'Big Apple Fest' promises fruitful summer/fall.(art buzz ...)

NEW YORK--A lively crowd clustered in Plaid, a New York bar, for the June 16 kickoff reception promoting "Big Apple Fest," a public-art initiative that aims to seed New York City's public spaces with hundreds of 4-foot-tall apple art sculptures and other artworks from Aug. 15 to Oct. 15.

Apple martinis and, of course, polished McIntosh apples were available for attendees, who had come to celebrate the start of the event, as well as witness the unveiling of two core apple designs: one Statue-of-Liberty-themed fruit by artist Debbie Brooks and another by artist Charles F