We’re postponing… but! In response to the Massachusetts’s Governor’s guidance in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, we’re postponing this event. In the meantime, however, we’re still thinking about these important issues, and know you are, too. We invite you to sign up here to receive occasional emails on this and related topics. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to being in touch!

What can municipal staff working in the areas of planning, open space and recreation, and public arts do to address untold histories, engage with controversy, and leverage the power of public art and public memory in these discussions?

Join the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and New England Foundation for the Arts for a professional development workshop designed for municipal staff on new approaches to public memory and public art in Greater Boston.

In this workshop, you’ll learn about best practices for facilitating dialogue about controversial monuments and memorials in your community, and about inspiring examples of public art and public history projects that are transforming public memories of places around the country. You will also engage in small group discussions where you’ll have an opportunity to learn about lesser-known historic and cultural stories in our region and how those stories and experiences can be actively engaged in place-based planning and programming related to public art, creative placemaking/placekeeping initiatives, and more.

Facilitators and Speakers: To be announced

This event is part of a series organized by the MAPC’s Arts and Culture Department and NEFA’s Public Art Department in conjunction with MAPC’s MetroCommon 2050 planning process. This unique, cross-sector initiative brings together artists and creators, planners, and policymakers to discuss the evolving relationship among public art, public memory, and public policy and to explore how artists can envision and shape more inclusive, thriving spaces and communities in Greater Boston.

Reclaim? Recontextualize? Relocate? Remove? What should we do with monuments that no longer reflect our shared history and collective values (or never did to begin with)? This conversation among artists, designers, and educators will explore how creative commemoration can help us see the past and present in a new light—and chart a path toward more just futures. 

Dr. Linda Shi, Assistant Professor at Cornell University, will be sharing her research on the vulnerability of municipal budgets in the Boston metropolitan area to climate change, as well as recommendations for how to develop in ways that promote equity, resilience, and fiscal responsibility. There will be time for questions from participants.

For information about the North Suburban Planning Council and North Shore Task Force Legislative Breakfast, please contact the Subregional Coordinators:

Christian Brandt (NSTF)
cbrandt@mapc.org

and

Alex Koppelman (NSPC)
akoppelman@mapc.org

Information about the NSPC can be found here.
Information about the NSTF can be found here.

Please join MAPC, the North Shore Task Force (NSTF), the North Suburban Planning Council (NSPC), and your fellow community leaders for a conversation about opportunities for regional and state collaboration and partnership, over tasty breakfast foods and beverages.

Register to join us

Questions? Please Contact:
Francelis Morillo Suarez (FMorilloSuarez@mapc.org)
Brandon Stanaway (bstanaway@mapc.org)
Sarah Scott (sscott@mapc.org)