Thomas Jefferson Park
View all monuments in NYC Parks, as well as temporary public art installations on our NYC Public Art Map and Guide.
Tomorrow's Wind
| Artist: | Melvin Edwards |
| Dedicated: | July 27, 1995 |
| Location: | behind Recreation Center and pool |
Artwork History
New Jersey-based African American sculptor Melvin Edwards (b. 1937) created this abstract welded steel piece. The polished disk and crescent-like shape are indicative of the sculptor’s large-scale public art pieces, which tend to feature immense shapes that conjure up images from the natural world.
Edwards designed the polished disk to be tilted so it can reflect sunlight as the sun moves across the sky during the day. The installation of this piece was sponsored by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs’s Percent for Art program. Tomorrow’s Wind was first installed at Central Park’s Doris C. Freedman Plaza before it was moved to Thomas Jefferson Park permanently in 1995.
Another of Edwards’ works, Double Circles (1968), can be seen outside Upper Manhattan’s Bethune Tower housing project. Edwards’ sculpture is also featured at the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. His small-scale work uses found objects such as chain links to comment on violence in political and historical issues such as slavery and racism.

Artwork Details
| Description: | Plate segments sandwiched together and filled with grid |
| Architect: | Miceli Kulik Williams |
| Materials: | Plate segments--#304 stainless steel; grid--iron |
| Dimensions: | H:13'6" W: 13' D: 8'; plate segments W: 2-4" D: ¼"; base diameter 14' |
| Fabricator: | Melvin Edwards |
| Donor: | Percent for Art, New York City |
| Cast: | ca. 1990 |
Please note, the NAME field includes a primary designation as well as alternate namingsoften in common or popular usage. The DEDICATED field refers to the most recent dedication, most often, butnot necessarily the original dedication date. If the monument did not have a formal dedication, the yearlisted reflects the date of installation.
For more information, please contact Art & Antiquities at (212) 360-8163.
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Know Before You Go
Membership Extension
For a limited time, we are offering qualifying members the opportunity to receive a 3-month membership extension.
To be eligible to receive the extension, you must meet all three qualification criteria:
- You were an active member on August 18, 2025.
- You visited Thomas Recreation Center between February 18, 2025, and August 18, 2025.
- You are a paying member who possesses either an adult membership or a senior, veteran, or person with a disability membership.
If you believe you meet these qualifications, you may submit a request by completing the online form. The deadline to opt-in for the extension is February 27, 2026.









