St. John the Divine commissions 50,000 glass ginkgo leaves to confront NYC housing crisis

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world and located in Morningside Heights, announces the commission of UNSEEN, a new site-specific art installation from New York- and Catskills-based glass artist Nisha Bansil, opening to the public on June 30. UNSEEN aims to raise awareness, inspire action, and honor the unhoused individuals in NYC. The installation comprises an enormous pile of glass ginkgo leaves that will cascade down stone steps inside the Cathedral’s nave, mirroring both the forest floor and the urban sidewalk. Created at the Corning Museum of Glass (CMoG) Studio Casting Center in Corning, NY, more than 50,000 cast-glass leaves will form a mound that grows during the installation’s run. Artist Nisha Bansil said: “After living in the woods and then moving to New York City,