Reception for Out in the Open: Images of Public Art

Out in the Open features work by Amy Archambault, A+J Art+Design, Beth Galston, Maria Molteni, Gianna Stewart, and Joe Wight

This exhibition features documentation of contemporary public artworks in the greater Boston area by six artists (or artist groups) including works that repurpose, reenvision, and play with materials to create unique site specific experiences. The strategic use of bright colors — e.g. Wight’s pink chairs or Archambault’s bikes, patterns, and tennis balls — draws the viewer's attention from a distance. The symbolic use of color in A+J Art + Design’s (SOS) Safety Orange Swimmers is not only alluring to passers-by, it provides an opportunity for deep reflection about the struggles refugees face: the sculptures are floating in limbo away from the shoreline. The visual and conceptual significance of the locations in which the works are installed make them accessible to a broad audience. Amy Archambault’s inMotion: Memories of Invented Play beckons people on a heavily populated street to take time to playfully interact with others in her carefully constructed sculpture of repurposed athletic equipment. Through workshops as well as improvisational engagement Maria Molteni invited local community members to play a strategic role in her public basketball court makeovers, creating murals on the court floor which celebrate the contingencies of daily life as they unfold in the very spaces we play in. Beth Galston’s chain link fence, on the other hand, blends into the built environment to subtly confound our expectations of mundane infrastructure. From the climate change inspired works of Gianna Stewart to Joe Wight’s investigations of materiality and the human condition, Out in the Open surveys contemporary public art in Boston that is as cutting edge as it is accessible. This mix of artwork, which addresses our current cultural climate, serves to deepen the experience of the viewers and expose them to Boston’s ongoing evolution as a vibrant city.

Above image: SOS (Safety Orange Swimmers) by A+J Art+Design in the Fort Point Channel Art Basin, Boston, MA Oct-Dec 2016 (image courtesy of the artist)

• 
  Sponsored

  Affordable Spanish Classes in Boston (in-person and online courses) | BASE

  Monday, May 06, 2024 goes until 05/25

  Boston Area Spanish Exchange (BASE)
• 
  Sponsored

  WBUR Earth Week Events

  Tuesday, Apr 23, 2024 goes until 04/26

  WBUR CitySpace at The Lavine Broadcast Center

Sesh by The Boston Calendar | Advertise Terms | Privacy Policy | About