Press Releases

From glimpses of Manhattan’s past to augmented reality in the Bronx, NYC Parks art installations offer new ways of viewing our city and culture

NYC Parks is enhancing New York City’s public greenspaces this winter season with free public art installations in all five boroughs. Through the NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program, Parks hosts world-class art in parks and greenspaces throughout the city, providing New Yorkers and visitors opportunities for reflection, entertainment, and education.

Here are some highlights this season:

BRONX

Kamala Sankaram, The Buried Brook

Van Cortlandt Park

On view through September 27, 2024

The Buried Brook is an augmented reality (AR) application and sound walk that explores the historic course of Tibbetts Brook in Van Cortlandt Park. The experience is designed to be accessed through a mobile app, which takes users on a self-guided walking tour through the park and surrounding streets, guided by the app using a smartphone or tablet device. As viewers walk, they will be able to see virtual elements overlaid on the physical environment through their device's camera, creating an augmented reality experience.

This exhibition is presented by CALL / City as Living Laboratory.

BROOKLYN

Kevin Claiborne, Lost Boys

Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park

On view through April 21, 2024

With Lost Boys, Claiborne challenges established notions of cultural legibility and encourages viewers to delve deeper into the origins, embodiment, and sufficiency of Blackness, including its impact on mental health. Text superimposed upon the repeated face of an unidentified Black male youth takes center stage, sourced from a photograph captured in Harlem, New York during the early 1900s. The repeated image of the unidentified young boy carries a symbolic weight, representing not only the individual but also a broader collective experience. Painted in vibrant shades of blue and black, the boy's direct gaze confronts the viewer while the repeated patterning and overlay of text pushes and pulls the colorful faces between differing levels of visibility.

MANHATTAN

Adrian Sas, Broadway: Now and Then

Ilka Tanya Payán Park

On view through March 28, 2024

This lenticular print alternately displays two photographs of 157th Street and Broadway, one archival and one contemporary. Pedestrians activate the alternating effect as they walk by, causing the image to flip between centuries. The archival image from 1909 is used with permission from the Museum of the City of New York. The contemporary image is a photograph taken by Adrian Sas in 2023.

QUEENS

Kisha Bari & Jasmin Chang, Hey Neighbor NYC

Flushing Meadows Corona Park

On view through August 30, 2024

Hey Neighbor NYC connects New Yorkers across cultural communities and boroughs using photographic portrait-making, conversations, and public art. New Yorkers from all five boroughs were nominated by cultural hubs in their communities because they are a ‘connector’ – someone who brings people together through organizing, advocacy or fellowship.

This exhibition is made possible by the Art in the Parks: Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park Grant, which supports the creation of site-specific public artworks by Queens-based artists for two sites within Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

STATEN ISLAND

Lina Montoya, We Are Beautiful

Stapleton Esplanade

On view through August 10, 2024

We Are Beautiful represents diversity and celebrates multiculturalism in New York City, especially on Staten Island. It consisted of 4,950 multicolor butterflies attached to the metallic railing by the water at Stapleton Waterfront Park. This installation is part of the La Isla Bonita Series and Festival, which intends to beautify public spaces with the collaboration of community members.

This exhibition is presented by La Isla Bonita.

About Art in the Parks

For nearly 60 years, NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program has brought contemporary public artworks to the city’s parks, making New York City one of the world’s largest open-air galleries. The agency has consistently fostered the creation and installation of temporary public art in parks throughout the five boroughs. Since 1967, NYC Parks has collaborated with arts organizations and artists to produce more than 3,000 public artworks by 1,500 notable and emerging artists in more than 200 parks. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/parks/art.