A meditative garden by Lily Kwong has taken root in Madison Square Park

When in need of a mental break, get yourself to Madison Square Park to walk along a new meditative spiral pathway aptly dubbed Gardens of Renewal. Located across the park’s Redbud and Sparrow Lawns, the new path is a beautifully landscaped spiral that invites reflection while highlighting the political urgency of the climate crisis. As visitors walk through, they’ll encounter a planting palette made up of increasingly rare—and nearly disappearing—native species.

Artist Lily Kwong (you may remember her from her gorgeous orchid show a few years ago) collaborated with the Madison Square Park Conservancy to create the destination, which will be accessible through Labor Day. 

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On Redbud Lawn, the spiral pathway of the Meditation Garden is meant to evoke ancient labyrinths. It's packed with pollinators, herbs and other plants native to the New York region. Several stone benches offer a chance to reflect and to connect with fellow visitors. If you take a moment to sit, you'll likely spot butterflies and bees buzzing around the garden. 

There's even a QR code you can scan to hear a meditation designed by sound practitioner Sandra Sears meant to unfold over the duration of your perusal of the spiral. Also checking out the customized playlist by DJ Fly Hendrix.

"Though meant to provide an important oasis for rest and reflection within the dense urban landscape of New York City, the garden also creates a space for communal exchange, where our connection to the people and world around us can be celebrated," reads a press release by the Madison Square Park Conservancy. "The Meditation Garden prompts each of us to consider what is at stake and all that we stand to lose as a result of climate change."

Sparrow Lawn, on the other hand, is home to the Children's Garden, a multi-functional site featuring a library, a stage and play structures. The area will be home to performances and educational programming where children of all ages can read, create, perform, explore and play. 

A transformative site for the convergence of big ideas. 

As a landscape artist dedicated to helping people connect with nature, Kwong said in a press release that she hopes the horticultural works will "inspire the millions of people that pass through its green gates" to come together amidst climate collapse. 

"Madison Square Park's central location makes it the perfect New York City oasis and a transformative site for the convergence of big ideas," she added. 

In keeping with Kwong's practice of ensuring the plants she uses have a second life after each project, Madison Square Park Conservancy replant the greenery in the park and in nearby tree pits and planters "effectively creating a pollinator corridor in the surrounding neighborhood." This initiative is aimed at "demonstrating the capacity for nature’s renewal even in our most urban settings," the organization explained. 

"An installation fully dedicated to horticulture and the vital role native plantings play in our wellbeing is unprecedented in Madison Square Park," Holly Leicht, executive director of Madison Square Park Conservancy, said in a press release. "We are thrilled to partner with Lily Kwong to bring her passion for ecological conservation and her vision for reconnecting us to nature and each other so beautifully and joyously to life." 

The Gardens of Renewal area will be the site of free public programs all summer long. Here is the full lineup:

Gardens of Renewal free public programs

• May 31, 10:30am-12pm: Children's Comedian Storytime with Nick Kroll & Friends; adults must accompany a child to enter the garden (Sparrow Lawn)
• May 31, 1-2pm: Family Music Concert (Sparrow Lawn)
• June 4, 5pm and 6pm: Artist Walks with Lily Kwong (Meet at Sparrow Lawn)
• June 11, 5-7pm: Workshop: Make Your Own Seed Bombs (Sparrow Lawn)
• June 12, 5-7pm: Artist Panel Discussion (Sparrow Lawn)
• June 14, 8am and 9am: Morning Meditations & Manifestation with Lily Kwong & Sandra Sears (Redbud Lawn)
• June 14, 10:30am-12pm: Children’s Comedian Storytime with Nick Kroll & Friends; adults must accompany a child to enter the garden (Sparrow Lawn)
• June 15, 1-3pm: Workshop: Make Your Own Rain Sticks (Sparrow Lawn)
• June 16, 5:30pm: Gardens of Renewal Summer Celebration (Remarks on Sparrow Lawn)
• June 18, 3-5pm: Workshop: Blockprinting with Vegetables (Sparrow Lawn)
• June 21, 1-3pm: Workshop: Build Your Own Solitary Bee Home (Sparrow Lawn)
• June 25, 5-7pm: Workshop: Seeding Dreams and Manifestations (Sparrow Lawn)
• July 12, 1-3pm: Guided Meditation in the Garden of Renewal (Redbud Lawn)
• July 13, 1-3pm: Workshop: Seed Saving (Sparrow Lawn)
• July 15, 5-7pm: Pollinator Flower Walk (Sparrow Lawn)
• July 20, 1-3pm: Workshop: Leaf Tapping and Printmaking (Sparrow Lawn)
• July 23, 1-3pm: Workshop: Cyanotyping (Sparrow Lawn)
• July 29, 5-7pm: Horticulture Panel Discussion (Sparrow Lawn)