Boston was spared this winter and our fair City of People, Places and Things (to borrow a term) is coming alive with public art opportunities. Check out our top picks for artists, designers and mer-people alike.
In 2025
Looking back and ahead, a New Year's greeting from Director Kate Gilbert. In a decade from now when Greater Boston is a must-see destination for public art enthusiasts I believe we’ll look back at 2015 as a pivotal year. 2015: the year public art became an integral part of the re/development of engaging public spaces, the year when artwork selection processes shifted from juried to curated, and the year we learned to balance spectacle and civic engagement.
Waiting by the light: One artist's account of riding the T
Guest blog post by MBTA public art finalist Elisa Hamilton on the importance of public art in her childhood and it's influence on her career as an artist.
"Did you know that the glass tile wall of that bus tunnel used to light up? I have childhood memories of waiting near that wall all aglow in blue and red, as if it was magically lit from within. Those colors are still vivid in my memory; maybe you’ve also felt that brilliance. I believe that the people in our communities deserve to have that light alive in our public spaces, and I believe that - with enough support - we can keep the light of public art shining in Massachusetts, so that we can all be illuminated in its glow."
Together we can.
Paul Ramírez Jonas talk
Now and There is pleased to co-host a talk by Paul Ramírez Jonas on Wednesday, October 28, 6:30pm at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Jonas’ work deftly subverts the unwritten rules of public vs. private and the relationship between object and audience by...
You turned Boston Inside Out
Inside Out Project — surprise second site!
Great news! JR's Inside Out Project Photobooth truck is returning tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 8, to Boston!
The truck's new location is Back Bay Station. So if you can't make it today, make arrangements to get over tomorrow and don't miss out on "the people's art project".
Have extra time tomorrow and want to earn our eternal gratitude? Sign up to volunteer.
"Faces of Boston"
WHEN: Thursday, October 8th, 11am – 6pm
WHERE: Back Bay Station
145 Dartmouth Street, Boston, MA 02116
MBTA Orange line and commuter rail
FREE
Let's make this look a whole lot better...with your face!
(Back of the station. Truck will be on the front, 145 Dartmouth Street.)
Inside Out: Faces of Dudley
Learning From Our Communities Wrap-Up
Learning From Our Communities is a simple, small community engagement project we initiated for the Emerge festival at City Hall, and decided to bring to the Boston Center of the Arts Open Studios weekend as well. We asked the public a variety of questions regarding their thoughts and opinions on what their neighborhoods need as well as the gems and resources they cherish.
Learning From Our Communities
We're thrilled to be joining the Boston Arts Commission at Emerge, the Boston Arts Festival this Thursday, September 10. This newly renamed and reimagined festival invites the citizens of Boston to City Hall to experience our shared civic space as one that actively fosters cultural events and community dialogue.