Freedom in Recess

Freedom in Recess

Public Performance on 57^th Street, 2025

Freedom in Recess is a participatory street performance where Lady Liberty takes a break —and invites you to do the same. In the heart of Manhattan, I dressed up as Lady Liberty and set up three childhood play stations: a hula hoop, hopscotch drawn on the sidewalk, and a jump rope. I invited passersby to join in. By the end of the day, I found myself doing hopscotch while jumping rope—powered purely by joy and curiosity.

In the midst of political absurdity and democratic decline, this performance reimagines public engagement as childhood play. It’s an invitation to step out of overwhelm, even briefly, and connect with others through something simple, absurd, and human: play.

The piece was created during Situation as Site, a 3-day public performances & interventions workshop led by the Ed Woodham at the Art Students League of New York. It opened up a new direction in my practice—toward a kind of public art that happens in real time, with real people. One that doesn’t live on a pedestal or a wall, but in motion, in laughter, in vulnerability, and in shared presence.

Freedom in Recess reminded me how deeply art can connect us—when we let go, open up, and allow ourselves to play.