Mad. Sq. Art is the free contemporary art program of the Madison Square Park Conservancy, presenting exhibitions of newly-commissioned work each year in a wide variety of media, by artists ranging from emerging to internationally renowned.

Following critical accolades for past exhibitions, Mad. Sq. Art’s “museum without walls” is now recognized worldwide as a preeminent presenter of public art, and is a destination for art lovers from around the world. Watch an overview of the program’s past exhibits.

MAD. SQ. ART 2013
ORLY GENGER:
RED, YELLOW AND BLUE
May 2 – September 8, 2013

Madison Square Park Conservancy’s Mad. Sq. Art announces a new installation for Spring and Summer 2013 by New York-based artist Orly Genger. The monumental commission entitled Red, Yellow and Blue will feature the artist’s renowned usage of intricately hand-knotted nautical rope covered in paint, creating a work that will transform the park’s lush lawns into colorfully-lined chambers. Following its New York run, the installation will travel to the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum outside of Boston in October 2013, marking the first Mad. Sq. Art commission to tour.

Genger’s work artfully transcends the perceived limits of the materials she employs. This Mad. Sq. Art commission will consist of 1.4 million feet of rope—the total length equating to nearly 20 times the length of Manhattan—covered in over 3,000 gallons of paint, and weighing over an astounding 100,000 pounds. Red, Yellow and Blue employs repurposed rope collected from hundreds of miles up and down the Eastern seaboard, bringing elements of the coastline to the urban setting of Madison Square Park. Together, three separate undulating structures of layered rope shaped on-site by the artist will redefine the landscape of the park. [READ MORE]

Previously presented artists include: Bill Beirne, Jim Campbell, Richard Deacon, Mark di Suvero, Kota Ezawa, Bill Fontana, Ernie Gehr, Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder, Antony Gormley, Jene Highstein, Tadashi Kawamata, Mel Kendrick, Sol LeWitt, Olia Lialina & Dragan Espenschied,  Charles Long, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Jacco Olivier, Roxy Paine, Jaume Plensa, Shannon Plumb, Alison Saar, Jessica Stockholder, Leo Villareal, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and William Wegman.

From 2000-2003, exhibitions in Madison Square Park were presented by the Public Art Fund on behalf of the Campaign for the New Madison Square Park. These artists included Tony Oursler, Dan Graham and Mark Dion among others. Click here to learn more about this series of exhibitions.

Major support for Mad. Sq. Art is provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, Liane Ginsberg, Agnes Gund, Toby Devan Lewis, Dorothy Lichtenstein, Tiffany & Co., Sorgente Group, and Anonymous. Substantial support is provided by Melva Bucksbaum and Raymond Learsy, The Buhl Foundation, The Henry Luce Foundation, Danny and Audrey Meyer, Ronald A. Pizzuti, The Rudin Family, John L. Thomson, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, Tishman Speyer, the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust, and The Sol LeWitt Fund for Artist Work.

Delta Air Lines is the Official Airline of Mad. Sq. Art. Ace Hotel New York is the Official Hotel Partner of the Madison Square Park Conservancy. Mad. Sq. Art is supported in part with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. The Madison Square Park Conservancy is a public/private partnership with New York City Parks & Recreation.