BPDA unveils mural at Mattapan Teen Center, announces plan for public art project at Carter Post
May 14, 2021
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The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) and Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston today unveiled a mural created by local youth at the Mattapan Teen Center. The mural was funded through an $8,000 grant from the BPDA, part of a $75,000 investment in public art in Mattapan. The BPDA also announced the selection of Mattapan artist Jeremy Harrison to create the next mural, part of the PLAN: Mattapan Public Art Project, at the William E. Carter Post at 1531 Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan.
“Throughout the PLAN: Mattapan process, our planners have heard over and over again that Mattapan deserves more public art,” said BPDA Director Brian Golden. “I am pleased that we have been able to fund this mural and allow these teens to be paid for their work. This is an example of good planning, working to better serve and support our community. We are looking forward to unveiling the next mural at the Carter Post in the coming months, and I congratulate Jeremy Harrison on his selection to create what will be an impactful project for the Mattapan community.”
“We are so grateful that the BPDA presented us with this amazing idea and experience,” said Mattapan Teen Center Director Rick Aggeler. “To give our teens the autonomy to design a mural and present it to our neighborhood speaks volumes about how the BPDA values our teens’ voices.”
Ten teenage artists have been working on the mural since January. The artwork depicts the characteristics that the teens feel describe the Center: engagement, community, activism, opportunity, safety, and fun.
“This is a once and a lifetime opportunity to design something like this, especially for my community here in Mattapan,” said Lead Teen Artist Chelton Francois. “It’s a privilege to be able to inspire other artists and youth through my craft.”
The BPDA announced plans for the next mural in Mattapan at the Carter Post 16 at 1531 Blue Hill Avenue. Following a “Call for Artists” issued by the BPDA in March, the artist selected for that mural will be Mattapan native Jeremy Harrison. Harrison is a graffiti artist who has been creating since he was a child. The mural is slated to be completed before the end of the summer. The Carter Post is the first chartered African-American Massachusetts Post, created by the members of the famed 372nd infantry that served in France with the Red Hand Brigade. The mural will celebrate William E. Carter Post 16’s 100th anniversary.
Both projects are part of the PLAN: Mattapan Public Art Project, which builds on the Agency’s PLAN: Mattapan study and delivers on the plan’s short-term implementation items identified by the community to support the creation of temporary public art in Mattapan. As part of this project, additional locations for murals in Mattapan are being explored by the city.
Launched in 2018, PLAN: Mattapan's goal is to work with the community to create a comprehensive vision to shape inclusive growth and investment throughout the neighborhood.
The BPDA is leading an unprecedented number of planning studies alongside Boston’s communities, each guided by Imagine Boston 2030, the first city-wide master plan in 50 years aimed at guiding growth. There are neighborhood planning studies moving forward in
Charlestown, Downtown,
Dorchester’s Glover’s Corner,
Mattapan,
Newmarket and
East Boston, and the
Western Ave Corridor and planning guidelines have been passed for
PLAN: JP/Rox,
PLAN: South Boston Dorchester Avenue, and
PLAN: Nubian Square. The
South Boston Seaport Strategic Transit Plan and
Allston-Brighton Mobility Study are identifying specific mobility recommendations.