The following is an edited conversation between Kate Gilbert, Executive Director, and two former Public Art Ambassadors, now full-time Now + There staff: Blu Prinston, Communications Assistant, and Jasper Sanchez, Curatorial Assistant. Click the audio below to hear the entire conversation and laughter!
Kate Gilbert: I'm so excited to be here with you two [Blu & Jasper], after a long journey from being out in the Common back in September of 2021. That was a long time ago.
Jasper Sanchez: It's 2023.
KG: Yeah! I'm excited to share and facilitate you sharing your journey at Now + There. I’m curious about your experience before you started working with Now + There. When you thought of public art as a young person, let's say at age 15, what did you think public art was? Did you even have a definition of it?
BP: When I was 15, I had no defined concept or a definition for public art. Most times public art to me equated to sculptures, especially sculptures of important political figures, which can be found in a lot of parks in Boston and in the U.S. in general. My brain would immediately go to sculptures and graffiti tags or murals that have not been contracted professionally.
Public Art Ambassadors activating Janet Zweig’s artwork for “What Do We Have in Common?” 2021 commissioned by the Friends of the Public Garden. Left to Right: Jasper Sanchez, Blu Prinston, and Susan Collings.
KG: Jasper, what was your 15-year-old view of public art?
JS: I grew up in Miami, and when I was 15 in Miami, I would go to Art Basel and Wynwood with my friends and my family, just as a resident wanting to see what was going on. That was before I knew I wanted to study art history or do what I'm doing now. And so my definition of public art at the time was actually just everything going on in Wynwood and the Wynwood Walls. Lots of mural artists, lots of graffiti artists. So it was very two-dimensional at the time.
KG: But an amazing entry into public art! To be going to these fairs and Wynwood at the time. It was probably different than it is now, smaller.
JS: It was much cooler than it is now. Wynwood Walls used to be free. They're not free anymore!
KG: That's a good segue into what you guys are doing now. Blu, getting back to your first impressions of art, whether it was statuary or graffiti, I'm curious about your experience as a Public Art Ambassador with Janet Zweig's project “What Do We Have in Common?” commissioned by Friends of the Public Garden. How did that begin to change your view of what art in the public could be?
BP: I got to experience that public art could take a lot of different dimensions, from representing Now + There on the ground, to representing the artist, to acting as a sort of translator between the work and the public. That particular project helped me open my mind as to what art could be, what it could look like, and how it could be used, especially outside of the walls, whether that's like a gallery or museum, beyond an enclosed space.
Marker from Janet Zweig’s “What Do We Have in Common?” 2021. Photo by Faith Ninivaggi.
KG: You were asked by the artist, Janet Zweig, to represent her in this line of questioning about who owns different things. And this leads back to the idea of common, common good, common knowledge, and the commons in general. Do you remember some of the more unusual questions that you were asking people or that people asked you such as, “Who owns the moon? Or who owns the squirrels?” What were the big conversation starters?
BP: Big conversation starters were pretty basic as to, “What is this?” What are you doing here?
KG: Yes! What are you doing? Why are you in a teal blue uniform?
BP: Why are you wearing this jumpsuit? We wore teal jumpsuits that said, “What Do We Have in Common?”. They really stood out at the Boston Common and attracted a lot of attention, a lot of stares from different groups of tourists and students. People were curious about what we were doing, why we were standing there in the middle of summer.
Second-biggest question was, “What is this?” A lot of the questions that I would offer were centered around nature, like, “Who owns the sun? Who owns the land?” I found these questions really grounding, and they could be used as easy entry points for conversation.
Especially with kids. I focused on the questions that would tie back or bring us back to where we were (in the immediate space that we were activating).
KG: And I bet that led to some pretty deeper conversations.
BP: Yes, definitely.
KG: Jasper, do you remember some of the more unusual either interactions or questions and your experience as a public art ambassador?
JS: Absolutely. I think the more playful questions were wonderful access points for folks. You brought up who owns the squirrels, and that was one of my favorite questions to ask people because you become, as a passerby, you get confronted with the fact that you walk by this park that is home to hundreds and hundreds of these little furry creatures, and you start to think about stewardship, who takes care of this land? Who takes care of these creatures that are on this land? And that would lead into deeper conversations about just the history of place or history of public parks. And it was very interesting how something as small as a question about squirrels could snowball into a bigger conversation about, well, who owns the Boston Common? Who takes care of animals in nature? Is it our responsibility as people who live in a city? Is it the government's responsibility to take care of wild animals? And it brings up a lot of really fascinating questions that I personally hadn't thought about before working on Janet Zweig's project.
KG: Jasper, I know you've experienced being a public art ambassador or a similar role at the Greenway with the Greenway Conservancy. How have your ideas of not just public art, but public as a thing changed?
JS: I worked as their public art ambassador intern in 2018. I was in an inaugural position, and the theme for that year was, “Glow,” and it featured a collection of historic neon signs by Dave and Lynn Waller who collect and care for New England's neon histories. And at the time, I was studying art history, so I wasn't too interested in historical objects, but what redefined the public for me out of that experience was this realization that I think there's a word for it. It's called sonder, maybe, that everyone we interact with and every person in the world is a conscious human being with memories and experiences and emotions. And what was, to me, just a bunch of old rusty neon signs became filled with meaning. I would have folks come up to me and say, “oh, that's the Fontaine's Restaurant neon chicken sign. I went there for dinner after my prom in the eighties,” and it was just really beautiful to think about the public as this collective consciousness that has so many memories and experiences to share with one another. And tying that back to my work as an art ambassador on “What Do We Have in Common?” I look back at that now and I realize that this collection of historic neon signs was a commons.
KG: I can relate a lot to this idea of what we're doing when we're putting work in the public. It is adding to the fabric of our collective memory, our collective sort of vibration, of who we want to be. And I think we're all here at Now + There because we are part of wanting to see a cultural shift. We talk about it as opening minds, conversations, and spaces, and that's the frequency that we're turning up right now.
Janet Zweig’s “What Do We Have In Common?” 2021
KG: We're here in this office today because you did more than just be in the park, which was a big job. You both came into the office literally, and figuratively, with all of that lived experience as public art ambassadors to be N+T interns, Fellows, and now you're both here as full-time staff. We're all so fortunate to have this happen.
BP: It's quite a journey.
Blu Prinston. Photo by Sylvia Stagg-Giuliano.
Jasper Sanchez. Photo by Sylvia Stagg-Giuliano.
KG: Blu, one of your biggest objectives in this role is to help open up access to art. How do we talk about the very conceptual ideas of commons and commoning to a “Hey, what do you think of who owns a squirrel?” It's a big job, and I'm curious about how you're going to be approaching it and how openness is going to weave through all of the work that you're doing.
BP: Oh, such a great question. Thank you so much for welcoming Jasper and I back in 2021 and for carving more space for us within the organization throughout the past two years. Right now, I’m focusing on absorbing information, and I want to say preparing myself for success. And what I mean by that is really taking stock of all of the tools and resources that we have here at Now + There. Looking at our mission, our values, visions, using this as an assessment to determine how to move forward and what to focus on. A big part of my job is translating language, whether it's heady or academic language, into more simple accessible narratives or stories. So listening is really important. I feel like I am doing what I was doing at the Boston Common… that act of deep listening, asking questions and letting the material speak to me.
There's a lot of that! We work with a lot of abstraction, a lot of thinking outside the box, a lot of emergent strategies. So really slowing down and being receptive to what's happening around me.
KG: It's a big job, right?
BP: Yeah, it is.
KG: And I see you doing that really well.
BP: Thank you.
KG: We're seeing it on social media. Anyone listening (or reading) right now if you're getting a DM or you're seeing a Like, it's coming from Blu. I also really appreciate the Black History post that you did earlier this month where you are doing a lot of that synthesis. We're looking at the Embrace; We're looking at everything that's happening around here and how a lot of these things are really lifting the collective consciousness.
BP: Yes.
KG: Jasper, you are also opening many things within the curatorial department. You're now the Curatorial Assistant, side by side with Now + There’s Curator Leah Triplett Harrington. We'll get to Lot Lab in just a second, but what are some of the things that you're doing now that people would not see behind the scenes in the same way that Blu’'s doing research and prepping to make sure that the work we do is opening access to contemporary art?
JS: Absolutely. I think one of the biggest initiatives that I was brought on when I first started as a part-time fellow was building an artist database.
Production photos from the creation process for “Five Marble Leaves” 2022. Courtesy of the artist, Claudia Comte.
JS: And behind the scenes, it is just like, it's a spreadsheet and the form that we use, and I create one-pagers that have information on artists. But in terms of that being an element of access and openness, I think accessibility comes at all levels of arts administration, not just making sure something is in multiple languages or has braille. I've had joy in being able to pitch and propose local artists and emerging artists. Artists that aren't as mid or late-career or famous, international, nationally-recognized public artists and add them to the database for consideration in the future. And some artists in the database, you hinted at Lot Lab, are artists that have come up and been considered and are in the works for Lot Lab now. So that's some of the behind-the-scenes, I guess. It’s also just a lot of lists, a lot of decks, a lot of research tests, and just compiling information that helps us think better about the artists.
We're looking at how we're curating these artists, and a lot of that research isn't just artist based, but it's place-based. I think something that's really stuck with me and that I'm learning at Now + There is that place is a big consideration and site specificity is important to impactful and respectful public art. And so I also create lists of places that haven't had public art activation and don't get as much visibility.
KG: You might see us in a white Jetta driving around.
JS: Exactly.
KG: Team Now + There's doing a lot of site visits right now!
What are you guys most excited about right now? What are you doing that I probably don't know about? Or people that are tuning in or reading this, you'd want them to know about your work here?
BP: This year, as a communications assistant, I feel like I got the opportunity to better understand the Accelerator program. For those of you who don't know, the Accelerator program is a mentorship program that Now + There offers to local artists. There are workshops. And at the end of the project, each artist has the opportunity to showcase a big project or project on a scale that they have not worked on before. And being part of the marketing team, there are quite a few opportunities to see how the program comes to life, who pitches in, how the curatorial team helps the artist prep for the process. So I'm really excited to see how their projects evolve from ideation to execution.
Overall, I'm really excited about the different opportunities we'll have to see each project evolve throughout the year. There are many steps to each project, and although the process for most of the projects is similar, there's quite a bit of variation that keeps the work fresh and interesting with lots of highs and learns, which I love because that brings me back to the ethos of being bold, open, and sharp, with sharp standing for always learning. So overall, I'm very excited to learn and to see more art pop up in Boston. We need it. Lots of dull colors around us.
Yenny Hernandez’ “Ponle Vuelo A Tus Suenos/Let Your Dreams Take Flight” Photo by Dominic Chavez
KG: Especially right now in February.
BP: Yes.
I'm excited to see contemporary art take more space in the fabric of the city and the fabric of our lives. And when I say our lives, I mean all of us, again, going back to that collective consciousness, and especially us as arts administrators, the behind the scenes. Really excited for all of the big and small moments that will make the work happen.
KG: That is always one of my favorite times of the year, is when all the Accelerator projects just start popping up and it feels like that. It's like bulbs coming out of the ground, whoa! Because we support them in the journey of creating a pitch and getting the funds, and then they kind of do it on their own. I'm excited about that too. Jasper, what are you looking forward to?
JS: So you asked what we are working on behind the scenes that we are very excited about right now? And immediately I thought about a conversation that Leah and I had with an artist earlier. I won't mention names, so behind-the-scenes stuff, but part of the work I'm doing with my greater capacity now, and this full-time position isn't just research and curating artists for installations, but we're also thinking of artists for programs and for workshops. So I'm really excited to think about, especially after this conversation with this artist this morning, about how we can invite artists to not just create aesthetic art object, but to come into communities and to lead workshops and just invite people to make with them, and then have that be part of the art that we're putting out into the world.
KG: I love that you both have brought that ethos here. We started Now + There with a very sort of art-forward approach. It's all about the artist's vision. We're the right size, we sort of just put that into perspective and started co-creating with the community of artists and community creating together. And you both just embody that. You were that. You were the art and the community out there in the Common, and now you're bringing that to your work. Every step of the way, you both are opening doors for other artists, community members, And I'm going to say everyone's an artist. I know that's controversial, but you're doing that, and I really appreciate that you're making those paths open for others.
BOLD | OPEN | SHARP
BP: I feel like with the last question you asked of what we're working on behind the scenes, I talked about what I was excited about and not what I was working on. I'm working on including more visual aids in our writing guides. We have a lot of words, a lot of text, and just balancing the written word with visuals, because we work with third parties, like photographers, designers. And I think being able to offer these creatives another way to think about the information is important.
KG: I'm taking photos right now.
BP: Yes, stay tuned! There's a lot happening in Boston in general. Recently, a historic grants program granted over 2 million to organizations and artists.
KG: That's the MCC, Mass Cultural Council.
SP: The Pandemic Recovery Grants!
Stay tuned and keep an eye out for Now + There on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. We have a lot happening around contemporary art. And I think this organization offers a great opportunity to participate in projects that are out of the box. Genre defying. If you're looking for something that will keep you sharp, curious, look into what we're doing.
JS: What I would say is similar, but also keep an eye out for all of the programming and events and partnerships that we're working on for as soon as this Summer. I mentioned workshops earlier, and hopefully, anyone listening who lives in Charlestown can go to one of those workshops and meet the artist and make something for us. And just know that everything, mostly everything Now + There does, is free and open to the public.
KG: Everything!
JS: And that's the goal, is so that as many people can join as possible. And that's my hope, as well.