2024 Gratitude List
November 27, 2024
Thank you for joining us as we transform Boston through the power of public art!
GRATEFUL FOR A TRANSFORMATIVE YEAR
This has been a momentous year for Boston Public Art Triennial, and we are unbelievably grateful to everyone who has made it possible. In honor of this season of giving thanks, we present our annual Gratitude List, thanking the innumerable supporters, collaborators, and partners who have made this year truly transformative. We are grateful for each and every one of you joining us as we co-create a vibrant public art city that is open to all.
This year, we changed our name to Boston Public Art Triennial to signal our focus on the city-wide public art exhibition that will continue to open minds, conversations, and space across Boston starting May 22, 2025. We do this work together; every activation, celebration, and partnership has been an opportunity for us to learn and grow together as we join in envisioning a Boston without siloes—a city that is open to all and enlivened with public art. The artists, partners, vendors, community members, generous contributors, visitors, and most importantly, YOU are essential to the Boston Public Art Triennial.
The extraordinary support of the Triennial partners has made this city-wide exhibition a reality. We are so grateful to be working with a Community Advisory Group comprised of dedicated and passionate community members Ola Akinwumi, Edosa Osemwegie, Anny Thach, Alfredo Muñoz, Audrey Seraphin, Sean Webster, Tanya Nixon-Silberg, Johane Alexis-Phanor, Long Tong, Magdiela Matta, and Farah Lachmi. The involvement of these Community Captains is essential to the mission of the Triennial.
Thank you to Augusta Meill, Ava Nordling, and Sabrina Dorsainvil at Agncy for supporting our goal of equitable social engagement throughout our programming this year and into the inaugural Boston Public Art Triennial. We are also grateful for the support of the museums we are partnering with for the Triennial, including the MassArt Art Museum (MAAM), Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Massachusetts Institute of Technology / List Visual Arts Center, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. We would also like to extend our gratitude to TDC’s work on our Theory of Change and evaluation methods to measure how public art makes Boston a more open and equitable city, generously supported by the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation.
As we prepared to make this leap into a first for the region, generous Community Listening Session hosts and partners brought their communities together to share what makes their neighborhoods special. Thank you to Cagen Luse from Comics in Color Festival at Roxbury Community College, to the folks at Nubian Market, and to Amy Layton at the Boston Public Library Parker Hill Branch for supporting Community Listening Sessions across Roxbury. We are so grateful for all our time spent learning more about what makes Roxbury stand out for each attendee. We are so thankful to Lori Lobenstine, Anulfo Báez, and Joëlle Fontaine for helping us host a Community Listening Session at Design Studio for Social Intervention (DS4SI), where community members shared their passion for supporting their local artists. We got to share the infectious neighborhood pride of Mattapan residents who were brought together for a Community Listening Session by Kathleen Kelehe at the Mattapan Branch, Gianna Gifford, Chief of Adult Library Services, Caren Rosales, System-wide Adult Program Librarian, and Jennifer Raymond, who provided French Creole translation. We are grateful to Maverick Landing Community Services, Will Patten, Rita Lara, and Maverick Makers Pro, who supported a Community Listening Session where we learned that the youth want more art throughout East Boston. We are delighted to be doing exactly that in the upcoming Triennial! Thank you to Teresa Tran for allowing us to share more about the Triennial in Dorchester with the youth at Asian American Resource Workshop. Last but not least, a huge thank you to PRX Podcast Garage for hosting a Community Listening Session in Allston.
We are immensely grateful to Artistic Director Pedro Alonzo and Curator Tess Lukey, who have been indispensable powerhouses of curatorial expertise as we prepare to open Boston’s inaugural Public Art Triennial. And, of course, thank you to Curatorial Assistant Inés Maldonado Cabañas for providing Pedro with support over the course of this significant undertaking.
Guided by the theme of The Exchange, Pedro and Tess have worked tirelessly to ensure that their curatorial vision is realized as they pair experts with artists. From plastic degradation organization Breaking (with Sukanya Punthambaker and Vaskar Gnyawali) to zero waste strategist Kirstie Pecci, Executive Director at Just Zero, we look forward to tackling climate change together through art and action. We are also grateful for Rodney Eason, Director of Horticulture & Landscape at Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University. We are incredibly grateful to Jimena Chavez, Chris Cotrone, and Breaktime Associates at Breaktime for their enthusiastic participation in the upcoming Triennial. In addition, we want to extend our gratitude to the Triennial Curatorial Advisory Group, including Ian Alteveer, Dan Byers, Jeffrey De Blois, Jose Falconi, Karin Goodfellow, Mary Jane Jacob, Jessica May, Kymberly Pinder, Trevor Smith, and Lisa Tung for their support in selecting the curators and artists for the 2025 Triennial.
THE TRIENNIAL ACCELERATOR IS MADE POSSIBLE BY
The Accelerator program looks a little different this year as three artists prepare new commissions for the 2025 Triennial at Lot Lab. We are so impressed by Triennial Accelerator artists Alison Croney Moses, Andy Li, and Evelyn Rydz for boldly joining us for this new endeavor. We also want to thank jury members Cher Krause Knight, Gabriel Sosa, J. Cottle, José Falconi, and Tess Lukey for supporting the Triennial Accelerator artists this year. We could not have run the Accelerator workshops without the support of the many speakers who shared the breadth of their knowledge with the Triennial Accelerator artists. Thank you to Adam Torres of Greenway Public Art; Paul Ramirez Jonas; Laurel McLaughlin, Curator and Director of the Collective Futures Fund and Tufts University Art Galleries; Abigail Satinsky, Program Officer & Curator of Arts and Culture at the Wagner Foundation; and past Accelerator and Lot Lab artist, Sam Fields. Each speaker's time, care, and attention to the Triennial Accelerator artists was priceless.
TRIENNIAL 2025 PARTNERS
We are indebted to Triennial Advisory Group members Jennifer Epstein, Rixy Fernandez, Cher Krause Knight, Catherine T. Morris, Robin Powell Mandjes, Paul Ramírez Jonas, Rachel Kay, Leslie Riedel, Abigail Satinsky, and Emi Winterer, who advised on the site-specificity of Triennial artworks and ensured we engaged intentionally with community members throughout the development of this first-ever city-wide art exhibition.
An unbelievable amount of time and effort goes into putting on a city-wide public art exhibition. We are grateful to everyone who has supported us along the way. Thank you to Mass Audubon Boston Nature Center, Rebecca, Sarah, Emily at BxP, Zach at SGH, Michael Nichols, Kelsey Pramik at Downtown Boston Alliance (DBA), Citywide Contracting (CWC), and Robin DiGiammarino and Jules Pieri at Navy Yard Garden & Art for working with us. We also want to extend our gratitude to Paul Alexander, Amber, and Birgit Wurster at the Boston Art Commission and Karin Goodfellow, Kenny Mascary, and Denyel Fonseca in the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. Finally, thank you to Harriot Hoffman of Cleary Insurance.
We danced the night away at the Triennial Launch Party to celebrate our transformation this spring. The events team at Grace by Nia did an amazing job of making sure we were able to focus on celebrating the announcement of Boston’s first-ever Triennial while photographer Annielly Camargo and videographer Casey Preston of WhiteBirch Media spent the night documenting our excitement. We are indebted to Siena Scarff of Siena Scarff Design for designing and developing our brand identity, graphic language, and website.
The inaugural Boston Public Art Triennial is a major first for Boston, and we are delighted to be working with Diana Brown McCloy, with support from Hayley McManus, at Teak Media + Communication. We are also extremely grateful to work with Alison Andrea Lopez, Emma Gilhooly, and the rest of the team at Pelham Communications as we reach national and international audiences.
TO THE CITY OF BOSTON
The 2025 Boston Public Art Triennial and the public art at Lot Lab and Accelerator sites would not have been possible this year without the generous support of our friends in the City of Boston, the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, and the Boston Art Commission. We can’t imagine launching Triennial 2025 without Kara Elliot-Ortega, Chief of Arts and Culture, by our side. We wish her well as she departs MOAC, leaving big shoes to fill. We’re indebted to Kara’s leadership in creating a collaborative environment across city departments and cultural organizations alike — not to mention holding us together through the COVID-19 pandemic.
THE TRIENNIAL IS FUELED BY BOLD BOSTONIANS
The Boston Public Art Triennial is a transformative exhibition that will open up the city of Boston in a way that has never been seen before. We could not be more grateful for Triennial 2025 Supporters, including Founding Donor Alnoba / Lewis Family Foundation, and additional funders including Joyce Linde and Linde Family Foundation and Barbara + Amos Hostetter, City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, Meg + Tomas Bergstrand, Lisa Tung + Spencer Glendon, Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation, Wagner Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Boston Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts’ Public Art Program with funding from the Barr Foundation, Faith + Glenn Parker, Rowland Foundation, Kathy + Gary Sharpless, Jesse + Ronni Baerkahn, Alexi + Steven Conine, Steven Corkin + Dan Maddalena, Karen + Rob Hale, The Andrée LeBoeuf Foundation, and Natalie Williams.
We are grateful to Bryan, Rebecca, and Sara at View Boston as well as Tatyana and Trevor at Artists for Humanity for their support in our first Open Circle event this fall. We are also thankful to The ‘Quin House team, including Courtney, Susan, and Regina, for their support hosting an inspiring conversation between Pedro Alonzo and Kate Chertavian.
INSPIRATIONAL WORK BY ACCELERATOR COHORT 6
This year’s Accelerator artists blew us away with their compassion and commitment to public art in Boston. We are so grateful to Boston Children’s Museum, Mendell Elementary School, and (Accelerator alum!) Tanya Nixon-Silberg at Little Uprisings for their support of Accelerator artist Sarah Brophy’s project Climate Monsters. Accelerator artist Nelly Kate’s project Into the Ground, Into the Body, was made possible with support from the Egleston Square Branch Public Library, Boston Public Libraries, Friends of the Egleston Square Branch Public Library, and Justin Looper. We were delighted to celebrate the opening of Jeremy “Sobek” Harrison’s Accelerator project, Return to Nature at The Food Project, and bring home some fresh veggies this fall! And finally, we are looking forward to the opening of Accelerator Cohort 6 artist Michael Berthaud’s project with support from the Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library, Boston Design Academy (BDA) at Timothy Smith Network (TSN), and Sociedad Latina STEAM Team opening Saturday, December 7.
ACCELERATOR COHORT 6 WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY
We are beyond thankful for the generous Accelerator 2024 Supporters Joyce Linde and Linde Family Foundation and James + Audrey Foster.
HONORING PRESENCE IN CHARLESTOWN
We gathered in Lot Lab many times between June and October this year to honor “presence” and celebrate the vibrancy of our communities through public art. We are so grateful to everyone who made that possible, beginning with Lot Lab artists Ifé Franklin, Hugh Hayden, and Matthew Akira Okazaki. Thank you to Thal Balanis at Lisson Gallery, who helped bring Hugh Hayden’s piece Gulf Stream to Charlestown. We are also grateful to Louisa Najar, Spring 2024 Creative Justice Fellow, who came to us through Cultural Equity Incubator (CEI) and Arts Connect International (ACI) for providing curatorial support for Lot Lab. We would also like to thank Sarah Montross at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum and Gannit Ankori, Madeleine Delpha, and Chad Sirois at the Rose Art Museum for supporting us as partners for Hugh Hayden’s artist talk with WBUR’s Arielle Gray upon the opening of the comprehensive survey Hugh Hayden: Home Work at the Rose Art Museum.
An important part of public art is fabricating it, and we are endlessly grateful to Jane Long, Aurelia Delaney, Bianca Mauro, and Lily Leonard at BRM Production Management. Thank you, Michael Karmody, for fabricating TORII. We also want to thank Maquette for ensuring that the artwork arrived safely.
We were so inspired by everyone who joined us to celebrate the opening of Lot Lab this year. From DJ Mx. Blaire’s beats to delicious vegan and gluten-free treats provided by Maple & Maine, we are always grateful for these opportunities to gather together as we experience the power of public art. Thank you, Dee Spinkston, for providing ASL Translation at the Lot Lab Opening Celebration to support our dedication to accessible public art events. We are so grateful to artist Maria Fong, who designed and led the paper charms activity for Matthew Okazaki’s piece TORII. Thank you to Dominic Chavez for capturing the overflowing joy and laughter we shared at this opening. We are also grateful to Faith Ninivaggi for capturing gorgeous fall photos of the Lot Lab projects for us.
This summer, Lot Lab artist Ifé Franklin led us in a profoundly moving Processional for Mark, Phillis, and Phebe. We are unbelievably grateful to Ride for Black Lives, led by Tiffany Cogell, for their partnership, Baby Boyle Bouquets for supplying flowers, and Jamaica Mi Hungry for ensuring we were well-fed for the day. We are so grateful to Marlene Boyette for offering a sound bath and meditation as we worked toward healing together at the Processional for Mark, Phillis, and Phebe.
We gathered together at Lot Lab on many meaningful occasions in 2024. We are grateful to Anna Lena Fisher and Stacey Pekman Kan at Mobile Makers, who led us in a creatively-charged family and youth program where attendees could design their own monuments. We shared coffee with the seniors of Charlestown in partnership with the Kennedy Center of Charlestown, thanks to Crystal Galvin and Kim Kyle. We also launched our talk series Let’s Talk: History, Public Memory, and Imagination with speakers Dell Marie Hamilton and Angela Counts in conversation with Africana Studies professor Nicole Aljoe, PhD. at the Charlestown Branch, BPL, thanks to Marlena Alleva and James Levins. This conversation was generously moderated by Stephen Hamilton, a Triennial 2025 artist.
Lot Lab programming would not have been possible this year without the brilliant and dedicated Public Art Ambassadors who spent their weekends inviting the public to engage with the artwork. A huge thank you goes out to PAAs Daja Carter-Taylor, Ariel Campbell, Yuko Okabe, Alex Leondedis, Ashley Jin, Adha Mohamed, Louisa Najar, and Rebecca Lipsitch. You are all public art rockstars! We are also beyond grateful to the program partners who brought Lot Lab to life again and again this summer. Thank you to Ola Akinwumi for bringing AfroDesiaCity to Lot Lab for Soulful Bliss Arts and Music Festival. The Triennial PAAs had an amazing experience conducting tours for attendees during the festival.
We are indebted to Liza Stearns at the National Parks Service and Climate Conservation Corps for supporting this large-scale project in the Navy Yard and to Kelly Sherman, Jenn Coyne, and Nick Pioppi at Boston Harbor Now for their partnership in supporting the programming surrounding Lot Lab.
LOT LAB IS MADE POSSIBLE BY
Un-monument | Re-monument | De-monument: Transforming Boston, an initiative by the City of Boston that promotes a more engaged, reflective, creative, and active relationship with the city’s landscape and built environment through temporary monuments and free public programming. The Triennial is proud to serve as a curatorial partner to Un-monument. We are also overwhelmingly grateful to Eastern Bank Foundation for their support.
Did we mention the unbelievably talented team behind Boston Public Art Triennial? Shoutout to the Triennial team members: Operations Director Charles Bent, Operations Manager Jamison Cloud, Project Manager Morgan Collins, Project and Exhibitions Director Leo Crowley, Curatorial Fellow Amor Díaz-Campos, Partnerships and Engagement Associate Emerson Holloway, Development Coordinator Gisela Levy, Assistant Curator Jasper Sanchez, Director of Partnerships and Engagement Marguerite Wynter, and Communications Associate Natasha Zinos. We want to extend a thank you to the folks who work with us from outside the organization as well, including V.A. Theo Kitheka, Brand Advisor Sarah Davis Jennings, Design Assistant Abbie Buchwald, and consultants Jodi Wolen and Sharon McDonald, who help us secure our funding. And, of course, thank you to Sylvia Stagg-Giuliano for all our beautiful staff headshots.
We extend much respect and gratitude to the foundations that continue to fuel and underwrite our growth with unrestricted funds. We express our profound appreciation to the Barr Foundation, Wagner Foundation, and Massachusetts Cultural Council for trusting us to use funds where they’re needed most. We are grateful for similar financial support and cohort building with peers across the Commonwealth as part of the Barr-Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative. We have grown to be an adaptive organization with you all through the six years of BKMAI.We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the vital role each and every one of you plays in transforming Boston into an open, public art city. Please join us in transforming Boston by contributing to our Annual Fund Campaign. Your support is greatly appreciated!
We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the vital role each and every one of you plays in transforming Boston into an open, public art city. With the launch of Triennial 2025, we are poised to increase our mission’s impact exponentially, and your support is greatly appreciated. Please consider making a donation today at www.thetriennial.org/give. Or mark your calendar for December 3, Giving Tuesday, and triple your impact on this one day when the Board will triple-match all donations up to $10,000.
Your participation supports artistic risk-taking and surprising art experiences that foster curiosity, imagination, and innovation—a vibrant and open Boston—today and in the future.
Wishing you a restful day of good food and the people you love most. Happy Thanksgiving!
With Gratitude,
Kate Gilbert, Executive Director
With The Triennial Board of Directors: Jesse Baerkahn, Silvia López Chavez, Michele Davis, Sabrina Dorsainvil, Mathieu Gaulin, Lee Ann Gilligan, Charla Jones, Natalie Lemle, Kathy Sharpless, Matt Thoms, Lisa Tung, and Natalie Williams with Emeritus Board members Chris Colbert and Audrey Foster