On view now through – November 1, 2026
Thursdays: 10 AM – 2 PM
Sundays: 10 AM – 5 PM
It is deeply meaningful to share these sculptures at the Jay Heritage Center, a place rooted in the history of American diplomacy. Here, they connect the story of our modern embassies abroad with John Jay’s legacy as a statesman at home and diplomat abroad. — Jorge Otero-Pailos
About the Work
Analogue Sites is a series of steel sculptures by Spanish-American artist and preservationist Jorge Otero-Pailos, created in 2019 from fencing salvaged during the preservation of the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, designed by Finnish-American modernist master Eero Saarinen. Otero-Pailos transformed this material as a way of preserving its layered history and drawing attention to the U.S. Embassy Program—an unprecedented Cold War–era initiative by the State Department that made modernist architecture and the arts central to American diplomacy abroad. These sculptures raise awareness of these embassies at a time when they are being decommissioned and left with little to no preservation protection.
At the Jay Heritage Center, two works are placed symmetrically in the restored garden parterres, framing the central path. Their mirrored placement reflects themes of balance and reciprocity central to diplomacy and honors John Jay’s historic missions to Spain, France, and England, and his role as a founding figure in American diplomacy.
Sculptures from this series have been exhibited in New York on Park Avenue; in London at Regent’s Park and at Winfield House, the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom; and in Washington, D.C., at the National Museum of American Diplomacy.
About the Artist
Otero-Pailos is an internationally recognized New York–based artist, architect, and preservationist known for his monumental casts of historical buildings. He has exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Venice Art Biennale and the British Parliament, and his works are held in major museum collections. Otero-Pailos also teaches and directs the Historic Preservation program at Columbia University GSAPP.
Photo by Simon Cherry © Otero-Pailos Studio