Bagel-Themed Public Art Is Now on View at the Street in Chestnut Hill
Everything, as seen in New York City / Photos provided
Finding the elusive New York-style bagel in the Boston area is a rare, celebrated occasion.
It’s why people rejoice when endeavors like Exodus and Better Bagels pop up—albeit temporarily—around town.
Now, bagels truly from New York City have made their way to the Street in Chestnut Hill. But here’s the catch: A stack of them towers 15 feet tall, and they’re absolutely not edible.
Everything (get it?) is a larger-than-life public art installation by Hanna Liden, encompassing a single five-foot-wide and two-feet-tall bagel, a trio of stacked bagels standing five and a half feet tall, and a tower of five bagels, standing 15 feet tall and acting as a vase for a tulip.
The installation debuted earlier this year at the Hudson River Park and Ruth Wittenberg Plaza in New York City. It was unveiled at the Street today and will remain on view through winter 2016.
“Bagels are well loved in many cities beyond New York,” says Liden. “I see them as a symbol of the eternal cycle of all city life.”
Everything marks the Street’s third collaboration with nonprofit organization Art Production Fund, who previously brought 39 colorful banners and one billboard by Deborah Kass, as well as a 44-banner photo series by Jessica Craig-Martin to the shopping center.
“When we saw the debut of Everything in New York, we knew right away that we had to have it. Everything is quirky, lovable, and larger than life,” says Allison Yee, general manager of the Street. “At a time of year when people so easily fall into a holiday daze, we think it will allow for a moment to pause and really delight in the unexpected.”
And if looking at the installation really makes you crave a New York-style bagel, the Street is also hosting a pop-up from Waltham, called OMG! Bagels, which will feature a menu of 18 bagels and varieties of locally made cream cheeses. The pop-up will also sell miniature replicas of the Everything sculptures.
