Thank You For A Wonderful Year

All of us at Cambridge Arts would like to thank you for joining us in making our community more creative throughout 2022. Relive the highlights in the photos below. And we can't wait for you to see what we have in store for 2023.
In January, Cambridge Arts was honored with the Cambridge City Manager’s 2022 departmental Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award. Given by then City Manager Louis D. DePasquale in partnership with the City’s Employee Committee on Diversity, “These awards are an affirmation of our employees’ commitment to advancing anti-racism, diversity equity and inclusion, and the importance of creating an environment that supports, builds and sustains these ideals for employees and residents,” the City Council said in a Jan. 31 resolution honoring the winners.
The Cambridge Black Women's History Stroll in March highlighted amazing women who have shaped this city. The project was produced by Cambridge City Councillor E. Denise Simmons, the Cambridge History Museum, Cambridge Arts and the Central Square Business Improvement District.
Nailah Randall-Bellinger and RootsUprising performed ‘Initiation—In Love Solidarity,' a dance exploring the remembering of the Middle Passage as a means to reclaiming Black humanity, at Cambridge's Multicultural Arts Center on March 25, as part of Cambridge Arts Ripple Festival. (Craig Bailey photo)
In April 2022, Cambridge Arts, with the help of conservators Theresa Carmichael and Geraldine Brooks, restored Cambridge artist David Fichter's 1986 murals at the North Cambridge Senior Center. They cleaned, varnished and inpainted losses to repair damage caused by water and adhesives to make the murals as vibrant as when they were new.
In spring, Cambridge Arts' Conservation And Maintenance Program inspected, treated and cleaned dozens of public artworks across the city to preserve them for the future. Learn more about the program in the Cambridge Chronicle.
On April 30, the Louis A. DePasquale Universal Design Playground at Cambridge's Danehy Park was named in honor of the Cambridge City Manager who retired last summer after 45 years of service. The playground includes three public art projects that were overseen by Cambridge Arts.
Sarah Anne Stinnett’s poem “This Morning’s Reprieve” was imprinted this year as part of the City's Sidewalk Poetry Program at Raymond Park, along Walden Street near the Raymond Street intersection. New poems were chosen in March from 252 entries contributed this spring by Cambridge residents from across the city. 2022 Winners: Jane Attanucci, K. Householder, Jillian Murphy, Aelen Unan, Rachel Weinstein. Runners-up: Amy Bebergal, Judy Bright, Brianna Davis, Nancy Messom, Chloe Viner. Learn more in coverage from Cambridge Chronicle.
The City Night Readings Series presented poetry at Cambridge's Little Crêpe Cafe each Friday throughout May, as part of Cambridge Arts' Ripple Festival.
Gail Bos of Black Coral installed "Forgotten Souls of Tory Row" at History Cambridge's Hooper-Lee-Nichols House in May. The project, supported by an Art for Social Justice Grant from Cambridge Arts, brought attention to the enslaved people who helped build the historic wealth of Cambridge. The exhibit remains on view through April 7, 2023. Learn more about the project at Cambridge Day, Cambridge Chronicle, The Boston Globe and WBZ radio.
Fort Point Theatre Channel's "IDA 2022" brought legendary activist Ida B. Wells to life at Cambridge's Jill Brown Rhone Park in June to highlight her text "With no sacredness of the ballot, there can be no sacredness of human life itself..." The project was supported by a Local Cultural Council grant from Cambridge Arts.
Artists from Boston and Puerto Rico artists rehearsed "¡Bordes! Borders! ¡Bordes!," an experimental dance theater piece performed the Dance Complex @ Canal on June 17 and 18. The project was supported by a Local Cultural Council grant from Cambridge Arts.
Claudia Zarazua (left) began work as the City of Cambridge's first Arts and Culture Planning Director in June.
A ribbon cutting for Cambridge's Foundry at 101 Rogers St. was held on June 22. The facility, which opened in the fall, is an adaptive reuse of an historic industrial building to transform it into a self-sustaining center for creativity and collaboration. Learn more at Cambridge Day, WBUR and Cambridge Chronicle.
Director of Public Art Lillian Hsu participated in "Arts in the Park" at Clement Morgan Park on Columbia Street on June 25.
Director of Art Conservation Craig Uram primed John Tagiuri's 2002 "Chairs and Endless Lamps" at Sennott Park in June, in advance of repainting the public artwork so that it would look fresh when the renovation of the park was completed in November.
In July, Michael Corcoran of the Cambridge Electrical Department removed a shade from John Tagiuri's "Chairs and Endless Lamps" at Sennott Park, to help Cambridge Arts refurbish the public artwork in advance of the completion of the park's renovation in November.
Aelen Unan, a 2022 winner of the City's Sidewalk Poetry Program, reads at the July reception for "TRA•VERSE," an exhibition at Cambridge Arts' Gallery 344 highlighting the City's program of printing local authors' poetry in sidewalks across the community. The program is produced in partnership with the Cambridge Department of Public Works and the Cambridge Public Library.
Gabrielle Goodman performed during the second day of the Cambridge Jazz Festival on July 31. The event was sponsored by Cambridge Arts as part of our Ripple Festival programming. And Cambridge Arts partnered with the Cambridge Jazz Foundation to include local visual artists in merchandising market. (Photo by Mutsuko Ohnishi)
Cambridge Arts led a Bike Tour of Public Art in Central Square, Cambridgeport and Riverside on July 26, 2022, in partnership with the Cambridge Public Library and Cambridge Police. Learn more about the tour at Deborah Lee's blog Art Outdoors and find directions for a self-guided version of the tour here.
Elisa H. Hamilton's "Jukebox" transformed a vintage jukebox from a machine that plays music into a public artwork that plays community stories. The public artwork was installed at Cambridge's Foundry in August, and can be experienced there whenever the facility is open.
Bread and Puppet Theater performed its "Apocalypse Defiance Circus" on Cambridge Common in September, as part of Cambridge Arts' Ripple Festival.
Our friend, Cambridge artist Peter Valentine (left, with Cambridge Arts Executive Director Jason Weeks) died in August. We're supporting efforts to preserve his landmark visionary art house near Cambridge's Central Square.
At his studio in Winthrop, conservator Greg Curci is restoring 102 mosaics in 20 groupings created by Lilli Ann Rosenberg in 1979, so they can be returned in the best possible condition to the Cambridge Housing Authority's Millers River Apartments when renovations of the 19-story-tall complex are completed.
Opening celebration of Cambridge's Foundry in October.
Sian Liu's painting "Respite" is on view at Workbar in Central Square as part of Cambridge Arts' Creative Marketplace Exhibitions. Ten local artists participated this year and three businesses renewed their involvement with the program, which leases out local artists' work to enhance business and corporate environments, helping artists find new audiences.
Public Art Administrator Hilary Zelson installs the exhibition "Patricia Thaxton: The Beauty of Everyday Living" at Cambridge Arts' Gallery 344 in October. A free public reception will be held on Jan, 9, 2023, from 6 to 8 p.m. (Snowdate: Jan. 12.) The exhibition continues through Feb 28, 2023
Patricia Thaxton's exhibition "The Beauty of Everyday Living" at Cambridge Arts’ Gallery 344 shows how she created her temporary printed mural around the Out Of Town News site in Harvard Square. A free public reception will be held on Jan, 9, 2023, from 6 to 8 p.m. (Snowdate: Jan. 12.) The show continues through Feb 28, 2023.
Out Of Time, from Harvard University's Jazz Combo Initiative, performs at Harvard University's Smith Center Plaza, Harvard Square, in October as part of Cambridge Arts' 2022 Ripple Festival.
Bart Caruso performs at Winthrop Square in October. Beginning at the start of 2023, getting Street Performer Permits will be easier, as artists will be able to apply entirely online and receive permits by mail. The permits are free. More info soon.
This fall, teens at Cambridge’s Community Art Center worked with Boston artist Marlon Forrester to design a permanent public artwork for Cambridge’s Port neighborhood. The $130,000 commission for Forrester's collaborative project, under a partnership of Cambridge Arts and the center, is funded via the City of Cambridge’s Percent-for-Art program as part of the city’s Port Infrastructure Project, which will reduce flooding and make improvements to the neighborhood’s streets, sidewalks, and open spaces. Cambridge Arts is providing additional funds to the Community Art Center to support this project, and participating students will be paid for their creative contributions and work.
Forty-six local artists participated in Cambridge Arts' Holiday Art Market at Harvard University's Smith Center Arcade from Dec. 1 to 3 and Dec. 8 to 10. Pictured clockwise from top left: Ellen Dubreuil, Eliza Fichter, Barbara Thomas, Tomoko Terashita, Liz Segal, Madison Chacon (left) and Chris Wallace of Project Right to Housing, Zhonghe (Elena) Li and De’Von Douglass. At center: harpist Shelley Otis.
Explore Public Art In Cambridge Via Our Online Map

Explore public art in Cambridge with our new, online Public Art Map. Find more than 280 contemporary artworks in every neighborhood of the city by location, artist, theme or media via your computer or your phone: cambridgema.gov/publicartmap.
About Cambridge Arts
Cambridge Arts is the River Festival, Open Studios, Gallery 344, Sidewalk Poetry, Summer In The City, Community Supported Art, grants to artists, street performers, more than 280 works of contemporary public art in every neighborhood of the city, and a conservation program to preserve them for the future.

We are the Cambridge Arts Council, a City agency that funds, promotes, and presents high-quality, community based arts programs for the benefit of artists, residents, and visitors in Cambridge. Active since 1974, Cambridge Arts is one of the most dynamic local arts agencies in the country. Cambridge Arts exists to ensure that the arts remain vital for people living, working and visiting Cambridge.

Cambridge Arts is located on the Indigenous homelands of the Massachusett, Nipmuc, Pawtucket, and Wampanoag peoples. We are guests on this land. We honor the people who were here before colonization, are here now, and will be here in the future. In our work as a cultural organization, we are committed to doing whatever we can to dismantle harmful structures built from violent colonialism. Our work seeks to expand the visibility of and celebrate the histories, cultures, and stories of indigenous peoples, who are of this place.
 
Cambridge Arts embraces a vision that welcomes and supports everyone. Believing that a multiplicity of perspectives is essential to a strong society, we are committed, both in our policies and practices, to building participation in and awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the arts and all cultures. In our ongoing work to address cultural and historical inequities, we strive to be a community anchor that reflects the entire Cambridge community and expands access, opportunities, and inclusion in every form of creative expression. We value diverse voices and people of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, abilities, gender identities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic situations, religions, citizenship statuses, and family configurations.

The City of Cambridge does not discriminate on the basis of disability. We will provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternate formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to persons with disabilities upon request. 

For information contact Cambridge Arts: cambridgearts@cambridgema.gov, 617-­349-­4380 or TTY: 617­-492-0235.