Recording and Resources: The Future of Boston’s Public Art

5 May 2021

Boston Art Review editor-in-chief Jameson Johnson and Now + There assistant curator Leah Triplett Harrington joined in conversation with four artists community leaders around the future of public art in Boston: Kathleen Bitetti, Kai Grant, Stephen Hamilton and Kim Szeto. Together they discussed current trends and topics in the field, with a special focus on public art’s role in creating a more culturally equitable Boston. This event was held on Monday, May 3 as part of Boston Design Week.

During the event, panelists shared resources to several grants, platforms, and pieces of legislature pertaining to public art in Boston. Their materials have been collated below.

Upcoming Grant Opportunities:

New England Foundation for the Arts
- Public Art for Spatial Justice:
  https://www.nefa.org/CreateSpatialJustice
  Application deadline: May 24, 2021, 11:59 PM ET
- Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice:
  https://www.nefa.org/ImagineSpatialJustice
  Application deadline: May 24, 2021, 11:59 PM ET
Now + There Public Art Accelerator
More information: https://www.nowandthere.org/accelerator
City of Boston Opportunity Fund
https://www.boston.gov/departments/arts-and-culture/opportunity-fund
Application deadline: June 4, 2021, 5:00 PM ET
More funding opportunities by the City of Boston can be found under “Our Grant Opportunities”: https://www.boston.gov/departments/arts-and-culture

Boston Resources:

Find out who your city councilor is (Note: The 4 at-large city councilors can also be helpful in navigating the rules and regulations of public art): https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council/who-my-boston-city-councilor
Boston City Council: https://www.boston.gov/departments/city-council
Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture: https://www.boston.gov/departments/arts-and-culture
The Boston Art Commission (Note: Public meetings are generally held the second Tuesday of every month. The next meeting is Tuesday, May 11, at 4 PM): https://www.boston.gov/departments/arts-and-culture/boston-art-commission

Massachusetts Resources:

Find out who your State Senator and State Representatives are: https://malegislature.gov/search/findmylegislator
Find out where to vote: http://www.wheredoivotema.com Statewide Advocacy Organizations
Massachusetts Cultural Council: https://massculturalcouncil.org
Massachusetts State Legislature: https://malegislature.gov

Statewide Advocacy Organizations

Massachusetts Artists Leaders Coalition (MALC): http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/
- MALC Labor Policy: http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/policy/labor-policy-2016/
- Artists Under the Dome (website & annual event): http://www.artistsunderthedome.org/home.html
MassCreative: https://www.mass-creative.org

Two key studies about MA artists:

Stand Up & Be Counted (2009): http://kathleenbitetti.com/Pages/MA_ArtistsReport2009.pdf
By Artists, For Artists (2018): http://artistsunderthedome.org/ByArtistsForArtistsReport.pdf

Notable State Legislation for Public Art:

H.3374 An Act Relative to Procurement Services For Artists: Rep David Biele (who represents South Boston and parts of Dorchester) https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H3374

Two identical bills to establish a MA Public Arts Program, one filed in the Senate and the other in the House:
S. 2244 An Act to Establish a Massachusetts Public Arts Program: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S2244
H. 3380 An Act to Establish a Massachusetts Public Arts Program: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H3380

National Resources:

Americans for the Arts: https://www.americansforthearts.org
Creative Capital: https://creative-capital.org
Creative Time: https://creativetime.org
National Endowment for the Arts: https://www.arts.gov

National/International Artist-Run Resources:

Alliance of Artists Communities (residencies in the US & globally): https://artistcommunities.org
TransCultural Exchange (residencies): https://www.transculturalexchange.org
Make Art With Purpose (residencies & public art): https://makeartwithpurpose.net