Over the past year, Boston saw a resurgence of public art in 2014 the likes of which wasn’t nearly as present during the former mayoral administration. From interior aesthetic upgrades to City Hall to a vivid new mural overlooking the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the city received a slew of new art installations. We want to keep that momentum rolling into 2015.

Given the success and popularity some projects have seen over others, we have an idea of what Bostonians might enjoy in the New Year. Though each would be conceived through a different medium, they’d all share a role in helping to invigorate life in Boston’s neighborhoods, streets, buildings and waterways.

Here’s what we have in mind:

1. A Tom Menino statue or mural

Boston lost its grandfatherly watchdog this year, Mayor Tom Menino. The longest serving chief executive in the city’s history, Mayor Menino passed away in October after a tough battle with cancer. So now is time to honor his legacy. True, there already is a Mayor Thomas M. Menino Park in Charlestown, but we already have statues of Mayor Kevin White and Mayor James Michael Curley, while Mayor John Collins’s face is etched on City Hall. Mayor Menino needs his own artistic likeness somewhere.

 

2. City Hall exterior

The Stairs of Fabulousness has already made the City Hall mezzanine a more welcoming place. So, too, will Lobby Sky, a winning art submission from the Public Space Invitational that’s a mural of the sky on City Hall’s ceiling. But the building is still painful to look at from the outside, and so brightening it up with colorful lights, paint and other materials should be a priority.

 

3. Brick wall signage and murals

If retailers and eateries have the exterior wall space, I’d love to see them paint their signs rather than hanging them. These serve as a great way to beautify otherwise bland facades and, over the years, become hidden gems that offer glimpses into the city’s past. Boston is home to several of these ghost signs that are an artistic reminder of the city’s industrial heritage.

 

4. More music and instruments

Fort Point Channel is getting itself a Tridraphone. Kendall Square station has itself the Kendall Band. But I’d love to see more interactive exhibits that encourage the person engaging with them to make music. Not all art is in the form of sculptures and murals, and Boston is home to the prestigious music institution Berklee. There’s plenty of room for a music maker, whether in another subway station, a city park or in public buildings.

 

5. More floating art

Bobbing up and down in Fort Point Channel is Don Eyles’ 16’ x 10’ x 10’ pyramid weighing 700 pounds. And it looks awesome. When you catch the reflection off the water at the right angle, it makes a perfect diamond shape in the water. Fort Point is no stranger to floating art, but there’s plenty of water surrounding Boston that could benefit from some love like this.