The Glass Garden Pavilion

Michael Crawbuck and Mickey Stantana

About the piece: The Glass Garden Pavilion is a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community’s perseverance in the face of New York City gay bar raids and closures in the 1960s. At that time, Mayor Robert F. Wagner was determined to “clean up” the city in the lead up to the 1964 World’s Fair, leveraging the police and the law to shut down gay bars. As more queer spaces were forced to close, the community resisted with pivotal demonstrations at bars like Julius’ and The Stonewall Inn. This garden pays tribute to these acts of defiance with illuminated glass flowers growing out of the broken bottles from these shuttered establishments. The flowers dance to songs that may have played in those bars at the time. Guests are encouraged to join in with the dancing lights by using disco ball watering cans to water the garden and make it shine even brighter. The Glass Garden Pavilion is a showcase of queer liberation in the late 20th century, illuminating a path forward for generations to blossom.

About the artists: Michael Crawbuck and Mickey Stantana are the founders of Three Bee Experiences, an experiential art studio with a focus on themed events and culinary creations. Their work pulls from their roots in New York, Toronto, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. The Glass Garden Pavilion is their debut public art installation and they are eager to grow their career in experiential storytelling. They are steadfast on creating fantastical worlds and whimsical encounters that make a real-world impact. Michael and Mickey designed this installation as a reminder to dance through the darkness in the pursuit of queer joy.