Spot! is a 4 story tall sculpture of a Dalmatian dog with a NYC Taxi (a Prius donated by Toyota!) balanced on her nose. It’s in front of NYU-Langone Medical Center’s new Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, on East 34th St. in New York. Chris Collins modeled the dog, which was fabricated by FAST of Sparta, WI.
“It’s a privilege to be able to do this for the kids. I wanted to make something so astounding it would distract even those arriving for the most serious procedures, and so lovable that young patients coming back again and again with chronic conditions would see it as an old friend. I like to think that the parents, the doctors and nurses and staff, the neighbors, will all be smitten by this playful, heroic young dog doing the impossible. Art has actual healing power. That’s a fact! This is my neighborhood, and this is my hospital. I can see it from my terrace, and pass it every day. All my doctors have been there since I moved to NY in the 70s; I’ve had surgeries there, been in studies there, gone to the emergency room there, and now, have been vaccinated there. This is a special piece for me in so many ways.”
As of last June, 2021, Spot has had her own mask! She wears it to protect YOU!