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News
What’s Happening in the Park
October 30, 2024
| Art
Brooke Kamin Rapaport to Step Down as Artistic Director at Madison Square Park Conservancy
During Rapaport’s Tenure, the Conservancy Has Expanded its Ambitious Public Art Commissioning Program, Bringing a Range of Celebrated Artist Voices to the Park
October 24, 2024
| Art
Watch Now: “Advancing Public Art”
Now available on video and the Conservancy YouTube channel, please see here to view the recording of the 2024 MSPC Art Symposium: "Advancing Public Art"
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.
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.
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. …
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,…
‘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
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.
September 22, 2022
| Art
Artist Statement: Cristina Iglesias
Artist Cristina Iglesias reflects on the inspiration behind her "Landscape and Memory" exhibition.
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.
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."
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 (TimeOut New York)
Artist Cristina Iglesias' "Landscape and Memory" was recently featured in TimeOut.
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 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.
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.
March 23, 2022
| Art
Proposal to Park: Iván Navarro
Documenting the journey of Iván Navarro’s proposal for "This Land is Your Land."
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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. …
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,…
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,…
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…
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…
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.