NYC Parks and the Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park have opened applications for the 2026 Art in the Parks grant, which will fund two site-specific public art installations at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. Now in its seventh year, the program will award $10,000 to each of two New York City-based artists to create sculptures tailored to designated locations throughout the park. Proposals are due by April 5, 2026, with selected works scheduled for installation in October 2026.
The initiative is intended to expand artistic engagement beyond the park’s central core. One installation will be located at David Dinkins Circle, while the second artist may choose from several alternative sites, including entrances along Meridian Road, Meadow Lake Road, Roosevelt Avenue, 111th Street, College Point Boulevard, and Corona Avenue, as well as open lawn areas surrounding Meadow Lake. Additional locations may also be considered, and applicants are encouraged to visit the park prior to submission.
Eligibility is limited to New York City-based artists, with preference given to those who live or work in Queens. The program targets early- to mid-career artists with a developed body of work and formal training in their field. Submissions must propose new, original sculptures, as previously exhibited works will not be accepted. Applications require a resume, artist statement, proposal description, renderings, materials list, budget, references, and examples of prior work, all submitted as a single PDF.
Selected proposals will be evaluated by a committee composed of arts professionals, NYC Parks representatives, and community stakeholders. Criteria include artistic merit, responsiveness to the surrounding community, and appropriateness for the selected site. The NYC Parks Art & Antiquities division will assist awarded artists with permitting, logistics, and site specifications. Recipients are expected to be announced in May 2026, with installations remaining on view for up to one year.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park is accessible via the 7 train at Mets–Willets Point and the E, F, M, and R trains at 74th Street–Broadway/Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue, providing direct transit connections to the project sites.
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We already have a George Washington wearing an apron and a naked Arthur Ashe. What will the future bring?
City must cut spending every little help
No new taxes
The deadline is listed as Sunday, April 5, 2026 which is yesterday !
Therefore, closed.
Maybe an unpopular opinion but i wish they wouod just take this money and enthusiasm and focus it on keeping the parks clean and fix obviously broken things like pavements. And I’m an art lover, but I sometimes think art is used as lipstick on things that are either poorly designed in the first place or poorly maintained.
Flushing Meadows Park was never actually built, as there was no money left for this at the end of both World’s Fairs. It remains a flat expanse with roads left over from the fairs. There are a few items of interest, such as the Unisphere, a Roman-era column, and a semicircular stone bench where the Virgin Mary is said to appear. (I have not been favored with an apparition.) Philip Johnson’s New York pavilion is currently under restoration, but no use has been found for it.