On Tuesday, March 9, a new art installation quietly appeared along the Park Avenue Mall, just opposite The Armory. The piece, entitled Talisman: A Sacred Grove, is the latest vision of artist Michele Oka Doner, whose nature-inspired work has been celebrated for nearly five decades.
The public display features 300 illuminating heads, ranging from five inches to a foot and a half in size. Handcrafted from pulp and organic material, no two are exactly alike. These serene figures drape from a grove of locally sourced trees, bushes, and foliage, all native to Manhattan. The artist shared that the piece intends to bring a glimpse of the “primeval forest” that once ruled the landscape back into Manhattan- the return of the land’s reality before the concrete jungle took over.
The Talismans, placed at varying heights and partially obscured, don’t feel like sculptures in the traditional sense. As they peer out watchfully from behind shrubbery, cluster around branches, and rise unexpectedly from greenery, their spiritual affect gives viewers the impression that they are in the presence of living, timeless beings rather than art pieces.
“The majesty of this installation,” the artist says, “is in its capacity to enchant. Talisman, anthropological and mythic referenced works of art, will remind us of the magic of our city, past and present.” The heads evoke ancient guardians or spiritual markers—objects that might have once stood at the edge of sacred ground or along forest paths. In placing them in the middle of Manhattan’s traffic-lined avenue, Oka Doner draws contrast between the city’s modern intensity and the deeper histories of landscape and ritual.
According to Oka Doner, the figures’ March arrival was far from incidental: They “dramatically appear to the people of New York City at a moment just before winter breaks into spring, helping darkness turn to light.” Their appearance at the threshold of seasons reinforces the installation’s broader mediation on cycles: growth and decay, daylight and darkness, and the constant renewal unfolding beyond the city’s concrete surface.
The installation will remain on view through November. During the piece’s nine-month lifespan, the grove’s vegetation will shift with the seasons, slowly transforming the piece’s atmosphere. This evolution is a central aspect of Oka Doner’s vision: “I wanted to bring back the primeval forest that used to exist here in New York,” she explains. “It’s an organic thing, it’s alive, and it will change, as the city does.”
The project was commissioned by The Sculpture Committee of The Fund for Park Avenue, and received additional support from The Lionheart Foundation, The New York Foundation for the Arts, and Barbara Tober’s Acronym Fund. Nearly 150 guests gathered inside the Armory to celebrate the piece’s debut. There, they joined in conversation with Oka Doner, Micky Wolfson (founder of The Wolfsonian Museum), and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, biographer, and journalist Kai Bird. Following the discussion, guests moved into the Armory’s “Tiffany Room” to toast the artist’s achievements with a dazzling reception.
From now until November, visitors can watch the glowing heads gracefully emerge into the night. Until then, this grove will remain, reminding passersby that even amidst the chaos of Manhattan, something ancient can still take root.
