A Rodent's Perspective Of A New York City Rose Garden

I was born and raised in New York and though I've since moved onto greener pastures, I distinctly recall the flourishing population of rats that used to call the city streets home, sweet home.

It was always a bit of a surprise to witness one scurrying by -- a rat on a mission as I used to say -- but I never emitted an EEEeek like others typically do upon spotting one.

After all, we're talking about a creature the about the size of my foot (from head to tail), not at all like the ginormous rodent that was recently discovered in Papua New Guinea.

Still, New York City rats are hearty little buggers that subsist on chunks of soft-baked pretzels, bagels, knishes and all manner of Big Apple treats, so all those carbs seemingly contribute to longevity?!?

Not surprisingly, an artist by the name of Will Ryman has commemorated this distinctive rodent perspective of the city streets with his latest art exhibit, "A New Beginning."

It earns a place in Greenwala's hallowed green art archives due to the subject matter rather than the medium that was used to create his sculptures (steel, epoxy resin, aluminum, plaster and paint).

40 large scale models of various rose garden scenes (ranging in size from 2 to 7 feet high) depict a wonderous world teeming with life, a fact that we regularly miss considering how notably we tower over most everything in our midst.

From lady bugs and aphids to bees and black flies, Ryman's installation contrasts these wonders of Mother Nature with the all-too-common sight of discarded trash brought on by careless human beings.

On display at NYC's Marlborough Chelsea through October 10, 2009, "A New Beginning" serves as a blatant reminder that our cultural imprint and eco-disregard continues to infiltrate even the tinyest microcosms.

Perhaps the hopeful title of Ryman's show will inspire people to turn over a new leaf and think before they chuck.

Do these images do anything to make you want to clean up the streets?