FLATIRON — Madison Square Park’s renowned public art program has a new head honcho.
Adam Glick, associate curator of the Madison Square Park Conservancy, has been promoted to serve as the park’s first-ever permanent curator.
The conservancy created the position, which will be funded by a $2 million endowment, earlier this year. The post is named after Martin Friedman, a longtime member of the conservancy’s art advisory committee.
"Adam Glick brings exactly the right combination of energy, knowledge and respect for artists that the job requires," Friedman said in a statement. "He has a fine curatorial eye and a genuine sense of what is happening in the art world. In my view, he is the ideal choice."
In his new position, the 27-year-old Glick will take a leading role in conceptualizing, planning and presenting contemporary art installations in Madison Square Park, building on the roster of 24 exhibitions that have appeared in the park since 2004.
Glick, who has a master’s degree in art history from New York University, has held positions at the Museum of Modern Art and the New Museum of Contemporary Art on the Lower East Side.
He said his goal in the new job is maintaining the program’s strength and balance.
"The focus will be keeping the variety of media that’s presented in the park," Glick explained. "And I think that’s what makes the program so strong and interesting, is people don’t know what’s coming next."
Glick said he feels particularly honored to serve in a position named for Friedman, who plays an active role on the conservancy’s advisory committee but has also been a key figure in shaping the careers of young people working in the arts.
"The park wanted to honor him, to continue his history of mentoring and training people as they start out in their career," Glick said. "There’s a wonderful history that I’m proud to be a part of."
In the past, Madison Square Park has featured such high-profile installations as a massive head sculpture in the center of the park and life-size figures perched on buildings surrounding the green space.
This fall, a 30-foot-tall sculpture decked out with 180 LED tubes capable of displaying 16 million distinct colors is set to arrive in the park.
