by Justin McCallum 

While painters look upon a taut white sheet for inspiration, co-executive director for the Fordham Road Business Improvement District Daniel Bernstein sees the sparse north Bronx streets as a new space for art to blossom. 

“To be honest with you, we have a lot of blank canvasses on Fordham Road – a lot of spaces with just nothing,” Bernstein said.

But with the installation of a sculpture by Japanese artist Akihiro Ito at Fordham Road and Webster Avenue, Bernstein welcomes a vibrant addition to the BID’s goals of garnishing the area.

“A lot of our mission has to do with beautifying Fordham Road and making the streetscape look nicer, so projects like this add color and pizzazz,” he said. “It’s important to bring arts and culture to this neighborhood. It’s not just a retail shopping corridor, it’s a place to stroll and stop and enjoy art.”

The art installation entitled “Tomorrow,” installed April 10 will be officially unveiled April 16 at 3p.m., is a large wooden sculpture made up of 600 pieces of Douglas Fir wood shaped to resemble a child, and tenured to grace Fordham Road for a year. After receiving generous grant funding from New York Department of Transportation’s art program “Artervention,” the Fordham Road BID fronted the remainder the costs to bring the popular sculpture, previously on display at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, to the Bronx. Bernstein hopes the centrally located art installation will attract tourists and, subsequently, and economic boost to Fordham Road businesses.

“It will be increasing the amount of foot traffic, there’s going to be a lot of tourists of from students looking at colleges to other artists who want to see this as well.” Bernstein added “as you increase foot traffic, the hope is you increase shopping with that.”

The Fordham BID hopes to be seeing green, and not just in terms of dollars coming into local stores. The sculpture carries an environmental message, using natural materials and conveying thoughts of future generations in its form and title. Ito describes the piece as “[illustrating] the harmony between humans and their natural surroundings, and reminds us of the importance of the environment” in his promotional materials. Ito adds “I hope this sculpture provides an opportunity for people to think about humanity’s connection to nature, and reminds us that we are all part of earth’s family.”

Bernstein says that the BID’s second foray into public art is meant to complement the green programming such as outdoor movies, a green walk, and recycling efforts. “The sculpture is aptly named, serving as a symbol of the future and the New Bronx,” he said.