Meet the Man Behind Those West Village Balloon Sculptures
(Whitney Reagan Lynn / Hell Gate)

Meet the Man Behind Those West Village Balloon Sculptures

Ever wonder about the balloons at the corner of Hudson and Leroy Streets? You can thank 75-year-old Joel Klein.

Nearly everyday for the past seven years, passersby strolling by Hudson and Leroy Streets in the West Village have seen something unusual: an elaborate balloon sculpture tied to the traffic post on the southwest corner. 

These sculptures are not your classic dog or flower balloon. The balloons you find on this corner are complex creations—a four-balloon sculpture of a heart surrounded by faces one day; Bert and Ernie carrying a rainbow flag during Pride month; an elaborately crafted peace symbol, coupled with three faces with tears dripping from their eyes another day. They often have a positive message, asking the viewer to "give someone a hug today" or "spread joy." Every once in a while, there will be a balloon sculpture that comments on current politics, allowing us to see a glimpse into the mind of the creator. 

The balloons have become a neighborhood fixture, a place where residents stop for a moment on their morning commute and where kids excitedly drag their parents on their way to and from school.

And suddenly in mid-October, the balloons stopped appearing on the corner. West Village residents were alarmed. Where was the ever consistent balloon sculptor? Did they move? Were they hurt? 

"I was in Colorado visiting my son," Joel Klein, the 75-year-old creator of the balloon sculptures, explained of the three-week absence.

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