Arts

Where to find all 16 art installations in downtown Boston this winter

This map will help you find all 16 art installations in downtown Boston, available to see through April 14.

An inflatable clown head art installation in downtown Boston.
A giant floating clown head was spotted in Boston, and it turns out it's one of 2 and part of an art installation. Heather Alterisio/Boston.com

By Katelyn Umholtz

1 minute to read

Downtown Boston is teeming with publicly accessible art this season, from giant clown heads to a unicorn in a glass box.

The 16 installations are part of a series called Winteractive, put together by Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, or BID, as a way to get people out during the coldest time of year that tends to keep people at home. BID worked with three Canada-based curatorial groups, and eight artists are represented across the 16 pieces.

“We haven’t given (Bostonians) enough to do, enough interaction, enough things in the public realm to make winter more appealing,” said Michael Nichols, BID president. “We want to be part of that (change).”

A few of these installations have received strong reactions from the public. Take the clown heads for instance, which went up last week. A photo of the floating structure being installed went viral online, with social media users expressing bewilderment over the artwork. 

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Another piece had to be taken down, The Boston Globe reports, after authorities received at least one call about an installation that looked like a person sitting on the roof of a Chipotle restaurant.

The sculpture was removed by the Boston Fire Department, and BID told the Globe they hope to return it “to public view” soon.

Except for “Untitled (Fisherman),” the temporarily removed installation, BID said all other structures will be placed downtown by Wednesday and remain up through April 14, the Sunday before the Boston Marathon. That includes:

  • Echoes – A Voice from Uncharted Waters
  • Endgame (Nagg & Nell)
  • Island of Warmth
  • Myth and Evidence
  • Blissful Rendezvous
  • Territories 2.0
  • Untitled (The Swing)
  • Untitled (Clothesline)
  • Untitled (Stair walker)
  • Untitled (Woman Suspended)
  • Light Lane Custom Bikes
  • Bird House
  • Winteractive Photo Frame
  • Music Box
  • Guitar Slide

Where can you find each of these pieces? Use the map below to see where each installation is located in downtown Boston or visit winteractive.org.

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Katelyn Umholtz

Food and Restaurant Reporter

Katelyn Umholtz covers food and restaurants for Boston.com. Katelyn is also the author of The Dish, a weekly food newsletter.

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