Wender·Vista
Rikers Island
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
in the East River between the Bronx and Queens, beside LaGuardia

Rikers Island

— — the island the river holds at arm's length.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Rikers Island sits in the East River between the Bronx and Queens, just off the end of LaGuardia's main runway. It is reached only by a single bridge from Queens. The land is mostly landfill on a once-small island. Since 1932 it has held New York City's main jail complex, scheduled by law to close by 2027. The river around it is wide and slow.

from the studio
Rikers Island
— bring it home

Rikers Island, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Rikers Island

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Rikers Island lies in the East River between the South Bronx and northern Queens, immediately west of LaGuardia Airport. It is administratively part of the Bronx, though reached only by a 4,200-foot bridge from Queens. The island grew from about 90 acres in the 19th century to roughly 413 acres today, expanded by decades of municipal landfill. It has held the main jail complex for New York City since 1932 and currently houses ten facilities, with a population that has fallen from a peak above 20,000 in 1991 to under 7,000.

— the air

The defining sound is jet noise. LaGuardia's runway 4-22 begins about 600 metres east of the island, so departures climb directly over it. Landings on 22 come in low across the water from the east. The river around Rikers is brackish, two miles from open Long Island Sound, and the wind off it carries the salt smell as far as Astoria. Gulls work the seawall constantly. On a quiet night you can hear engine spool-up from Hunts Point across the channel.

— the year

In 2019 the New York City Council passed a law to close the Rikers jail complex by August 2027 and replace it with four borough-based facilities. The deadline has since been extended to 2032, and federal oversight has been raised by the Department of Justice for conditions on the island. The closure law also designates the land for future renewable-energy and wastewater infrastructure under the 2021 Renewable Rikers Act. What the island becomes after the jails close is the open question.

— where
United States · Bronx, New York
— elevation
3 m · 10 ft
— position
40.7917° N · 73.8861° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km E
LaGuardia Airport
airport
4 km S
Astoria
Queens neighborhood
2 km NW
Hunts Point
South Bronx peninsula
N
Rikers Island
LaGuardia Airport
Astoria
Hunts Point
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Rikers Island — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In the East River between the South Bronx and northern Queens, immediately west of LaGuardia Airport. It is administratively part of the Bronx, reached only by a 4,200-foot bridge from Queens.

Roughly 413 acres today, expanded from about 90 acres in the 19th century by decades of municipal landfill. Most of the island is reclaimed land, which has caused long-running issues with subsidence and methane.

New York City's main jail complex, in operation since 1932. The island holds ten facilities and currently detains under 7,000 people, down from a peak above 20,000 in 1991. There are no residences and no public access.

The 2019 closure law set an August 2027 deadline, since extended to 2032. The jails are to be replaced by four smaller borough-based facilities, and the island designated for renewable-energy and wastewater infrastructure under the 2021 Renewable Rikers Act.

The island is named for the Riker family, Dutch settlers who acquired it in 1664 and held it until New York City bought it in 1884 for $180,000. Abraham Rikers, an ancestor, arrived in New Amsterdam in 1638.

No. The single bridge from Queens is restricted to corrections staff, detainees, contractors, and approved visitors of incarcerated people. There are no tours, no observation points, and no civilian foot or vehicle access otherwise.

— about the piece in your home

It carries weight for advocates, attorneys, formerly incarcerated New Yorkers, and corrections-reform workers. The piece reads as honest record, not romance. A Small or Medium suits a desk or office wall.

The palette suits Industrial-modern, Brutalist, and Urban Loft interiors. It pairs with steel, concrete, blackened oak, and unfinished plaster. It is not a coastal or pastoral piece and is not meant to be one.

Place-record art that holds difficult histories has grown alongside the wider documentary-photography market. The tile fits that register: a real place, named honestly, without softening.

A Large suits an office or study wall. Above a sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the wall; above a long sectional, a 9-tile Mural holds the room without crowding the ceiling.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte. Both finishes resist scratching and tolerate steam and splash. The Glossy finish is for dry walls and framed display only.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. For stubborn marks, a drop of mild dish soap. No abrasive pads, no ammonia, no bleach. The colour lives in the surface and will not lift.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is drawn and finished in our Knoxville studio, with no licensing from third parties. Reid Wender curates the atlas and chooses every place that enters the line.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.