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Apr
1
Wed
2020
POSTPONED: Public Art & Public Memory: Whose Stories, Whose Spaces?
Apr 1 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

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.

 

Apr
2
Thu
2020
POSTPONED: Public Art & Public Memory: Workshop for Municipal Staff in Greater Boston
Apr 2 @ 8:30 am – 12:00 pm

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.

Sep
9
Wed
2020
Small Steps: Dances of Resilience Screening @ YouTube Premiere
Sep 9 @ 7:00 pm
Small Steps: Dances of Resilience Screening @ YouTube Premiere

In the beginning, Small Steps on Climate Change was a dance and embodied movement performance intended to inspire Metro Boston to view climate change as an opportunity to create stronger, collaborative, healthier, and more vibrant communities in the face of climate change. Just six weeks before opening night, COVID-19 altered the path.

Small Steps: Dances of Resilience is a full-length documentary film about overcoming the struggle to create and perform during a global pandemic. The dancers tell their stories of climate, COVID, art, and hope, and, finally, they dance.

Join us for three film screenings on YouTube Live this September 9, 10, and 11. Each screening will be time-limited and all content will be removed between and after each screening, so see it while you can!

After the Friday, September 11 performance, we will hold a “Meet the Dancers” Q&A session on Zoom.

The production was developed by movement artist, screenwriter and Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Artist-in-Residence Hortense Gerardo and MAPC Senior Environmental Planner Darci Schofield to integrate the arts into climate change planning.

Directed by Hortense Gerardo and produced by Darci Schofield and MAPC.

Featuring original choreography and performances by:

  • Laura Sanchez Garcia, award-winning flamenco dancer, choreographer, and educator
  • Elizabeth Walker, former Los Angeles Ballet soloist
  • Simon Chernow, KRUMP and fusion hip-hop dancer and core leader of Boston’s Climate Strike
  • Jean Appolon Expressions, Haitian dance troupe fusing contemporary elements with Haitian folkloric dance
  • Olivia Link, contemporary modern dancer and Urbanity Dance educator
  • Any Berube and Theo Martinez, competitive ballroom salsa dancers and instructors
Sep
10
Thu
2020
Small Steps: Dances of Resilience Screening @ YouTube Premiere
Sep 10 @ 7:00 pm
Small Steps: Dances of Resilience Screening @ YouTube Premiere

In the beginning, Small Steps on Climate Change was a dance and embodied movement performance intended to inspire Metro Boston to view climate change as an opportunity to create stronger, collaborative, healthier, and more vibrant communities in the face of climate change. Just six weeks before opening night, COVID-19 altered the path.

Small Steps: Dances of Resilience is a full-length documentary film about overcoming the struggle to create and perform during a global pandemic. The dancers tell their stories of climate, COVID, art, and hope, and, finally, they dance.

Join us for three film screenings on YouTube Live this September 9, 10, and 11. Each screening will be time-limited and all content will be removed between and after each screening, so see it while you can!

After the Friday, September 11 performance, we will hold a “Meet the Dancers” Q&A session on Zoom.

The production was developed by movement artist, screenwriter and Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Artist-in-Residence Hortense Gerardo and MAPC Senior Environmental Planner Darci Schofield to integrate the arts into climate change planning.

Directed by Hortense Gerardo and produced by Darci Schofield and MAPC.

Featuring original choreography and performances by:

  • Laura Sanchez Garcia, award-winning flamenco dancer, choreographer, and educator
  • Elizabeth Walker, former Los Angeles Ballet soloist
  • Simon Chernow, KRUMP and fusion hip-hop dancer and core leader of Boston’s Climate Strike
  • Jean Appolon Expressions, Haitian dance troupe fusing contemporary elements with Haitian folkloric dance
  • Olivia Link, contemporary modern dancer and Urbanity Dance educator
  • Any Berube and Theo Martinez, competitive ballroom salsa dancers and instructors
Sep
11
Fri
2020
Small Steps: Dances of Resilience Screening @ YouTube Premiere
Sep 11 @ 7:00 pm
Small Steps: Dances of Resilience Screening @ YouTube Premiere

In the beginning, Small Steps on Climate Change was a dance and embodied movement performance intended to inspire Metro Boston to view climate change as an opportunity to create stronger, collaborative, healthier, and more vibrant communities in the face of climate change. Just six weeks before opening night, COVID-19 altered the path.

Small Steps: Dances of Resilience is a full-length documentary film about overcoming the struggle to create and perform during a global pandemic. The dancers tell their stories of climate, COVID, art, and hope, and, finally, they dance.

Join us for three film screenings on YouTube Live this September 9, 10, and 11. Each screening will be time-limited and all content will be removed between and after each screening, so see it while you can!

After the Friday, September 11 performance, we will hold a “Meet the Dancers” Q&A session on Zoom.

The production was developed by movement artist, screenwriter and Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Artist-in-Residence Hortense Gerardo and MAPC Senior Environmental Planner Darci Schofield to integrate the arts into climate change planning.

Directed by Hortense Gerardo and produced by Darci Schofield and MAPC.

Featuring original choreography and performances by:

  • Laura Sanchez Garcia, award-winning flamenco dancer, choreographer, and educator
  • Elizabeth Walker, former Los Angeles Ballet soloist
  • Simon Chernow, KRUMP and fusion hip-hop dancer and core leader of Boston’s Climate Strike
  • Jean Appolon Expressions, Haitian dance troupe fusing contemporary elements with Haitian folkloric dance
  • Olivia Link, contemporary modern dancer and Urbanity Dance educator
  • Any Berube and Theo Martinez, competitive ballroom salsa dancers and instructors
Apr
26
Wed
2023
Local Guidelines for Resilient, Efficient, and Affordable Buildings @ Zoom (Virtual)
Apr 26 @ 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

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.

May
3
Wed
2023
Water, Water Everywhere: The Increasing Threat of Stormwater Flooding in Greater Boston @ Zoom (Virtual)
May 3 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Water, Water Everywhere: The Increasing Threat of Stormwater Flooding in Greater Boston @ Zoom (Virtual)

MAPC is releasing new research that analyzed 27,000 flood claims from the historic March 2010 storms that dropped 18 inches of rain across Eastern Massachusetts. $59m in disaster assistance was paid out. We found that only 4% of disaster claims were located in FEMA 1% chance flood zones. With the prospect of more frequent and severe storms due to a changing climate, what can local, state, and the federal government do to better understand, prepare for, and minimize flooding and flood damage?

Presenters and panelists:

  • Anne Herbst, Principal Environmental Planner – retired, MAPC
  • Mia Mansfield, Director of Climate Adaptation and Resilience, MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
  • Jason Mammone, P.E., Director of Engineering, Town of Dedham
  • Van Du, Senior Environmental Planner, MAPC – Moderator

Following this event, all registrants will receive a copy of the report via email.

Register to join us for this webinar here!

Mar
12
Tue
2024
Virtual Briefings | Support Protection From Third-Party Electric Suppliers in Massachusetts @ Virtual
Mar 12 @ 1:00 pm

Join the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the City of Boston Office of Environment, Energy, and Open Space, and nonprofit advocacy organizations for a briefing on how third-party electric suppliers harm Massachusetts residents, why the industry is past the point of reform, and how you can help support efforts to protect residential consumers.

Two Briefings: 1:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m.

Visit Briefings Webpage for More Information