On Wednesday night, Legacy: The Preservation of Wilderness in New York Parks, which presents the work of photographer Joel Meyerowitz, opened at Museum of the City of New York. Meyerowitz has spent more than three years recording wild places in New York City's parks, located in all five boroughs. These escapes to the woodlands, streams, waterfronts, marshes, and beaches are among the city's greatest assets, yet they are hidden in plain sight.

Pictures at an exhibition, left to right: Kellie McLaughlin, Christina Caputo, Dana Triwush and Lesley Martin of Aperture; festivities began in the MCNY lobby; art critic Anastasia Aukeman and photographer John Busch. Photos: Peggy Roalf (l & r); John Busch (center).

Legacy is part of a larger project that was initiated in 2006, when Meyerowitz was asked by Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe to photograph the 29,000 acres maintained and protected by the New York City park system. When completed, the project will constitute the first extended documentation of New York's parks since the 1930s, when they were photographed for Franklin Roosevelt's WPA.

Next week, DART will review the exhibition, which is on view at Museum of the City of New York through March 7, 2010, and the book of the same title, published by Aperture.

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