A Ceramic Artist Pours Tea in Madison Square Park
Roberto Lugo leads a free outdoor tea ceremony in Madison Square Park during his public art residency.
🫖 An Afternoon of Tea
🏺 The Artist and the Work
Roberto Lugo makes porcelain that carries graffiti lettering, portraits of people usually left off museum pedestals, and the flag patterns of his Puerto Rican family. His residency with the Madison Square Park Conservancy puts monumental vessels on the lawn rather than behind glass. The tea ceremony turns the sculpture from an object you photograph into one that serves you, which is the whole argument of his practice. Expect a short performance built around pouring, talking, and handing cups across a table.
🍵 How It Unfolds
People gather on the grass and the pathways around the vessel, and staff hand out cups as the pour begins. Lugo talks through the work while he serves, taking questions between rounds. The crowd shifts constantly, with some staying the full stretch and others passing through on a park walk. Standing close enough to read the painted portraits is worth the few minutes of waiting, and the detail rewards it. Park benches ring the lawn for anyone who wants to sit.
🚶 Getting There and Fit
The ceremony starts in the late afternoon on Saturday, September 19, in Madison Square Park off West 23rd Street. Take the N, R, W, F, M, or 6 to 23rd Street and enter from the Broadway side. Admission is free and no registration or ticket exists for this one, which also means numbers are unpredictable. It fits anyone curious about contemporary ceramics, and it works well with children in tow. Rain moves park programming. Confirm on the Conservancy site that morning.
