Brier Patch, Hugh Hayden’s most ambitious project to date, features 100 elementary school desks that erupt with tree branches. Visually stunning and loaded with inherent tensions, Brier Patch has prompted viewer reflection on educational inequity and the fragility of the American Dream since opening in Madison Square Park on January 18, 2022.

Throughout March and April, Brier Patch will be complemented by a series of free public programs that expand upon the project’s themes of education and storytelling. Programs include conversations amongst Hayden and cultural leaders, an outdoors reflection board that asks parkgoers to consider the role of education in their lives, and a live concert with student musicians in the InterSchool Orchestras of New York. Please see below for the full schedule of programming.

Tuesday, March 15, 2022 | 6:00 to 7:00 PM
Hugh Hayden speaks on Brier Patch in conversation with Dr. Carla Shedd
Madison Square Park

March 28 – April 3, 2022 | 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Reflection Board
Parkgoers respond to “What does education mean to you?”
Madison Square Park near Veterans Lawn

Tuesday, April 26, 2022 | 6:00 to 7:00 PM
Concert with InterSchool Orchestras of New York
Madison Square Park

Every Wednesday Throughout the Exhibition | 12:00 to 12:15 PM
Brier Patch Lunchtime Tours with Madison Square Park Conservancy’s Curatorial Manager
Madison Square Park near Reflecting Pool

Brier Patch will be on view through May 1, 2022. Click here to learn more about the exhibition.