Harlem Sculpture Gardens 2026

Photo Courtesy of West Harlem Art Fund

The 3rd rendition of Harlem Sculpture Gardens (https://harlemsculpturegardens.com) presented by West Harlem Art Fund and NY Artist Equity Association will feature more women artists and academic teams this year. Joining the lineup is Natalie Colette Wood, a seasoned artist who uses recycled materials that she turns into botanical forms. Harlem-based artist Dianne Smith will bring a stately work that takes us back to the 1970s with her Afro Puff. Brooklyn-based artist Michael Poast will return again with five works along Broadway in partnership with the Broadway Mall Association. There will be two teams from the City College School of Architecture led by Elizabeth MacWillie and Zihao Zhang.Chris Sancomb from the University of Connecticut brings portable wind mills that explore our need to look at resilience and Harvard University Graduate School of Design led by Iman Fayyad. Her team will create a pavilion where half will be built in Boston and the other half in Harlem.

According to Savona Bailey-McClain, Executive Director, West Harlem Art Fund, “Having more design in our exhibition is extremely important for us. We wish to show how art can cross with design and technology, creating new opportunities especially for young people”.

Our venues include three historic parks: Morningside Park, St. Nicholas Park, and Jackie Robinson Park, Montefiore Park/Plaza, Broadway Mall (2), and Maggie’s Garden.

Nature-based programming is scheduled for this year along with a special walk to honor the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and the Battle of Harlem Heights. There will be a birding event, outdoor photography and stargazing. The public will be encouraged to engage with nature and our resilience efforts to strengthen our local landscape.

“As the city welcomes  its newly elected Mayor Zoran Mamdani and the tenants of a democratic culture he champions,  we can look to Harlem Sculpture Gardens as exemplary of  an aspirational art initiative that advances community stewardship and sustainable practices to  safeguard public spaces for the greater good of all”, said Michael Gormley, Executive Director of NY Artists Equity Association. 

About the West Harlem Art Fund (https://westharlem.art)

The West Harlem Art Fund is a pioneering force in bringing transformative public art and design programs to urban neighborhoods in New York City. Since 1998, our dynamic exhibitions—ranging from striking sculptures and immersive installations to innovative digital projections and vibrant performances—have enlivened neighborhoods and inspired communities across the city. Our commitment to creative excellence and cultural enrichment has earned us recognition in prominent outlets including the NYTimes, Art Daily, Artnet, Hyperallergic, White Hot Magazine, Wall Street Journal, CBS Local News, NY1, and ABC-TV.

Our heritage symbol Afuntummireku-denkyemmtreku: is the double crocodile from West Africa Ghana which means unity in diversity.

About New York Artists Equity Association (https:// www.nyartistsequity.org)

New York Artist Equity Association was founded in 1947 to promote opportunities for artists and to address economic issues affecting American artists. More than 160 leading American artists of the 1940s founded the organization, including Will Barnet, Thomas Hart Benton, George Biddle, Paul Cadmus, Stuart Davis, Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, Edward Hopper, Leon Kroll, Jacob Lawrence, John Marin, Louise Nevelson, John Sloan and the first President Yasuo Kuniyoshi. These diverse artists were all clear on one point — they had to band together to establish and protect artists’ economic well-being. Today NYAE continues to support the professional aspirations of unrecognized and emerging artists, particularly those from underrepresented groups, by providing them with exhibition opportunities, educational programming, and a vibrant community of artists, collectors, curators, and art educators.