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!

How might creative acts of remembering and imagining in public help us reframe the past and present–and see more inclusive futures?

Join the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) for a conversation that explores the power of public art to catalyze critical dialogue around public memory, representation, and belonging, and to transform public life. You’ll hear from artists, curators, and organizers who use creative strategies to reframe public memory and imagine future possibilities for more inclusive, thriving spaces and communities.

Guest Speakers:

Paul Farber – Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Monument Lab and Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Public Art and Space at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design (keynote speaker and moderator)
Erin Genia (Dakota/ Odawa) – Multidisciplinary artist, educator and cultural worker specializing in Indigenous arts and culture
Kate Gilbert – Executive Director of Now + There
Stephen Hamilton – Artist and educator, based in Boston

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.

Hosted in partnership with the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA) and MassDOT

Hear from MassDOT, the Barr Foundation, and the Operational Services Division on how cities and towns can apply for the new MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces grant program.

In addition to an overview of the program from MassDOT, we will learn more about the technical assistance available through the Barr Foundation and representatives from the Operation Services Division will discuss how municipalities may purchase materials needed for their pilots using OSD’s statewide contracts.

Click here to register in advance.

Click here to learn more about MAPC’s webinars.

In 2020, cities and towns throughout Greater Boston re-imagined their public spaces, converting streets and sidewalks into spaces that would promote active transportation, social distancing, outdoor dining, multimodal transit, and safe exercise.

Now, in partnership with MassDOT and the Solomon Foundation, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council is inviting cities and towns to look back at their recently-completed shared streets projects.

Please join us next Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. for a panel discussion and Q&A on Shared Streets. Municipal representatives will reflect on the complex projects they undertook, share lessons learned, and look forward to what’s next.

PANELISTS INCLUDE:

• Kate Fichter (moderator): Assistant Secretary for Policy Coordination, MassDOT
• Wayne Feiden, FAICP: Director Planning & Sustainability, Northampton
• Katrina O’Leary: Town Planner, Middleton
• Police Chief Tom Galvin, Berlin
• Ben Cares: Senior Planner and Project Manager, Chelsea

Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcscOmsqT8pHNcSGhLomujxws6wdxAfRJk6

MAPC is happy to be in attendance at this event as part of our partnership with the City of Malden on the development of their climate action plan.

Attending the event? Look for the MAPC table, and come by and say hello! We’ll have a dot-voting activity, a postcard activity, and a drawing station/art contest (winning art will be used as section dividers in the final climate action plan!). 

More information on the event can be found here. 

More information on the Malden Climate Action Plan (CAP) can be found here. 

Melrose, Malden, and Medford worked with the MAPC to collaboratively develop sustainable and resilient building design guidelines for residential and mixed-use developments and retrofits. These voluntary guidelines will help these communities encourage developers to build more more affordable housing that is energy-efficient and climate-resilient.

Join us for an interactive webinar on April 26 at 12:00 p.m. to learn about the guidelines and hear from the communities about how they plan to use them to shape green, affordable development. 

Register here.