The Boston Foundation

Seeding Boston’s Public Art Scene: A Partnership between KCFA and the Boston Foundation

Boston is a city ripe for inspired, dynamic public art. With Boston Creates, the City of Boston’s 2016 cultural plan, indicating the appetite of residents for more high quality art in the public realm, the Boston Foundation (TBF) contracted KCFA to explore the landscape of opportunities for current and future funding in this sphere. KCFA, in conversations with cross-city and cross-disciplinary organizations, gathered a portfolio of diverse, innovative public realm art projects and programming to share with local philanthropists and funders. KCFA also played an active role as a resource and connector in the space to help develop and elevate new opportunities, projects and programs.

1. "I Sculpted My Heart Out of Diamond 'Cause Love is Not Enough" by FONKi, mural painted for Beyond Walls 2017 Mural Festival ; 2. "See Her" by Ann Lewis, a Now + There commission. 808 Tremont Street, Lower Roxbury

TBF and KCFA matched local philanthropists, donors, and funders with public art projects underway at the time, as well as developed an understanding of how to create new platforms that would engage city-wide audiences and spaces. By aggregating this data, the objectives were to infuse the landscape with necessary project capital, develop a database of TBF-vetted projects, and play an active role as resource and connector for funders and citywide arts organizations. Other key objectives of this initiative were to engage Boston visitors and neighborhoods with current and future vibrant arts programming, to change the dialogue around what public art is and can be, and to seed the landscape with rich, diverse, culturally reflective works of art.

109 Marlborough Street

Boston, MA 02116

info@katecfineart.com