Public art demands collaboration. At the first meeting of our Accelerator cohort this week, we were pleased to see the artists excited at the chance to learn from one another. We’ve been hard at work ensuring that the Accelerator is a program that will demystify the process of creating public art — not just for our cohort of artists, but for all of Boston.

That’s why we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve co-designed a portion of our Accelerator workshops with the City of Boston’s Artist-In-Residence and NEFA’s Creative City programs that, like the N+T Public Art Accelerator, serve Boston artists working in the public realm. Our collaboration with these programs and the Arts & Business Council of Boston will equip artists with the technical know-how necessary to create successful projects. From taxes and insurance to marketing, the workshops will focus on the nuts and bolts of producing public art.

2018 N+T Accelerator artists from L to R: Ekua Holmes, Ryan Edwards, Lina Maria Geraldo, Katarina Burin, Cynthia Gunadi, Joel Lamere, Stephen Hamilton.

It’s an exciting partnership and one that goes beyond providing access to valuable knowledge. With the City of Boston and NEFA, we’re building a network of artists who can count on one another: for moral support, peer critique, and maybe even future collaborations. By connecting these artists to each other in this way, we’re strengthening the public art ecosystem and growing the possibilities for art in Boston.

It begins! Our first meeting with the seven talented artists taking part in our pilot Public Art Accelerator program.

Here’s a little bit more about all that these exciting programs do for our city:

The city of Boston’s Artists-In-Residence explores the ways in which art can reframe social conversations and bolster City initiatives. Now in its third iteration, AIR emphasizes socially engaged artwork for the benefit of all Boston residents.
NEFA’s Creative City is a grant initiative currently on its fifth cycle that funds individual artists who make art centered on public participation. The program’s alumni include Now + There artists Elisa Hamilton of Slideshow and Silvia Lopez Chavez of Patterned Behavior.
Now + There’s Public Art Accelerator is developing a pipeline of outstanding public art production across Boston by providing artists with the knowledge and self-confidence they need to deliver impactful sculptural and 2D projects, and the funds to make their projects happen.

With AIR and Creative City, we’re equipping artists with the tools they need to work in the public realm. Together, we’re developing a public art city. And we can’t wait to share it with you.