Since the early 1990s I have made sculpture and landscape from what the Victorian garden kept and art history filed under decoration: the birdbath, the gazing globe, the gnome, the terrarium, glittery stuff. This was the garden's domestic side, historically tended by women. In 2026 that line reached two permanent public commissions: a sculpture garden in Helen Gould's landscape at Lyndhurst Mansion, and Caves and Minds, at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Everything I make is a lantern of some kind: a light carried through the garden at night, so a path can be found.
Exhibitions and Commissions
Artworks
Landscapes
About
Education
1989 MFA, Sculpture, Parsons School of Design, New York, NY
1987 BS, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY
Permanent Public Commissions
2026
Caves and Minds, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR. Awarded through the museum's Art Everywhere initiative.
The Paula Hayes Garden, Lyndhurst Mansion, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Tarrytown, NY. Pollinator garden with Gazing Globes, birdbath, and bronze Gnome. Follows Lyndhurst Flower Show (2019) and Women's Work (2022) at Lyndhurst.
2017
42 Crosby Street Lobby, permanent planted commission, New York, NY
2016
Canoes, permanent planted commission, Seagram Building, New York, NY
2011
Wexner Center for the Arts Roof Garden, Columbus, OH
Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions
Forthcoming 2027 Cristina Grajales Gallery, New York, NY
2022 Via Lactea, Paula Hayes and Randy Polumbo, Cristina Grajales Gallery, New York, NY
2018 Paula Hayes, Aspen Art Museum, Crown Commons, Aspen, CO
2017 Summer Garden, rooftop project, Gagosian Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, CA
2015 Morning Glory, Salon 94 Bowery, New York, NY
2015 Gazing Globes, Madison Square Park, New York, NY
2014 This Bird Saved Me, Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, IL
2014 Paula Hayes, OMI International Arts Center, Ghent, NY
2014 Lucid Green, Carolina Nitsch Project Room, New York, NY
2012 Drawings and Objects, Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, East Hampton, NY
2012 Hills, Clouds & Giants, Salon 94, New York, NY
2011 Land Mind, Lever House, New York, NY
2011 Paula Hayes, Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH
2010 Nocturne of the Limax maximus, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
2010 Understory, The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY
2010 Paula Hayes Domestic, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY
2009 Excerpts from the Story of Planet Thear, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY
2008 Paula Hayes, Patricia Low Contemporary, Gstaad, Switzerland
2007 Paula Hayes, Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, IL
2004 Forest, Salon 94, New York, NY
2000 Paula Hayes and Joseph Grigely, The Suburban, Oak Park, IL
1998 Paula Hayes, Galerie für Landschaftskunst, Hamburg, Germany
1997 Paula Hayes, AC Project Room, New York, NY
1995 Paula Hayes, Eigen + Art, Berlin, Germany
1994 Fawbush Gallery, New York, NY
1992 Fawbush Gallery, New York, NY
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 The Campus, Second Annual Exhibition, Claverack, New York
2024 Other Realities (Exploring Proximate Mysticisms), Bill Arning Exhibitions, Kinderhook, NY
2023 Kindred Spirits, curated by Becky Hart, Athens Cultural Center, Athens, NY
2023 Notational, with John Hatfield and Robin Kahn, Bill Arning Exhibitions, Kinderhook, NY
2022 Women's Work, curated by Howard Zar, Lyndhurst Mansion, Tarrytown, NY
2020 Cross Pollination: Art and the Environment from the 19th Century to the Contemporary Moment, national traveling exhibition: Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Catskill, NY; Olana State Historic Site, Hudson, NY; The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, Jacksonville, FL; Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
2019 Lyndhurst Flower Show, Lyndhurst Mansion, Tarrytown, NY
2018 The Future Is Bright, Hudson Yards, New York, NY
2017 Birdbath, The Museum of Modern Art Sculpture Garden, New York, NY
2015 Emanation: Art + Process, WheatonArts and Cultural Center, Millville, NJ
2014 NYC Makers: The MAD Biennial, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
2014 Brucennial 2014, Vito Schnabel and the Bruce High Quality Foundation, New York, NY
2013 David Adjaye, Paula Hayes, Rick Owens, Salon 94, Design Miami/Basel
2013 Trees for ETs, OMI International Arts Center, Ghent, NY (2008–2013)
2013 Emscherkunst 2013, Essen, Germany
2012 Verdant, curated by Lisa Tung, Bakalar Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA
2012 Glasstress, Berengo Centre for Contemporary Art and Glass, Murano, Venice, Italy
2010 Open Score Variations, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
2010 (Re)designing Nature, curated by Susanne Witzgall, Künstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria
2009 Spiritus Mundi, eco-art exhibition at the UN Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark
2009 Animamix Biennial, Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, Taiwan
2008 Something from Nothing, curated by Dan Cameron, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA
2008 Mineral Plant Animal, curated by Maggie Trakas, Dosa 818, Los Angeles, CA
2008 Mend, Proteus Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY
2008 The Objects Show, R 20th Century, New York, NY
2006 Garden Improvement, Glyndor Gallery, Wave Hill, Bronx, NY
2006 Garden Paradise, Arsenal Gallery, New York, NY
2006 The Orchid Thief, Sandra Gering Gallery, New York, NY
2006 Design Miami, Miami, FL
2005 Down the Garden Path: The Artist's Garden After Modernism, curated by Valerie Smith, Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY
2003 Project Room, Ten in One Gallery, New York, NY
2002 Works on Paper, curated by Ron Platt, Weatherspoon Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC
2002 What's the Use?, curated by Heather Nichol, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI
2001 To the Trade, curated by Bernard Brunon, DiverseWorks, Houston, TX
2001 Project Row Houses, Houston, TX
2000 La Ville / Le Jardin / La Mémoire, Villa Medici, Rome, Italy
1991 Casual Ceremonies, curated by Bill Arning, White Columns, New York, NY
Residencies
2018 First Landscape Artist in Residence, The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD
Publications
2012, Paula Hayes, with Richard D. Marshall. New York: The Monacelli Press. First monograph.
2014, Lucid Green, artist's book in wall-mounted cast acrylic case. Published by Carolina Nitsch
Selected Press and Media
2026
Side of Culture, "History on the Hudson, Lyndhurst Is an Encyclopedia of American Landscape and Architecture," Victoria Larson, October 4, 2026
A Woman's Thing, "Paula Hayes's First Public Garden Is 36 Minutes from Grand Central," September 8, 2026
Forbes, "Tarrytown Through the Eyes of Artist and Landscape Designer Paula Hayes," Shivani Vora, September 4, 2026
Curatory Magazine (online), "Paula Hayes," interview by Anna Lilli Garai, July 8, 2026
River Journal, "Lyndhurst Unveils Paula Hayes Garden Surrounding Restored Hudson River Overlook," 2026
Surface, "Lyndhurst Mansion: The Paula Hayes Garden," May 2026
2024
GardenFit, PBS, Season 2, Episode 6, "Little Worlds with Big Ideas," March 2024
2019
NY1, "Meet a Brooklyn Artist Who Inspired a Terrarium Home Decor Trend," Stephanie Simon, July 1, 2019
2018
Artforum (online), "Paula Hayes Named the Baltimore Museum of Art's First Landscape Artist in Residence," February 21, 2018
Dwell, "Earthly Delights," Julie Lasky, January 2018, pp. 44–49
Landscape Architecture Magazine, "Reviving 'Baltimore's Front Porch'," Kim O'Connell, June 2018, pp. 19–20
Cultured (online), "Artist Paula Hayes' Cultured Commission Is for the Birds," Sarah Roffino, July 20, 2018
Cultured, "Earthly Delights," Summer 2018, p. 216
Vogue Mexico, "Living Creation," Regina Montemayor, August 2018, pp. 162–163
Aspen Daily News, "The Aspen Art Museum Welcomes Birds and a Mini-Meadow," Mitzi Rapkin, May 24, 2018
Artsy, "Terrariums Let Anyone Create a 'Perfect World' in Their Own Apartment," Kate Groetzinger, April 20, 2018
2015
T: The New York Times Style Magazine (online), "Paula Hayes Reimagines a Victorian Totem in Madison Square Park," Julie Baumgardner, February 18, 2015
The Wall Street Journal, "An Enchanted Global Invasion," Ralph Gardner, February 16, 2015, p. A14
Cultured, "Globe Trotter," Julie Baumgardner, February–March 2015, pp. 134–135
Architectural Digest (online), "Two Paula Hayes Exhibitions Open in Manhattan," Hannah Martin, February 19, 2015
2013
ARTnews, "Growing Power," Hilarie M. Sheets, March 2013, pp. 76–81
Frame, "Nature's Networker," Jane Szita, May–June 2013, pp. 82–91
2012
Art in America, "Paula Hayes, Glenn Horowitz Bookseller," Matthew Nichols, October 7, 2012
Garden Design, "Paula Hayes at Lever House," Katie Mendelson, April 2012
Interior Design, "Absolutely Breathtaking," Meghan Edwards, January 2012, p. 171
Home Review (India), "Petite Forests," Mala Bajaj, February 2012, pp. 127–132
2011
The New York Observer, "House and Garden: Paula Hayes Brings the Tropics to Midtown," Andrew Russeth and Sarah Douglas, November 3, 2011
Art Threat, "Engaged Devotion and Care," Amanda McCuaig, November 1, 2011
CBS Sunday Morning, "The Growing Trend of Terrariums," Serena Altschul, January 16, 2011
D Pages (online), November 1, 2011
2010
The New York Times, "Inside Art: Adding Green Space to MoMA with Tropical Terrariums," Carol Vogel, December 3, 2010, p. C26
Artnet, "MoMA at Its Very Best," Charlie Finch, November 18, 2010
The New York Times, "For the Table, Biomorphic Shapes," Penelope Green, May 13, 2010, p. D2
2009
The New York Times, "Art in Review: Paula Hayes," Roberta Smith, July 3, 2009, p. C24
The New York Times, "Love Alters the Landscape," Penelope Green, June 11, 2009, p. D1
New York Magazine, "Hiding from the High Line," Wendy Goodman, August 3, 2009, pp. 38–39
Elle Decor, "Clear Thinking," Jim Shi, October 2009, pp. 151–155
Interior Design, "The Artist's Eye," Meghan Edwards, August 2009, p. 134
Garden Design, "Art: Living Jewel Box," July–August 2009, p. 19
Vogue Living Australia, "Living Canvas," Felicity Loughrey, July–August 2009, pp. 191–194
The New York Times, "Shopping with Ken Smith: An Unexpected Oasis," Elaine Louie, April 23, 2009, p. D4
Verde Es Vida, "Paula Hayes," October 2009, pp. 20–23
Igloo Habitat & Arhitectura, "Agenda: Design," November 2009, p. 22
2008
Tim Richardson, Avant Gardeners: 50 Visionaries of the Contemporary Landscape, Thames & Hudson, pp. 132–137
Sibylle Kramer, 1000 x Landscape Architecture, Verlagshaus Braun
The New York Times Magazine, "Green Anchors," Melissa Feldman, May 2008, p. 24
New York Magazine, "The Deli-Flower Challenge," Kaija Helmetag, June 2, 2008, p. 48
Los Angeles Times, "An Inside Job on Terrariums," Bettijane Levine, January 24, 2008
2007
Town & Country, "Art for a Small Planet," Carol Kino, April 2007, p. 108
The New York Times, "Possessed: The Eye of the Beheld," David Colman, August 26, 2007, p. 8
Dwell, "Terra Ephemera," Amber Bravo, September 2007, pp. 162–169
Architectural Record, "Janelia Farm Research Campus," no. 3, 2007, p. 117
The New York Times Magazine, "Cool and Collected," February 26, 2007, p. 89
2006
House & Garden, "Pushing the Envelope," December 2006, p. 76
Insideout, "A Tale of Three Cities: New York," November 2006, p. 115
Wallpaper, "Hot Picks of the Latest Global Goings-On," September 2006, p. 69
Interior Design, "News Desk," August 2006, p. 60
The Boston Globe, "Glass Houses," Ellen C. Wells, April 6, 2006
Garden Design, "Terrarium Tales," Joanna Fortnam, March 2006, pp. 11–12
Landscapes
2016–2019 18-Acre Coastal Retreat, East Hampton, NY, with COOKFOX Architects. Native meadows, natural pond, dune restoration, green roofs, planted terraces, and commissioned living artworks.
2015–2018 Coastal Retreat, East Hampton, NY
2018 Idaho Landscape, Harrison, ID
2018 Dallas Landscape, Dallas, TX
2018 Kanders Landscape, New York, NY
2017 Lora Reynolds Landscape, Austin, TX
2017 Pariser Garden Planted Installations, New York, NY
2010 Atlantic Ocean Landscape, Phase 4, East Hampton, NY
2010 Multi-Tiered Crystal Garden, Phase 3, New York, NY
2010 David and Monica Zwirner Garden, Montauk, NY
2010 Marianne Boesky Garden, Rooftop Forest, New York, NY
2010 Paula Hayes and Teo Camporeale Tipi Garden, Brooklyn, NY
2009 Treetops Terrace, Moss Garden, New York, NY
2009 Hauser & Wirth Gallery, New York, NY
2009 Private Residence, East Hampton, NY
2009 Bathroom Forest, New York, NY
2009 Ells Garden, New York, NY
2008 W Hotel Landscape, Miami Beach, FL
2008 Multi-Tiered Crystal Garden, New York, NY
2008 Treetops Terrace, New York, NY
2008 Jill Stuart and Ron Curtis Garden, New York, NY
2008 David and Monica Zwirner Garden, New York, NY
2008 Tom and Andrea Bernstein Landscape, East Hampton, NY
2007 Marianne Boesky Garden, Chelsea, New York, NY
2007 Private Residence, East Hampton, NY
2007 Andrea Kerzner Garden, New York, NY
2007 Elizabeth Rosen Landscape, Water Mill, NY
2006 Iris and Jim Marden Garden, New York, NY
2006 Diana and Rafael Viñoly Garden, Miami, FL
2005 David Zwirner Gallery, New York, NY
2005 Zwirner & Wirth Gallery Garden, New York, NY
2005 Lee-Tenenbaum Garden, New York, NY
2005 Historic Morven Museum Landscape, Princeton, NJ (not executed)
2004 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA
2004 Atlantic Ocean Landscape, East Hampton, NY
2004 Mickey and Jeanne Klein Landscape, Santa Fe, NM
2004 David and Monica Zwirner Garden, New York, NY
2004 Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (not executed)
2003 Private Residence, New York, NY
2002 Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn Garden, New York, NY
2001 Marianne Boesky Nantucket Landscape, Nantucket, MA
2000 Marianne Boesky Garden, New York, NY
2000 Chris and Illya Vroom Garden, New York, NY
2000 Ghost Planting, Galerie für Landschaftskunst, Hamburg, Germany
2000 88 Bleecker Street Lobby, New York, NY
2000 Apple Maze, Bauhaus University, Weimar, Germany