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For the first time in the Fellowship’s 30-year history, Socrates turned to its alumni network to nominate the next generation of artists, selecting ten fellows for an expanded 2026–2028 cycle.  The season also introduces Homecoming, a new alumni series honoring artists foundational to the Park’s legacy. Artists Choose Artists: The Socrates Annual Fellowship Anniversary | On View: June 2026 through April 2028 Homecoming: Chakaia Booker | On View: May 2026 through April 2027 Homecoming: Sanford Biggers | On View: July 2026 through June 2027 Reclaimed Futures: Socrates & Materials for the Arts | On View: August 2026 through April 2027 Summer Solstice & Fellowship Opening Celebration | Sunday, June 21, […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: press@socratessculpturepark.org Download Press Images Socrates Sculpture Park Announces 2025 Socrates Annual: “Up/rooted” Long Island City, NY – Socrates Sculpture Park today announced the opening of The Socrates Annual 2025 on September 12, 2025. Featuring new commissions from the 2025 Socrates Artist Fellows—Natalia Nakazawa, Pioneers Go East Collective, Rowan Renee, Catherine Telford-Keogh, and Zipporah Camille Thompson—this year’s annual exhibition reflects the Park’s longstanding mission to support artists at every stage of their careers, invite public engagement with urgent social and environmental questions, and transform public space into a platform for imagination, dialogue, and renewal. Responding to the theme “Up/rooted”, the 2025 Socrates Artist Fellows’ works explore […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact |  PDF Joyce Chan, Communications Manager  |  jc@socratessculpturepark.org Socrates Sculpture Park Announces 2025 Season Festivals, events, workshops and theater — a dynamic urban space where art, nature, and community thrive LONG ISLAND CITY, NY — Socrates Sculpture Park is pleased to announce the 2025 season of events and public programs beginning this spring. Since 1986, Socrates has championed the production and presentation of contemporary public art, alongside a robust calendar of inclusive public and educational programming. The Park is open 365 days a year and admission and programs are always free. From Fortune Society’s Annual Arts Festival to outdoor yoga with Astoria Yoga, the Park […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact |  PDF Ayofemi Kirby | ElevenThirtySix Strategies | ak@itseleventhirtysix.com Socrates Sculpture Park Announces 2025 Annual Fellowship Open Call Invites Early Career Artists to Propose Interdisciplinary Works in Response to the Theme “Up/rooted” LONG ISLAND CITY, NY — Socrates Sculpture Park (Socrates, the Park) today announced its Open Call for proposals for the2025 Socrates Annual Fellowship. The Park invites early career artists to submit proposals for new public works responding to the complexities of uprooting for long-term sustainability and resilience. For the first time, Socrates is encouraging proposals that span across creative disciplines including sculpture, performance, social practice, ecology, and more. The Socrates Annual Fellowship reflects […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact |  PDF Ayofemi Kirby | ElevenThirtySix Strategies | ak@itseleventhirtysix.com Socrates Sculpture Park Announces New Co-Directorship as Part of Strategic Vision for Upcoming 40th Anniversary Katie Dixon and Shaun Leonardo to Lead Park into Next Phase of Growth and Community Engagement QUEENS, NY — Socrates Sculpture Park (Socrates, the Park), a beloved cultural institution and public park in Long Island City, Queens, New York, is excited to announce the transition to a new co-directorship model as it prepares for its 40th anniversary in 2026. Katie Dixon, who has led the Park since April 2023 will be joined by Shaun Leonardo, a longtime community member and former […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact |  PDF Joyce Chan | Communications Manager | jc@socratessculpturepark.org Ayofemi Kirby | ElevenThirtySix Strategies | ak@itseleventhirtysix.com Artists embrace invasive species in The Socrates Annual 2024 On View September 14, 2024 – April 6, 2025 The opening celebration will take place on September 14, 3-6pm and is free and open to the public. Long Island City, NY, August 14, 2024 – Socrates Sculpture Park (Socrates) presents The Socrates Annual 2024 on view September 14 through April 6, 2025. The exhibition features site-specific projects that consider the legacies of species migration juxtaposed with myths of invasion related to people, animals, and plants. Artists consider the politics of […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact Debbie Pressman | Positive Jam PR | debbie@positivejampr.com PDF Version HERE —> Socrates Sculpture Park unveils Trailblazing 2024 Season championing resilience, environmental consciousness, and migratory narratives Suchitra Mattai’s first solo NYC Show Long Island City, NY – Socrates Sculpture Park, established in 1986 in Queens as a collaborative effort between artists and community members, is thrilled to announce the artists participating in its 2024 season. This year the platform for artists at Socrates has been reimagined by Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas, Director of Exhibitions and Curator, to challenge traditional notions of public art. Themes of migration, mapping, ecology, identity, and materiality—including textiles and plants—are all present in […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact Debbie Pressman | Positive Jam PR | debbie@positivejampr.com PDF Version HERE —> Socrates Annual 2024 Open Call The Socrates Sculpture Park Annual Fellowship 2024 Open Call New Cohort added to this year’s Open Call Long Island City, NY, November 2, 2023 – Socrates Sculpture Park, the internationally renowned outdoor site for public art  and community engagement located along the East River in Long Island City, New York, is proud to announce its Open Call for Proposals for The 2024 Socrates Annual Fellowship. This year, the Fellowship expands to include more early-career artists, with up to ten projects in two distinct cohorts. Each Artist Fellow selected […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact Joyce Chan | Communications Manager | jc@socratessculpturepark.org PDF Version Socrates Sculpture Park artist fellows presents their interpretations on transformation in The Socrates Annual 2023 The Socrates Annual 2023 opens September 30, 2023 __________________________________________________________________________________ ** The opening date of the exhibition is October 1, due to weather conditions. ** Long Island City, NY, August 22, 2023 – Socrates Sculpture Park presents The Socrates Annual 2023 on view Saturday, September 30, 2023 through March 24, 2024. From an abandoned landfill to an art space, a public park, and outdoor venue, Socrates is a space that has thrived on changes. For this year, The Socrates Annual 2023 Fellowship […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact Joyce Chan | Communications Manager | jc@socratessculpturepark.org PDF Version HERE —> Socrates Sculpture Park Announces The 2023 Socrates Annual Artist Fellows The Mark di Suvero-founded institution for contemporary public art awards six artists for the annual Fellowship Program Long Island City, NY, June 21, 2023 – Socrates Sculpture Park is pleased to announce the recipients of The 2023 Socrates Annual Fellowship. The competitive program reflects the Park’s commitment to artistic experimentation and nurturing artists’ careers. This important training ground for early career artists allows the selected Fellows to gain experience creating large-scale public art, utilizing Socrates’ outdoor studio in Long Island City, Queens. Recipients were selected […]

MEDIA CONTACT Joyce Chan Communications Manager jc@socratessculpturepark.org Download Press Release–> LONG ISLAND CITY, NY | APRIL 11, 2023 Socrates Sculpture Park presents New York-based artist Mary Mattingly: Ebb of a Spring Tide on view May 20 through September 10, 2023. Mattingly’s first solo exhibition at Socrates unveils new sculptural works exploring our relationship to coastal ecosystems and the shifting nature of rivers and water lines. An Opening Celebration will be held on Saturday, May 20 from 12 – 5 pm. The exhibition will feature a 65-foot living sculpture titled Water Clock, fabricated on-site in response to the Park’s unique waterfront location along the East River. This monumental, scaffold structure, which includes edible […]

MEDIA CONTACT Joyce Chan Communications Manager jc@socratessculpturepark.org Download Press Release–> LONG ISLAND CITY, NY | NOVEMBER 14, 2022 Socrates Sculpture Park has appointed Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas as its next Curator and Director of Exhibitions. She joins Socrates from the Momentary in Bentonville, Arkansas, where she was Acting Curator of Visual Arts. Garcia-Maestas has organized exhibitions, outdoor installations, and residencies with artists like Tavares Strachan, Matthew Barney, Diana Al-Hadid, Yvette Mayorga, and Andrea Carlson. She begins her tenure at Socrates Sculpture Park in late November. “I am thrilled to welcome Kaitlin to New York as Curator and Director of Exhibitions at Socrates where she will be a wonderful addition to the team,” […]

Media Contact Joyce Chan Communications Manager jc@socratessculpturepark.org Download Press Release–> Download Press Kit–> Image: Cheyenne Conception, Disappearing St. Malo Historiography, 2022. Socrates Sculpture Park artist fellows presents their interpretations on climate change in Sink or Swim: Climate Futures The 2022 Socrates Annual opens September 10, 2022 Long Island City, NY, August 31, 2022 – Socrates Sculpture Park presents The 2022 Socrates Annual Sink or Swim: Climate Futures, on view Saturday, September 10, 2022 through March 12, 2023. As a public park and outdoor venue, Socrates is an art space particularly attuned to the effects of climate change. For this year, The 2022 Socrates Annual Fellowship prompted artists to create artwork from the […]

Media Contact Joyce Chan Communications Manager jc@socratessculpturepark.org Download Press Release–> Download Press Kit–> Maren Hassinger returns to Socrates Sculpture Park over 30 years later with ‘Steel Bodies’ Looking back to look forward Image: Joyce Chan Long Island City, NY, May 23, 2022 – Socrates Sculpture Park presents New York-based artist Maren Hassinger, in the exhibition Steel Bodies on view June 9, 2022 through March 2023. Hassinger’s solo return to Socrates unveils a series of new steel sculptures, following her first presentation with the Park, in the 1988 group exhibition Sculptors Working. The new, site-responsive work examines the complications of human interrelation and affinity, identity, and collectiveness, through abstraction in the outdoors. […]

Contato de Mídia Joyce Chan Gerente de Comunicações jc@socratessculpturepark.org Download Press Release–> Download Press Kit–> Socrates Sculpture Park apresenta a proposição não-realizada de Hélio Oiticica ‘Subterranean Tropicália Projects: PN15,’ de 1971, em exibição de 14 de Maio a 14 de Agosto de 2022 Ambiente imersivo de luz e sombra, o projeto explora noções de “underground” e fornece uma plataforma para participação do público. ‘Maquette for Subterranean Tropicália Projects: PN15 Penetrable,’ 1971. Nylon mesh and cardboard. Photographer Miguel Rio Branco, © César and Claudio Oiticica Long Island City, NY, 11 de Maio, 2022 – Pela primeira vez nos Estados Unidos, o Socrates Sculpture Park, em colaboração com o Projeto Hélio Oiticica e a Americas Society, […]

Media Contact Joyce Chan Communications Manager jc@socratessculpturepark.org Download Press Release–> Download Press Kit–> Socrates Sculpture Park presents Hélio Oiticica’s 1971 unrealized proposal Subterranean Tropicália Projects: PN15 1971/2022, on view from May 14 – August 14, 2022 An immersive environment of light and shadow, the project explores ideas of the underground and provides a platform for public participation ‘Maquette for Subterranean Tropicália Projects: PN15 Penetrable,’ 1971. Nylon mesh and cardboard. Photographer Miguel Rio Branco, © César and Claudio Oiticica Long Island City, NY, May 11, 2022 – For the first time in the United States, Socrates Sculpture Park, in collaboration with Projeto Hélio Oiticica and Americas Society, brings an idea originally conceived […]

Media Contact Joyce Chan jc@socratessculpturepark.org o: 718-956-1819 x105 c: 347-623-9226 Download Press Release –> Download Press Packet –> Socrates Sculpture Park to Debut 2022 Season, Featuring never-before-realized project by Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica, New Site-Responsive Sculptures from Maren Hassinger, beginning May 14   Hélio Oticica, Maquette for Subterranean Tropicália Projects: PN15 Penetrable, 1971. Nylon mesh and cardboard. Photographer Miguel Rio Branco ©César and Claudio Oiticica Maren Hassinger, Steel Bodies, 2022. Socrates Sculpture Park. Image by Joyce Chan Pioneering Projects highlight the Human Relationship to Natural and Social Environments, Following Tamsin Dillon’s Recent Leadership Appointment as Executive Director Long Island City, NY | April 26, 2022 – Socrates Sculpture Park will explore human relationships to natural […]

Media Contact Julia Metro Director of Development & Communications jm@socratessculpturepark.org 978.390.0008 Download Press Release–> Yvonne Shortt, Jenna Boldebuck, & Kelly Li, African American Marbleization–An Act of Civil Disobedience: Hair Sanctuary, 2021. Image by Mayuko Fujino. Long Island City, NY | September 16, 2021 During the past year and a half, places of sanctuary have been more important than ever. A new exhibition opening at Socrates Sculpture Park addresses several interpretations of sanctuary – as spaces of rest and protection; as sacred sites; and as supportive environments. Thirteen artists selected through an open call have created eleven new projects on this theme. Projects were created onsite at the Park’s outdoor studios […]

Media Contact Julia Metro Director of Development & Communications jm@socratessculpturepark.org 978.390.0008 Download Press Release–> Download Press Packet–> SUZY DELVALLE TO SERVE AS INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK Outgoing Socrates Sculpture Park Executive Director, John Hatfield (left), and Interim Director, Suzy Delvalle (right), 2021, Image by Sara Morgan. Long Island City, NY | July 12, 2021 Suzy Delvalle has been named Interim Director of Socrates Sculpture Park, effective immediately. Suzy is taking over for John Hatfield, Socrates Sculpture Park’s Executive Director of nine years, who announced his plans to depart the organization in October 2020. A search for the Park’s permanent Executive Director is still ongoing. Suzy most recently served […]

Media Contact Sara Morgan sm@socratessculpturepark.org 415.845.1138 Download Press Release –> Download Press Packet –> Artists Awarded ‘The 2021 Socrates Annual’ Fellowship to Create New Work for the Exhibition ‘Sanctuary’ at Socrates Sculpture Park Gi (Ginny) Huo, Rendering from project proposal, 2021, Courtesy the Artist and Socrates Sculpture Park. New York City, April 20, 2021 Socrates Sculpture Park is delighted to announce the artists selected for ‘The 2021 Socrates Annual: Sanctuary’ fellowship and exhibition: Rachel Frank** Moko Fukuyama Gi (Ginny) Huo Anina Major Jeffrey Meris* Levan Mindiashvili Andrea Ray LJ Roberts Yvonne Shortt, Jenna Boldebuck, & Kelly Li Monica Torres* Monsieur Zohore* *2021 New York Community Trust Van Lier Artist Fellow […]

Contacto con medios de comunicación y press kit: Sara Morgan, Communications Manager sm@socratessculpturepark.org 415.845.1138 bit.ly/PlanetaAbuelx ‘Planeta Abuelx,’ la exposición en solitario del artista Guadalupe Maravilla, traerá esperanza y sanación a Socrates Sculpture Park a partir del 15 de mayo de 2021 Guadalupe Maravilla; obra en proceso para la exposición individual en Socrates Sculpture Park; 2021; Cortesía del artista, Socrates Sculpture Park y PPOW Gallery; Imagen de Guadalupe Maravilla. Nueva York, 8 de marzo de 2021 A medida que el mundo comienza a recuperarse poco a poco de los estragos provocados por la pandemia del coronavirus, Socrates Sculpture Park reafirma su papel esencial como espacio artístico comunitario y al aire libre […]

Media Contact Sara Morgan sm@socratessculpturepark.org 415.845.1138 Download Press Release –> Download Press Packet –> Haga clic aquí para leer en español–> ‘Planeta Abuelx,’ a solo show from artist Guadalupe Maravilla, brings hope and healing to Socrates Sculpture Park beginning May 15, 2021 Guadalupe Maravilla; work in process for solo exhibition at Socrates Sculpture Park; 2021; Courtesy the Artist, Socrates Sculpture Park, and PPOW Gallery; Image by Guadalupe Maravilla. New York City, March 8, 2021 As the world slowly begins to recover from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, Socrates Sculpture Park further affirms its role as an essential community-centric outdoor arts space with ‘Planeta Abuelx,’ a solo exhibition of newly […]

Media Contact Sara Morgan, Communications Manager sm@socratessculpturepark.org 415.845.1138 Downloadable Press Release PDF–> Downloadable Press Packet–> Artist Jeffrey Gibson presents a screening series of collaborations with Indigenous creatives for his monument project at Socrates Sculpture Park   LEFT: Laura Ortman’s violin performance atop Jeffrey Gibson’s installation ‘Because Once You Enter My House It Becomes Our House;’ Photo by KMDeco Creative Solutions: Mark DiConzo. RIGHT: Emily Johnson’s site-specific dance work in collaboration with Gibson; Photo by Scott Lynch. Images Courtesy the Artists, Socrates Sculpture Park, Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York; Kavi Gupta, Chicago; Roberts Projects, Los Angeles.   New York City, January 8, 2021 – Socrates Sculpture Park and artist Jeffrey […]

Media Contact info@socratessculpturepark.org Download Press Release–> Socrates Sculpture Park Executive Director To Step Down In The Coming Year   Executive Director John Hatfield Long Island City, NY | October 13, 2020 — John Hatfield, Executive Director of Socrates Sculpture Park since 2012, has announced his plans to step down after nine years leading the outdoor sculpture park. His departure will occur when a successor is chosen. A transition committee has been appointed by the Board to conduct this important search and expects a new Executive Director to begin by mid-2021. Hatfield’s tenure at Socrates has been marked by the celebration the Park’s 30th Anniversary; the initiation of important commissions in […]

Media Contact Sara Morgan sm@socratessculpturepark.org 415.845.1138 Download Press Release –> Download Press Packet –> New Yorkers will experience new outdoor public art by Jeffrey Gibson, Paul Ramírez Jonas, and Xaviera Simmons this summer at Socrates Sculpture Park. Rendering of Jeffrey Gibson’s ‘Because Once You Enter My House It Becomes Our House’ in the Park’s landscape; Courtesy the Artist, Socrates Sculpture Park, Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York; Kavi Gupta, Chicago; Roberts Projects, Los Angeles EXHIBITION OVERVIEW New York City, June 12, 2020 – As the country grapples with both a deadly pandemic and the tragic consequences of systemic racism, Socrates Sculpture Park will open an exhibition of new outdoor monuments […]

*Due to the Conoravirus pandemic, certain aspects of the exhibition have been altered from what was originally published in the Press Release. For up-to-date information please visit the exhibition page. Media Contact Sara Morgan sm@socratessculpturepark.org 718.956.1819 Download Press Release –> Download Press Packet –> Ten Artists Awarded ‘The 2020 Socrates Annual’ Fellowship to Create Monument Projects for Socrates Sculpture Park Bel Falleiros, (UN)MONUMENT SERIES, 2018-present, drawing on paper, 9 x 12 inches, Courtesy the Artist. Artist Selection Process New York City, March 11, 2020 – Fellowship applicants were asked to adhere to the topic of monuments. Over 200 proposals were submitted through a competitive open-call and reviewed by Socrates Director, […]

*This was published before the Coranavirus pandemic. For current information please view our updated press release or visit the exhibition page. Media Contact Sara Morgan sm@socratessculpturepark.org 718.956.1819 Download Press Release –> Download Press Packet –> Socrates Sculpture Park commissions new monuments from Jeffrey Gibson, Paul Ramírez Jonas, and Xaviera Simmons. Exhibition on view May 16, 2020 Summer 2020 – March 2021. Major support comes from the Ford Foundation, VIA Art Fund, and the Andy Warhol Foundation.  Jeffrey Gibson in his studio with a model of ‘Because Once You Enter My House It Becomes Our House.’ Courtesy of the Artist; Socrates Sculpture Park; Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York; Kavi Gupta, […]

Image: Gabriela Salazar; ‘Access Grove, Soft Stand;’ 2019; Courtesy the Artist >Download Press Kit< New York, NY, (September 11, 2019) Socrates Sculpture Park announced today 15 unique artist projects selected for The 2019 Socrates Annual, opening at the Long Island City park on October 5th, and running through March 8, 2020. Participating artists are recipients of ‘The 2019 Socrates Annual Fellowship’ and were selected by Socrates’ Curator & Director of Exhibitions, Jess Wilcox, and the Park’s 2019 Curatorial Advisors – Rosario Güiraldes, Assistant Curator at The Drawing Center and Jennie Lamensdorf, Bay Area Lead at Facebook’s Art Department. The 2019 Socrates Annual artists are Jesus Benavente, Tecumseh Ceaser (NativeTec), Martina […]