Socrates Sculpture Park

Socrates Sculpture Park Always open, always free!
9am-sunset.
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Socrates Sculpture Park was an abandoned riverside landfill and illegal dumpsite until 1986 when a coalition of artists and community members, under the leadership of artist Mark di Suvero, transformed it into an open studio and exhibition space for artists and a neighborhood park for local residents. Socrates Sculpture Park is the only site in the New York Metropolitan area specifically dedicated

to providing artists with opportunities to create and exhibit large-scale sculpture and multi-media installations in a unique outdoor environment that encourages strong interaction between artists, artworks and the public. The Park's existence is based on the belief that reclamation, revitalization and creative expression are essential to the survival, humanity and improvement of our urban environment.

08/26/2026

Homecoming, Chapter three: Sanford Biggers ()

Beyond just a Park, Socrates has long been a site for experimentation and artistic exploration.

A safe haven for those leaning towards the unfamiliar and bridging worlds through art, Socrates has been home for many visionary artists. This summer, in celebration of the Park’s 40th anniversary and as part of our Homecoming Series, we welcome back Artist Fellow alumni, Sanford Biggers, whose “Unsui” Mirrors installation will be on view through June 2027.

Biggers first debuted at Socrates in 2001 with the Terra Mandala, a piece blending Hip-Hop culture and Eastern Buddhist spirituality.

“Being at Socrates, studying Mark's work before I got here, knowing that there were inventions that he happened upon, in terms of working very large scale, with industrial metals, and found pieces, and using cranes as tools, that type of approach was endemic to the attitude here at Socrates.” Sanford Biggers

The Homecoming video series are part of something bigger: for the first time in our four-decade history, we're building a public record of the people who imagined, built, and transformed Socrates from a riverside landfill into a home for art and public life. The Point Digital Archives and Oral History Project goes live soon.

Learn more and add your own story at the link in bio.

Homecoming: Sanford Biggers on view through June 2027

Video credit: Petite Monsieur for Socrates Sculpture Park

08/24/2026

"It’s not just C for Cinema, it’s also Culture Community and Cuisine" - Shaun Leonardo Executive Director, Socrates Sculpture Park.

Thank you to our neighbors and community champions for helping us amplify the word around our Outdoor Cinema Campaign.

What initially began as an invitation for neighbors and friends to visit the park for an evening of film, food and discovery quickly became a space for placed based connection and true community building here.

This year, as Socrates celebrates its 40th anniversary, we want to bring this beloved program back for the community.

Donate today and help us bring this series back to life! Visit our link in bio!

Video credit:

2,853 mirrors on a chain-link fence, tinkling in the wind. For Grass Roots Art Energy (1991–92), Merle Temkin installed ...
08/20/2026

2,853 mirrors on a chain-link fence, tinkling in the wind. For Grass Roots Art Energy (1991–92), Merle Temkin installed Making Waves (1991)—stainless steel, 80' × 6'—turning the Park's perimeter into a shimmering wave.

"I was thrilled to be one of the artists invited to exhibit at Socrates in 1991. I loved working there, meeting Mark di Suvero and the wonderful staff—and I was very excited when Mark asked me to keep the installation there, where it remained through additional exhibitions until 1998. The mirror fence was also featured on the covers of the Grass Roots Art Energy catalog."

Merle's recollection continues our Oral History and Digital Archive series—and the record keeps growing.

More: https://socratessculpturepark.org/artist/merle-temkin/

Some Socrates stories start before the Park even opened. Floris Brasser arrived just ahead of opening day in 1986, and f...
08/18/2026

Some Socrates stories start before the Park even opened. Floris Brasser arrived just ahead of opening day in 1986, and for Artists Choose Artists (1987–88) built Commuting Senses—a wooden sculpture rising 17' × 17' × 24' over the reclaimed waterfront.

"My experience with Socrates was exhilarating—working for and with other artists. I was supported and encouraged, which gave me a lifelong drive to make my public pieces. Mark di Suvero's support, and working for him, was very much part of that."

Floris shared this story for our Oral History and Digital Archive—proof the Socrates community spans decades and oceans.

More: https://socratessculpturepark.org/artist/floris-brasser/

Imagine this: as the sun sets over the East River, live music fills the Park. Families unpack picnic blankets. Neighbors...
08/17/2026

Imagine this: as the sun sets over the East River, live music fills the Park. Families unpack picnic blankets. Neighbors greet one another. Visitors hear a language they don’t recognize—and then discover a story that stays with them long after the credits roll.

That’s the experience we’re working to bring back.

Each Outdoor Cinema evening costs approximately $15,000 to produce, covering film licensing, projection and sound, technical crews, live cultural performances, staffing, and the care required to welcome thousands of people into the Park.

Our goal is to raise $50,000—enough to support up to three evenings of free international cinema beginning this September.

And even if we don’t reach that goal, we’re committed to bringing Outdoor Cinema back with at least one screening.

Because in a moment when so much pulls us apart, gathering together in a public park to experience another culture’s stories feels more important than ever.

Join us in bringing Outdoor Cinema home by making a donation at the link in our bio.

"I was young and the Park was even younger."In 1997, artist in residence Luisa Caldwell transformed the Park's shipping-...
08/16/2026

"I was young and the Park was even younger."

In 1997, artist in residence Luisa Caldwell transformed the Park's shipping-container office into Trailer Park Fantasy—paper, grass, and concrete, 8'6" × 38' × 15'—for From the Ground Up.

"In those days there weren't many rules, which added to the experimental nature of the experience. It was a little wild and a lot of fun—but it also proved to be an important professional experience, even reviewed by Roberta Smith in The New York Times. That was cool!"

Luisa's memory is one of many we're preserving through The Point Digital Archives and Oral History Project.

More: https://socratessculpturepark.org/artist/luisa-caldwell/

Outdoor Cinema has always belonged to this community.Like everything at Socrates, it exists because people believe art b...
08/15/2026

Outdoor Cinema has always belonged to this community.

Like everything at Socrates, it exists because people believe art belongs in public.

Every year, Socrates raises 100% of the funding needed to keep the Park open, care for the landscape, commission artists, and present free programs for everyone.

Outdoor Cinema was once supported through that same community of donors and neighbors, but rising costs and the disruptions of the pandemic brought the series to a pause.

Today, we’re asking our community to help write its next chapter.

Not because Outdoor Cinema is nostalgic.
Because it remains a rare opportunity to gather across cultures, generations, and experiences in a public space that belongs to everyone.

If Outdoor Cinema returns, it will return because hundreds of people decided it was worth bringing back—together.

Every gift helps. Help us bring it back by making a donation at the link in our bio.

"As a sculptor who primarily works indoors, Socrates has been one of the rare institutions that has given us the opportu...
08/14/2026

"As a sculptor who primarily works indoors, Socrates has been one of the rare institutions that has given us the opportunity and support to explore and experiment with working outdoors—while fostering a great sense of camaraderie within its community of fellow artists."

Kazumi Tanaka built with us twice: The Levels of Democracy for 50 NY 93, and Shelter (1996)—15' × 5' × 25'—for our 10th Anniversary exhibition, a roof overhead drawing together a community seeking sanctuary.

Kazumi's words come to us through the Oral History and Digital Archive project: 40 years of artists, in their own voices.

More: https://socratessculpturepark.org/artist/kazumi-tanaka/

For nearly two decades, Outdoor Cinema wasn’t simply a movie night.It was one of the few places in New York where thousa...
08/13/2026

For nearly two decades, Outdoor Cinema wasn’t simply a movie night.

It was one of the few places in New York where thousands of people could gather to celebrate the stories, music, languages, and traditions that make Queens one of the most diverse places in the world.

Each film was chosen not because it was the newest blockbuster, but because it offered a window into a culture, a community, and a different way of seeing the world. Every evening began with live music or performance inspired by that country’s artistic traditions, transforming the Park into a place of shared discovery before the first frame even appeared on screen.

For many, these weren’t just screenings—they were celebrations of home. For others, they were an invitation to experience a culture they may never have encountered before.

That’s what Outdoor Cinema has always been about.

Not just watching films.

Experiencing the world together.

Help us bring it back by making a donation at the link in our bio.

All the world's a stage—especially this one. On Sunday, August 16 (4:30–6:30PM), Hip to Hip Theatre Company returns to S...
08/13/2026

All the world's a stage—especially this one. On Sunday, August 16 (4:30–6:30PM), Hip to Hip Theatre Company returns to Socrates with As You Like It, Shakespeare's beloved comedy of love, disguise, and life in the forest—where Rosalind outwits everyone in sight.

The Kids & the Classics workshop (ages 4–12) starts at 4:30, followed by the performance at 5PM. Pack a picnic and stay for the golden hour. Rain or shine.

Free with RSVP: https://socratessculpturepark.org/programevent/hip-to-hip-theatre-company-presents-as-you-like-it/

Address

32-01 Vernon Boulevard
New York, NY
11106

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 7:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 7:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 7:30pm
Thursday 9am - 7:30pm
Friday 9am - 7:30pm
Saturday 9am - 7:30pm
Sunday 9am - 7:30pm

Telephone

(718) 956-1819

Website

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