Now + There exists to foster artistic-risk taking that is sensitive to the site, context, and community in which it exists. When selecting artists to work with, we look for people who can balance the aesthetic or ethos of their work with the ability to stay open and flexible to community input. It takes a particular type of human being to strike this balance, and every one of N+T’s 12 artists has done this with aplomb. Not least of whom Nick Cave and his installation-turned-parade-turned-building-intervention, Augment, which will change again on October 20, 2020.
In this case, it also took a strong community partner with existing relationships and deep roots in the community. Enter DS4Si, an Upham’s Corner-based creativity lab dedicated to changing how social justice is imagined.
The partnership between Cave, DS4Si, with graphic support from Cave’s partner Bob Faust, N+T’s full investment, and very generous funders including The Lewis Family Foundation, The Boston Foundation, Barr Foundation, Wagner Foundation, NEFA’s Fund for the Arts, and the City of Boston’s Mayors Office of Arts and Culture, created a community engagement process that’s leaving a lasting legacy: the Augment building wrap at 555 Columbia Road.
“Cave is less concerned about whether or not a piece has to come down, but rather what will replace it. “How do we continue making art as social practice, to find ways to remain relevant?” he asks. ”
Read more reflections from Cave on this recent ARTery article and join N+T for a free, virtual Public Art Forum on October 23-24 as we share resources and redefine public art-making together.
We’re delighted to share that the wrap, made from collages generated by 15 workshops (and a cart!) run by Boston artists Destiny Polk, L’Merchie Frazier, Barrington Edwards, and Wilton Tejeda, will live on for as long as it remains in good condition. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, October 20, Cave’s inflatables will be removed, and new windows will be added to the unoccupied building.
“To us, bringing Nick Cave to Upham’s Corner is a powerful example of what’s possible.”
Read more from Lori and DS4Si’s work with Cave here.
Indeed, Augment was an experiment in what’s possible, and for as long as the building wrap remains, it will remind us of a few months in 2019 when a city came together in creating joy. And hopefully, its legacy will be to remind us that joy lives within each of us.
Share your stories of seeing Augment, walking the parade, or participating in a workshop in the comments below. Or tag us on social media with #AugmentBOS!