Boston Public Art Triennial (previously “Now + There”)
Boston Public Art Triennial is Boston’s first and only public art organization dedicated to supporting artists and communities in presenting bold contemporary public art that opens minds, conversations, and spaces, resulting in a more vibrant, open, and equitable region. The Triennial’s annual programs include the Lot Lab and the their Public Art Accelerator which cultivates artists and artistic communities, while serving as feeders to a culminating city-wide Triennial public art exhibition. The first Triennial will happen in 2025 and every three years thereafter— of course, always open to all.
The Triennial’s mission focuses on fostering relationships between artists and the public to create bold public art experiences that open minds, conversations, and spaces across Boston, resulting in a more open, equitable, and vibrant city. Their vision for the future of the organization is to become recognized locally, nationally, and globally for presenting public art as a critical catalyst for open community engagement, equitable social change, and a contributor to the cultural and economic vibrancy of a city. The need for an official arts triennial emerged upon recognizing that Boston, like many other cities in the US, suffers from a prevailing narrative that it is economically, racially, and culturally “closed” as both a city and community. The Triennial’s mission aims to challenge and disrupt that exclusionary narrative through annual public art commissions and a focused citywide experience— a triennial— every three years.
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Resources
Carollo, Elisa. “Boston’s Triennial Reimagines Public Art Through the City’s Social, Historical and Ecological Realities.” Observer, 4 Jun. 2025, https://observer.com/2025/06/boston-triennial-2025-pedro-alonzo-interview-public-art/.
Hatfield, Kimberly. “Boston Public Art Triennial launches with more than a dozen projects across the city.” The Art Newspaper, 20 May 2025, https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/05/20/boston-public-art-triennial-launches.
“Innovation Showcase: Boston Public Art Triennial.” Uploaded by NewTV Community to YouTube, 21 Jan. 2025, https://youtu.be/Z5m9rU9LXW0?si=j8XiQ9WjRu3UeVbC.
Scott, Chadd. “Inaugural Boston Public Art Triennial Strives To Bring City More ‘Wow’ Moments.” Forbes, 25 May 2025, https://www.forbes.com/sites/chaddscott/2025/05/25/inaugural-boston-public-art-triennial-strives-to-bring-city-more-wow-moments/.
Shea, Andrea. “Boston will host its first ‘Public Art Triennial’ in 2025.” Wbur, 1 May 2024, https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/05/01/now-there-boston-public-art-triennial.
Sheets, Hilarie. “Boston Bets Big on Public Art With a New Triennial.” New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/arts/design/boston-public-art-triennial.html.
“The First-Ever Boston Public Art Triennial Is Coming.” Now + There, www.nowandthere.org/triennial.
Trouillot, Terence. “Boston’s Public Art Triennial Embraces the Commons.” Frieze, 1 Jul. 2025, https://www.frieze.com/article/the-exchange-2025-review.
More Information
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