The historic lighthouse tender USCGC Lilac recently turned 88.  Lilac is America’s only surviving steam-powered lighthouse tender and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

To celebrate her birthday, two temporary art installations featuring historic photography and dramatic audio have been set up. LILAC 88 consists of an onboard paper mural to celebrate the history of the Lilac on Pier 25 in Lower Manhattan. This paper mural displays large-scale historic images displayed on the ship’s stack in order to make the ship visible from afar and attract public attention to the Lilac over the Memorial Day holiday.

The audio installation, “Aids to Navigation” is a dramatic composition by Untapped New York’s Chief Experience Officer Justin Rivers. It centers around the ship’s second commander, Captain Charles Lewis and is intended to serve as a mini-dramatic tour of Lilac. Captain Lewis is voiced by actor Robert Dalton and the audio piece was directed and mixed by director, Michael Joseph Ormond. The public will be able to access the experience via a QR code near the stern of the boat and can enjoy the entire installation from Pier 25.  To listen to “Aids to Navigation” online, click here.

Mary Habstritt tells Untapped New York “We are so excited to see Lilac wake up after her pandemic sleep!  Happy 88th birthday! Thanks to Aaron and Justin at Untapped New York for helping to resuscitate her. Although volunteers have been working all along to renovate the ship, there is lots more to do to get her operational again.”

The artist Aaron Asis, Untapped New York’s Artist in Residence says, “88 LILAC invites the public to celebrate the life and history of Lilac’s 88 years of operation. This site-specific installation is our birthday gift to Lilac…to help her shine…so that she can continue to inspire and share with the public, as we anxiously await her grand re-opening in July!”

To learn more and to donate to Lilac‘s next 88 years click here.