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(Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public
Library rendering. Credit: Utile)
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BOSTON - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - Mayor
Martin J. Walsh and the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, in
collaboration with the Boston Art Commission, today announced the City of
Boston is seeking an artist or artist team to create a permanent public
artwork for the Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library. This is the
second of two public art projects at the branch funded by the City's Percent
for Art Program.
"Nubian Square has long been a
commercial and cultural hub for the area, and the Roxbury Branch library
has served as an anchor to the surrounding community for many years,"
said Mayor Walsh. "I think these new artworks will enliven the space
even more, and will make an excellent addition to this beloved community
gathering space."
The City is currently completing a $17.2
million renovation to the Roxbury Branch. These efforts have fully
modernized the facility, created a warm and welcoming environment, and
enhanced its presence in the Roxbury community. The renovation includes a
new welcome area overlooking a redesigned plaza; improved visibility and
openness; dedicated space for children, teens, and adults; a prominently
featured African-American collection; a nutrition lab and learning lab;
refreshed collections; and more. The Boston Art Commission
also refurbished an existing piece in the City's permanent collection,
The Word, by Vusumuzi Maduna and Obie Simonis, which was re-installed on
the facade of the building.
The budget for this project is $150,000, and
the call is open to all artists, national and international, with a strong
preference for artists connected to Roxbury. The artwork will be located in
the library's main entrance, housing the African-American collection, and
will be visible from the front entrance along Dudley Street. It is expected
to be installed in August 2021.
Artists' and artist teams' responses to this
Call should consider the recent renaming of the Building from the
Dudley Branch to the Roxbury Branch and the neighborhood from Dudley Square
to Nubian Square, the library's featured African-American collection, and
the theme of economic justice in their narrative proposal. The King Center
for Economic Justice is exploring a formal partnership with the Roxbury
Branch, and it intends to be the action component of King
Boston's two-pronged strategy to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and
Coretta Scott King, with the other prong being the creation of a memorial
artwork on the Boston Common.
"Roxbury is home to many artists,
activists and community members who have dedicated a tremendous amount of
time and effort to enhancing our entire city," said Kara
Elliott-Ortega, Chief of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston.
"It's exciting to be able to celebrate this neighborhood's
contributions and cultural vitality through these new projects."
In December 2019, the City announced
artist Joe Wardwell was selected to create the first project at the
branch that was funded by the Percent for Art program. He is working in
collaboration with local poet and former Boston Artist-in-Residence Nakia
Hill, and youth writers at the YLab at 826 Boston. His project will
overlook the central collections space and will be installed in late 2020.
The FY21-25 Capital Plan allocates $15
million to the Percent for Art program over the next five years. This,
combined with $80,000 for temporary public art projects and several new
City staff positions, is the most funding the City has ever dedicated to
public art.
There will be a virtual Q&A session on September
2, and questions will be accepted until that date via this
form. The deadline to apply for this project is September 9, 2020 at 5
p.m. To learn more, visit here.
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