Communities and Artists Collaborate to “Build a Cool Culture” in Response to Extreme Heat
MAPC, Mystic River Watershed Association, City of Chelsea, City of Malden, City of Everett, City of Revere, Town of Winthrop partner to bring three artist teams to their communities.
June 30, 2025 - As a dangerous heat dome gripped most of the region last week, communities in the urban core of Metro Boston were finding creative ways to communicate about heat. Launched earlier in June, the Lower Mystic Cool Communications Campaign goes beyond traditional messaging through the "Building a Cool Culture" initiative, which uses art and creative storytelling to build lasting community connections around heat resilience. This summer, three artist teams will be creating community engagement projects across Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Revere, and Winthrop that reach residents disproportionately impacted by extreme heat. These creative initiatives will focus on culturally relevant engagement that builds local capacity for meaningful conversations about heat.
Tropical Resilience Lounge Pop Up was launched at the Chelsea Juneteenth celebration on June 19th in Washington Park, Chelsea and at the I Love Winthrop Festival June 21st. In the words of the lead artists, Carolyn Lewenberg and Edwardo Chacon, “The Tropical Resilience Lounge is a multi-sensory pop-up oasis creating a vibrant space to cool off, connect, and imagine new ways to stay safe during extreme heat. In addition to offering a comfy place to chill with tropical vibes and free popsicles, the Lounge sparked real conversations about where people go to cool down in the summer. We also shared our brand-new Zine featuring cooling tips, stories from the community, and a QR code to locate cooling centers in the Lower Mystic area.”
Images: (left) Project partner Heather O’Brien (fifth person from left) engages residents at The Tropical Resilience Lounge at the I <3 Winthrop Festival; (right) Artist Edwardo Chacon (far left) in the The Tropical Resilience Lounge at Chelsea Juneteenth Celebration
Lourdes Alvarez with the City of Chelsea said “On Juneteenth, we had the chance to witness the Tropical Lounge in action. Participants were able to cool off and reflect on the heat while experiencing temperatures over 90 degrees. It’s definitely not the same to talk about heat on social media as it is to talk about it outdoors on an extremely hot day. I enjoyed delicious popsicles while receiving information on where to cool off around the city.”
“These are new realities, and adapting to them requires both awareness and creativity. I’m grateful that MAPC is taking a cross-sector approach, not just because it allows artists to showcase their work, but because we all live on the same planet, and we all love art.”
“In Chelsea, we are in uncharted waters. No one really knows how our experience of summer will be reshaped in the years ahead, but these artists help us identify solutions and engage the community in ways we never have before.”
Artist Carolyn Lewenberg reflected on the Lounges saying, “We had so many interesting conversations with residents about how they stay cool. A huge takeaway is that it’s safest and best for many people to just not leave the house! Which is concerning as social isolation is already a major issue for many folks. We hope this initiative helps cities and towns to plan for ways to residents to not just stay cool but also to build community in engaging ways.”
“We were excited for the opportunity to bring artists into this project,” shared Annis Sengupta, Director of Arts and Culture, “The artists’ work is inviting, engaging and informative and demonstrates how creative engagement can amplify communications campaigns about heat.”
Images: (left) Illustrations by Hania Mariën and Anna Lucia Deloia; (right) illustrations by first-graders in Chelsea.
Exhibit: How Animals Help Us Beat the Heat
The exhibit features artwork by first-grade students from Chelsea, who worked with artists Hania Mariën and Anna Lucia Deloia. The students first viewed illustrations and stories on how animals adapt to heat and cool themselves down. The children were then invited to create their own art. The resulting illustrations are on display in the Children’s Section at the Chelsea Public Library.
Follow the progress of these projects and attend a heat resilience event. A full calendar of events, including the Cool Culture series, will be posted on the Lower Mystic Cool Communications Call for Artists – MAPC website. The artist projects will serve as models for how creative storytelling and participatory art can complement traditional heat safety messaging to build stronger, more connected communities.
This campaign emerges from the Lower Mystic Cool Communications to Build Regional Heat Resiliency Project, a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant project running from Fall 2024 to 2026. The initiative builds on existing regional collaboration through the Resilient Mystic Collaborative, North Suffolk Public Health Collaborative, and the Metro Mayors Coalition's Climate Taskforce, while centering community knowledge and preferences to strengthen social connectedness and overall climate resilience.
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Tim Viall
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