In 2002, under the tutelage of Mayor Tom Menino, Boston created the Watersheet Activation Plan for the Fort Point Channel in order to modernize the neighborhood and attract new residents. A stipulation to the plan was that grants would be made available for the creation and implementation of engaging public art programs.
On Friday, the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Fort Point Channel Operations Board announced the seven winners of the 2014 grants, two of which banked awards worth $10,000.
According to the BRA, the grant applicants were tasked with cultivating and honing ideas intended to develop creative water-based programming around the edges of Fort Point Channel, or to construct capital improvements within the Channel itself. The seven winning initiatives vary noticeably in size and scope, though all fall perfectly under the plan’s guidelines.
The BRA’s list of 2014 grant-winning projects is as follows:
My Sky Outdoor Activities Program
Applicant: Boston Children’s Museum
Award: $6,000
The Boston Children’s Museum, located on the Fort Point waterfront, will present a series of family-friendly daytime and Friday evening programs related to astronomy. The activities will be a companion to a new astronomy exhibit opening in July called My Sky.
FPAC’s Temporary Public Series on the Fort Point Channel and Harborwalk
Applicant: Fort Point Arts Community, Inc. (FPAC)
Award: $11,000
The Fort Point Arts Community will offer two temporary art programs this summer, one alongside the channel, and one on the water within the Fort Point “Art Basin”. Both projects will be developed and curated through juried calls to FPAC members, and will include free programming and activities for the public.
Urban Waters
Applicant: “e” inc.
Award: $7,160
“e” inc. will offer a six-week, hands-on Urban Waters educational program from July 7 through August 15, 2014. The program will be open to children from different summer camps, community centers, and Boys and Girls clubs. Each group will experience a one-day program that includes science lessons, a rowing experience, and an art activity.
Brown Box Theater Project 2014-2015 Theatrical Season
Applicant: Brown Box Theatre Project
Award: $10,000
Brown Box Theatre Project will offer classic and contemporary free productions on Atlantic Wharf from summer 2014 through spring 2015. Planned productions include Macbeth, Constellations, Spike Heels, and Rosencrantz & Gildenstern Are Dead.
In the Summer House
Applicant: Fort Point Theatre Channel, Inc.
Award: $5,000
Fort Point Theatre Channel will stage eight free performances of In the Summer House at Waterfront Square, Atlantic Wharf, October 16 – 25, 2014.
Fort Point Channel Lunchtime Livery and Home Waters Programs
Applicant: Hull Lifesaving Museum
Award: $10,000
The Hull Life Saving Museum will operate two programs on the Fort Point Channel this summer. The first, Lunchtime Livery, will offer rowboat rentals in July and August. The second program, Home Waters, will offer an experimental rowing education program for adults and youth.
Tidraphone (pictured above)
Applicants: Kate Balug, Dana Busch, Alyson Fletcher, Conor MacDonald, Siqi Zhu, Danielle Pillion
Award: $4,500
The Tidraphone will be installed in front of the Intercontinental Hotel. Its pipes extend into the water at various lengths, and as the tide changes, so will the tones of each pipe. Passersby will be invited to strike the instrument with a mallet or other implement to make music.
Image by Dana Busch via @tidraphon
