In an art town as small as Boston, worlds often collide. Recently N+T’s own Kate Gilbert sat down with fellow SMFA alum Thomas Stevenson to discuss his latest project, “Living Room”, commissioned by theLawn on D at Gilbert’s suggestion. The following is an excerpt of the conversation between artist and curator about how “Living Room” came to be, about fear in public spaces, and about learning to be flexible when you come upon big rocks in your tiny sandbox.
Everyone has a part to play – May 6 panel summary
One of our core values at Now and There is to put artists' visions first. So for Boston's ArtWeek we wanted to host a conversation with artist to talk about the definitions of public art and what we can do to support more of it in our communities.
To explore a wide spectrum of social art practices we pulled together artists Cedric Douglas,Megan McMillan, Liz Nofziger and architect Rob Trumbour of Artforming. The event was held at the Boston Center for the Arts on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 from 5:30–7pm and was co-sponsored by NEFA's Fund For the Arts and the Boston Center for the Arts.
Think spring, summer...and winter.
Spring is here and it's time to start thinking about yes, winter. Following are three calls for temporary art in Greater Boston planned for July through December plus an excellent residency opportunity for those of you interested in deepening your public practice work. What are you waiting for? Get busy planning!
Know your past to chart your future: three successful projects in Boston’s history
As we at Now and There prepare for our first project, we’ve been looking back over some of the more successful temporary public art projects in Boston’s history. After all, you need to know your history before you can chart a new course. For this guest blog post we asked Sarah Hutt, former Director of Director of Public Art in the Office of Cultural Affairs under Mayor Tomas Menino, to choose her top three favorite projects. In the essay below Hutt focuses on the years 2001–2002 around the time of the Office’s Boston Cultural Agenda Fund that funded over 100 projects in Boston.
Where's the Art?
In the discussion of place-making and art-in-the-public-realm it often seems like the philosophies and interests of artists are left in the shadows. We think a lot about this at Now and There and wonder: where's the art? and where are artists when public art is planned?
We're pulling together artists Cedric Douglas, Megan McMillan, Liz Nofziger and architect Rob Trumbour ofArtforming to talk about the definitions of public art and what we can do to support more of it in our communities.
We hope you'll join us May 6, 5:30–7pm for Where's the Art? exploring the spectrum of social art practices.
MOMO brings smart design and color to Boston
In February the Brooklyn/New Orleans street artist MOMO arrived in Boston in the midst of Snowpocalypse ‘15, an unrelenting series of snowstorms and freezing temperatures that left Boston under 93” of snow. Undaunted by it all, MOMO completed a massive 250’ x 34’ mural over eighteen nights in the lobby of Boston’s iconic John Hancock Building bringing his signature combination of blending techniques, harmonious colors and universal forms to warm up the austere lobby and its wintery surrounds.
We had the pleasure of sitting down with him on his fourteenth night of painting to talk about his technique, the challenges he faced and that delicate balance of making a public artwork that's accessible yet not silly. The following is an excerpt from that conversation which was published by our friends at Brooklyn Street Art on March 26.
calls for small but meaningful gestures
After a long and trying winter Boston will explode with public art this spring — from the upcoming Janet Echelman installation on the Greenway to small public art project and interventions. The following is a list of calls that we think are perfect for budding artists and those wanting to get involved with issues-based work. All have the potential to be meaningful gestures in the public realm.
Now + There
The Here and Now? Now and Later? What's your name again?
We've had a few questions about the name which is understandable. We're playing with a few well-know phrases and asking you, our friends, to think a little differently. Simply put, our name represents two of the most important values of our work: the present day and the work's location.
NOW: We're delivering contemporary art -- that's work made today -- and putting it out for you short durations. It's happening now!
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THERE: Projects will respond to specific sites -- they're not just plunked down -- and from time to time they might even be in multiple locations. It's over there! And there!