Boston Art Commission

Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the , in collaboration with the Boston Planning & Development Agency and The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, today announced the 319-foot-long outdoor public art piece “May This Never End” has been relocated to Allston.

Created by Chicago-based artist Matthew Hoffman, the piece was commissioned for The Greenway and installed on a fence between North and Clinton Streets in 2016. While The Greenway typically houses temporary art, the piece received an extended run of nine months. The artwork was recognized as among the best artworks in the country for 2016 by Americans for the Arts’ Public Art Network Year in Review. The Conservancy originally commissioned the artwork with private funds from ArtPlace America.

“This piece was a great addition to the Greenway last year, and it has become such a widely recognized piece of public art in the City of Boston,” said Mayor Walsh. I’m eager to see how it sparks new conversations and helps shape the cultural identity of its new home in Allston.”

The piece is comprised of seven phrases, and together the message reads: “Nothing’s for keeps. Except that we must keep going. You’ll spend your entire life searching, ok? We all want to belong. So let’s all get along. Make the most, and hope. May this never end.”

Photo of May This Never End artwork in its new location on Lincoln St.

“Instead of looking at an object and moving on, Hoffman’s message becomes something we internalize and continue to apply to our state of being,” said Lucas Cowan, the Public Art Curator for The Greenway. “The artwork becomes a personal internal reflection as opposed to an object that is meant to exist solely in space.”

Hoffman wrote each word in Sharpie, and then scanned, enlarged and cut oversized letters out of bright yellow plastic using a CNC mill.

“May This Never End” was un-installed from The Greenway and placed in storage in May 2017. The City of Boston was able to relocate the artwork with a grant from the Harvard Allston Public Realm Flexible Fund, which is overseen by the BPDA.

“The Flexible Fund Executive Committee has explored ways to support public art installations, and enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to enhance a neighborhood gateway utilized by hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists daily, with an existing piece of artwork that could be installed at very low cost,” said Gerald Autler, Senior Project Manager/Planner of the Boston Planning & Development Agency.

Hoffman worked with staff members from the to reinstall the piece. The installation took two days to complete.

“As noted in Boston Creates, the City of Boston hopes to address cultural disparities and promote cross-cultural exchange through art,” said Julie Burros, Chief of Arts and Culture. “We’ve started important programs to support local artists, such as the Opportunity Fund with its newly doubled budget, and we are excited that we can also find ways to foster artistic exchange by creating new homes for site-specific works like this one.”

The piece is now located on Lincoln Street in Allston, between Franklin Street and Eric Road.

“I love the placement of this piece, and it's the same reason I love public art so much. You'll be going through your day, and suddenly be met by this piece. Hopefully it changes your mindset to a positive one in that moment,” said Matthew Hoffman. “We received so much positive feedback as we were putting the piece up, I'm really excited to hear the response as it lives with the community.”

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Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, in collaboration with the Boston Art Commission, Boston Public Library and Public Facilities Department, today announced Matthew Hinçman as the artist selected for a public art project at the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library.

Hinçman is a sculptor and educator living in Jamaica Plain. Best known for Jamaica Pond Bench, 2006, and STILL, 2014, both located in Jamaica Plain, his pieces are generally found in public places.

The City of Boston released a Request for Proposals (RFP) earlier this year for a public art project to complement the recent $10 million renovation of the Jamaica Plain Branch Library. This was the first project under the new Percent for Art Program, which allocates one percent of the City's annual capital borrowing budget to the commissioning of public art. The renovation included a 20 percent increase in space, a 700-square foot addition of a community reading lounge, a terrace along Sedgwick Street where residents can read and mingle, several meeting spaces, a refreshed collection of 30,000 books, an elevator, more efficient mechanical systems, 20 parking spots for bicycles, and new exterior landscaping.

"The recent renovation has allowed the Jamaica Plain library to accommodate more visitors, provide better access to resources, and strengthen the surrounding neighborhood, and this project will enhance these efforts," said Mayor Walsh. "It's great to see someone who has such a strong understanding of Jamaica Plain's cultural identity and a proven connection to the larger community take on the project."

"The JP renovation has been so well received, the latest in our ever strengthening branch system. We're so proud of the modern and welcoming space that everyone can use and enjoy," said David Leonard, President of the Boston Public Library. "The addition of public art by a JP resident will enhance the street presence of the branch and connect it even more deeply to the fabric of the neighborhood."

Hinçman is a Professor of Sculpture at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Chair of the Fine Arts 3D Program. He currently serves on the Board of the Boston-based non-profit Now+There.

"I am thrilled to be selected to create a new work of art for the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library," said artist Matthew Hinçman. "I embrace the idea of being 'local', and focus much of my energies here in my neighborhood. To have been considered and ultimately awarded this commission is very humbling. I love making work for public spaces that disrupt the order of the everyday, and it is an honor to be working right here in my own backyard."

The total budget for the project is $200,000, and the design of the work will be informed by an ongoing community engagement process. The project is expected to be completed and installed in 2018.

"The renovation of the Jamaica Plain Branch and the installation of public art into that space corresponds extremely well with one of the goals highlighted in the Boston Creates Cultural Plan, to integrate arts and culture into all aspects of civic life," said Julie Burros, Chief of Arts and Culture. "The library's role at the center of civic life for the Jamaica Plain community makes it an ideal location for public art, and I am so glad that the Percent for Art program has made that possible."

Earlier this week, the City released another RFP as part of the Percent for Art Program for a public art project at the BCYF Vine Street Community Center in Roxbury, which is now under renovation. The City is also planning to release an RFP this fall for public art at the Dudley Branch of the Boston Public Library, which is closing for renovation on November 17th.

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Mayor Martin J. Walsh, the Mayor's Office of Recovery Services, the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) and Boston University today announced the completion of a mural on the Finland Building at 774 Albany Street in Boston.

"The Finland Building mural is an excellent depiction of the strength and resilience of the surrounding community," said Mayor Walsh. "I hope this will serve as a reminder to those struggling with addiction that each day brings new opportunities and that the City of Boston is here to support them every step of the way."

The mural, which primarily consists of bright blue, orange and purple, is a depiction of several city rooftops and a sunrise, with a painting of that same scene on one of the rooftops. According to artist Timothy McCool, the easel and paintbrushes are evidence of someone being inspired by the sunrise and wanting to capture it on a canvas. The photo on this page is courtesy of McCool.

"I chose the design and colors of my mural to be bright and hopeful," said artist Timothy McCool. "Making art is a way to describe the indescribable and to express feelings that are hard to express with just words. So it's my hope that it can brighten their day even just a little bit by providing some sunshine in their life."

McCool is a South End resident who has made several contributions to Boston's public art landscape. Last October, he assisted in the creation of the Spaces of Hope mural, which can be seen from the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway.

The mural was one of several initiatives championed by the City during September, which marked Recovery Month, a national effort that aims to combat the social stigma around addictions, celebrate recovery and promote awareness of recovery services.

The Finland building houses several recovery service programs operated by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) that offer detox and other treatment programs, as well as harm reduction services. This artwork serves as a form of encouragement and support for those taking advantages of the services offered inside the building.

Boston University partnered with the City of Boston and the Boston Public Health Commission last year to improve the neighborhoods around the Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue intersection, which is home to their medical school's campus.

The City of Boston released a call for artists in April 2017, as part of a broader effort to improve the neighborhood around the intersection of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue.

In the span of only a few square miles, there are several opioid treatment clinics, two of the largest emergency shelters in the region, a detox facility, a long-term residential treatment program, a resource and referral center that places scores of individuals in treatment every day, a peer recovery center, the biggest harm reduction site in New England, and a world-class health-care organization whose mission it is to serve Boston's most vulnerable residents.

The mural is one of several ongoing efforts to beautify this part of the City where people in recovery go to receive services. Since last year, four outreach workers have been walking main roads and side streets in the area seven days a week, engaging with individuals and helping them access the services they might need. Most recently, the Mayor increased resources for the Mobile Sharps Team, doubling the number of workers available to locate used syringes and properly dispose of them.

"This is one of our many efforts to pair recovery with art, which is a critical form of catharsis for so many recovering from addiction," said Jen Tracey, Director of the Mayor's Office of Recovery Services. "By using the City's infrastructure and buildings as a canvas, we hope to raise awareness, combat stigma, and promote the collective resilience of individuals in recovery."

"At the Boston Public Health Commission, we are proud to serve all Boston residents," said BPHC Executive Director Monica Valdes Lupi, JD, MPH. "This building is the entry point into recovery for so many, and we want this physical entrance to reflect the welcoming nature of our staff and programs."

The mural is also an embodiment of Boston Creates, the city's ten-year cultural plan for improving and expanding the arts and culture industry in Boston.

"A key vision of the Boston Creates Cultural Plan is to create a City that uses art as a means to foster creative thinking and solve problems," said Julie Burros, Chief of the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture. "It's great to see this mural play a role in the conversation about tackling the issue of addiction in Boston."

McCool worked on the mural for 10 days, and it took 71 hours to complete. Approximately 10.5 gallons of paint were used during the project.

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The Boston AIR program has been extended until the end of August! Boston Community members now have the entire summer to engage in community dialogues centered on social practice and its intersection with art, culture, and media. Our artists will continue to be stationed at 10 Boston Center for Youth and Family locations. These artists are exploring what it means when creative production meets civic responsibility, and how art can be a powerful means of social justice and community engagement.

Learn more here: goo.gl/Kg7Ue1 

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