Madison Square Park is constantly buzzing with people. Tourists mill downtown to find the Flatiron shrouded behind scaffolding as New Yorkers on their lunch break sit on benches beneath the shade of trees. Parents push packed strollers as the children inside them marvel at hyperactive squirrels. Surrounded by some of New York City’s most important buildings, the park is more than a resting place, the park acts as a pathway—a route from one place to another. Gardens of Renewal, a new installation from landscape artist Lily Kwong, taps into this activity, encouraging reflection and reconnection, while imparting the urgent need to recognize our place within a larger ecological story. Gardens of Renewal occupies the Redbud and Sparrow Lawns on the east side of the park. The timely installation was designed by Kwong in collaboration with the Madison Square Park Conservancy. Landscape artist Lily Kwong’s work hopes to reconnect people with nature, providing a space of reflection. (Don Brodie/Courtesy Madison Square Park Conservancy) “I wanted to create a project that embodied peace, harmony, and interconnection to remind us that we’re connected to the natural world as part of an ecological community. And, that we’re all part of a human family,” Kwong said in Vogue. On Redbud Lawn, the Meditation Garden unfolds in a spiral pathway inspired by ancient labyrinths. Co-designed with the park’s horticulture team, the garden features pollinators, herbs, and 50 rare and endangered native plant species, highlighting the urgent threat of climate change. Beneath the shadow of the Metlife Tower’s ticking clock, the garden’s layout invites quiet reflection while fostering community connection and environmental awareness. For the more curious visitors, QR codes placed throughout the site offer supplemental material, including an illustrated plant field guide, a meditation soundtrack from Sandra Sears, and a curated playlist by DJ Fly Hendrix. For the wandering kids, the Children’s Garden on the Sparrow Lawn, offers an imaginative space for exploration with a library, stage, and interactive play structures. In coordination with the Kwong’s installation, throughout the summer, Sparrow Lawn will host a series of conversations, performances, and educational programming centered on valuing the natural world. In a world marked by climate anxiety, disconnection from nature, and a divisive political landscape, Gardens of Renewal provokes visitors to consider the politics surrounding the climate crisis, mass extinctions, and the erosion of environmental protections. Opening on Earth Day, Kwong’s Gardens of Renewal highlights the current political landscape and the imminent threat of climate change. (Rashmi Gill/Courtesy Madison Square Park Conservancy) “I see this garden—two small lawns in a big city on a big planet—as an act of resistance,” said Kwong, “Maybe it won’t stop the drilling of a new oil field, but it will protect and nurture your spirit. It will build community. It will provide vital habitat. It will provide space to explore and learn and grieve.” It’s apt that Gardens of Renewal opened for its four-month stay on Earth Day. Now, as the days grow longer and warmer, plants will flourish, bees and butterflies will flit among the blossoms, and passersby, many simply moving between 26th and 23rd Street, may find themselves drawn in by the quiet pull of this rare urban oasis. Committed to sustainability and the long-lasting impact of her projects, Kwong ensured that the plants used in Gardens of Renewal have a second life. After the installation’s conclusion, the Madison Square Park Conservancy will work with the Flatiron Nomad Alliance to replant the flora from Gardens of Renewal throughout the park and in nearby pits and planters. Just as the gardens will shift and transform throughout the summer, the diverse plant species will continue to thrive for seasons to come, offering food and shelter to the city’s non-human residents, highlighting nature’s resilience and regenerative power, even among a sea of skyscrapers. Lily Kwong’s Garden of Renewal is on view until September 1.