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THE SHIPPING CONTAINERS ARE JUST THE BEGINNING.

THE ARTSCOMMONS

The ArtsCommons is a multi-purpose space to support performances, installations, exhibitions, and civic engagement.

It brings to life an interdisciplinary pop-up space for art in public places. Do you have an idea and need a space? Work with us to make the ArtsCommons your space.

AC diagram.png

COMMUNITY. COLLABORATION. COOPERATION.

This video, from the 2017 ArtsCommons at the Figment Festival on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, captures the project's central spirit for encouraging engagement, interaction, and collaboration, all driven by art. 

Video by Anthony Tiriti Tran & Feda Eid, 2017

ARTSCOMMONS TO DATE

JP Porchfest 2016

An ArtsCommons prototype was deployed at Jamaica Plain's Porchfest in July 2016, making use of shipping pallets and foam to serve as connection points 

  • Impromptu performance spaces for Rashin Fahandez's In-Sight: Con Moto

  • Participatory art-making with L'Merchie Frazier

  • Public engagement via “chalk talks”

ArtsCommons shipping container 

debuted at Boston's Figment Festival.

  • 4 artists...over 400 participants​!

  • Visual artist, L'Merchie Frazier asking participants to "Reimagine your community," with resulting images contributing to a community art piece

  • Inside the container, people's responses to the prompt "What's next...?" transformed by sound artist Nate Tucker, visual artist Feda Eid,    and video artist Anthony Tran

Figment Boston 2017

Wentworth Ramp Program 2017

A program at WIT engaged teams of students from Boston schools. One team focused on ArtsCommons and offered multiple perspectives to possibilities and challenges.  

  • The project served as a collection point for all participants

  • Projects utilized design, engineering, and planning

  • Different viewpoints served to generate ideas for the ArtsCommons' deployment at a variety of sites

Wentworth Design Studio 2017

With WIT's Presidential EPIC Mini grant, ArtsCommons became a client for a senior architecture studio taught by Rob Trumbour

  • Students created a kit of parts and accessories, that can provide modular public art spaces

  • Students developed prototypes that allowed modification to the existing containers to support activities like music, visual art, and performance

  • Local artists and others gave input to assist in students' prototype development

With WIT's Presidential EPIC Mini grant, ArtsCommons became a client for a senior architecture studio taught by Rob Trumbour

  • Students created a kit of parts and accessories, that can provide modular public art spaces

  • Students developed prototypes that allowed modification to the existing containers to support activities like music, visual art, and performance

  • Local artists and others gave input to assist in students' prototype development

Figment Boston 2019

ArtsCommons as makers' spaces:

  • Making street art with Alex Dunn and Allida Warn

  • Making mural art with Nate Swain

  • Giving voice to EVERYONE

  • Doing together what we can't do alone!

WHAT'S NEXT?

The ArtsCommons has the potential to become anything we envision -

working with artists, neighborhoods, and communities.

Answering the question:

 

 What can we do together that we can’t do separately?

If you have an idea for the next ArtsCommons appearance, please let us know!

Conceptual sketches by Ben Bruce

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