A city-wide celebration explores Indigeneity, climate, health, and shared humanity through bold new commissions.
Nicholas Galanin, I Think It Goes Like This, 2025. Photo: Faith Ninivaggi
On May 22, Boston opened its first-ever city-wide public art triennial with Triennial 2025: The Exchange, transforming 21 public sites across Boston and Cambridge into platforms for dialogue, creativity, and civic exchange. The exhibition, presented by the Boston Public Art Triennial in partnership with the City of Boston, runs through October 31, 2025, and features 20 bold new commissions by local, national, and international artists.
Curated by Artistic Director Pedro Alonzo and Curator Tess Lukey, The Exchange explored four central themes—Indigeneity, climate and biodiversity, health and recovery, and shared humanity. Rather than offering fixed narratives, the curators emphasised art’s role in facilitating conversation and complexity in times of political division, ecological crisis, and cultural uncertainty.
“Each work is an entry point for deeper understanding, not a conclusion,” said Alonzo at the opening. “We invited artists to collaborate with local experts to generate meaningful responses to the issues shaping Boston and the world.”
Spanning neighbourhoods including East Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, Back Bay, Charlestown, Fenway, Downtown, and Cambridge, the Triennial fostered dialogue through free public programming, performance, and city-wide engagement. Artists were paired with climate scientists, historians, civic organisers, and public health leaders to co-create projects grounded in research, lived experience, and community input.
The opening ceremony took place at the MassArt Art Museum with remarks by Mayor Michelle Wu and a performance by Geraldine Barney. “This exhibition symbolised Boston’s continued celebration of creativity,” said Mayor Wu. “It highlighted the importance of public art and the connections it builds in our communities.”
The Triennial featured major new works by artists such as Nicholas Galanin, Swoon, Chiharu Shiota, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Alan Michelson, Adela Goldbard, and Beatriz Cortez. Local voices also took centre stage, including Gabriel Sosa, Stephen Hamilton, Andy Li, and Alison Croney Moses—artists whose practices are deeply embedded in Boston’s cultural landscape.
Participating museums and institutions—including the ICA/Boston, MFA, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, MassArt Art Museum, and MIT List Visual Arts Centre—contributed additional commissions and hosted satellite exhibitions, reinforcing the Triennial’s commitment to cross-institutional collaboration.
Public engagement was a central component of the initiative. Visitors navigated the city using printed maps and the Bloomberg Connects app, which linked artworks to local businesses and stories gathered through community listening sessions. A packed six-month program included youth activities, artist talks, walking tours, and the Triennial’s signature “Let’s Talk” series—interdisciplinary conversations that mirrored the curatorial focus on collaboration.
Highlights from the “Let’s Talk” series included a conversation between Tess Lukey and Nicholas Galanin at MassArt, as well as a partnership with The Huntington featuring Alison Croney Moses, Tanya Nixon Silberg, Mfoniso Udofia, and Ng’endo Mukii. The program will conclude with a day-long symposium on October 24 at Roxbury Community College, supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts.
The exhibition marked a turning point for public art in Boston. Formerly known as NOW + THERE, the Boston Public Art Triennial, built on a decade of temporary public art projects, launched its inaugural edition with the support of more than 75 partner organisations and $8 million in philanthropic funding.
“This was the beginning of a movement,” said Executive Director Kate Gilbert. “We created a recurring public art event that celebrates contemporary art as a driver of social, cultural, and economic change. Over the next six months—and in future editions—Boston is taking a bold step toward a more open, equitable, and vibrant city.”
Triennial 2025: The Exchange continues through October 31, 2025. For maps, complete program listings, and partner details, visit thetriennial.org.
