SCULPTURES COMING TO PARK AVE.

The Midtown section of Park Avenue will have a new look for the first five months of 2011. Eight clusters of colorful rose sculptures will be installed along the avenue"s malls between East 57th and 67th streets next January. The exhibit, tentatively called â??The Roses, will feature the work of sculptor Will Ryman. Ryman, the son of the minimalist painter Robert Ryman, was inspired to undertake the project by the indoor rose sculptures featured in his A New Beginning exhibit at Marlborough Gallery, 40 W. 57th St. â??When I think of roses, I think of Park Avenue, he said. â??I want people up in the buildings to have dialogue with the sculptures. The sculptures will feature 60 roses and petals with stainless steel stems and fiberglass blossoms. The pieces weigh between 1,000 and 2,500 pounds and are from 3 to 22 feet high. Questions about safety came up at the March 4 meeting of Community Board 8"s parks committee. â??We"ve had people killed on Park Avenue, said Judith Schneider, a board member. â??Will the sculptures be strong enough not to fall on top of a car during an accident? Konstantin Bojanov, owner of KB Projects, Inc., a Brooklyn-based fabrication company, is collaborating with Ryman on the near-$1 million project. He assured Schneider and others that the project complies with all city and state regulations. â??The flowers can withstand 120 [miles-per-hour] wind, Bojanov said. â??The base is engineered to keep these flower blossoms from toppling, even during hurricanes. The project, which has been approved by the city"s Parks Department, received support from the board"s parks committee at the meeting. â??Flowers in January is exactly what we need on a cold, winter day. It will all help us get through the season a lot easier, said Barbara McLaughlin, president of the Fund for Park Avenue.