#Soldiers and Sailors Monument by Martin Milmore

[rabbitcruiser]

At nine o’clock on the morning on May 28, 1863, the 54th’s 1,007 black  soldiers and 37 white officers gathered in the Boston Common and prepared to head to the battlefields of the South. That evening, the 54th Infantry boarded a transport ship bound for Charleston.    

[nunoxaviermoreira]

Erie PA by Themarrero At Perry Square in downtown Erie Pennsylvania back in 2018 the bronze Soldiers and Sailors Monument that was designed by Martin Milmore and was erected to honor the soldiers and sailors of Erie County that made the ultimate sacrifice in the American Civil War. The sad tale about this particular sculpture is even though it was completed between 1872-1875, there was much controversy about its location, so it wasn’t dedicated until 1939. At that point only 2 veterans from Erie County were still amongst the living and neither was able to make the dedication ceremony. This image was taken on a frigid bone chilling night in December during a work related trip to the area. #developportdev @gothamtomato @developphotonewsletter @omsystem.cameras #excellent_america @bheventspace @bhphoto @adorama @tamracphoto https://flic.kr/p/2n7teVc

[rabbitcruiser]

At nine o’clock on the morning on May 28, 1863, the 54th’s 1,007 black  soldiers and 37 white officers gathered in the Boston Common and prepared to head to the battlefields of the South. That evening, the 54th Infantry boarded a transport ship bound for Charleston.    

[rabbitcruiser]

At nine o’clock on the morning on May 28, 1863, the 54th’s 1,007 black soldiers and 37 white officers gathered in the Boston Common and prepared to head to the battlefields of the South. That evening, the 54th Infantry boarded a transport ship bound for Charleston.  

[rabbitcruiser]

At nine o’clock on the morning on May 28, 1863, the 54th’s 1,007 black soldiers and 37 white officers gathered in the Boston Common and prepared to head to the battlefields of the South. That evening, the 54th Infantry boarded a transport ship bound for Charleston.

[rabbitcruiser]

Public Art, Boston (No. 1)

In the past few years, excitement has been growing around Greater Boston about new possibilities for public art after a string of spectacular temporary projects — JR’s mural of a man standing on a raft wheatpasted onto the side of the (former) Hancock building, Janet Echelman’s glowing rope web suspended over the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Amanda Parer’s giant inflatable rabbits at Lawn On D and graffiti stars Os Gemeos’ giant painting of a cartoon guy at Dewey Square.

As these projects have embraced more delight and daring, I’ve been thinking about the long-term public artworks around here.

Former Boston Globe art critic Sebastian Smee has calledour community’s collection of public art “frankly mediocre” and “relentlessly conservative.” Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham has lamented our “stodgy legions of bronze figures depicting politicians and sporting or other heroes.” Boston has some of the greatest 19th century bronze monuments in the nation, but overall, the collection is seen as too white, too male, too bronze, too dated, too dull.

This ranking of public art around Greater Boston is an attempt to reassess what we have, and to make a more full accounting by acknowledging the best pieces in our downtown parks and government plazas — while looking beyond, out into our neighborhoods and suburbs.

This list adopts a more expansive definition of art — accommodating “fine art” sculptures as well as landmark signs, graffiti, dinosaurs, conceptual art, psychogeography, secrets and surprises often left out of other lists. There are familiar stories here, but also stories rarely told. Exploring our community’s public art this way, you get a deeper vision of what we have, of the rich histories of our many, diverse communities, of different possibilities already (if perhaps tentatively) being explored.

How does one begin to rank the area's best public art? My criteria include aesthetics (beginning with beauty, but more than that), pleasure, meaning.

How does the artwork represent our history and traditions, the diversity and accomplishments of all our neighborhoods? How does it reveal how Boston has changed, is changing? Is it fun? Does the artwork make its site better? Have we embraced the artwork and made it our own? (For example, the way people play on and dress up the Public Garden ducklings.) How does it embrace the public part of public art?

My research has involved digging into history as well as conversations with artists, public art advocates and architects. But, in the end, it’s rooted in years of walking our streets as a critic, an artist and a neighbor.

Of course, these rankings, like any rankings, are ultimately subjective. This list represents my favorites. Today. It’s meant to be the beginning of a discussion about what we value in public art here and our vision for where we’d like public art to go.

So please let us know what you’re happy I included, what you’re sad I overlooked, what should have been ranked lower, what should have been ranked higher. And please let us know (in the comments, or on social mediausing #wburpublicart) about your own explorations of our community’s public art.

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