As we wrap our fourth season of curating public art experiences and prepare for an exciting 2020 ahead, Now + There would like to recognize the many artists, partners, generous supporters, AND YOU who helped put art and new experiences on the map!
We give thanks to the following remarkable people and organizations who are building a public art city, one project at a time.
Thanks first to YOU, the hundreds of thousands of Bostonians who have embraced Breathe Life 3, Growth Rings, and Augment.
Photos from top left: Breathe Life 3 Opening Celebration c. Gabriel Ortiz; Growth Rings c. Faith Ninivaggi; Augment at the Cyclorama c. Melissa Ostrow, onlookers along the JOY Parade route c. Faith Ninivaggi.
The seeds of public art are planted years before they materialize, and we’re grateful that Dr. Wesley A. Roberts, Iris Truell, and the congregation of People’s Baptist Church of Boston invited us to curate another mural facing the church. It was thanks to fate that we connected at BAMS Fest with Problak (Rob Gibbs), who grew up a block away from the mural wall, and brought his positive message and Breathe Life 3 to Lower Roxbury. We’re grateful to Steve Lodi of The Community Builders (TCB) for welcoming us back to paint at 808 Tremont Street and to Boston Landmarks Commission for approving our third temporary mural.
Rob has forever changed how Now + There operates, reminding us to “slow the roll,” keep our “vision with precision,” and of course, to “breathe life.” His Problak-isms keep us smiling through any hardship.
Rob “Problak” Gibbs and a Breathe Life 3 Opening Celebration attendee viewing the mural. c. Gabriel Ortiz
Oscar Tuazon, Pedro Alonzo, and Kate Gilbert at the opening of Growth Rings c. Ryan McMahon
Guest curator Pedro Alonzo added his unique warm humor to the N+T team and with his keen curatorial eye, found the perfect artist to enliven Central Wharf Park, Oscar Tuazon. With Tuazon, he strengthened the park’s intention to create respite and connection. Among the many heroes who helped make Oscar’s vision a reality are fabricator 4 Nichols, arborist Brad Russell at BrightView, and Gary Hilderbrand of Reed Hilderbrand. All made sure the three pieces of “Growth Rings” stand looking as if kissing the trees, but with no harm done to the majestic oaks.
Our gratitude list includes Tuazon’s uncompromising vision of connecting people and trees, which we see in action every day, through all weather and seasons.
Growth Rings by Oscar Tuazon, Central Wharf Park, c. Ryan McMahon
From reflecting neighborhood values to communing with nature to pure celebration, the N+T team was invigorated by the breadth of subject matters brought to Boston by our 2019 artists. Nick Cave’s vision to explore what brings us joy challenged us to see lawn ornaments as sculptural material and parade as a form of protest.
Augment by Nick Cave at the Cyclorama c. Melissa Ostrow
Nick Cave before the Joy Parade stepped off in the South End c. Dominic Chavez
Cave’s irrepressible smile and uncompromising vision, made an ambitious project seem possible. “It’s just joy,” he would remind us with a laugh.
Working with Nick and his partner Bob Faust was indeed a joyful experience. We thank Bob for his stunning design work, including bringing together the artworks made in Upham's Corner with Nick's signature style to create the stunning building wrap at 555 Columbia Road, Upham’s Corner. Not to mention his uncanny ability to keep a project of this scale on time and budget.
Organizing a parade of 400 people across 2.5 miles of downtown Boston includes a fair amount of logistical hurdles and permits. A more critical challenge for us was ensuring equitable participation for our parade participants.. Enter Aaron Luckman, who joined us as the Joy Parade Coordinator to welcome and curate 102 paid artists who reflected the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of Boston’s citizens. Ramona Lisa Alexandra engaged her vast network of artists and equitable sensibility toward community engagement to bring new audiences to Nick’s work. With parade marshal guru Eli Nixon, the three imagined and produced a joyful, socially diverse, and safe experience that held space for a multitude of Boston voices. Special thanks to Sgt. Det. Gary J. Eblan and the Boston Police officers who ensured our parade participants could focus on the funk as they processed from the South End, through Roxbury and arrived at Upham’s Corner. A heartfelt thanks to other Boston City Hall officials who said yes to “Augment” including Kara Elliot-Ortega, and Joyce Linehan. Thank you also to Lauren Firnstein, Larry Mammoli, and our other new friends at the Boston Planning and Design Agency for letting us transform 555 Columbia Road.
The Augment collage cart in the DS4I studio in Upham’s Corner
“Augment” would not have been the exuberant social experience and call for Boston to come together if it weren’t for our partners at Design Studio for Social Intervention (DS4Si) and visionary spacial justice advocates Kenny Bailey, Lori Lobenstein, and Ayako Maruyama.
With local artists Destiny Polk, L’Merchie Frazier, Barrington Edwards, and Wilton Tejeda, they engaged over 100 Upham’s Corner residents in collage-making and dialogue around public space, public art, and joy as a collective, shared activity. Much love and respect to these dedicated souls doing the hard work on the ground and dreaming big with us.
Thank you also to Upham’s Corner Health Center and Upham’s Corner Main Streets for letting us share in the annual Arts and Health Festival and to DS4Si, Summer Williams of Company One, and Catherine Morris of BAMS Fest for presenting alternatives for public-making with inPublic. Thank you to all for welcoming the Joy Parade!
“Augment” was a unique project in scale -- our biggest yet! -- and if it weren’t for our funders, this experiment in cultivating joy across Boston would not have been possible. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Lewis Family Foundation, The Boston Foundation, Barr Foundation, Wagner Foundation, NEFA's Fund for the Arts, the City of Boston, Krupp Family Foundation, and the numerous generous individuals and anonymous foundations who contributed to the collective joy making.
Augment by Nick Cave with DS4SI, Destiny Polk, Barrington Edwards, L’Merchie Frazier, and Wilton Tejada
Almost exactly a year ago, six artists agreed to enter into an accelerated journey of learning and cohort-building with us. We appreciate the heart and energy David Buckley Bordon, Pat Falco. Samantha Fields, Dell Hamilton, Cat Mazza, and Daniela Rivera put into the second year of the Now + There Public Art Accelerator project.
We’re grateful for this last cohort for teaching us as much about their empathetic practice as we’ve hopefully sharing about the nuts and bolts of public art production.
Their projects are meaningfully connecting with neighborhoods while addressing global issues and receiving the positive feedback and press they deserve and we look forward to watching their careers continue to soar! We want to call special attention to the many educators and specialists who shared their time and expertise with the Accelerators, including Hannah Burr, Maggie Cavallo, Darren Cole, Karin Goodfellow, Jim Grace, Paul Ramirez Jonas, Barbara Quiroga, and Julia Ryan. Lastly, none of this would be possible without the generosity of Joyce Linde, who has backed this program for two years now to ensure all neighborhoods of Boston have access to accessible, contemporary public art.
We give tremendous thanks to the Now + There staff and team who made our projects come to life, including Assistant Curator Leah Triplett Harington, Project Manager Polina Starobinets and Operations and Development Coordinator Maddie Doctor, who we said goodbye to this summer. We are indebted to our pro-bono CFO Brian Tomlinson for keeping our financials as strong as our vision. With Bianca Mauro and her entire team at BRM Production Management, we’re able to an artist’s concept from sketch to reality and we’re comforted each time she reminds us that, “everything is figureoutable.” Spreading the word about the power of public art comes easily with the support of Mary-Liz Murray of Streamix Consulting who keeps us on message (Now) and seemingly everywhere (There) with her on-point digital strategy. She artfully places the evocative videos crafted by Casey Preston of Whitebirch Media and the magic captured by photographers Dominic Chavez, Ryan C. McMahon, Melissa Ostrow, and Faith Ninnivagi so that all can relive the moments of connection and wonder experienced in our projects.
None of this work happens without funding.
We extend much respect and humble thanks, again, to our generous “Augment” funders and to the foundations that continue to fuel and underwrite our growth with unrestricted funds like Barr Foundation, The Boston Foundation, the Klarman Family Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and NEFA’s Fund for the Arts. We’re appreciative of the cohort learning we’re experiencing with peers across the Commonwealth in the Barr-Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative and with local public art peers in NEFA’S Fund for the Arts program. It is these foundations, a few anonymous angels, the many generous individual donors, and partners like you who make building a public art city a truly collaborative and invigorating process.
We have much to be grateful for this season! And we invite you to say thanks to these friends and to join us in our work with a gift to our annual campaign today.
In partnership,
Kate Gilbert, Executive Director
And the Now + There Board of Directors: Jesse Bearkahn, Chris Colbert, Emily Foster Day, Audrey Foster, Geoff Hargadon, Charla Jones, Kathy Sharpless, and Lisa Tung.