Botanical Drawing in Stuyvesant Square Park – August 9th

Botanical Drawing with Judith Modrak in Stuyvesant Square Park: Sunday August 9th from 3-4:30 PM. (Rain Date: August 23rd)
Location: Stuyvesant Park, West Park, near central fountain, Rutherford Place #9, New York, NY 10003. Google Maps.
Event info: Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Association
Related Nurturing Tree Installation Dates: October 19th, 2025 – October, 2026.


Slow down, look closely, and discover the extraordinary beauty of the plants growing around you.

Join artist Judith Modrak for an outdoor botanical drawing workshop that invites participants to observe the park through an artist’s eye. After selecting leaves, flowers, or other botanical material from Stuyvesant Square Park, you’ll learn a simple transfer-and-trace drawing technique using pencils to create your own botanical artwork.

All supplies will be provided, and no previous drawing experience is necessary.

Judith Modrak is the creator of Nurturing Tree, the beloved sculpture that has become a cherished landmark in Stuyvesant Square Park. An internationally recognized sculptor and installation artist, her work explores the relationships between ecology, memory, neuroscience, and our connection to the natural world.

Whether you’re an experienced artist or simply curious to try something new, this workshop offers a wonderful opportunity to experience the park through creativity and careful observation.
— Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Association

Forest Spirit – Artist Talk and Participatory Event @ Chateau d’Orquevaux, July 2026

“Forest Spirit” in the Enchanted Forest – Artist Talk and Participatory Event: Friday, July 3rd at 2 PM
Location: Enchanted Forest, Chateau d’Orquevaux, France
More information: Artist Residency at Chateau d’Orquevaux France

Judith Modrak presenting the Forest Spirit installation to participants in the Enchanted Forest at Château d’Orquevaux.
“Forest Spirit” is a homage to our Terra Mater during her time of crisis and a reflection on organic cycles of life, death, and renewal. The artwork is sculpted from foliage found on the grounds of the Chateau d’Orquevaux and will gracefully decompose back into the same soil which gave birth to it.
Participants gathered in the Enchanted Forest at Château d’Orquevaux during Judith Modrak’s Forest Spirit participatory event.
During participatory events, the Chateau d’Orquevaux community entered the Enchanted Forest and attached small branch tokens to one of over 50 braided tendrils flowing from the sculpture’s crown. Participants endowed the tokens with wishes for a more environmentally sustainable and benevolent future for all organisms.
Forest Spirit installation by Judith Modrak, made from branches and suspended natural materials beneath a tree in the Enchanted Forest.
Detail of Judith Modrak’s Forest Spirit installation showing cut branches, moss, lichen, and red-painted wood ends.
The outdoor installation acts as a modern offering to Mother Earth in much the same way totemic figures served to protect communities and ward off evil spirits in times past, connecting us emotionally to one another and to nature.
Forest Spirit installation beside a woodland path in the Enchanted Forest at Château d’Orquevaux, France.
“Forest Spirit” was created by Judith Modrak as a Visiting Artist at the magical Chateau d’Orquevaux in France in June – July of 2026. The work is an ephemeral one. It will exist in the memories of those who encountered it and ultimately leave no physical footprint.

NEW YORK’S HOTTEST ART GALLERY THIS SUMMER: YOUR LOCAL PARK

Author: NYC Parks and Recreation
Published: June 24, 2026
NYC Public Art Parks News: New York’s Hottest Art Gallery this Summer: Your Local Park
Nurturing Tree in Stuyvesant Park Location: Stuyvesant Square Park, West Park, near central fountain, Rutherford Place #9, New York, NY 10003. Park hours are from dawn to dusk every day of the year. Stuyvesant Square Park is free and open to the public.

New artworks in parks across the five boroughs introduce fresh perspectives on environment and community, including giant kaleidoscopes, a bright pink tree, and an octopus made of trash.

This summer, NYC Parks invites you to experience new perspectives through free public art installations across all five boroughs. Through Parks’ Art in the Parks program, New Yorkers can visit a rotating catalogue of over 60 temporary public art installations in parks and greenspaces throughout the city.

The full list and a map of current exhibits can be found on Parks’ Art in the Parks page. Here are some highlights of this summer’s offerings:

……

MANHATTAN

Judith Modrak: Nurturing Tree

Stuyvesant Square

On view through October 17, 2026

Peace, love, empathy, and kindness are all traits to be nourished and grown. Nurturing Tree embodies these characteristics and pays homage to the Mother Elm Tree, which lived on this very spot for over 300 years. This exhibition is presented by the Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Association.