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Midtown’s Garment District has been home to creativity and invention for decades and, now it’s home to a massive metal sculpture that seems to be “growing” out of the cement.
Titled “New York Roots,” the installation by Steve Tobin is the Garment District Alliance’s latest public exhibit on the Broadway plazas between 39th and 40th Streets and 40th and 41st Streets. It involves seven sculptures that invite you to weave in and out of their roots and “reflect on relationships, families and communities coming together for a shared purpose—just as roots intertwine to strengthen a tree,” the Alliance said in an official press release. See it through February 2026.
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“New York Roots” is about the energy of human connection and is inspired by dance and Japanese calligraphy. These towering pieces—the tallest reaching 22 feet—are intertwined with each other and offer new perspectives on the city as you walk inside and around them.
“More than sculptures, ‘New York Roots’ serves as an organic guardian of its surroundings, inviting reflection, gathering and a sense of unity within the space it transforms,” the Alliance said.
You’ve definitely seen Tobin’s work before. The artist is known for his nature- and industry-inspired sculptures that have been cast in bronze, steel, stone, glass and ceramics.
He donated his piece “Trinity Root” to Trinity Church in lower Manhattan as a memorial to the 9/11 attacks but, with a background in theoretical mathematics and physics and time spent teaching in Japan, his art is celebrated across the world, too.
His pieces are featured in The White House Permanent Art Collection in Washington, D.C.; the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Lausanne, Switzerland; the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Frost Art Museum in Miami, Florida; the Osaka Foundation in Japan; the Jing’An Sculpture Project in Shanghai, China; the Museum of Art and Design in New York City; and more.
“‘New York Roots’ is a captivating addition to the Garment District that transforms our public plazas into spaces for reflection and serves as an important reminder to stay rooted in our communities,” said Barbara A. Blair, president of the Garment District Alliance, in an official statement. “By framing the city through sweeping curves, Steve’s impressive sculptures invite passersby to engage with their surroundings in a new way, offering a moment of sanctuary while celebrating the energy that pulses through the streets we call home.”
Here are some more cool photos of “New York Roots.”
“New York Roots” is now on view to the public through February 2026 for free on Broadway between 39th and 40th Streets and 40th and 41st Streets.