Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
15 New Islands Created For The Rivers Of NYC
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 17, 2012
Modified Feb 23, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 17, 2012
Modified Feb 23, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Queens Museum of Art is housing a unique solo exhibition, in which artist Greg Sholette invited collaborators to propose ideas for new islands in the city's rivers, for a site-specific art infiltration into their amazing Panorama. It's called "Fifteen Islands for Robert Moses." Today they give us Dunkin Island, created by Larry M. Bogad. This fictional creation would be 100-yards in diameter and located right off Battery Park, containing a round bulls-eye at the center... but you wouldn't want the water taxi service dropping you off there. Here's what Bogad has in mind:
A state-subsidized, comfortable water taxi will deliver those who have committed egregious offenses—for example, bankers and speculators responsible for the most recent financial crisis—to permanent exile on this island. A gigantic catapult that fires soft projectiles will be installed on the roof of the Museum of the American Indian, with open and free access to the public. Tourists and New Yorkers alike can aim and fire at the target on Dunkin‘ Island. The island is rigged with springs so that, when the target is hit, the entire mini-landmass submerges under water, bouncing back up again after the inhabitants have been thoroughly soaked. Due to this constant dunking, smartphones and iPads will not last long on Dunkin‘ Island. This will provide ecologically sound and cathartic entertainment while drawing on our nation‘s Puritan heritage of public shaming as a social corrective. The island‘s proximity to Wall Street will prove convenient.
Dunkin, and the other islands, will all be on view through May 20th. And now we'll ask you the same question collaborators on this project were asked: “If you could add an island to New York City, what would that new landmass be like?”
Tagged
dunkin island
greg sholette
islands
museum of the city of new york
panorama
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Are there hidden wonders on the other side of the Hudson from NYC?
We crossed the river and met up with the one person who has the answer.
By
James Ramsay
Published Aug 13, 2026 at 10:59 a.m. ET
Goodbye horses, welcome back Puppetworks: NYC businesses opening and closing
Both horses and puppets find new homes and a new passageway emerges in Harlem.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
Goodbye horses, welcome back Puppetworks: NYC businesses opening and closing
Both horses and puppets find new homes and a new passageway emerges in Harlem.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Fake AI ads in the West 4th Street subway station unite commuters in hatred of AI ads
By
Emma Li
'It is a bit utopian': Why Public Service is Brooklyn's favorite dance party
By
Maia Appleby Melamed
Challenge accepted: We went hunting for the secret bolt in Central Park
By
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .