"The Gates " consists of 7,500 gates along 23 miles of trails in New York City's Central Park and drew a reported 4 million visitors.

Nighttime leads to a transformation of "The Gates" along Central Park's paths.

Photographer Russ RuBert captures children enjoying a job underneath the flapping fabric.

Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude have become celebrities for creating installations such as "The Gates."

New York City's skyscrapers serve as a backdrop for "The Gates."

Casual strolls get a pop of color from the bright orange fabric gates in New York City's Central Park. Photos by Russ RuBert

This sounds like a rather crazy proposal even to a sculptor like myself.

"The Gates," which were installed Feb. 12 and disassembled beginning Feb. 28, created a true sensation. What made this gift from the artists even more amazing was it has generated an estimated $254 million of additional economic income to New York and drew a reported 4 million visitors to Central Park. One cab driver said it felt like two more weeks of Christmas in the city.

My first contact with Christo was in 1978 during the Loose Park wrapped walkways project in Kansas City. You may recall that walkways throughout the park were wrapped using more than 100,000 square feet of saffron colored fabric. I was just a young student planning to attend the Kansas City Art Institute and was amazed to see art on such a huge scale. Since, I've been a fan and have closely followed Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work.

Last year I organized a small group of Springfieldians to meet Christo and Jeanne-Claude in New York when they received the International Sculpture Center Lifetime Achievement Award. We enjoyed the experience so much a few of us returned to see "The Gates" vision realized.

Seeing Christo and Jeanne-Claude this time turned out to be more like sighting Elvis. They decided to meet our small group at the Boathouse in Central Park, but word soon leaked they were there and a crowd materialized, cheering and jostling just to get a look at the famous duo. Their notoriety is at an all-time high and they soon had to depart the increasing commotion accompanied by bodyguards. Later, I learned they had just declined an invitation to appear on the "Late Show with David Letterman." In retrospect, it's amazing they made time to stop by to see us artists.

It is hard to characterize what it is about "The Gates" that captivated and enchanted so many viewers. There were many extremes of responses. One young man entering the park, dressed fashionably in orange, was overheard chatting into his cell phone, "Oh, it's soooo Home Depot."

The majority of people seemed to like the artwork, especially those who ventured deeper into the park. Once lady, an apparent New Yorker, was talking with her husband about where to go next and he said something like, "Well, this is the way out."

The lady paused a moment, then said, "Let's walk along the lake today -- I've never seen it."

"That's because you never come out here," he said.

"Yes, but I want to see the park today, it's so wonderful, just look at the wind whipping the fabric."

It was as if people were seeing their park for the first time, and I was magically seeing it through their eyes. They would talk about art and light and wind along the paths, and it was obvious they felt they were experiencing something wonderful and unique.

From high areas in the park, one could follow wind movements at a glance by watching the fabric flutter as far as the eye could see. It was amazing to watch gusts of wind activate the cloth in different ways, acting as real-time weather markers.

This was an artwork one might miss the real impact of if viewed quickly. It demanded time and walking, weather changes, people, more time and tired feet. One person stopped to ask me to please photograph it in all situations, not just the day: "It's so wonderful in different lighting. Did you see it in the rain? You've got to experience it in the rain."

After awhile, I began to think about the extremes of human endeavor in the context of this work of art. To me, New York still seems wounded in some ways from the horrific terrorist strick on Sept. 11, 2001. On one hand, we have the work of terrorists who aim to destroy, divide and shock through fear and death. But on the other hand, we have the work of artists, creating images, objects and presences that enrich life, humanity and all that it embodies.

Works of art such as this cause on to reflect on the nature of art. How does a person trutly define art? Perhaps you can't define it in a way that satisfies everyone, but I did see art in "The Gates." I saw it in the faces of the participants.