ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Abbie Zabar is an acclaimed artist, writer, designer and gardener, as well as an avid supporter of New York Restoration Project (NYRP). Abbie used her many diverse talents to create all of the hand-drawn sketches that are featured on the New Leaf website. Whether she is writing about herbal topiaries, inventing a logo or designing a community garden, Abbie brings her enduring passion for the arts and nature to every project she works on. Her experience as an artist is as varied as her passions and includes creating artwork and graphic campaigns for private, as well as corporate clients, including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel, Gump’s San Francisco, Barney’s New York, Daniel Boulud, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Jewish Museum, and most recently, NYRP.
Throughout her career, her work has been shown at or is part of the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Museums, The Brooklyn Museum, MoMA, The Jewish Museum, The Institute of Contemporary Art (London), Wave Hill and many more. Abbie is also the author, artist and designer of five books, as well as the contributor of numerous illustrated articles to American and British publications. Additionally, she has designed rooftop gardens in New York City and in-ground gardens in Nantucket Island.
Neo Design Group is a Manhattan-based creative firm dedicated to producing intelligent, integrated solutions that drive business. Neo Design Group served as the design masterminds behind the creation of the New Leaf Restaurant & Bar website, as well as the all-new NYRP website. Neo Design’s work spans a variety of industry sectors and includes comprehensive communications across all media – from print and packaging to interactive and trade show design. A partial client list includes American Express, the American Museum of Natural History, Battery Dance Co., Chase Merchant Services, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Deutsche Bank, Disney On Ice, FOX Network, Goldman Sachs, Harvard University, Lindenmeyr Munroe, Oxygen Media, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, San Marino International Film Festival and NYRP. As a design firm, they work to inspire their clients with smart, innovative, functional branding and design, and form dynamic relationships built on honesty, commitment, integrity and collaboration.
Barbara Alper is a freelance, fine art photographer who has a multi-faceted background in documentary, conceptual and narrative photography. Most recently, Barbara worked with NYRP to photograph the New Leaf Restaurant & Bar and Fort Tryon Park – working to capture the beauty and unique atmosphere of the restaurant and surrounding park setting. Some of her work is featured on the New Leaf website. Throughout her distinguished career, she has published photos in many renowned journals, magazines and newspapers, such as Barron’s Newsweek and Time. Additionally, she served as a news and feature photographer with The New York Times. Barbara’s artistic projects include the series “Rockaway Beach,” “Sea Samba” and “The Gulf Channel.” Her photographs have been exhibited in and included in the permanent collections of The Brooklyn Museum; International Center of Photography; FNAC, Paris; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and many more.