1776. The artwork takes the form of the tomb effigies at The Met Cloisters, figuratively and aesthetically stitching together the Revolutionary War battlefield and the ahistorical, relocated medieval French abbeys that comprise the Cloisters. In addition to paying homage to a lesser-known female historical figure, Landsberg’s sculpture contributes to the contemporary conversation around representation in monuments and public commemoration.

This program is presented in partnership with the Fort Tryon Park Trust.

The Clare Weiss Emerging Artist Award is granted to one emerging artist who submits the most compelling proposal for an outdoor sculpture in a New York City park. The grantee receives an award of $10,000 to create their proposed artwork. This award was made possible with support from Janet and John Koehne.