8 Years of AIR Program Design

Pilot Artists-in-Residence Cohort 1

An initial cohort of 10 artists and 10 City depts. participated in workshops, offered shadowing, and proposed an artist-City joint project.

A final cohort of 3 artist-City teams were selected.

Selected artists had 6 months to implement their projects.

City partners

Boston Police Dept, Dept of Housing (then Neighborhood Dev), Dept of Parks and Recreation, Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services, Mayor’s Office of Women's Advancement

Learning

Matthew Hinçman (MassArt) and Ceci Mendez (MassArt’s Center for Art and Community Partnerships (CACP)) led social practice art and civic workshops and trainings, attended by all potential City depts. and artists.

Design and Leadership

Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture (Karin Goodfellow, Chris Guerra) and Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM) (Michael Evans).

Learned importance of cohort dynamics and community building, as well as challenges with press narratives (”art-washing”).

Documentation

Artist (Rashin Fahandej) was hired to create videos of each process.

Evaluation

Pam Korza (Animating Democracy)

Artists-in-Residence Cohort 2

A cohort of 10 artists were directly chosen for better community-building and less competition, based on feedback.

Artists had 9 months to work, later extended by 3 months.

City partners

Artists were paired with a City-run neighborhood center called Boston Centers for Youth & Families. Many artists centered arts programming at their BCYF.

2 artists connected with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement and Dept of Parks and Recreation.

Learning

Former artists-in-residence in City gov (Marty Pottenger, Tania Bruguera) led workshops with artists and BCYF partners.

Design and Leadership

Arts & Culture (Karin Goodfellow, Chris Guerra); a program assistant was hired (Sharon Amuguni).

Learned the distinction between public and participatory processes with community, as well as the importance of having City depts to help artists get into decision-making spaces and make structural changes.

Documentation

The City’s new Digitial Storyteller (Darren Cole) created videos for each artist.

Evaluation

Lori Lobenstine (DS4SI)

Artists-in-Residence

A cohort of 7 artists rather than 10 for Artists had 12 months

Leased a space in Corner neighborhood, feedback. One artist mural there. It was with neighborhood used by a few artists.

City partners

Artists were paired were supported in with City depts, including:

Age Strong Commission ly Comm.), Dept of Archives and Record Dept, MONUM, Arts

Learning

Civic artists (Juan MONUM, professors workshops. Artists guest speakers, open Mayor’s Office of Resilience Equity shared research.

Design and Leadership Arts & Culture (Karin Sharon Amuguni).

Learned importance skillset (community vating, mobilizing as well as laying clear leadership expectations.

Documentation Digital Storyteller supported Arts & Culture.

Evaluation

Danya Sherman and Montgomery (Sherman Strategies)