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Public Art Projects

We commission permanent and temporary public art projects in the City that engage communities and enrich the urban environment. We also support projects led by artists and community members.

Current projects

Adams Street Branch Library

This project will complement the construction of the new Adams Street Branch Library building.

BCYF Vine Street Center Interior Public Art

The second of two projects to complement the renovation of BCYF Vine Street in Roxbury.

Book Mark'd

This community-initiated project will be located at the Mattapan Branch of the Boston Public Library.

'Call and Response: Radiating Safety' by L'Merchie Frazier

The public artwork will complement the new Fire Station 42 in Roxbury.

'Chinatown Worker Statues Project' by Wen-ti Tsen

This artist-driven project by Wen-ti Tsen will produce a long-term artwork in Chinatown.

City Hall Plaza Short-term Artwork

We're commissioning an artist to create a short-term artwork for the exterior of Boston City Hall.

Cocoanut Grove Memorial

This is a community-initiated project honoring the survivors and victims of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire of 1942.

Copley Square Park

We're commissioning artists to create poetry, light projections, ground plane interventions, and a small sculpture series that honor community solidarity, empathy, and acknowledgment of loss.

Dewitt Playground

This project will complement a renovation of Dewitt Playground at Madison Park High School in Roxbury.

Engine 17 / Ladder 7 Fire Station

This project will complement the construction of the new Engine 17 / Ladder 7 fire station in Dorchester.

Hyde Square Public Art Project

The City of Boston commissioned artists Cristina Parreño Alonso and Amin Tadj to create a piece of public art at the intersection of Centre Street, Perkins Street, and Day Street in Hyde Square.

The Legacy of Frederick Douglass

This is a community-initiated effort to install a monument to the great abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass in Roxbury.

Malcolm X Park Public Art Projects

We commissioned artists to create murals on three of the basketball courts at Malcolm X Park and a wall of the BCYF Shelburne in Roxbury.

Ruggles Corridor

This project will result in a series of accessible and unique artworks along the Ruggles Corridor in Roxbury.

Recently completed projects

'Afro-Latin Dance and Music' by Roberto Chao

We supported artist Roberto Chao with a grant to create a mural at Mozart Park in Jamaica Plain.

City Hall Plaza Graphics

We commissioned Yuke Li to create graphics for the exterior of Boston City Hall.

'The Creative' by Simon Donovan and Ben Olmstead

We commissioned Simon Donovan and Ben Olmsted to create an exterior artwork that complements the construction of the new Boston Arts Academy building in Fenway.

'Doujans D’al Hirhoal' by Cyrille Conan

We commissioned Cyrille Conan to create a mural at the Patricia White Apartments in Brighton as part of the Transformative Public Art Program.

The Embrace and 1965 Freedom Plaza by Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group

This community-driven project was unveiled on the Boston Common in January 2023.

Engagement Center Murals by Alex Cook

We commissioned Alex Cook to create a series of four interior murals at the Engagement Center as part of the Transformative Public Art Program.

General Gourdin and African American Veterans Memorial by Fern Cunningham-Terry

The goal of this project is to honor General Gourdin, Black veterans, and the Roxbury neighborhood.

'The Joy of Growing' by Mattaya Fitts

We commissioned Mattaya Fitts to create an exterior mural at the Peabody/Englewood Apartments in Dorchester.

'Memory/Diffusion' by MASARY Studios

We commissioned MASARY Studios to create a long-term, interior artwork at the new Boston Arts Academy in Fenway.

North Square Stories by A+J Art + Design

This series of sculptures complemented the reconstruction of North Square in the North End.

'Rita's Spotlight' by Rixy

The City commissioned artist Rixy to create a mural in Allston honoring the life and legacy of Rita Hester.

'R-O-X-B-U-R-Y' by Joe Wardwell in collaboration with Nakia Hill and 826 Boston YLAB

This is the first of a series of public art projects to complement the renovation of the Roxbury Branch.

'Souledad' by Victor 'Marka27' Quiñonez

We commissioned Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez to create a mural at Washington Manor in the South End.

'The Future of the Past Is Here Now' by Curtis Williams

We commissioned artist Curtis Williams to create an interior mural at the Faneuil Branch of the Boston Public Library in Brighton.

'Together' by Mz. Icar

We commissioned Mz. Icar to create a mural outside of The Engagement Center in Newmarket Square as part of the Transformative Public Art Program.

'Turmoil' by Jeremy "Sobek" Harrison

This is the second public art project inside the Roxbury Branch Library funded by the Percent for Art program.

'UNUS MUNDUS' by Monika Bravo

This project at the newly constructed East Boston police station consists of mosaics and mobiles.

'Wythe & Web' by Matthew Hinçman

The project complemented renovations made to the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library.

'Youth Lead the Change: Rise Up from Your Roots' by Mel Mandel

We commissioned artist Mel Mandel to create a mural for the exterior of Franklin Field in Dorchester.

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