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.
Critical Reflections & Opinion
N+T Director Kate Gilbert shares her experience at Christo’s latest work, The Floating Piers, in this guest post.
"We are all there to walk on new land, to experience a fantasy like walking on the ceiling that we’ve envisioned in our youth or during a dreamy state. With collars of orange glowing under our necks, we walk together."
Kate and I have had the beach constantly on our minds as we transition into this sweltering August weather. We both fantasize about lying on an obnoxiously bright towel at a picturesque sandy spot with a good book while we work away at our respective desks in our closet size office. So in an attempt to live out our fantasy vacation, we have compiled a list of 5 great beach reads, public art style. Safe for non-beach goers too! Guest post by Now and There staffer Audrey Hsia.
Having recently visited Chicago for the Americans for the Arts Public Art Network pre-conference N+T director Kate Gilbert calls on Greater Boston to create bold, temporary projects during the 2016 conference.
It’s understandable how a public art freak from Boston can get cultural envy visiting Chicago. Rich in monumental, plaza-anchoring sculpture and steeped in a history of financial and political backing for the arts, Chicago gives us pause, asks us to look at our challenges, and ultimately calls us to be a bolder, unified Greater Boston.
One of our core values at Now and There is to put artists' visions first. So for Boston's ArtWeek we wanted to host a conversation with artist to talk about the definitions of public art and what we can do to support more of it in our communities.
To explore a wide spectrum of social art practices we pulled together artists Cedric Douglas,Megan McMillan, Liz Nofziger and architect Rob Trumbour of Artforming. The event was held at the Boston Center for the Arts on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 from 5:30–7pm and was co-sponsored by NEFA's Fund For the Arts and the Boston Center for the Arts.
As we at Now and There prepare for our first project, we’ve been looking back over some of the more successful temporary public art projects in Boston’s history. After all, you need to know your history before you can chart a new course. For this guest blog post we asked Sarah Hutt, former Director of Director of Public Art in the Office of Cultural Affairs under Mayor Tomas Menino, to choose her top three favorite projects. In the essay below Hutt focuses on the years 2001–2002 around the time of the Office’s Boston Cultural Agenda Fund that funded over 100 projects in Boston.
