Extraordinary Playscapes Playground Passport Explore a city-wide celebration of play & design! Free Exhibit: BSA Space, 290 Congress St, Boston Plus: 6 playgrounds around Greater Boston
Design is everywhere. So are we.
Extraordinary Playscapes Imagination Needs Places to Thrive Enjoy Extraordinary Playscapes, a free exhibition showcasing the art, history, science, and importance of play, featuring design stories behind over 40 international playgrounds, interactive experiences, and playable installations. From towering treetop playgrounds to hand-knit crochet installations, visitors will discover how designers translate play objectives into state-of-the-art and meaningful outdoor environments. Take the full tour with this Playground Passport. We’re highlighting local play spaces and creating some new ones as well! Our kiosks at playgrounds around town tell the story behind these amazing outdoor playscapes.
Free Exhibition: BSA Space, 290 Congress St. Boston On-View: June 8 - September 5, 2016 Hours: Mon - Fri: 10am - 6pm, Sat - Sun: 10am - 5pm
What’s your favorite playground? Share it on Instagram @designmuseumbos & #DMPlay! Cover photo courtesy of Playworld
Photo courtesy of Landscape Structures, Inc.
Events in partnership with All events are located at BSA Space, 290 Congress St, Boston JUN
8
JUN
18
JUN
30 JUL
16
AUG
13
AUG
25
6:00pm • Exhibition Opening Reception Be the first to see Extraordinary Playscapes! Celebrate the opening night, meet designers behind some amazing playgrounds in the show, and most importantly, play!
10:30am • Family Design Day Join us for an interactive tour of the exhibition and hands-on workshop where families will envision, design, and build their own dream playscape. Tickets: architects.org
6:30pm • UNITE • The Problem with Play How to design a more playful future, featuring: Michael Laris, Playworld; Lillian Hsu, Cambridge Parks; Cheri Ruane, Spurr Design/BSLA; and Peter Gray, Psychologist.
10:00am • Kids Design Workshop Join us on The Greenway with local artist and craftsman Mitch Ryerson to create and build unique playscapes using all natural materials.
10:30am • Kids Design Workshop Join us for an interactive tour of the exhibition and outoor playscape building with Imagination Playground and more!
6:30pm • FILM SCREENING • The Land: Adventure Playground Learn about The Land, an creative adventure playground in Wales, and discuss “risky” play with David Ramsey, Dept. of Early Childhood, Boston Public Schools.
More info & RSVP online at designmuseumboston.org
In the Exhibit
Photo courtesy of Playworld
Play right within the exhibit on the Unity® RockR — Playworld’s new saucer design that re-imagines iconic playground equipment for all ages and abilities.
Discover the future of playscape design with Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam, and explore about how she creates her colorful, hand-knit sculptural playgrounds.
Photo by Masaki Koizumi
Photo courtesy of The Wild Center
Learn about New York’s elevated treetop playscape, the Wild Walk, and see exclusive interviews with the desginers along with footage of their creative process. See how designers all across the world are activating cities in playful ways, like the group mmmm..., who created this clever bus stop sculpture in Baltimore.
Photo courtesy of mmmm...
D
Cambridge
Charl
C Mattapan
F
Boston
Have an urban adventure! Experience Extraordinary Playscapes all over Greater Boston, including 2 new playscapes we installed as part of this special exhibition.
lestown
E
Extraordinary Playscapes BSA Space, 290 Congress St., Boston NEW PLAYSCAPE!
A
A
PlayForm 7
B
PlayCubes
C
B
City Hall Plaza, Boston NEW PLAYSCAPE!
Chinatown Park, Boston
Frieda Garcia Park Stanhope St. & Clarendon St., Boston
D
Alexander Kemp Playground
E
Thomas M. Menino Park
F
Hunt Playground
36 Waterhouse St., Cambridge
1st Ave. & 16th St., Charlestown
Almont St. & Orlando St., Mattapan
Playground Passport
A Photo courtesy of Playworld
PlayForm 7
• City Hall Plaza, Boston
Playworld
• 1,480 sq ft
• Opened 2016
Discover PlayForm 7 — an exciting new “play sculpture” that merges play and public art. It’s designed to be played on and provides different experiences than a traditional playground. Playworld’s newly designed piece blends play forms with an array of architectural styles that inspire imaginative play experiences. Climb, slide, hop, sit, socialize and play your way through this new installation at City Hall Plaza.
Design Museum Boston
B PlayCubes
TM
Designed by Richard Dattner, Architect and Playworld
• Chinatown Park, Boston • Opened 2016 • 5,000 sq ft
Experience an urban adventure at PlayCubes in Chinatown Park. Originally introduced in the 1960’s by Architect Richard Dattner, PlayCubes are making a comeback through an exclusive partnership between Richard Dattner and Playworld. The installation in Boston is activating play along The Greenway as part of our Extraordinary Playscapes summer program. Explore, jump, slide, and climb your way through this modular playground designed for open-ended play — the first-ever installation of the new design!
Playground Passport
C Photo courtesy of Halvorson Design
Frieda Garcia Park Halvorson Design Partnership, Inc.
• Stanhope St. & Clarendon St., Boston • Opened 2013 • 12,000 sq ft
Explore Frieda Garcia Park — a playful urban oasis in the heart of Back Bay. Filled with colorful climbing structures, unique swings, and beautiful art installations, the park encourages recreation and relaxation alike. Check out the park’s bright bird murals, custom play pieces, and relaxing gardens.
Design Museum Boston
D Photo courtesy of the City of Cambridge
Alexander Kemp Playground City of Cambridge and Robert Steck
• 36 Waterhouse St., Cambridge • Opened 2009 • 10,000 sq ft
Have a nature-play adventure at Alexander Kemp Playground. Set within the Cambridge Common, this site builds on the idea that playgrounds are places where children grow and learn about themselves and the world around them. Enjoy unique wooden play sculptures by local artist Mitch Ryerson, and explore the park’s interactive water and sand play features!
Playground Passport
E Photo courtesy of Landscape Structures, Inc.
Thomas M. Menino Park Spurr, Weston & Sampson’s Design Studio
• 1st Ave. & 16th St., Charlestown • Opened 2014 • 108,900 sq ft
Check out Mayor Thomas M. Menino Park — Boston’s first fully accessible playground. This universally inclusive waterfront play space has more than 60 pieces of equipment, including a carousel with room for wheelchairs. Traverse to the top of the park’s terraces for an adventurous climb and rewarding view of Boston’s skyline!
Design Museum Boston
F Photo courtesy of CBA Landscape Architects
Hunt Playground CBA Landscape Architects and the City of Boston
• Almont St. & Orlando St., Mattapan • Completed 2015 • 16,360 sq ft
Visit the new Tre’Vaughn Matthews Tot Lot at Hunt Playground. The renovated playground is a perfect place for energetic free-form play — filled with colorful equipment for sliding, climbing, and spinning, the tot lot even features a water splash pad for hot summer months. The 17-acre park is also home to basketball and tennis courts, a football field, walking paths, and picnic areas.
Playground Passport
A new source for design impact. Become a Member, Get Our New Magazine! Unlock a world of design and support Design Museum Boston. Join a thriving community of local design fans, get inspired, and visit new parts of the city. Members get exclusive access with tickets to events, special discounts, and now... receive Design Museum Magazine. To join visit:
designmuseumboston.org/join
PLAY to LEAD How play at work can give your team wings
Team Dynamics Boston
We offer workshops that utilize the group-think methodolgy of LEGO® Serious Play® Contact us about a workshop: Info@TeamDynamicsBoston.com Download our latest O’Reilly Media publication at BuildToLead.com
In Partnership with:
Sponsored by:
Special Thanks: Spurr Design Studio Boston Society of Landscape Architects Anne Lovett & Stephen Woodsum Gill Fishman
Missy Benson
Christina Frank
Dieter Reuther
Sandra Burtzos
Kat Hoy
Cheri Ruane
Sarah Carrier
Sahiti Karempudi
Vicki Schmidt
Christopher Cooke
Michael Laris
Katie Shook
Maggie Cooper
Liza Meyer
Deanna Susser
Sharon Exley
Mike Parody
Kate Tooke
@designmuseumbos #DMPlay
At Design Museum Boston we believe design can change the world. Done well, it can elevate our quality of life, make businesses more competitive, and protect our environment. Design awareness, education, and expertise are more important now than ever before as design continues to impact communities, organizations, and markets around the world. Design Museum Boston is redefining what it means to be a museum in the 21st century — we’re online, nomadic, and accessible to all through a city-wide network of exhibitions, events, and content. Our mission: bring the transformative power of design everywhere, to inspire a world full of creative problem solvers. Design is everywhere. So are we.
designmuseumboston.org