Marsha P. Johnson State Park Floral Gateway Fabrication
LOCATION: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
DESIGN: A floral gateway honoring Marsha P. Johnson, built with sculpted metal flowers, colorful translucent panels, and the phrase “Pay It No Mind” across a welcoming park entrance.
Serett fabricated the ornamental floral gateway for Marsha P. Johnson State Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, creating a vivid public art entrance that honors the life, spirit, and legacy of LGBTQ+ trailblazer Marsha P. Johnson. The gateway stands at the Kent Avenue and North Eighth Street entrance and was unveiled in August 2023 as part of a larger park improvement project.
The finished piece feels joyful before it feels monumental. A sweeping black metal arch frames the park entrance, while sculpted flowers bloom across the top in pink, yellow, blue, red, white, and orange. Along the sides, translucent jewel-toned panels catch the light like stained glass, creating a garden of color that shifts with the weather, the hour, and the movement of people passing through.
The words “Pay It No Mind” curve across the arch in bright white lettering, referencing the phrase associated with Johnson’s name and public identity. Time Out noted that the gateway’s large floral sculptures and gem-like petal designs were created as part of a tribute to Johnson, whose love of flowers and flower crowns became part of her visual legacy.
Behind the color is a demanding fabrication story. The project required large-scale curved steelwork, ornamental metal forming, sculpted metal flowers, custom panel framing, precision layout, shop assembly, finish work, and field installation. The images show the range of craft involved: raw metal petals shaped by hand, flower forms assembled and finished in the shop, curved arch sections under fabrication, and the final gateway installed as a public-facing landmark.
For Serett, the project reflects a rare balance of structural discipline and expressive public art. It is a gate, a sculpture, a memorial, and a civic gesture all at once. The metalwork gives the piece permanence, while the floral forms and colored panels keep it open, warm, and full of life.
This project highlights Serett’s capabilities in custom metal fabrication, public art fabrication, ornamental gates, sculptural metalwork, architectural steel, custom flower sculptures, park entrances, and large-scale civic installations in New York City.
