Inaugural Boston Public Art Triennial Aims to Build Awareness for Community Art

A first-of-its-kind public art program aims to transform Boston's public spaces into public works of art.

Running May 22 through October, the inaugural Boston Public Art Triennial brings 20 pieces of commissioned artwork to eight neighborhoods, allowing the public to look, wonder, and explore.

“What we've been trying to do this whole time is make Boston a public art city. And it's been challenging,” Triennial director Kate Gilbert said to WBUR.

A decade ago, Gilbert founded the nonprofit Now + There, which commissioned temporary public art works in the greater Boston community. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Now + There morphed into the Boston Public Art Triennial. Instead of focusing on displaying several art installations around the city every year, the Triennial will amp up the amount of artwork every three years.

According to WBUR, this year's debut will feature 16 commissioned works from artists representing Brazil, Germany, Mexico, and the United States. Boston artists Stephen Hamilton, Andy Li, Alison Croney Moses, Evelyn Rydz, and Gabriel Sosa are among the artists showcasing their works. 

Four local museums are also exhibiting specific commissions, bringing the total number of commissioned artwork to 20. The Triennial plans to hold more than 100 free events in connection with the art installations.

Most of the art installations will be in centrally located neighborhoods, but several pieces will be featured in less tourist-focused areas, including East Boston, Mattapan, and Roxbury. 

Rather than displaying murals, which are typically what people think of when they think about public art, the Boston Public Art Triennial will feature flags, sculptures, signs, and trees. The theme of this inaugural Triennial is the Exchange, which follows from Boston's image as an intellectual capital. Many of the pieces address today's challenges and issues through art.