The New England Foundation for the Arts has awarded $93,675 in annual Fund for the Arts grants supporting public art projects that will take place in the greater Boston area, including two in the South End.
The Fund for the Arts supports community-based organizations within Route 495 in Massachusetts to select and commission artists to create new, site-specific, contemporary public art. The fund supports permanent work at the planning or implementation phase as well as and temporary work.”
“This is an exciting time for the arts in Boston,” said NEFA executive director Cathy Edwards. “Fund for the Arts has a long history of investing in artistic projects that engage the public realm. From human-powered mobile art in Cambridge to creating an important space for reflection in South Boston, projects supported by NEFA engage diverse communities, encourage collaboration, and highlight a number of local artists.
The five Fund for the Arts advisors, Newell Flather, Ann Gund, Geoff Hargadon, Ted Landsmark and Tyra Sidberry, awarded grants to nine nonprofit organizations. The awards range from $2,500-$15,000 and support the following local project:
- Rosie’s Place, Boston: To support the implementation of a permanent commemorative installation at Dartmouth Street in Boston to honor the life and work of Kip Tiernan, founder of Rosie’s Place, the first emergency shelter for women in the nation. A relentless activist, Kip was at the center of the fight for economic and social justice in Boston and the Commonwealth. In March 2016, Rosie’s Place selected a finalized design from the architectural team of Carla Ceruzzi and Ryan Murphy of Ceruzzi and Murphy Projects (Boston, MA). Installation will be completed in the fall of 2016.
- Washington Gateway Main Street, Boston: To support the planning phase of an artistic bike rack project. In partnership with Artists For Humanity, Washington Gateway Main Street will work with AFH artists, including Haidan Hodgson (Boston, MA), and the community to design, produce and permanently place up to 18 bike racks along the almost one and a half mile-long Main Streets district through the South End and Lower Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston. These racks will all fit into an overall theme that speaks to the history and culture of a diverse community. Installation is planned for March, 2017.