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4 Cool New Free Public Art Displays That NYC Kids Will Love

4/14/13 - By Stephanie Ogozalek

While there are a bunch of wonderful new kid-friendly exhibits this spring, you don't need to go to a museum to find awesome art in NYC. Cool public art installations are popping up as quickly as spring flowers in Manhattan's parks and plazas, and they're FREE for all to enjoy. From an enormous statue of a bird by Madison Square Park to a series of iconic NYC landmarks contorted into dazzling new shapes on Park Avenue to a dozen winged hearts suspended in a Midtown West passageway, here are four public art displays to catch this spring in New York City.

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Bird – Flatiron
Flatiron Plaza, 23rd Street and Broadway
On view through Sunday, April 21
You only have one more week to check out Will Ryman's eye-catching sculpture: An enormous, 12-foot bird made entirely of giant nails. The artist used 5,500 nails to form the bird's body, which is perched on another 90,000 for the base. Make sure you walk around the bird as the tail feathers are amazing. While adjacent Madison Square Park often showcases offbeat art, this is the inaugural work for Flatiron Plaza.

Goodbye My Love – Midtown West
Anita’s Way, pedestrian passageway connecting 42nd and 43rd Streets between Sixth Avenue and Broadway
On view through Monday, May 13
You have to know where to look to spot Esterio Segura's funky installation, which is suspended from the ceiling of a Times Square walkway. The Cuban artist explores love and separation through a dozen shiny red heart-shaped airplanes. Kids are sure to love this imaginative display even if the message is lost on them.

No Limits – Midtown East
Park Avenue Malls between 54th and 67th Streets
On view through Sunday, June 9
Of all the public art we saw on our tour, Alexandre Arrechea's series of contorted NYC skyscrapers was our favorite. See the Chrysler Building rolled up like tape, the Citicorp Center perched on what looks like a top, the Empire State Building wound up in a circle and other landmarks completely reimagined.

United Enemies – Midtown East
Doris C. Freedman Plaza, 60th Street and Fifth Avenue
On view through Sunday, August 25
The theme of political corruption inspired these sculptures of two pairs of bound men. Created by German artist Thomas Schütte, the pieces play with focus: The men's faces are soft, abstract and hard to see while the ties that bind them are incredibly detailed and realistic. My son and I found them really intriguing. Even though they have no limbs they seem to be physically fighting to get away from each other.

Read about other cool public art displays at the Art in the Parks website.


Find out about other cool art exhibits for kids in our Museum Guide.