The Field’s Corner area of Dorchester is in for a public art facelift. The Boston Art Commission recently announced that they’re entertaining submissions for an artistic display to be commissioned at Doherty-Gibson Park. The deadline to have your work be considered is June 20, so if you haven’t yet, start getting creative.
The Commission, in tandem with the Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (VietAID), is exploring the theme of freedom and how it pertains to that specific neighborhood. The idea of freedom, of course, is subjective so those involved in the selection process will be keeping an eye out for something that, while original, still encapsulates peoples’ general idea of freedom.
As is written on the submission page, it could mean “freedom from poverty and crime” as well as acting as a testament to those who fought for our collective freedom in the name of democracy – or, more bluntly, those engaged in war on behalf of our country.
Karin Goodfellow, director of the Boston Arts Commission, told BostInno that they’re “looking for something different than they’ve had before. Freedom from crime and poverty is something that we can all understand. We think that war touches all of us, but sometimes it can feel not quite as immediate.”
Still, that doesn’t mean the selection committee is ruling any unique interpretations out; but what they want most is something unexpected, something captivating and enchanting, something that will challenge the conventional ways of thinking about and digesting art.
“This is something we’re trying to do in all of our artwork,” added Goodfellow.
The project is fueled by VietAID, who conceived the idea for public art in the Dorchester section in hopes of representing their heritage and how it’s tied to the community at large. Field’s Corner boasts a bevy of international ancestries, including Vietnamese, African-American, Caribbean, Irish and Latino.
Knowing that they wanted to implement a new public art project somewhere in Dorchester, the group turned to Doherty-Gibson Park as the general location. The park is oft-used by residents and features a regulation baseball diamond, softball and little league diamond, two basketball courts and a children’s playground – but it’s lack of wall space and open infrastructure limits the capacity for creating a mural or painting.
And while this might appear a hindrance to some, it actually opens the door for more untraditional and imagintiative designs. Landscape might play a big role in choosing a winner, Goodfellow suggested, and an artist could team up with a landscape architect to incorporate various natural mediums, for example.
The only stipulation for submissions is that they not exceed the set budget of $250,000. All information and materials must be submitted through here by midnight on June 20.
Image via VietAid
