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Madison Square Park Conservancy is responsible for the maintenance of the park’s lawns. Lawns are open daily for public use starting at 10 AM through 5 PM, weather permitting. Lawns are closed on Parade Days.  Learn more about park hours and rules by visiting our FAQ page.

News

What’s Happening in the Park

Planting
April 4, 2023 | Horticulture, Press

While Early Bloom Brings Joy, the Presence May Signal “A Cascading Effect” (TimeOut New York)

Spring blooms are occurring earlier in the city's parks, and though they're a welcome sight after a gray season, it's also a little unsettling. Our Horticulture team spoke with TimeOut New York to explain why its problematic.

BUCKYBALL 2012
April 4, 2023 | Art, News

Art on Tour

One of the questions we often hear at Madison Square Park Conservancy is “what happens to the commissioned works of art following their stay in the park?” The answer lies in an informal network of nonprofit institutions — museums with campuses, sculpture parks, public gardens, and public art programs.

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March 13, 2023 | Art

Proposal to Park: Artist Shahzia Sikander

Proposal to Park is a series focused on documenting the progression of project artists’ proposals into exhibitions for Madison Square Park’s public art program. …

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February 22, 2023 | Art

Sikander’s “Apparition” is the Park’s First AR Experience

Shahzia Sikander has long brought innovation and experimentation to her work, conceptually, philosophically, and through materials. In her exhibition Havah…to breathe,…

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January 17, 2023 | Art, Press

‘It was screaming for a female’: Shahzia Sikander on creating a statue of a woman for a Manhattan courthouse (The Art Newspaper)

The artist’s new commission for Madison Square Park and an adjacent court building also includes an augmented reality component

Art Tour Iglesias
November 8, 2022 | Art

Engaging with World-Class Art Through the Conservancy’s Art Council

Learn more about the Conservancy's Art Council and the unique opportunities it offers to engage with world-renowned artists and exhibitions.

Iglesias
September 22, 2022 | Art

Artist Statement: Cristina Iglesias

Artist Cristina Iglesias reflects on the inspiration behind her "Landscape and Memory" exhibition.

Proposal To Park Gibson And Recoder
August 30, 2022 | Art

Proposal to Park: Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder

We look back on Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder's "Topsy Turvy" exhibition, and its journey from proposal to park.

Proposal To Park Leonardo Drew
July 18, 2022 | Art

Proposal to Park: Leonardo Drew

Proposal to Park is a series that documents the progression of project artists’ proposals into exhibitions for Madison Square Park’s public art program. This post explores Leonardo Drew's "City in the Grass."

Iglesias
June 14, 2022 | Art, Press

Cristina Iglesias’ Radical Public Sculpture: ‘I’m Not Trying to Recreate Nature’ (Wallpaper)

Artist Cristina Iglesias was recently interviewed by Wallpaper about her work, accolades, and exhibitions.

Landscape And Memory Side Flow Rashmi PNG
June 13, 2022 | Art, Press

Landscape and Memory (TimeOut New York)

Artist Cristina Iglesias' "Landscape and Memory" was recently featured in TimeOut.

MSP Symposium ’22 90 PNG
June 8, 2022 | Art

“Unearthing Public Art”: 2022 Symposium Recap

Recapping "Unearthing Public Art," Madison Square Park Conservancy's seventh annual symposium, which took place on June 3, 2022 at the SVA Theatre.

Maya Lin Happy Bday
May 23, 2022 | Art, Press

Maya Lin Named One of the 100 Most Influential People of 2022 by Time Magazine

Congratulations to artist Maya Lin on being named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2022. Lin's "Ghost Forest" exhibition was on view in the park in 2021.

Rashmi BP PNG
April 25, 2022 | Art

The Next Steps for Hugh Hayden’s “Brier Patch”

Hugh Hayden's "Brier Patch" will remain on view in the park through May 1, at which time it will travel to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh.

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March 23, 2022 | Art

Proposal to Park: Iván Navarro

Documenting the journey of Iván Navarro’s proposal for "This Land is Your Land."

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March 8, 2022 | Art

Hugh Hayden Artist Statement

Brier PatchJanuary 18 – May 1, 2022Madison Square Park, New YorkRaised In Texas and trained as an architect, my work arises from a deep connection to nature and…

Hnet.com Image (2)
March 3, 2022 | Art

“Brier Patch” Public Programs

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…

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February 21, 2022 | Art

Proposal to Park: Diana Al-Hadid

Proposal to Park is a new series focused on documenting the progression of project artists’ proposals into exhibitions for Madison Square Park’s public…

Madison Square Park, Hugh Hayden, Brier Patch
February 14, 2022 | Art, Press

100 Wooden School Desks Sprout in Madison Square Park (NY1)

Brier Patch was recently featured in a news segment on NY1, where artist Hugh Hayden and Brooke Kamin Rapaport, Deputy Director and Martin Friedman Chief Curator,…

Madison Square Park
February 8, 2022 | Art, Press

Hugh Hayden’s Striking New Sculptures Take on the Inequities of Public Education (Artsy)

Throughout the world, there is an inextricable link between education, equity, and economics. It is also widely believed that education is the greatest weapon against…

Madison Square Park, Hugh Hayden, Brier Patch
February 7, 2022 | Art, Press

Trees Burst from 100 Elementary Desks in Hugh Hayden’s Installation Addressing the Disparities of Public Education (Colossal)

Four lawns in New York’s Madison Square Park are now sites of a sprawling and insightful public installation by artist Hugh Hayden. On view through April 24, “Brier…

The Brier Patch Exhibition, featuring school desks on the park lawn bursting with tree limbs.
January 24, 2022 | Art, Press

100 Wooden School Desks Are Sitting in Madison Square Park (Time Out New York)

The work “Brier Patch” by artist Hugh Hayden is an installation on view through April. If you pass by Madison Square Park you’ll notice about 100…

1 Ancien River
January 20, 2022 | Art, Press

“Landscape and Memory” Will Bring Madison Square Park’s Buried History to the Surface (The Architect’s Newspaper)

With Maya Lin’s tower grove of Atlantic white cedar trees killed by saltwater infiltration now removed from Manhattan’s Madison Square Park and set to begin their…

Artist Hugh Hayden standing among the Brier Patch exhibition, which features desks bursting with...
January 18, 2022 | Art, Press

Hugh Hayden, Surrealist Sculptor, Addresses Education Debate (The New York Times)

“Just watch your eyes,” the sculptor Hugh Hayden warned as he circumnavigated the wooden school desk he had made from cedar logs, their branches still attached. …

3 Drawing 2
December 14, 2021 | Art

Artist Cristina Iglesias unearths forgotten natural histories of Madison Square Park, Opening June 2022

Landscape and Memory Evokes Park’s Buried Topography With Five Large-Scale Bronze Sculptures Set into Landscape and Flowing with Water New York, NY | December 13,…

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December 7, 2021 | Art, Press

12 spectacular public artworks that brightened up our cities in 2021 (Time Out New York)

My God, we all needed a bit of cheering up at the start of 2021. Much of the world was in the midst of its worst coronavirus wave, and life was as dull and grey…

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December 7, 2021 | Art, Press

Best Art Exhibitions of 2021 (The New York Times)

Ambitious museum shows in Tulsa, Richmond, and Louisville left an imprint. Jasper Johns, Maya Lin and Latino artists shone. And the high quality of gallery shows…

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December 7, 2021 | Art, Press

Revealed: Time Out New York’s 2021 Best of the City award winners (Time Out New York)

As the saying goes: “New York is back!” While that statement may have become a bit of a cliché over the last 12 months, there’s no denying that a sense of revitalization,…

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November 30, 2021 | Art, Press

Hugh Hayden Explores the Thorny Sides of the American Dream (W Magazine)

At the eccentrically daft dinner parties that Hugh Hayden stages regularly, guests are showered with hospitality and hobbled by irksome constraints. Much thought…

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November 29, 2021 | Art

The Flexibility of Public Space

Over the past months of pandemic, protest, and political turmoil, Madison Square Park Conservancy has witnessed the adaptability of  public space. Families, neighbors,…

This is Your Park
As an independent non-profit, we rely entirely on the support of our community to keep our park clean and green for everyone to enjoy. Become a Mad. Friend, join our Art Council, or learn about other ways to give to your park today.
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Abigail Deville: Light of Freedom
Abigail Deville: Light of Freedom, Narrated by Brooke Kamin Rappoport
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