As part of our commitment to fostering a more vibrant city through bold public art, we strive to build culturally responsive relationships through our partnerships and participatory programs. This year at Lot Lab is no different; we are connecting with the community of Charlestown and beyond through dynamic programming of performance, spoken word, theater, workshops, and much more.
Fresh off the incredible feat of bringing Simone Leigh’s spectacular artworks from Boston to Venice and then to Boston, Kate Herlihy brings to Now + There balanced respect for artists’ vision with planning rigor. blu prinston, N+T Communications Assistant, chatted with Kate about how early access to arts education, mentorship, and teamwork make her ready to “pay it forward” as N+T’s Managing Director.
As a veteran of two Chicago Architectural Biennales, Marguerite Wynter brings FOMO-inducing stories of events we all missed out on—did we hear joy riding through the South Side?—and a deep commitment to engaging community in the co-creation of public art. Learn more about Marguerite and drop her a line to welcome her to a new event, space, or idea!
Now that we’re getting ready to launch Lot Lab in the Charlestown Navy Yard on June 7, I’ve been reflecting a lot on my Now + There journey, which began with me becoming a Public Art Ambassador two summers ago. If you’re considering becoming a Public Art Ambassador for Lot Lab, I hope my reflections about my time as a PAA can help to guide you!
Talking to artists and community members--listening and learning from them--brings life to all our projects. This year of Mending looks at stories of innovation, global connection, individual perseverance, and tenacity, weaving together the impossible and offering opportunities to amplify what is most delicate (collective joy), transient (dreams), or everlasting (love) in our interconnected world.
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 artists are making their mark on the city we all know and love with their reflective and creative projects popping up all over Boston.
N+T Assistant Curator Jasper A. Sanchez shares the story, labor, and care behind Sam Fields’ recently installed nautical rope sculpture, Stay, at Lot Lab.
We caught up with the four local artists who make up Cohort Five of the Accelerator Program: Krystle Brown, Eben Haines, Tanya Nixon-Silberg, and Ponnapa Prakkamakul. They are all bees-y developing artworks for Boston. Here’s what they absorb as they plan, prep, and build their way to transforming 25K into four BIG projects for YOU to see/touch this summer!
N+T Communications Assistant Blu recently touched base with local artist and muralist Percy Fortini-Wright. This interview explores his practice and latest mural, Charlesgate, at 139 Main Street, Kendall Square, Cambridge, commissioned by MIT Investment Management Company’s Kendall Square Public Arts Initiative and curated by Now + There.
During Rixy’s recent picnic and mural celebration on Saturday, October 15th Pa*Lante, Curatorial Assistant Jasper Sanchez, encouraged the artist to reflect on her new mural at 301 Highland Ave in Roxbury’s Fort Hill. This soundbite offers some highlights from their exchange, with additional details that situate Rixy’s themes and motifs within a larger diasporic context. And, to demystify some of the art-making processes we engage in, hear Rixy’s detailed applications of studies and experience to offer one of her latest contributions to the community.
Co-hosted in partnership with Goethe-Institut Boston, N+T Asks: How are memorials (equitably) funded? On June 22, Kathrin Jentjens and Abigail Satinsky share their perspectives on collaborative public art projects and available funding opportunities. Moderated by Educator Devin Morris of the Teacher’s Lounge, this two-hour-long conversation challenges dated and inequitable social processes involved in the construction of collective memory and place-making.
Co-hosted in partnership with Goethe-Institut Boston, N+T Asks: What role do artists play in reimagining the construction of our public space? On April 19, Juan Obando and Mischa Kuball share their perspectives on counter monuments, archives, and intangible memorials. Moderated by Educator Devin Morris of the Teacher’s Lounge, this two-hour-long conversation challenges dated and inequitable social processes involved in the construction of collective memory and place-making.
