Artist Jennie C. Jones has unveiled "Ensemble" (2025), a rooftop commission at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring three monumental, wind-activated stringed instruments—an Aeolian harp, zither, and one-string—that visitors are asked not to touch. The sculptures, coated in deep red powdered aluminum and concrete panels, are designed to be played by the breeze, though wind did not cooperate during the press preview. Jones drew inspiration from the Met's collection of 5,000 musical instruments, African American folk instrument makers like Moses Williams and Louis Dotson, and Minimalist abstraction, creating a work that explores anticipation and the sonic potential of untouchable objects.
This commission matters because it marks only the second outdoor sculpture installation for Jones, a significant expansion of her practice into monumental public art. By integrating music, sculpture, and architectural dialogue with the Met's Great Hall, Jones bridges contemporary art with historical musical traditions, particularly Black folk instrument-making. The project also underscores the Met's ongoing commitment to commissioning site-specific works for its roof garden, positioning Jones within a lineage of artists who challenge the boundaries between visual art and sound, while inviting viewers to contemplate the interplay of presence, absence, and environmental activation.