Due to heavy rain in the forecast, tonight’s High Line Tour: From Freight to Flowers has been canceled. We look forward to seeing you on a future tour!
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Nina Chanel Abney
HOLD
Nina Chanel Abney (b. 1982, Harvey, Illinois) lives and works in Cold Spring, New York.
HOLD is a flat, double-sided teddy bear with outstretched arms. The figure is immediately recognizable, often associated with comfort and safety. HOLD subverts this sense of familiarity by referring to the complicated origins of the teddy bear, highlighting Holt Collier, a formerly enslaved Black bear tracker, and the role he played in Theodore Roosevelt’s 1902 hunting excursion in Mississippi.
Please share your thoughts by September 8, 2026
Can you imagine this artwork on the Plinth? Why or why not? Is this proposal a good fit for the High Line? For New York City? For our time? Your comments will be shared with High Line Art's curatorial team and will help inform their selection of the shortlist of artists for the seventh and eighth commissions. Include your email if you'd like to stay up-to-date on the Plinth process.
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Major support for the High Line Plinth is provided by members of the High Line Plinth Committee and contemporary art leaders committed to realizing major commissions and engaging in the public success of the Plinth. Learn more about the High Line Plinth Committee.
Renderings courtesy of the artist.