Latest news with #MadisonSquareParkConservancy
Time Out
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A list of all the free flower shows you can visit in NYC right now
At long last, New York City is in bloom. Fragrant lilacs, colorful tulips and perfectly pink cherry blossoms have burst forth after a brutal winter. To celebrate the season, expert florists have wrangled spring blooms into incredible displays across the city. From outdoor flower gardens to indoor floral installations, here are all the free flower shows to see in New York City right now, along with tips to make the most of each experience. 1. When: Through May 4 Where: Hudson Yards Purple orchids, white lilies, brown magnolia leaves, blue delphiniums and more have been transformed into magnificent floral creations depicting the sumptuous clothing of television series Downtown Abbey. More than a dozen local florists showcased their creativity by crafting stunning floral mannequins for the latest Fleurs de Villes exhibition at Hudson Yards. Even if you're not a fan of the TV show, this free exhibition is definitely worth seeing while it's on view through May 4. Each display is made of fresh flowers and botanicals. As Fleurs de Villes co-founder Karen Marshall says, "This is perishable art. Perishable art is must-see art." Time Out tip: To highlight the show, Hudson Yards is offering special deals, floral-themed tastings and bouquet workshops. Here's the full list of activations. 2. Macy's Flower Show When: Through May 18 Where: Macy's Herald Square An annual rite of spring, this year's Macy's Flower Show, titled "Floral Dreams Unfold," is now on view. The show begins outside the store with the retailer's signature windows, each one featuring lush floral displays alongside this season's fashions. The journey continues inside, where you'll be met with swirling floral spirals, a shimmery beanstalk decoration and topiary chameleons. As you continue through the store, look for a dragonfly display, a tribute to bees and a cool digital installation. Time Out tip: This is a popular one, so be prepared for crowds. The store opens at 10am daily, so you might want to get there early. 3. When: Through Labor Day Where: Madison Square Park Find some peace in Madison Square Park as you walk along a meditative spiral pathway aptly dubbed Gardens of Renewal. Located across the park's Redbud and Sparrow Lawns, the new path is a beautifully landscaped spiral that invites reflection while highlighting the political urgency of the climate crisis. Along the walk, you'll encounter a planting palette made up of increasingly rare—and nearly disappearing—native species. Artist Lily Kwong (you may remember her from her gorgeous orchid show a few years ago) collaborated with the Madison Square Park Conservancy to create the destination. Time Out tip: There's a QR code on site that you can scan to hear a meditation designed by sound practitioner Sandra Sears. The audio clip is meant to unfold over the duration of your perusal of the spiral. 4. When: Through early May Where: West Side Community Garden Tulips in a rainbow of colors have made their seasonal debut at the West Side Community Garden, a hidden oasis of springtime splendor. The garden is home to more than 10,000 tulips in every color and variety imaginable. Pink, yellow, red, purple and orange tulips—plus a few cool multi-color blooms—fill the garden's raised beds. As for varieties, see if you can spot the differences between parrots, darwins and triumphs—all different types of tulips. Enter through a wrought iron gate on West 89th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues to find the secret garden, open daily from dawn 'til dusk. The flowers are at the end of their blooming season, but you can still catch them if you get there soon! Time Out tip: Though it's free to visit, the garden is fully volunteer-run and could benefit from a donation if you're able to. 5. Cherry blossoms When: Through early May Where: All across NYC Part of what makes cherry blossom season so special is its fleeting nature. So, while the blooms are still around, go find som and snap a few photos to remember them by when those blustery, cold NYC days return. Cherry blossoms are in bloom all across the city, from Central Park to Green-Wood Cemetery to Brooklyn Botanic Garden and more. Here's our full list of where to find them. Time Out tip: The Central Park Conservancy launched a cherry blossom map and Brooklyn Botanic Garden maintains a CherryWatch map so you can track the buds before you head out for a walk. Be sure to treat the trees kindly and don't disturb nature when you're going in for that close-up video.
Time Out
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A meditative garden by Lily Kwong has taken root in Madison Square Park
When in need of a mental break, get yourself to Madison Square Park to walk along a new meditative spiral pathway aptly dubbed Gardens of Renewal. Located across the park's Redbud and Sparrow Lawns, the new path is a beautifully landscaped spiral that invites reflection while highlighting the political urgency of the climate crisis. As visitors walk through, they'll encounter a planting palette made up of increasingly rare—and nearly disappearing—native species. Artist Lily Kwong (you may remember her from her gorgeous orchid show a few years ago) collaborated with the Madison Square Park Conservancy to create the destination, which will be accessible through Labor Day. On Redbud Lawn, the spiral pathway of the Meditation Garden is meant to evoke ancient labyrinths. It's packed with pollinators, herbs and other plants native to the New York region. Several stone benches offer a chance to reflect and to connect with fellow visitors. If you take a moment to sit, you'll likely spot butterflies and bees buzzing around the garden. There's even a QR code you can scan to hear a meditation designed by sound practitioner Sandra Sears meant to unfold over the duration of your perusal of the spiral. Also checking out the customized playlist by DJ Fly Hendrix. "Though meant to provide an important oasis for rest and reflection within the dense urban landscape of New York City, the garden also creates a space for communal exchange, where our connection to the people and world around us can be celebrated," reads a press release by the Madison Square Park Conservancy. "The Meditation Garden prompts each of us to consider what is at stake and all that we stand to lose as a result of climate change." Sparrow Lawn, on the other hand, is home to the Children's Garden, a multi-functional site featuring a library, a stage and play structures. The area will be home to performances and educational programming where children of all ages can read, create, perform, explore and play. A transformative site for the convergence of big ideas. As a landscape artist dedicated to helping people connect with nature, Kwong said in a press release that she hopes the horticultural works will "inspire the millions of people that pass through its green gates" to come together amidst climate collapse. "Madison Square Park's central location makes it the perfect New York City oasis and a transformative site for the convergence of big ideas," she added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lily Scout Kwong (@lily_kwong) In keeping with Kwong's practice of ensuring the plants she uses have a second life after each project, Madison Square Park Conservancy replant the greenery in the park and in nearby tree pits and planters "effectively creating a pollinator corridor in the surrounding neighborhood." This initiative is aimed at "demonstrating the capacity for nature's renewal even in our most urban settings," the organization explained. "An installation fully dedicated to horticulture and the vital role native plantings play in our wellbeing is unprecedented in Madison Square Park," Holly Leicht, executive director of Madison Square Park Conservancy, said in a press release. "We are thrilled to partner with Lily Kwong to bring her passion for ecological conservation and her vision for reconnecting us to nature and each other so beautifully and joyously to life." The Gardens of Renewal area will be the site of free public programs all summer long. Here is the full lineup: Gardens of Renewal free public programs May 31, 10:30am-12pm: Children's Comedian Storytime with Nick Kroll & Friends; adults must accompany a child to enter the garden (Sparrow Lawn) May 31, 1-2pm: Family Music Concert (Sparrow Lawn) June 4, 5pm and 6pm: Artist Walks with Lily Kwong (Meet at Sparrow Lawn) June 11, 5-7pm: Workshop: Make Your Own Seed Bombs (Sparrow Lawn) June 12, 5-7pm: Artist Panel Discussion (Sparrow Lawn) June 14, 8am and 9am: Morning Meditations & Manifestation with Lily Kwong & Sandra Sears (Redbud Lawn) June 14, 10:30am-12pm: Children's Comedian Storytime with Nick Kroll & Friends; adults must accompany a child to enter the garden (Sparrow Lawn) June 15, 1-3pm: Workshop: Make Your Own Rain Sticks (Sparrow Lawn) June 16, 5:30pm: Gardens of Renewal Summer Celebration (Remarks on Sparrow Lawn) June 18, 3-5pm: Workshop: Blockprinting with Vegetables (Sparrow Lawn) June 21, 1-3pm: Workshop: Build Your Own Solitary Bee Home (Sparrow Lawn) June 25, 5-7pm: Workshop: Seeding Dreams and Manifestations (Sparrow Lawn) July 12, 1-3pm: Guided Meditation in the Garden of Renewal (Redbud Lawn) July 13, 1-3pm: Workshop: Seed Saving (Sparrow Lawn) July 15, 5-7pm: Pollinator Flower Walk (Sparrow Lawn) July 23, 1-3pm: Workshop: Cyanotyping (Sparrow Lawn)
New York Times
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Madison Square Park's Conservancy Names New Chief Curator
The Madison Square Park Conservancy in New York has selected Denise Markonish as its next chief curator, the organization announced Thursday. Currently the chief curator at Mass MoCA in North Adams, Mass., Markonish will begin her new job stewarding the art program for the 6.2-acre park, which is used by 60,000 people daily, in June. She succeeds Brooke Kamin Rapaport, who helped raise the park's profile as a platform for ambitious commissions of public art. Rapaport's departure was announced last October. As a leader of Mass MoCA's curatorial program since 2007, Markonish has worked with artists including Nick Cave, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Glenn Kaino, Teresita Fernandez and Jeffrey Gibson on commissions often the size of a football field. That experience immediately put her name at the top of a list of applicants, Holly Leicht, the conservancy's executive director, said in an interview. 'Denise is someone who brings the combination of academic rigor, an ethos of collaboration and a strong sense of fun,' Leicht added. Markonish had previously partnered with the conservancy to find a long-term site for Martin Puryear's 40-foot sculpture 'Big Bling,' which debuted at Madison Square Park in 2016 and traveled to Philadelphia. It has presided over a new park space created for the piece in downtown North Adams since 2019. 'I've built my career on doing large-scale commissions,' Markonish said in an interview. 'And to do so now in such a public place and thinking outside the box of the walls of a museum will be an amazing challenge.' Born in Boston, Markonish, who is 49, has degrees from Brandeis University, where she studied art history and interned at the Rose Art Museum, and from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College. After graduating in 1999, she worked at the Fuller Museum of Art (now the Fuller Craft Museum) in Brockton, Mass., for three years. There, she did her first big artist commission, with Mark Dion, in 2001. 'That was a game changer for me in thinking about working deeply with an artist one-on-one and starting from zero,' said Markonish, who also worked at Artspace in New Haven, Conn., for five years before coming to Mass MoCA. Markonish collaborated with Nick Cave, the artist best-known for his wearable sculptures called Soundsuits, on his immersive landscape 'Until.' The work, made up of thousands of found objects and millions of beads, debuted in 2016 at Mass MoCA and traveled to Arkansas, Australia and Scotland. Cave remembers Markonish coming to his studio to offer the project. 'She goes, 'Only one stipulation — no Soundsuits',' he recalled in an interview, adding that he had been waiting for just such an opportunity. Considering Markonish's move to Madison Square Park, he said: 'I think she will assess and work with artists that are up for the challenge of public space and really hungry for that kind of moment.'
