Pavel (Pasha) Radetzki, Love-ego=Lov Couple. 1/4 wo/man. Picture courtesy of the artist unless otherwise noted
New artworks in parks across the five boroughs introduce fresh perspectives on environment and community, including giant kaleidoscopes, a bright pink tree, and an octopus made of trash
This summer, NYC Parks invites you to experience new perspectives through free public art installations across all five boroughs. Through Parks’ Art in the Parks program, New Yorkers can visit a rotating catalogue of over 60 temporary public art installations in parks and greenspaces throughout the city.
The full list and a map of current exhibits can be found on Parks’ Art in the Parks page. Here are some highlights of this summer’s offerings:
THE BRONX
Graciela Cassel: Nature Through Kaleidoscopes
Pelham Bay Park
On view through September 19, 2026
This exhibition features two large-scale kaleidoscope sculptures. Orange Kaleidoscope replaces the camera lens with the human eye, inviting poetic optical explorations within and beyond the urban landscape. Similarly, Radar Kaleidoscope captures and reinterprets the surrounding landscape, transforming it into multiple perspectives that offer a fresh view of the world. This exhibition is presented by the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum.
BROOKLYN
Prospect Park
On view through August 28, 2026
The Journey is a metaphor for the displacement of animals and humans alike due to the effects of climate change, war, and land loss, and represents the existential quest of searching for home in a new place.
Columbus Park
On view through July 26, 2026
Public Address is a citywide public artwork that centers the lived experience of those most impacted by housing insecurity. Strada is the inaugural Public Artist in Residence with the NYC Department of Homeless Services and the Department of Cultural Affairs. Public Address builds on three years of collaborative log-writing workshops hosted by Strada in shelters across the city. In this exhibition, handwritten reflections by shelter residents and frontline staff are translated into large-scale panels. This exhibition is presented by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and Storefront for Art and Architecture.
MANHATTAN
Stuyvesant Square
On view through October 17, 2026
Peace, love, empathy, and kindness are all traits to be nourished and grown. Nurturing Tree embodies these characteristics and pays homage to the Mother Elm Tree, which lived on this very spot for over 300 years. This exhibition is presented by the Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Association.
Pavel (Pasha) Radetzki: Love-ego=Lov Couple. 1/4 wo/man
Thomas Paine Park
On view through July 31, 2026
Lov Couple is dedicated to the innate human values of undivided love, unconditional peace, and attainable freedom. Alluding to humanity’s shared joy, sorrow, and regeneration, the work draws on the ¼ population loss in the artist’s native Paless’e marshlands, illustrated by the missing pieces of the two figures. The flowers growing in the voids represent the resilience of the human spirit.
QUEENS
Hunter’s Point South Park
On view through December 20, 2026
OctoTrash is a large-scale octopus sculpture made entirely from discarded materials. The work transforms urban waste into a powerful symbol of resilience and environmental responsibility, drawing attention to plastic pollution and its impact on marine ecosystems while encouraging creative reuse and community awareness.
Queens Lighting Collective: Orogeny
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
On view through October 18, 2026
Orogeny is a process in which a section of the earth’s crust is folded and deformed by lateral compression. An assemblage of core samples, extracted from history into the light of the present. Orogeny draws inspiration from historical maps of the area, the aesthetics of core samples, and Westinghouse time capsules. It explores the continuous change in the park, marked by moments of perceived permanence that inevitably gave way to evolution. This exhibition is made possible by the Art in the Parks: Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park Grant.
STATEN ISLAND
CRAMCEPT, JOHN EXIT & CODY PREZ: Play in the Park: Words to Inspire
Mahoney Playground
On view through June 30, 2026
This mural features inspirational words and phrases painted on several perimeter walls inside the park. The positive message, bright colors, and dynamic designs serve to create a healthy and active environment. This exhibition is presented by Thrive Collective, Projectivity Group, NYC Department of Youth & Community Development, and District 49/Councilwoman Kamillah M. Hanks.
Pictures courtesy of the artist unless otherwise noted
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.
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