One of Mayor Marty Walsh’s hallmarks during his time at the helm of Boston has been to surround the city with an innovative atmosphere. In part to accomplish this, he’s helped to amplify Boston’s continuously growing public art scene in neighborhoods not frequented except, perhaps, by locals. Such is the case with Dudley Square in Roxbury.
On Thursday, Mayor Walsh and the Boston Art Commission announced eight new pieces of temporary art for the area, aptly and collectively dubbed “Pop Up! Dudley Connections.”
Each installation in some form or another exemplifies an idea or elicits a sentiment that ties directly in with both Boston’s deep-seeded history and sparkling future.
“Boston is one of the oldest U.S. cities, yet is well known for its climate of transformation,” said Karin Goodfellow, Director of the Boston Art Commission. “We are a city that moves between convention and innovation and Dudley Square is currently at the apex of the city’s transformation. We believe that public art is an expression of our passionate ideals, intellectual curiosity, and cultural narrative. Engaging the public in a lively and ongoing discussion on public art as an integral part of city life.”
The epicenter of Dudley’s overhaul is The Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, formerly known as the Ferdinand Building. The complex is being reinvigorated with “500 municipal employees from Boston Public Schools, office space, as well as open space for student work, school events, and community gatherings,” according to the City of Boston.
And then there’s the combined 22,000-square-feet of space on the ground and second floors optimal for innovative tech companies, startups or nonprofits.
“The Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, named after Bruce Bolling, the first African-American president of the Boston City Council, will be the next great building in Boston,” added Mayor Marty Walsh. “Opening late next year as a 150,000-square-foot municipal center with retail and office space, it is a critical step in the ongoing economic revitalization of Dudley Square, using the neighborhood’s past as a foundation to build its future.”
Here’s a breakdown of each piece of artwork and the imaginative minds behind them, courtesy of the Mayor’s office:
Darrell Ann Gane-McCalla with Shea Justice & Cassandra Cato-Louis: Change, Loss, and Gain in Dudley
Dates: August 15 and 20 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: Justice Gourdin Park, intersection of Mt. Washington Ave and Malcolm X Blvd, Roxbury, MA, 02119
Darrell Ann Gane-McCalla lives in Cambridge and is an artist committed to radical social change, promoting art as a vital element in the struggle for human rights and in the creation of new ways of living. Her own practice is primarily sculpture, illustration, and mixed media. Her community collaborations are mainly murals, mosaics, and workshops. Gane-McCalla believes that art can change perceptions; create spaces for dialogue, instill senses of possibility, and add vibrancy, meaning, and direction to our lives.
Bryana Siobhan: Untitled
Dates and times: August 19, 21, 26, and 28 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Location: Sidewalk in front of Haley House at 12 Dade Street in Roxbury, MA 02119
Emerging artist Bryana Siobhan is currently a Masters Candidate at the School of the Museum of Fine Art of Boston and an Alumni of the Corcoran College of Art + Design with a Bachelors in Fine Art. She lives and works in Roxbury as a performance artist, founder of Revolutionary Performance, a performance art archive, and as a founding member of Petrichor Performance Collective. Working in the topic of US-centric social politics regarding race, gender, and mental health, Siobhan draws cultural cues and signifiers from the African-American, Afro-Cuban, and indigenous American (NDN) cultures.
Irene Smalls: Doing the Dutch Down Dudley
Date and time: August 16 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Dudley Town Common Park
Irene Smalls, BA, MBA, lives in Back Bay and is an award-winning author, storyteller, and historian. Smalls’ presentations include core components of literacy instruction for students K-5 using a variety of instructional approaches: reading aloud, word study, shared reading, and movement. For older students she discusses the publishing business, the writing process, and the job of being a writer and risk taking. Smalls is the author of 15 children’s books and 3 interactive storytelling CDs.
Artward Bound with Fish McGill & Carolyn Lewenberg: Art & Social Change: Dudley Kiosk
Installation date: August 18
Location: Justice Gourdin Park, intersection of Mt. Washington Ave and Malcolm X Blvd, Roxbury, MA, 02119
Artward Bound is a four-year college access program in the visual arts. At home on MassArt’s campus, Artward Bound prepares youth in 8th-12th grades with the artistic and academic skills needed for admission to and success at an art or design college or other post-secondary institution. Artward Bound balances artistic development with academic progress to establish confidence in education.
Nathaniel Wyrick: Papaw Passing Time II
Dates and times:
• August 28 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• August 29, 31, September 1, 2, and 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• September 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: in front of Dudley Square Branch Library, 65 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
Nathaniel Wyrick is a multidisciplinary artist that is currently living and working in Jamaica Plain. Wyrick’s work is autobiographical in nature. Much of Wyrick’s work is concerned with the exploration of identity, masculinity, and sexuality, especially in relation to memory. This approach has been guiding Wyrick in the creation of objects or performances that draw from a fraction of a much larger image or issue.
Helina Metaferia: These Words Matter
Date and time: August 23 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: Dudley Square Branch Library, 65 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
Helina Metaferia lives in Roxbury and is an Ethiopian-American fine artist specializing in mixed media visual artwork. She works with themes of power, self-realization, and divine femininity. Her art has been shown in museums and galleries nationwide, and has also completed over 20 large-scale murals in the Washington, DC region. Helina received her formal art education at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and at Morgan State University, where she obtained her Bachelors Degree in Fine Art. Helina is currently a Masters Candidate at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Alejandro Pinto: Untitled. (Portrait of Malcolm X)
Date: Installation in early-September
Location: 2201 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
Alejandro Pinto lives in Hyde Park and attended Mass College of Art and Design, majoring in Film and Illustration. He has completed legal graffiti art projects in Roxbury (Bartlett Yard), Dorchester (Dorchester Baseball, The Murphy Middle School, Cavata Clothing, Beantown Athletics, Crossfit 617), and South Boston (F-15 Training Center and Peter Welch’s Boxing Gym). Pinto’s work can be seen on The Travel Channel’s “No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain” and television show “The Fighters.”
James Ovid Mustin, Ricardo Gomez, Thomas Burns: Untitled (Nelson Mandela Mural)
Date: Install/Painting will begin in early September
Location: Wall at intersection of Warren & Clifford Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
James Ovid Mustin is a Roxbury/Jamaica Plain-based painter, printmaker, and muralist, inspired by and integrated in the physical environment around him. He holds a Masters of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and his works can be found in numerous private and public collections, including the Boston Public Library and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Ricardo Gomez (DEME 5) is a native of the Dominican Republic, currently living in Dorchester. DEME5 [d?m-f?v] draws inspiration from his gritty environment, using a keen sense of design and stylized vision to transform any surface put before him. Although aerosol is his primary medium, he often incorporates different mediums to execute his ideas. His future goals include exhibiting at contemporary institutions, collaborating with like-minded artists, and sharing his work with the people of Boston and the world.
Thomas Burns is born and raised in Boston. He is an artist that works in a variety of mediums and has worked on murals throughout the city as well as displayed his art in local galleries.
