November 14, 2025 | 9 AM – 12 PM | SVA Theatre

Madison Square Park Conservancy’s annual public art symposium showcases our longstanding commitment to fostering discussions on contemporary art in civic space. Each gathering remains free and open to the public. 

Our 12th annual symposium is inspired by Improvisations in the Park.

SCHEDULE

The Lives of Public Forms: Larry Bell and the Art of Refraction

Art historian James Merle Thomas traces Larry Bell’s path from the exacting geometry of his 1960s glass cubes to the open, spatial constructions of his Standing Walls of the early 1970s and recent outdoor works. Thomas considers how Bell’s art bends perception into new alignments—opening abstraction to light, space, and shared public experience.

Luminosity in Context

This panel convenes artists Gisela Colón, Rachel Berwick, and Spencer Finch, who activate sensory experiences through luminosity and color. The group will discuss narratives and place-making within their compositions.

Expansive Abstraction

This panel convenes artists Anthony McCall, Carl D’Alvia, and Torkwase Dyson. The group will discuss abstraction’s capacity to offer open-ended, imaginative, and thought-provoking discoveries in the public realm.

Performance

Larry Bell is an avid collector of 12-string guitars, having amassed over 300 since the 1960s. Inspired by this, the symposium will conclude with a dynamic 12-string solo by Elias Solomon, which will immerse the audience in harmonies and overtones, echoing the layering and interplay of Bell’s works on view in the park.

To register for this event, click on the link below.

Register Here