Lily Kwong’s Meditative Botanical Spiral in Madison Square Park

Set within the 6.2 acres of Madison Square Park, artist and landscape designer Lily Kwong’s Gardens of Renewal is a recently planted pollinator pathway that’s equal parts living sculpture and ephemeral design experience. This verdant new addition to the public space was designed in collaboration with the park’s horticulture team and occupies a plot known as Redbud Lawn. In nearby Sparrow Lawn, Kwong established an interactive garden for children, complete with a library installation and a stage. These interventions sing of the park’s own diverse ecology, and exclaim a need for intentionality in shared spaces.

“I have been wanting to do something in Madison Square Park since I was in my early twenties,” Kwong tells Surface. “We all have parks that we are connected to. Madison Square Park has been my park since I moved to New York City.” In 2018, Kwong joined the park’s sustainability committee. In 2023, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Madison Square Park Conservancy, Holly Leicht, called Kwong to ask what types of projects she might be interested in developing.

“I said ‘you have this world-class arts program and this world-class horticulture program, but they don’t really talk to each other,’” she continues. “You have an opportunity to create one of the first of its kind: an ecological arts program. It can show the public what New York City parks can be, and how they can act as a catalyst for community and renewal.”

Kwong concepted the spiral in response to news that there had been a decline in public civility in the park post-pandemic. “There was more conflict and tension,” she says. “I was drawn to the spiral as a path into a meditative, sacred garden. The spiral is one of our most ancient and enduring symbols. You see spirals in so many different cultures.” Underneath this idea was a quest to restore balance to the community—and that seeding a spiral with thousands of native plants would create a habitat for individuals, wildlife, and the greater community.

The plants play a significant role, not just a visual one. There are about 50 native species across the two gardens, totaling around 3,000 plants. “It’s a complex jigsaw puzzle,” Kwong says. “You are designing not only for leaf shape, color, and composition but also height and ecological significance.”

Stephanie Lucas, Director of Horticulture and Park Operations at Madison Square Park Garden Conservancy, provided a vital resource. “Our pandemic project was researching plants and animals that used to interact here in the park,” she tells Surface. “We spent our weeks in back records looking for what plants used to live in Madison Square Park, and what animals they supported. We have a whole wildlife guide as to what you should plant.”

Kwong transformed that guide into flashcards. In her studio, she began to pin together a sculptural story, as well as an ecological narrative. As you get closer to the center of the spiral, rarer plants appear. This ranges from blueberry and willow to columbines and sarracenia (known as the pitcher plant). At the very center stands a pawpaw tree. “They symbolize resilience,” Kwong says. “They are an understory plant. They grow despite challenging circumstances. It’s a beautiful reminder for all of us right now.”

Kwong, Lucas, and a crew planted everything on a cold day in April, while the flora was still dormant. Today, the gardens teem with buds and blossoms. Vibrant colors pop up within the many green hues. The experience will change over the course of the summer. “My intention was to weave sacred space back into the urban fabric,” she says. “I’ve seen people walk through quickly, and some slower, but I want to invite people to sit, stay, and observe.”

Further, a suite of programming and ancillary services complement the vegetation. “We got to design passive programming that’s accessible through a QR tag on the signage,” Kwong says. “ If you want to dig deeper, you can, on a spiritual level or an informational one.” This includes an illustrated plant guide by Lily Tagiurui, a custom meditation that’s synced with a walk through this garden by sound practitioner Sandra Sears, and a meditative playlist by DJ and ethnomusicologist Fly Hendrix.

Gardens of Renewal is open to the public through September. Then, the plants will be rehomed inside the park as well as in pits and planters throughout the neighborhood to create a pollinator corridor in partnership with the Flatiron Nomad Alliance. “That’s part of my practice,” Kwong concludes. “We always create an exit strategy. There’s no plant left behind.”