Ready to see art but not quite ready to step inside a museum? Here is a roundup of the art exhibitions and installations currently on our radar. Each project has a video and/or links so you can view and engage with them from your home. 

Wherever you are, take a walk around. There's probably a new mural or public art installation near you! Let us know what you find in the comments below. 

1) Jen Lewin's Reflect at Domino Park in Brooklyn

Lewin's Reflect just ended, but you can see her interactive artwork in the video above. We worked with Lewin on her Ballston Chandelier, a 30 foot interactive chandelier up at Ballston Quarter in Arlington, Virginia. 

More: Read about this project on Design Boom here and see Lewin’s Ballston Chandelier in action here.

2) Maya Lin's Ghost Forest at Madison Square Park

If you're up for a spooky walk in the park, check out Lin's Ghost Forest at Madison Square Park. Lin's site-specific installation features ashen cedar trees, sourced from the region, to bring attention to species loss and climate change. The term ghost forest refers to the occurrence of dead and dying timber at sites that were once living trees, which occurs due to sea level rise and climate change. Here is a schedule of events that you can participate in. At the end of the installation, Lin will plan 1,000 native trees and shrubs in public areas throughout NYC. 

Where: Madison Square Park, NYC
When: May 10 - November 14, 2021
More: Here on Hyperallergic or watch Maya Lin on Art21.

3) Yayoi Kusama's Cosmic Nature at New York Botanical Garden

If you're a fan of Kusama, you'll love seeing her work on display at the NY Botanical Garden. Tickets are $35 for adults, $32 for seniors and students, and $15 for children.

When: April 10 - October 31, 2021
Where: New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY 10458

4) Alice Neel's People Come First at the Met

Alice Neel: People Come First includes about one hundred of Neel's paintings, drawings, and watercolors, and is her first museum retrospective in New York in twenty years. Tickets are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors, $12 for students, and free for children under 12. 

When: March 22 - August 1, 2021
Where: The Met Fifth Avenue, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028 

5) Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya's May We Know Our Own Strength in Meatpacking

Phingbodhipakkiya's May We Know beautifully illuminates the stories of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in her interactive installation in Meatpacking. You can participate virtually from anywhere by submitting your stories anonymously through the website MayWeKnow.NYC. The stories are be printed onsite at the installation 24/7 and then woven into a site-specific sculpture. Each night at 8:00 pm, #MayWeKnow will honor the six Asian women who lost their lives in Atlanta, with the names of all eight victims printed out followed by a eight-minute moment of silence. You can view the installation via the live stream above and here. 

When: Now through May 15th, 2021
Where: 401 W 14th Street, New York, NY
How: Submit your stories here at MayWeKnow.NYC
More: Watch our interview with Phingbodhipakkiya on the First Coat podcast/video series here.

6) Estamos Bien La Trienal 20/21 at Museo del Barrio

View El Museo del Barrio's first ever large-scale survey of Latinx contemporary art, Estamos Bien: La Trienal 20/21, featuring works from more than 40 artists from across the United States and Puerto Rico. There's even a music playlist and various online projects you can view. Tickets are $9 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for students and free for children under 12.

When: March 13 - September 26, 2021
Where: El Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street. New York, NY 10029

7) Seeing Differently: The Phillips Collects for a New Century at the Phillips Collection

The Phillips Collection is one of my favorite museums in DC, and they are celebrating their centennial by showing over 200 works from their nearly 6,000 work collection. The Phillips Collection was started as a memorial to their founder and his brother, who both died in the 1918 flu epidemic. Tickets are $16 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for students and educators, and free for 18 year olds or younger.

When: March 6 - September 12, 2021
Where: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC

8) Julie Mehretu at the Whitney

Over 30 paintings and 40 works on paper are on view for Mehretu's mid-career survey, which draws from histories of art and human civilization. Pay What You Wish tickets are available Thursdays, 1:30-6pm and you can reserve them here. 

When: March 25 - August 8, 2021
Where: The Whitney, 99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY 10014

9) Niki de Saint Phalle's Structures for Life at MoMA PS1

Saint Phalle’s first major USA exhibition features over 200 works and demonstrates her interdisciplinary approach and engagement with social issues. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, free for children and NYC residents. 

When: March 11 - September 6, 2021
Where: MoMa PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Queens, NY
More: Watch Niki de Saint Phalle: The Story of a Free Woman (S01E11) of "Behind The Artist" (I think originally released on Thu Jan 01, 1970) here.

10) National COVID Memorial Wall in London

150,000 hand drawn hearts outside of Britain's House of Parliament commemorate the victims of COVID-19. As of 4/20/21, 567,000 people have died of COVID in the United States of America. 

When: Ongoing
Where: South Bank of the River Thames in London

What shows are on your radar this spring? What’s new in your neighborhood? Share in the comments below!