I have long planned and should soon include an ART OUTDOORS page for Utility Boxes as Public Art with resources about this special art form. The current post is a first step in committing to the plan.
Why are Utility Boxes Great Sites for Public Art? Six answers and several examples follow.
Art by Christos Hamawi ( Boston), Pom Poison ( Somerville, Laurie Bogdan, Karen McCarthy (Arlington), Molly Scannell ( Arlington)
WINTERACTIVE: A Canadian Art Experience in Downtown Boston January 17–April 14, 2024 With barely one month left for this innovative temporary display of sixteen outdoor artworks in Boston, here is my overdue post, with focus on a grand-scale whale and a giant guitar.
If you live near 101 Washington Avenue in Cambridge, you can still visit the colorful Coconut Crab by day or night. Otherwise, enjoy a few views here, with some clues to origins and purpose.
Also here are photos from December 2020 of another great greeter, Silly Frilly Lizard, more evidence that other fascinating creatures have and hopefully will grace the same lawn over time.
Seeing art from all sides is always a rewarding feature of deCordova Sculpture Park. These two recently installed artworks* offer revelations from such opportunities. Here are photos from walk-arounds of both neighboring artworks with notes, quotes, and links that add perspective.
*Huff and a Puff, Hugh Hayden; ^Temporal Shift, Alyson Shotz
For countless years I’ve wandered around Kendall Square in Cambridge to locate murals, sculptures, and other outdoor art to post about. Now a new numbered map and list from THE ART WALK PROJECT provides a much-needed self-guiding resource. KENDALL SQUARE ART WALK has already proven its worth for me, with exciting promises ahead! Here are two sample discoveries from January 1, 2024, late afternoon in Kendall Square: a recent mural by Sophy Tuttle and a long-standing sculpture by Chris Williams,
Many concerts and other memorable events have marked my good luck of living a few blocks from Memorial Hall* for more than five decades. But this winter was the first time I walked around the whole building looking up and taking photos in wonder at the multitude of marvels. My mission had been to focus on the handsome brick designs, yet metal, stone, tile and glass all called for admiration.
*“Memorial Hall, immediately north of Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a large High Victorian Gothic building honoring Harvard men’s sacrifices in defense of the Union during the American Civil War—”a symbol of Boston’s commitment to the Unionist cause and the abolitionist movement in America.””
Links on or below photos should lead to more information plus inspiring photos of people making and sharing their art, for three creative community projects in Arlington: 1. YOU ARE LOVED mural, 2. Poetry on windows, 3. Painting on windows
Here are a few photos from late summer, 2023, soon after the giant deer was installed in Inman Square. I still hope to do a sequel post with perspective on the whole plaza, but these current quotes and links add fascinating facts about the sculpture and the sculptor!
Farewell Lincoln (150 feet long, Cor-ten steel and bolts, installed 2012) events, October 22,2023
De-installing Lincoln October 23, 2023:
It is simpler for me to select from photos of two final days with Lincoln than from so many moments through more than a decade of great days in deCordova Sculpture Park. I hope to do a future post with significant overview of Lincoln, plus other newer artworks by DeWitt Godfrey. The good news after Lincoln has gone is that its numerous cylinders can become parts of exciting new sculptures in other alluring destinations.
Almost every September for many years, kids and adults on my street have met to choose a Halloween theme. The choice determines numerous creative activities, thoughtful plans, and devoted efforts that culminate in three memorably intensive hours on Halloween night. Almost every November I review my photos from that night while pondering how, why, and whether to post on ART OUTDOORS about the impressively plentiful temporary art.
Finally this November ( 2023) I have put together a post, limited to images in waning daylight before the surge of action, music, drama, and festive interaction with costumed, curious visitors. So here, without my usual captions, links, quotes, and notes, are glimpses of the great results produced by neighbors of all ages.
Art Outdoors 