Boston Art Commission

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced A+J Art+Design has been selected to create a public art project in North Square following an open call for artists through a Request for Proposals. The artist team will work with the Public Works Department (PWD), the Boston Art Commission, and the North End community to further develop their initial proposal. The public art project will be implemented in conjunction with the reconstruction of North Square in summer 2017.  

The public art project is part of a larger effort by the PWD to revitalize and build on North Square’s identity as a cultural destination. The project will enhance the square by making it livable, walkable, green, sustainable, and accessible to all.

“The North Square public art project will offer the North End community an open space to gather and interact,” said Mayor Walsh. “We look forward to seeing the final project that incorporates community input and enhances the already vibrant characters of one of Boston’s most historic neighborhoods.”

The artist team A+J+Art+Design demonstrated their exemplary skill, interest, and vision for the North Square project in their response to the RFP.  They will spend the next few months working in coordination with the City and community to develop their initial concept, which considers the nautical ties of the North End as well as the historical and cultural context of the Square.

“The North Square public art project allows us to continue to celebrate the cultural history of the North End, while bringing in a contemporary perspective to this community space,” said Julie Burros, Chief of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston. “It’s one more effort to fulfill the goals of the Boston Creates cultural plan, integrating arts, culture, and creativity into the urban environment.”

“We’re delighted to work with A+J Art+Design, the Boston Art Commision, and the North End community to add a terrific work of art to North Square, ” said Chris Osgood, Chief of Streets for the City of Boston. “We want our streets to not only be well built and well maintained, but also delightful to be on and reflective of the community around them; art helps us deliver on that for the public. ”

A+J Art+Design is a multidisciplinary collaboration between artists Ann Hirsch and Jeremy Angier. This public art design and development team believes that public art can provoke and entice while inspiring civic engagement. In 2016, they created SOS (Safety Orange Swimmers) for the Fort Point Channel Floating Art Project. The Swimmers relate the Channel to the seas crossed by those in search of shelter, freedom, prosperity and safety. They invoke Boston's long history of welcoming immigrants. Hirsch also created the Bill Russell Legacy Project which celebrates the legacy of the great Boston Celtics champion, human rights activist and mentorship leader Bill Russell. The second phase of the Legacy Project relied on a collaborative process with groups of local young people. Hirsch and Angier both received their Masters in Fine Art with a focus on sculpture from the New York Academy of Art.

To learn more about the revitalization of North Square in the North End click here. http://keepbostonmoving.org/portfolio/north-square/.

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