Join artist Audrey Watkins at the intersection of River Street and Babson Street from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on October 18th, for Our Names, an interactive art project that asks, "Whose name would you put on a building?" Stop by to submit a name, pick up a card, and learn more about some of the figures currently named on the exterior of the Boston Public Library.
Our Names by artist Audrey Watkins explores the practice of naming the Boston Public Library McKim Meade and White Building. When Charles Follen McKim designed the facades for the Boston Public Library in 1888, he included the names of 537 “writers and thinkers” that would be displayed to passersby for the next century. Of those 537 names, only 22 are not white European males. The goal of this project is twofold: to formally present the histories of those 22 names to the public through a research booklet, and to spark conversations on the names that today's Bostonians want to see on the library’s facade.
Through a series of activations during Mattapan Open Streets, a list of publicly gathered names derived from the prompt, “Whose name would you put on a building?” These activations will be a form of tabling, where a small portable gallery will show the content of the research booklet as well as the prompt, for passersby to engage in reflection on nearby monuments and imagine what a monument could be in 2025.
Written and oral responses will be recorded, and translations of the prompt and the booklet will be provided. The artist will collect public response, including any further conversations sparked by the prompt. With consent, these responses will be gathered into an index for the booklet. This index and the booklet will be published together on an Internet Archive, as a lasting “re-monument” to McKim’s original design, that can easily be linked to existing articles on the building and the building’s facade.
Learn more about her project here.
Audrey Watkins is an artist and designer based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her work transforms the built environment by questioning the assumed functions of buildings, creating infrastructure for communities to take ownership of the spaces they inhabit every day. Raised in rural Ohio, Watkins’s work is designed to give power to its audience, reminding them of their ability to influence and change the world we live in. Watkins’s work has been shown at the New England Art Book Fair, the Ridgewood Off-Kilter Film Festival, and the Zentralwäscherei Zürich. Her written work has been published in Pairs, Open Letters, and Rumor Review. Watkins has worked in architectural practices in Boston, New York, and Zürich, and received her Master of Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She received her undergraduate degree from Columbia University and the Juilliard School in art history and music.
Blue Hill Ave @ Babson St bus stop in Mattapan, MA, locale marked by its bustling surroundings and community vibe. This stop serves as a crucial hub for local commuters, offering access to various public transport routes. Nearby, they can find a mix of residential neighborhoods and small businesses, reflecting the area's diverse culture and everyday life. With its urban landscape and close-knit community feel, the stop is a common meeting point for residents on the go.
Led by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture the Un-monument | Re-monument | De-monument: Transforming Boston is a multi-year program that will bring temporary monuments and free public programming to neighborhoods across Boston. This programming is made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation's Monuments Project.