Embracing a Year-Long Public Art City
The end of March is near, and with it comes unpredictable weather as the proverbial lion becomes a lamb. In this last week of Winteractive, I encourage a visit to Downtown Crossing to mark the transition from winter to spring and see for yourself how Boston is becoming a public art city!
My experience began on a late and gray February afternoon, as I left The Triennial offices to explore the third iteration of Winteractive: Downtown Boston’s Outdoor Winter Art Exhibition. Coming out of the Leather District and towards Downtown Crossing, I’m accustomed to waves of office workers, commuters, and other pedestrians rushing from one destination to the next while avoiding any reason to slow down and linger, especially in the Boston cold.
This time around, however, I was pleasantly surprised—the noise of isolated jazz instrumentals called me through the crowds of Dewey Square and into an installation of touch-activated “Trumpet Flowers” by light arts studio Amigo & Amigo. I found myself stretching across multiple flowers and trying to press them all at once to hear the full splendor of the composition. It was a futile and silly effort, but it transported me away from the congested traffic of the intersection into a state of sonic play.
Then, as I wandered down Summer Street, a pod of familiar street signs with unfamiliar messages by artist Scott Froschauer invited me to look up from the dust-covered snow banks and encouraged me to breathe, to yield with love, that all we have is now, and I am enough. Further down the street, as noted in coverage by WBUR, the sounds and shrieks of laughter born by people playing on interactive see-saws were carried by the freezing wind. I couldn’t believe that this was a weekday afternoon in Downtown Boston in the middle of winter!
Beyond moments of play and encouragement, The Triennial’s curatorial model also advocates for site-specific projects that teach us more about our city and change how we collectively understand our landscapes and legacy. My favorite project was off the main street in Winthrop Square, “The Bison Observatory” by Individuals Collective. An anthropomorphic bison sculpture sitting atop a retro camping trailer points his telescope up, and if you follow his gaze, you’ll find a charmingly rustic red-tipped rocket perched on a rooftop. I learned through this project that the first recorded UFO sighting in America was by John Winthrop himself in Boston in 1639! I felt a moment of Boston pride for this weird and wonderful story, and my curiosity was further rewarded by a surprise alien sighting after peeking inside the camper (hint: it’s stranger on the inside!).
As a South Floridian transplant, I’m guilty of preferring my public art and outdoor activities during warmer months. But I walked away from Winteractive inspired by the Downtown Boston Alliance’s mission—to make our Downtown lively year-round—and was reminded that public art can give people a sense of hope and joy during the darkest months of the year, not just the warmest.
