About Our Field Guide
In order to provide a better understanding of the smaller communities and cultures within Boston, we want to go into the meanings and origins of certain pieces of art around the city. By looking at statues, murals, and even graffiti, we will go into how these different forms of art define subcultures in Boston. This city is built on many different generations and it was the center of America’s creation. So, there is a lot of history in Boston and with certain works of art we can understand our city on a deeper meaning. For our guide, we want to reach out to people who are new to Boston and want to understand the culture that is generated in this city, whether that be tourists or even college students, the guide will be accessible for everyone. Our guide will provide new information that will aid in familiarizing people with the city. This is especially important for college students who could be spending four plus years here in Boston. In order to make the guide more accessible for students and tourists we will make a website and use lighter and more inviting language to attract these groups to our guide. Additionally, those that have disabilities will be able to visit the sites we go through in our guide; many of the sites we want to talk about are already handicap-friendly.
In order to make our field guide effective, we want to integrate pictures. Using pictures is the best way to express our ideas about these certain areas in Boston. So, in order to attract people to our field guide, especially in today’s society, pictures will be the best way to bring people to our field guide.
To carry our plan out, we all split up and found different works of art around Boston. This was effective because we came back together and discussed the meanings and importance of the pieces we found. In doing this, we also got a comprehensive definition of the community where the art is. When we came back together, we also did research on the make-up of these communities that we found, who lives there, general income, history, etc.
This whale mural was painted by Ronnie Deziel in 1998. Rhode Island artist Ronnie Deziel’s monumental mural of a trio of killer whales leaping out of the sea, with dolphins cavorting below, is an icon of Boston’s South End. Long visible from Route 93, the 125-foot-tall painting has become harder to see since a new building rose between it and the highway in 2014, but sharp eyes can still spot it as you drive by.
(Another whale mural visible along Route 18 in New Bedford was painted by a different artist, muralist Wyland, who has been painting “Whaling Walls” internationally since the 1980s to raise environmental awareness.)
Directions from 150 Boylston Street:
1. Turn left onto Charles Street S and follow for 0.2 miles.
2. Turn left onto Tremont Street.
3. Turn right onto Shawmut Avenue and follow for 0.1 miles.
4. Turn left onto Marginal Rd.
5. Turn right onto Washington St.
6. Turn left onto Traveler St. Walk for 0.1 miles. Destination will be on right.
Underground at Ink Block is located underneath an 8 Acre underpath right next to downtown Boston. Ink Block was developed by National Development, a development company from right here in New England. The main attraction of Ink Block is the Mural Project put forth in 2017, which brought together renowned street artists from all over the world to create on over 150,000 square feet of walls. The Mural Project was developed in collaboration with Reebok as well as Street Theory, a creative agency intent on the production and direction of street art. Reebok’s brand president Mark O’Toole expressed his excitement to be a part of Ink Block by highlighting its focus on “art, music, movement, and community.”
Directions from 33 Traveler Street:
1. Walk 400 ft on Traveler Street.
Mayor Martin Walsh announced that the Peters Park Art Wall was to be painted by Genaro Ortega. In 1986, the wall was proclaimed a legal graffiti wall to discourage vandalism in the South End. The mural painted by Ortega, serves to enrich the neighborhood along with preserving and celebrating the cultural diversity of the area. Over the years since its creation in the 1850s, the South End has grown to be one of the most diverse communities in Boston. Ethnically and economically, this neighborhood attracts many different people and this mural reflects that. Ortega wanted to highlight the diversity of this area by paying homage to current equality movements in the city. The wall is a voice for the voiceless and an outlet for social commentary in the form of imagery that unifies, inspires, and uplifts the community.
Directions from Underground at Ink Block:
1. Walk 0.4 miles along Traveler St.
2. Turn left onto Washington St. Walk for 0.2 miles. Destination will be on right.
This mural is done on the outside of the Boston Chinese Evangelical Church. The church is a part of Chinatown and attracts many people from around the area. The mural outlines the community’s beliefs, regarding faith, family, and life. This idea is held throughout Chinese culture here in Boston. In the 1950s, life in Chinatown was threatened by the construction of the Central Artery and because of this, many families had no place to go. Family is a cornerstone in Chinese culture, as outlined by the mural, and even through this rough time in its history, families in Chinatown kept pursuing and sticking together to make it the community it is today.
Directions from Peters Park Art Wall:
1. Turn left out of Peters Park from the way you came in onto Washington St.
2. Walk on Washington St. for 0.4 miles.
3. Turn left onto Herald St. Destination will be on left.
This mural was done by Silvia Chavez-Lopez. It's located on the back of Ruggles Station by Northeastern University. The mural itself works in collaboration with the theme of transporation, featuriung arrows and targets. The title of the mural, '999 Cranes,' is meant to represent the Japanese story that says that once you have made 1,000 cranes, you will achieve happiness. The mural as a whole aims to invoke a positive, inspirational message to those who see it.
Directions from Boston's Chinese Evangelical Church:
1. Leave the church and turn left back onto Herald St.
2. Turn left onto Chandler St and follow for 0.3 miles.
3. Turn left onto Columbus Ave and follow for 0.9 miles.
4. Turn left onto Cunard St.
5. Turn right onto Tremont St. Follow until you reach Ruggles St.
6. Turn right onto Ruggles St.
7. Take pathway that leads into Centennial Common behind the Ruggles Upper Busway.
This mural is called the 'The Work Begins' mural, and it was done by Katie Yamasaki and Caleb Neelon in 2014. The mural uses a mixture of portraits and spray paint to create a playful image that children will enjoy.
Directions from Ruggles Station:
1. Turn left from Ruggles St onto Albert St.
2. Turn right onto Prentiss St.
3. Turn left onto Parker St.
4. Turn right onto Smith St. Destination will be on your left.
This mural was done by Caleb Neelon in 2016. This mural lies in Allston at 510 Lincoln St. Neelon is a Boston native and has put up lots of work all over the city. Allston is another old community in Boston. Since the 1960s and 70s, the community has been growing immensely, especially since it is a hub for younger generations. There are several colleges in the Allston area and many students frequent the mural to add to their social media accounts. Additionally with all the people coming to the area, Allston has witnessed rapid gentrification. For some people in the area, the mural stands to inspire people to make changes that better the community in a neighborhood that is seeing lots of change.
Directions from Tobin School:
1. Take the bus from Tremont St @ Tobin Community Center to N Harvard Street @ Empire St.
2. Walk straight from the bus stop along Empire St until it turns into Lincoln St. Destination will be on your right.
This alley is in the heart of Central Square and its fundamental purpose is to connect Massachusetts Ave. with a public parking lot. It’s fun to see each and every graffiti and mostly because artists go there and constantly change it. This wall is the only place where graffiti artists can paint without the fear of being arrested. A street artist named Merkaveli grew a few blocks away from Central and he has been painting in the alley at least twice a month since it opened in 2007. This is so well known these days that even friends from out of town and sometimes even out of the country go all the way to Cambridge to paint. They come from New York, Baltimore and even Canada. “It’s kind of crazy because some people won’t even wait for the paint to dry on a piece before painting over it,” he says. Local artist and co-creator of the wall, Geof Hargadon says the idea for an open space for artists to display their talents. He came up with this idea with Gary Strack, a restaurateur, the owner of Central Kitchen and its upstairs neighbor Brick and Mortar. They just wanted to create and open space for people to express themselves without any restrictions. Central is the more open-minded neighborhood in Cambridge and even though the wall is free-for-all they also treat it with respect.
Directions from 510 Lincoln Street:
1. Turn left onto Lincoln St.
2. Turn left onto Cambridge St. Follow for 0.4 miles.
3. Cambridge St eventually turns into River St. Follow for additional 0.7 miles.
4. Turn right onto Massachusetts Ave. Destination will be on your left.
An interesting and defining aspect of graffiti alley is the print on the wall opposite the graffiti, as it is the only part of the alley that does not changed until it is replaced. As of April, the print presents a diverse array of citizens making up the Boston area, including an acknowledgement of the projects of gentrification that have overtaken the Cambridge area. The man with the shirt reading “don’t turn our homes into another real estate project,” is directly addressing the issue of lower income residents being driven out of their Cambridge in the past as a result of Boston urban renewal initiatives, such as the influx of trendy and expensive restaurants and stores in the area.. There is even an image of construction being done to Cambridge Central Square.
Since 2016, the Boston Redevelopment Authority has been actively working on projects of urban renewal development in more impoverished areas in Boston, planned until 2022. As a result, occupants of these areas are forced to move out, as their fate is decided my planners and administrators controlling their property value.