Boston—a lovely, historic city that I knew best for its collegiate vibes, midnight rides, and notorious tea parties. Quite unexpectedly, I moved to Boston a few months ago for a new job and have been adapting to its laid-back charm. My time in the city has also corresponded with the inaugural Boston Public Art Triennial, a six-month celebration of the arts through the installation of site-specific public artworks, community programming, and collaborations with local artists, organizations, and neighborhoods. From May to October, the Triennial transforms the city into a living gallery of artistic interventions. As a newcomer, I couldn’t think of a better way to experience my new city than through an art-themed tour.

        There are many ways to explore the Triennial. Works are placed throughout the city (identifiable by their vibrant chartreuse signage), and most visitors may stumble across art as they commute to work or stroll through a nearby green space. More ambitious (or foolhardy) explorers like myself might set out with grand plans to see all the public artworks, only to realize that the city is bigger than it appears on a map. Others may prefer to attend some of the many free workshops, artist talks, film screenings, or other interactive activities planned as part of the Triennial. Whatever your path, I hope the journey is entertaining and helps you to experience Boston in a unique and intimate way.

        The following is an account of my personal expedition through the Triennial.

Stop 1: Triennial 2025 Hub at Lyrik

        To explore the Triennial properly, I decided that I needed a map—a physical one, mind you—and some swag. I stopped by the Triennial headquarters located at the Lyrik, a shopping mall and multi-use space on the edge of the Back Bay and Kenmore neighborhoods. This event space serves as the mustering point for the Triennial, where many of their public programs are held and where interested visitors can get information and merchandise. In addition to my map, I collected some free Triennial stickers (a must!) and saw a work by Berlin-based artist Julian Charrière: an intriguing multimedia work titled Calls for Action (2024-ongoing). Installed in a corner of the Triennial’s headquarters, a dark curtain conceals a theater-like space with a seating area (in the form of bean bag chairs) arranged in front of a large screen playing a 24-hour live-stream video of an old growth Brazilian rainforest. The telephone reference in the title is not merely symbolic—a sign at the entrance of the space instructs the visitors on the interactivity that shapes this piece. “Dial +1 (484) 922-8466 to call into the forest. Your voice travels to a rainforest in Brazil, echoing through a speaker and appearing in real-time on the speaker before you.” Calls for Action embraces technology to transport viewers to a remote and fragile location under threat, and to remind them of the power of even a single voice.

Stop 2: Boston Public Library, Central Library

        Leaving the Triennial headquarters, my next stop was just a few blocks away. Located in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, the Central Library of the Boston Public Library is a magnificent mash-up of Gilded Age and modern architecture, housing thousands of books, movies, and CDs, and providing some of the best reading and study spaces in the city. As one of the preeminent public buildings in Boston, it is only fitting that it is hosting a novel (pun intended) literary-themed work in its atrium as part of the Triennial.

        Occupying a central place within the library is Sibylant House by artist Caledonia Curry, who also goes by “Swoon.” Based on the artist’s serialized fairytale novella titled Sibylant Sisters, Sibylant House is one element of a multi-part artwork that makes up In the Well: The Stories We Tell About Addiction. Through the archetype of a four-sided structure, the work showcases different characters and narratives as if each wall represents a new chapter. Fenestration and found materials create a lens through which whimsical, expressive figures peer out at the audience. Their identities and stories are left largely up to the viewer to write for themselves using the objects and colors that make up each scene.

        For more adventures with the Sibylant Sisters, also explore Gallery J at the Central Library and keep an eye out for Swoon’s divination cards wheatpasted throughout Boston.

Stop 3: Faneuil Hall

        To reach my next stop, I navigated through the narrow streets of Boston’s old city center, past ancient burying grounds, the Old State House, through throngs of tourists, and to the old city center. It was a Friday afternoon, and musicians crooned “Maggie, won’t you be mine,” on Franklin Street to enthralled listeners while hot and sweaty families trudged along the Freedom Trail, an urban path that connects sites of American Revolutionary significance. Following my map, I found myself in the center of the chaotic and boisterous scene at Faneuil Hall, Boston’s historic indoor/outdoor shopping mall and food court—very different from the quiet, studious atmosphere of the Boston Public Library.

        One of the amusing parts of the Triennial is that, while I knew I was looking for a work of public art, I was never sure what I was looking for. Was it a mural? A sculpture? A video installation or something three-dimensional? As I peered through the crowded streets, I saw a bright chartreuse sign in the distance signaling another Triennial work. This next piece was large, bold, and located within a busy part of the market. I enjoyed watching people walk by and then pause, with looks of confusion, laughter, and awe. Material Monument to Thomas Morton (Playing Indian) (2025) was created by the artistic group New Red Order, self-described as “a public secret society” with primary contributions by Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, and Jackson Polys.”

        At first glance, the sculpture is an amusing and confusing array of references accumulated on what appears to be a male figure—Thomas Morton?—jauntily perched above two boxes labeled “Tea.” An interpretative panel located near the sculpture reads: “Here stands a humble monument to Thomas Morton (1579-1647): lawyer, poet, social reformer, and Plymouth County’s most scandalous settler.” The panel goes on to outline Morton’s antics in Plymouth, his alliances with Indigenous communities, and the formation of his own short-lived colony, Merrymount, founded around ideas of freedom and revelry. He was infamous for holding days-long dance parties around a maypole. The sculpture nods to history, Indigenous identity, settler colonialism, and New England culture—to unpack it all would take many more pages than my editor allows. However, key details jumped out at me and seemed to poke fun at Morton’s mythologized eccentricities, such as a Puritan hat stuck with arrows angled over a feathered headdress. Morton’s belief in free love and community is captured in the globe encircled with people that rests in his right hand, and a gun with a flower in the barrel in his left (a converse of the English orb and scepter?). My favorite detail is the moto-style vest, paired with a neck ruff, of course, and the slogan “Lord of Misrule” on the back of the vest made to look like embroidery.

To Be Continued…

        To date, I have only explored a small sample of the works and activities available through the Triennial. Additional works will be installed and activated in the coming months, along with various public events and programming celebrating public art and the City of Boston. So, I will have the chance to see new works in the future and expand my list of sites explored. Whether you’re a Boston native or just visiting, I encourage you to visit the city with art on your mind this fall. If you are so inclined, you might even pick up a map at the Lyrik and explore a new neighborhood by tracking down works of art.

         The Boston Public Art Triennial runs through October 31, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Emelia Lehmann is a Boston-based writer and cultural heritage professional. When she is not looking at art, you can find her looking at buildings.