Client: Massachusetts Convention Center Authority

Location: Boston, MA, United States

Completion date: 2017

Artwork budget: $38,000

Project Team

Art Consultant

George Fifield

Boston Cyberarts Inc.

Public Art Agent

Phil Crohan

Massachusetts Convention Center Authority

Overview

Art on the Marquee, a Boston Cyberart’s project was created in 2012, when Massachusetts Convention Center Authority hired Cyberarts to commission media art for the new 80-foot-tall multi-screen LED marquee outside the Convention Center in South Boston. This urban screen is one of the first in the U.S. to integrate art alongside commercial and informational media. To date (May 2020) Boston Cyberarts has commissioned over 300 original 30 second media works by Massachusetts media artists. These include video, animation and abstract works. Each year we issue three open juried calls for artists, one curated round by Boston Cyberarts and a student round by college art school students. The Boston Globe has said, “Art on the Marquee… is a piece of public art for Boston to be proud of.” Boston Magazine said, “In short, it’s hard not to see this as win-win. After all, the partnership is not commissioning works from around the country — they want to promote Massachusetts artists. And they’re not dreamy landscapes of the Common or the Charles River, but pieces that are truly contemporary and forward-thinking — an image that can bring interest to the city and state as a generator of new art, a tourist destination, and of course, as a creative place to do business.”

Goals

Commissioning artwork was at the core of this project from the beginning. Each year we commission up to 40 new works. 10 of these works come from local art schools, 5 of these works are curated, and the rest are results of our open calls.