Celebrating Public Art in Boston with The Greenway
This spring, we’re delighted to have so many wonderful public art events filling our city here in Boston, and excited to have some new and exciting Greenway Public Art updates to share with our visitors, too! Below are some of the events we have on our calendar in the weeks ahead. We’re looking forward to […]
Reflections on “Breathe Life Together” by Dart Adams
Last summer, as we prepared to transition from our “Breathe Life Together” mural by Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs (@problak) to our new mural by Jeffrey Gibson, our Public Art Team commissioned two essays by local writers to share what the previous mural from Problak had meant to them as Black creatives and residents of Boston. Dart Adams, a […]
Reflections on “Breathe Life Together” by Arielle Gray
Last summer, as we prepared to transition from our “Breathe Life Together” mural by Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs (@problak) to our new mural by Jeffrey Gibson, our Public Art Team commissioned two essays by local writers to share what the previous mural from Problak had meant to them as Black creatives and residents of Boston. Arielle […]
Celebrating Black History with Public Art on The Greenway
The City of Boston has a rich history and countless landmarks that tell important stories about our community’s past. Here at The Greenway we’re honored to be caretakers of a very important historical space: the land where the first-known Black woman to own a home in Boston lived. Celebrating Black History Month on The Greenway […]
Participatory Public Art: Reflections from Curatorial and Communications Fellow Susan Tang
The year is 2017. A small crowd gathers around a towering glass box in Auntie Kay & Uncle Frank Chin Park, myself, aged 16, among their ranks. Within its transparent home, blissfully unaware of its audience, a 3-D printer puts the finishing touches on a bright red rooster, having worked nonstop for hours on end. […]
New Faces in Public Art
Public art is an integral part of The Greenway, making the park a premier destination to see contemporary works by both local and national artists in downtown Boston. The people who make up our Public Art team work to curate pieces, manage their installations, and ensure that visitors experience thought-provoking art during their time in […]
Artwork Update — Acknowledge + Listen: Undoing Colonial Design in Massachusetts
We’re deeply troubled and disappointed to share that one of our public artworks, Acknowledge + Listen: Undoing Colonial Design in Massachusetts (2022), was recently damaged through an instance of vandalism. This artwork, which was developed collaboratively by students, Native advisors and community members, remains important to public education efforts around Native presence and vitality in […]
Exploring ‘Lantern Stories’ 2022 in Boston’s Chinatown
Lantern Stories celebrates the past, present, and future of Boston’s vibrant Chinatown community. Lanterns represent light and guide the way forward, illuminating darkness and uncertainty. From their beginnings as candle flames surrounded by bamboo, silk or paper, lanterns have become an integral part of celebrations that foster hope and pave the way to a brighter […]
Pouncing: History, Context, and Practice on The Greenway
Written by Sophie Pollock, Greenway Conservancy 2022 Tisch Summer Fellow The current mural at Dewey Square on The Greenway, BREATHE LIFE TOGETHER, was entirely hand painted by a dedicated team of artists between May 1 and June 25, 2022. In the following article, I share my personal experience helping actualize this beautiful piece, in addition […]
Exploring ‘Lantern Stories’ in Boston’s Chinatown
Lantern Stories celebrates Boston Chinatown’s vibrant community. Commissioned by the Greenway Conservancy, artist Yu-Wen Wu created thirty one lanterns to illuminate Boston Chinatown’s history, culture and resiliency. The images on the lanterns relate the long and fraught history of Chinese immigration in the United States, and celebrate Boston Chinatown’s culture and community. Highlighting the arts, […]
A story in eight panels: Global Connections: Mesoamerican Myths, the Domestication of Nourishment, and its Distribution
Una historia en ocho paneles: Conexiones Globales: Mitos Mesoamericanos, Domesticación de Alimentos y su Distribución
Lantern Stories: From Community to Creation – Questions & Answers
As part of the Greenway Conservancy’s Public Art Program, local artist Yu-Wen Wu has been engaging with members of Boston’s Chinatown community for the past 18 months in preparation for the installation of the newest Greenway public artwork, Lantern Stories. Through in-person community listening sessions and one-on one interviews, this project explores the many layered […]
Augmented Reality at Home
Turn your living room or backyard into a public art gallery! Use the Hoverlay app to turn your living room or back patio into a Greenway Augment Reality (AR) gallery, and explore historic images of the Greenway corridor while learning about the transformation of Downtown Boston and the park’s creation. You can discover contemporary artworks […]
Inside Year of the Pig: How to create a sculptural ceramic pig, in 10 (not so) simple steps!
With the aim of celebrating both past and present, each year a new artwork has been installed by the Greenway Conservancy in front of the Essex Street Gate on The Greenway. The installation’s goal is to celebrate the culture, history, and traditions of the Chinese New Year and the Chinatown community through the ideas and […]
Looking back at 2019
As the Greenway Conservancy wraps up our tenth (10!) season maintaining and operating The Greenway, we wanted to take a moment to look back at some of our favorite moments of the last year on Boston’s contemporary public park. From our ever-changing public art installations to free public programming, sustainably maintained lawns and gardens to […]
Augmented Reality and the Spatial Web – This Is the Future
Written by our friends at Hoverlay Everyday people stroll around The Greenway enjoying its beautiful vistas and amazing public art. And this summer, anyone can also enter into a new dimension and unveil one of 16 virtual installations by tuning into The Greenway Augmented Reality channel on the Hoverlay platform. In a curatorial partnership with Boston Cyberarts and Hoverlay, […]
Past, present, and future meet on The Greenway!
The Greenway Conservancy’s Augmented Reality (AR) public art exhibit blends interactive digital elements into our real-world environments. Viewers will be able to explore contemporary artwork as well as the history The Greenway site, from city to transportation corridor to park! The historic photographs shown within the augmented reality exhibit narrate more than a century […]
Boston: The Illuminated City
Written by Victorian Solan Consultant Historian for GLOW When walking around the Rose Kennedy Greenway, or indeed any part of Boston in the evening, it is easy to take our cheap and plentiful electric light for granted. Different forms of artificial illumination compete for our attention: pedestrian signals flash, signs advertise our destination, and sidewalks and […]
NEON SIGNS: A SCIENCE AND A CRAFT
Written by Victorian Solan, Consultant Historian for GLOW Neon signs were once so ubiquitous that it is easy to overlook the fascinating mix of craftsmanship, art, and chemistry which each sign-maker had to master in order to bring blinking bicycle wheels and flashing rockets to Massachusetts roadsides. Although the shapes and colors vary, all neon […]
Spin these blocks!
Written by Kait Ziskin Levesque, Programs Manager As part of a multi-year curation started in 2015, each Lunar New Year a new Chinese Zodiac-themed artwork has been installed at Chinatown Park’s Essex Street Gate. A gateway to Chinatown and the northernmost area of Chinatown Park, Essex Street’s minimalist red gate complement these installations which explore tradition […]
Our 2017 Year in Review!
2017 was another banner year on The Greenway, as we hosted over 400 free events, turned heads with surreal Public Art installations, and continued to be the city’s hub of innovation, bringing 21st-century ideas to Boston and the Commonwealth. All of this is done through the work of the non-profit Greenway Conservancy. As we wind down another […]
Castle Speaks Podcast: Spaces Of Hope
The Greenway is proud to partner with local youth organizations on unique programming opportunities. The Castle Square Tenants Organization (CSTO) is a group we’ve been thrilled to begin working with this year. Located in the Castle Square Apartment complex in Boston’s South End, the organization has programs for children, teens, and adults. The Teen Program […]
Public Art, Public Creativity
The Greenway’s award-winning exhibitions of contemporary public art are complemented by an opportunity for the public to creatively engage at our Uni Draw Cart. In June alone, The Greenway Art Ambassador program engaged over 800 people in discussions and activities surrounding our public art exhibitions. One unique way we engage with the public is through […]
‘MAY THIS NEVER END’ receives Americans for the Arts’ Year in Review Award
The Greenway Conservancy is pleased to announce we have received our fourth prestigious annual award from the Americans for the Arts’ Public Art Network Year in Review. Matthew Hoffman’s MAY THIS NEVER END, commissioned by the Conservancy and exhibited from January 2016 to April 2017, was recognized as among the best artworks in the country […]
‘Make and Take’ home your own Public Art
New season, new art! The Chinese New Year began January 28th and with it brought the Year of the Rooster. Up until the start of the 2018 Chinese New Year, Chinatown Park will host the public artwork Make and Take, which merges modern 3D printing technology with antique Chinese art. A collaboration between Chris Templeman […]
