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LendLease Unveils Vision for Public Art at Clippership Wharf

During the planning phase for several of the neighborhood’s high-profile waterfront development projects like Boston East and Clippership Wharf, residents have always advocated for local art, public art and outdoor art to somehow be incorporated into the design of these projects.

Because all of the community’s waterfront developments are tied in with East Boston’s Harborwalk, residents have long wanted to make public art part of the experience.

The developers of Boston East created a community art gallery that is open to the public along the Harborwalk when they opened last year, and now the developer of Clippership Wharf is getting in on the art action.

Lendlease announced this week that two public sculptures and a new contemporary art gallery will be part of Clippership Wharf’s public art program designed to promote Eastie’s local art scene.

“East Boston has a proud history of being home to a thriving art community, and we are excited to continue that tradition at Clippership Wharf,” said Nick Iselin, General Manager for Lendlease Development in Boston. “The sculptures and gallery will highlight unique parts of East Boston’s history, and will be an attraction for both residents of Clippership Wharf and the public.”

Lendlease has also made a call for art submissions from local artists to display work inside the gallery dubbed ‘The ClipArt Gallery.’

Iselin said The ClipArt Gallery will be Eastie’s newest contemporary art gallery and is slated to open in spring 2019. The gallery, which will be curated and managed by Eastie’s Atlantic Works Gallery, will be located on the ground floor of the Slip65 Condominiums and will be open to the public on Saturday afternoons. The first show, “East Boston: Present Tense,” will highlight current works from the East Boston arts community. The call for art is currently open, and artists will be selected in February. Artists interested in exhibiting at ClipArt Gallery can respond to the call for art published in ArtScope, as well as online at clipartboston.com.

The waterfront development will also be home to two public art installations, the result of both nationwide and local competitions.

“Islands,” designed by Volkan Alkanoglu, occupies a preeminent location on a newly created stretch of the East Boston Harborwalk and represents an interpretation of the five former Boston Harbor islands that form today’s Eastie. The brightly colored sculpture is fully interactive, inviting individuals to reorient and occupy the different shapes as they desire.

The other outdoor sculpture, “Pillar”, will reside in the courtyard at Clippership Wharf and was conceptualized by New American Public Art. According to Lendlease the installation will tell two very different stories, evoking both the massive Lepidodendron trees found in prehistoric Eastie and the great Eastern White Pine trees later used by the shipbuilding trades on Eastie’s wharfs, including Clippership Wharf itself. Plaques describing each vision will be at the site, inviting visitors to see which story resonates most with them.

The sculptures at Clippership Wharf are slated to be unveiled in early 2019. Lendlease worked with Sunne Savage Gallery to curate the art program at Clippership Wharf.

“This local public art program is reflective of Lendlease’s long-standing commitment to placemaking,” said Iselin. “Clippership Wharf will combine public art and civic gathering spaces to create a dynamic community, all with stunning views of the Boston skyline.”

John Lynds:
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