VISIONING THE FUTURE
As part of Action Pact 2022, we are delighted to present Visioning the Future, a series of ephemeral public art installations intended to provoke thought and raise awareness about the impacts of climate change. The Boston Green Ribbon Commission, in partnership with The Experience Alchemists, commissioned six Boston-based artists to imagine climate-themed artworks using materials that have no long-term environmental impact. The installations will appear in publicly accessible areas at prominent organizations across the City of Boston starting in April 2022.
We worked with our Action Pact member organizations to identify highly trafficked locations across a diverse swath of the City of Boston. Final locations and images of the works will be revealed close to the event, via social media and press alerts. The timing and duration of each installation is unpredictable, because they are exposed to the elements and will last as long as the artistic materials and weather allow.
We invite you to create your own climate change-inspired artwork and share it on your social media channels! Tag us at @actionpactboston and use the hashtag #VisioningTheFuture and you may see your work featured on our social channels.
About the Artists and Installations
Erin Genia
The Rose Kennedy GreenwayAugust 16th – As long as it lasts (at least October)!
Tuȟmaǧatipi” is a sculptural pollinator waterer and habitat created using the Dakota morning star form, and built with sustainable materials – clay, natural composites, driftwood. It relies on Indigenous science to honor the key role of pollinators and plants, who are increasingly threatened by climate change. The work explores how a sculptural form can play a role in habitat restoration. The Wildflower Meadow is an undeveloped tract of the Rose Kennedy Greenway that supports many bee species, butterflies and moths. Tuȟmaǧatipi – the Dakota word for beehive – seeks to give back to the meadow ecosystem by providing respite to native pollinators right in the middle of the city.
Emily Larsen
Boston Children's MuseumMay 31st - June 1st, 2022
Follow along a reimagined 3D chalk waterway to discover local marine life thriving in an abundant and diverse ecosystem. As visitors walk the path they will find lobsters, clams, fish, turtles, barnacles, and birds. The colorful and vibrant aquatic maze is a reminder of the rich and complex balance that we must maintain in order to keep the environment protected and healthy. Climate change adversely affects animal species, plant life, and our water by disrupting the ecological balance and health of our local waterways. By following the red dotted line along the path, visitors will discover endangered species like Common Terns as well as eelgrass, an important element of marine habitat that provides food, shelter, and spawning grounds for so many species.
Yuko Okabe
Boston Medical Center May 3rd - 6th, 2022
Inspired by Boston Medical Center’s Rooftop Farm, Yuko’s mural will depict how nurturing plants and growing healthy foods contribute to mental and physical health. This playful charcoal work will feature the growth cycle of plants; from root and sprout to leaves and flowers. As traffic speeds past on Mass Ave, Yuko’s mural will calm passersby with imagery of neighbors breathing, exercising, and socializing while other community members tend and water a plot of land. A concrete window will peek into the growth and wellness that BMC works to create, showing that climate action influences all aspects of our collective health; how we care for ourselves as well as our capacity to care for others.
Silvia López Chavez
Lansdowne Street at Fenway ParkJuly 18th – As long as it lasts!
As humans, we burn fossil fuels which release carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions that warm the Earth and the oceans, causing sea levels to rise. Game On (GO) aims to bring awareness to potential flood damages if we continue on this path while connecting with the Fenway community through baseball and the historical park. The imagery hopes to instill a sense of urgency and call to action with Big Papi at the center stage. The title alludes to accepting the challenge and being ready to pursue it.
Ethan Murrow
Mendum Street Gate at the Arnold ArboretumJune 6th - July 6th, 2022
Using the logs and wood from the scrap pile in the Arboretum’s yard, Ethan Murrow’s Restoration is a celebration of the biodiversity and immensity of the Arboretum’s collection and a memorial to trees, death and rebirth.
The sculpture is formed by creating a massive downed and collaged tree from many different pieces of wood from the items in the yard. The “new” tree is made by butting the logs and limbs up against one another in an intentionally mismatched manner, a nod to the hard work and delicacy of tending to the trees’ health. The logs are held in place by simple wooden cradles to prevent movement. All of the materials used to join and support the piece are repurposed from older sculptures and will be recycled, composted, or reused in future artworks.
Restoration encourages investigation of the land and collection and to celebrate what is fertile and fruitful. Functioning like a big nurse log, the “tree” represents in a lot of ways a patient, propped up on supports and cobbled together, ready for its next stage of life. Intended to be slightly absurd and dynamic for viewers, this “tree” acts as a marker to visit and observe, a declaration of the Arboretum's extraordinary presence in the public community.
Felipe Ortiz
Franklin Park Zoo April 14th - 17th, 2022
With rapid changes in biodiversity and our natural environment in mind, Felipe Ortiz will create a multi-layered drawing at the doorstep of Franklin Park Zoo. Using organic materials such as charcoal, graphite, and natural binding mediums like gum arabic, his work will depict endangered migratory coastal birds such as terns, piping plovers, and warblers. Felipe will first lay down a detailed graphite drawing of skeletons. A second, more ephemeral layer of charcoal will depict detailed drawings of the birds. As the elements weather the piece, the charcoal will eventually fade, revealing just the skeleton of the endangered animal. This dramatic transformation will demonstrate the effects of climate change on animal life.
More artists and locations to be announced soon…
