In a significant step towards diversifying Boston’s public art, the city has secured a $3 million grant to fund various public art initiatives. This grant will support temporary art installations, free public events at "The Embrace," and interactive arts experiences through a multi-year program.
The centerpiece of this initiative is "The Embrace," a 20-foot-high bronze sculpture memorializing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, located in Boston Common. This sculpture, unveiled on January 10, 2023, has become a symbol of inclusion and diversity in the city.
Historically, Boston’s public art has predominantly highlighted figures from the American Revolution and the city’s Irish heritage. Prominent statues of George Washington in the Public Garden, Mayor Kevin White at Faneuil Hall, and James Michael Curley nearby have long been fixtures of the city’s landscape. However, there has been a growing recognition of the need to tell a more inclusive story.
In recent years, efforts to fill these gaps have included "The Embrace" and the upcoming "Chinatown Workers Statues." The new grant will further these efforts as part of the “Un-monument | Re-monument | De-monument: Transforming Boston” program, announced by the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture.
“Public art can help challenge, reflect, and celebrate our communities, and I am so thrilled to see the work of our grant recipients across our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This investment in public art programs is groundbreaking and will support our efforts to highlight the many cultures, talents, and histories of our residents.”
The grant, the largest single investment in Boston’s public art programming, comes from the Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project. Besides Boston, cities such as Chicago, Columbus, Denver, Los Angeles, Providence, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon, also received funding.
“These selected public art projects celebrate diverse voices and perspectives, uplift democracy and justice, and uncover the city’s rich history while examining the complexity of American stories,” said Kara Elliott-Ortega, Boston’s Chief of Arts & Culture.
The grant will fund eight temporary monuments, including a commemoration of American gun violence victims and a large Mayan pyramid honoring the state's immigrant communities. It will also support commissions with curatorial partners and a speaker series at "The Embrace."
Roberto Mighty, an artist involved in the project, highlighted the significance of diversifying public monuments: “Stone and bronze have been used for centuries to show what’s important and who matters. Thankfully, those kinds of monuments are increasingly being erected to people whose accomplishments have been left out of our shared origin story.”
Eight artists were selected to receive funds for research on future projects. These include a tribute to Ella Little Collins, Malcolm X’s older sister, a memorial on the Vietnamese diaspora experience, and a project about Crispus Attucks, a Black victim of the Boston Massacre.
The speaker series at "The Embrace" will feature public conversations, starting with “Poetry, Public Art, and the Politics of Memory” by Professors Joshua Bennett and Imani Perry on July 31 at 5:30 p.m. These events aim to foster dialogue and engagement with the community, enriching the public’s understanding and appreciation of diverse cultural narratives.
This initiative marks a transformative period for Boston’s public art, ensuring that the city’s public spaces reflect the rich diversity of its history and people.
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