New Yorkers are fortunate to have access to many parks and outdoor spaces across the city. Not only can these places offer opportunities to experience greenery, wildlife, fresh air, and calm amid the urban landscape, but also, they connect us with art that enriches our minds and senses. From permanent art works and monuments, including sculptures, fountains, commemorative tablets, and more; to temporary art installations that allow artists to display various forms of art in the parks, New Yorkers have an amazing outdoor art museum at their doorstep.

This week, we are spotlighting the NYC Parks’ “Art in the Parks” program. More than 50 years strong, the program collaborates with arts organizations and artists to display experimental and traditional art in the parks. Broadway Stages encourages our neighbors to explore this rich local resource across the city, and particularly in the boroughs where Broadway Stages is located — Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

To celebrate Black History Month, check out NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks Honoring the Black Experience webpage for a guide to monuments, sculptures, art, and memorials honoring Black historical figures and the Black experience. You can also find more art by Black artists. For example, through July 11, 2022, you can visit MacDonald Park in Queens to see “Afro Pick: Remembering & Moving Forward,” by Yvonne Shortt with Mayuko Fujino+ Joel Esquite + Queens Community (Funded by RPGA Studio, Council member Koslowitz, and ConEd). The piece honors those who have lost their life to COVID and provides a hopeful, community-focused theme of working together for a better future. See our blog post to learn more about Yvonne Shortt. See the NYC Public Art Map and Guide for more art installations.