NYC Events
NYC Parks’ summer public-art season turns parks across all five boroughs into free outdoor galleries, with kaleidoscopes, an octopus made from trash, a bright tree, shelter-resident reflections and more.
New York’s summer art map does not require a museum ticket. NYC Parks is pointing New Yorkers toward more than 60 temporary public artworks across parks and greenspaces this season, with new installations in every borough through the Art in the Parks program.
This NYC In Focus visual guide highlights eight stops: optical sculpture in the Bronx, climate and housing-focused works in Brooklyn, sculpture in Manhattan, environmental and history-driven installations in Queens, and a short-run mural in Staten Island.
Queens: OctoTrash at Hunter’s Point South Park
The strongest visual lead is Annalisa Iadicicco’s OctoTrash, on view at Hunter’s Point South Park through December 20, 2026. The large-scale octopus sculpture is made entirely from discarded materials, transforming urban waste into a public reminder about plastic pollution, marine ecosystems and creative reuse.
The Bronx: giant kaleidoscopes in Pelham Bay Park
At Pelham Bay Park, Graciela Cassel’s Nature Through Kaleidoscopes is on view through September 19, 2026. The exhibition features two large-scale kaleidoscope sculptures, Orange Kaleidoscope and Radar Kaleidoscope, that turn the surrounding landscape into layered optical views. The exhibition is presented by the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum.
Brooklyn: climate displacement and housing insecurity
In Prospect Park, Risha Gorig’s The Journey is on view through August 28, 2026. The work frames migration as a shared condition for humans and animals facing climate change, war and land loss.
At Columbus Park, Alex Strada’s Public Address is on view through July 26, 2026. The citywide public artwork centers the experiences of people most affected by housing insecurity. Strada, the inaugural Public Artist in Residence with the NYC Department of Homeless Services and the Department of Cultural Affairs, developed the project from collaborative log-writing workshops in shelters across the city. Handwritten reflections by shelter residents and frontline staff are translated into large-scale panels.
Manhattan: a nurturing tree and a sculpture about shared humanity
At Stuyvesant Square, Judith Modrak’s Nurturing Tree is on view through October 17, 2026. The work is built around traits such as peace, love, empathy and kindness, and pays homage to the Mother Elm Tree that lived on the site for more than 300 years.
At Thomas Paine Park, Pavel “Pasha” Radetzki’s Love-ego=Lov Couple. 1/4 wo/man is on view through July 31, 2026. The work is dedicated to love, peace and freedom, with missing pieces in two figures alluding to population loss in the artist’s native Paless’e marshlands. Flowers growing through the voids point to resilience.
Queens: Orogeny at Flushing Meadows Corona Park
At Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens Lighting Collective’s Orogeny is on view through October 18, 2026. The work draws from historical maps, the aesthetics of core samples and Westinghouse time capsules, using the geologic idea of folded and compressed crust to think about the park’s layers of change.
Staten Island: words to inspire at Mahoney Playground
At Mahoney Playground, CRAMCEPT, JOHN EXIT and CODY PREZ’s Play in the Park: Words to Inspire is on view through June 30, 2026. The mural places inspirational words and phrases across perimeter walls inside the park, using bright colors and bold designs to support an active public space.
How to use this guide
For readers planning a summer art walk, the route can be built borough by borough: Pelham Bay Park for optical sculpture, Prospect and Columbus parks for climate and housing-focused works, Stuyvesant Square and Thomas Paine Park for sculpture, Hunter’s Point South and Flushing Meadows Corona Park for Queens installations, and Mahoney Playground for a short-run Staten Island mural.
NYC Parks says the full list and map of current exhibits are available through its Art in the Parks page. Before heading out, check the agency’s current listing for exact location details, dates and any park-specific changes.
