At Now + There, our mission is to foster artists and the public to co-create bold public art experiences that open minds, conversations, and spaces across Boston. This summer three BOS (bold, open, and sharp) artists are making their mark on the city we all know and love with their reflective and creative projects popping up all over Boston.

Kyle Browne

Artist Kyle Browne, the force behind Lot Lab's Signaling exhibit, recently organized flag-making workshops for local youth from the Charlestown Boys & Girls Club and Turn It Around. Located at Lot Lab with a view of the USS Constitution, the flagpole now proudly displays flags created by these community youth, answering the question, "What do you want to convey to your community?"

Photo by Poppy Livingstone from Flag workshop at the Charlestown Boys & Girls Club

The results were as diverse as the participants themselves, filled with their celebrations, cultural expressions, and hopes for the future. Explore their unique creations and the voices they've woven into their flags by reading N+T Curatorial Programs & Community Engagement Intern Poppy Livingstone’s blogpost, "Inside Lot Lab's 'Signaling.”

“Signaling” will be on view at Lot Lab until October 31. Kyle Browne will be creating a site-specific installation for Continuum at the Manship Artist Residency in Gloucester, MA, opening on September 22. You can find her at kylebrowne.com or on IG @kybrocreative.

Photo of Kyle Browne (left) with community members at the “Signaling” flag raising. (c) Annielly Camargo.

Eben Haines

Eben Haines’ Public Art Accelerator Project, Tide House, is now installed and ready for viewing at Menino Park in Boston with an opening date of September 28, 2023.

Tide House captures the essence of a typical-three family rentals’ worn entryway, presenting a four-sided structure that seemingly hovers just above the ground. The artwork subtly reveals the marks and impressions left by inhabitants, offering a testament to their presence and history. Enveloped in a layer of non-toxic limewash, the piece initially radiates the grandeur of a stone monument. However, for Eben this isn’t a tribute to our past - it’s a call for our future. As the limewash gradually erodes with time, the artwork will unveil its deeper layers, exposing the familiar textures and hues of a space touched by human lives. This evolution calls viewers to recognize the humanity woven into the fabric of housing.

“Tide House is more than just an installation; it's a living testament to the challenges we face, both from nature and our own societal constructs,” said Haines. “I want viewers to not only see the stark realities of housing instability and climate change, but also to recognize the strength and stories of those affected by them. In creating this artwork, I aim to foster empathy, spark conversations, and inspire collective action towards a more inclusive and sustainable Boston.”

Tide House will be on view until next year. You can support Eben Haines by viewing his website ebenhaines.com or following him on Instagram @ebenhaines.

Krystle Brown

Krystle Brown, fellow Cohort 5 Public Art Accelerator, is working hard this month to install their project Slán Abhaile/Safe Home in Dorchester at the end of September. Inspired by benches, the artwork will be a repository where Dorchester neighbors can share collective memories of home through photography and oral story telling.

Slán Abhaile / Safe Home is inspired by Krystle Brown’s late mother, Kathleen Bowen Brown, who grew up in and around Fields Corner, Dorchester, in the 1950s-70s. She faced a childhood of housing insecurity and economic hardship. Other inspirations for this project are Candy Chang’s Before I Die, Project Row Houses in Houston Texas, and Suzanne Lacy’s Skin of Memory.

Krystle is still looking for community support on this project. If you or someone you know is a Dorchester resident, become part of the project by meeting with Krystle and sharing your story of housing in Boston. You can also support Krystle Brown by visiting their website krystlebrownart.com or following them on Instagram @krystlebrown_art.