Public Art on the Esplanade

When visiting the Esplanade, you’ll discover four mesmerizing art murals along the park’s pathways that brighten up the Esplanade.

With the support of our Esplanade Association members and our partners at Mass. DCR, we transformed three pumphouses on the Esplanade into three beautiful art murals in 2019. These murals include Rain River by Solei, Habitation by Sophy Tuttle, and Untitled by Ann Lewis.

Patterned Behavior by Silvia López Chavez was the first public art mural on the Esplanade commissioned by the Esplanade Association and installed on the walls and pillars that support the Bowker Overpass in 2017.

We’re excited to share we have a current Artist Statement of Interest that gives up to four artists the opportunity to design and install art murals on electrical boxes located along the Esplanade in spring 2022. We encourage all interested artists to visit Esplanade.org/RFP to learn more about this project and submit an Artist of Interest Statement by January 21, 2021.

Untitled by Ann Lewis

This mural invites visitors to contemplate our planet’s most abundant – and most precious – resource, and the systems put in place to coordinate access to it. It is said that our bodies are nearly 70% water. This fact only reinforces what humans have intrinsically known since the dawn of our time: that the health of our waterways is directly connected to the health of our communities.

This work evokes an interconnected abstract dialog of our increasingly complex relationship to water and explores the natural flow and aquamarine hues of this life-giving resource.

Patterned Behavior by Silvia Lopez Chavez

Patterned Behavior is a bold temporary mural by artist Silvia Lopez Chavez. The concept for this mural takes inspiration from the Esplanade’s immediate environment, and the many ways this space is enjoyed and used day-to-day. Patterned Behavior was the first mural commissioned by the Esplanade Association and was curated and produced by Now + There. This first-ever professional mural in the Park echoes the beauty, diversity, and energy of the Esplanade and life along the Charles River.

Habitation by Sophy Tuttle

Habitation highlights several species which share with us the land we call Boston, including the belted kingfisher, red maple, double-breasted cormorant, and monarch butterfly. These plants and animals are part of the overall experience of the Esplanade, and often bring a little spark of joy when they choose to interact with human visitors.

Sophy Tuttle chose to showcase local flora and fauna because they breathe life into the park – both literally and emotionally. The colorful circles symbolize how our lives overlap in this special place and visualize the interconnectedness of all forms of life along the Esplanade.

Rain River by Solei

The main design element featured in Rain River is the Face Chain, a recurring motif in Solei’s work.

The Face Chain is a visual representation of the interconnectedness of our human identities, reminding us that we all use each other to create who we are. With Rain River, Solei has merged this message with the Esplanade’s natural harmony of earth, river, and sky.

Solei is inspired by the idea that the pumphouses represent the connection between the city and the river, balancing these entities as we do each other – individually, interpersonally, and as a community.

Support Public Art on the Esplanade

If you’re interested in supporting public art on the Esplanade, please contact Jim Diverio at jdiverio@esplanade.org or 617-837-2870.

If you’re interested in being contacted for future public art opportunities, please contact Alison McRae at amcrae@esplanade.org.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council and administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.