Neighborhood Public Art: South End

Photo by Anna Buckley

Public art in the South End has a backbone of historical significance.

From honoring Puerto Rican roots to celebrating the strength of women like Harriet Tubman, the statues and murals found here speak volumes.

Here, we feature a few of these must-see public art works throughout the neighborhood:

Photo by Anna Buckley

Frieda Garcia Park Mural by Artists for Humanity
Along the Mass Pike

At the corner of Clarendon and Stanhope streets is a 12,000-square-foot park—and on the other side is a 120-foot-long, three-dimensional mural made up of 130 multicolored metal circles. This permanent art installation was created by Artists for Humanity, an organization created for youths from under-resourced areas to explore their creativity, in honor of the unveiling of Frieda Garcia Park in 2013. Visible to drivers on the Mass Pike and pedestrians entering Back Bay Station, the vibrant work of art adds color and dimension to the neutral-toned city skyline.

Photo by Anna Buckley

“Ad Astra” by Kahlil Gibran
Childe Hassam Park

“Ad Astra,” or, “To the Stars,” depicts two young boys releasing a dove into the sky and is the last work of the late Boston-based painter and sculptor, Kahlil Gibran. The half-life-size sculpture, which symbolizes the virtues of aspiration and striving for a higher purpose, was donated in Gibran’s memory by his family to the city of Boston, and it now sits upon a large granite slab in Childe Hassam Park.

Photo by Anna Buckley

“Emancipation” by Meta Warrick Fuller
Harriet Tubman Square, at Pembroke Street and Columbus Avenue

“Humanity weeping over her suddenly freed children, who, beneath the gnarled fingers of Fate, step forth into the world, unafraid,” reads an inscription beneath the sculpture titled “Emancipation.” The artist Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller originally created the work as a plaster sculpture in 1913, intended for an exposition that honored the 50th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. Today, this massive bronze sculpture stands as a powerful statement in the South End’s Harriet Tubman Square.

Photo by Anna Buckley

“Step on Board” / Harriet Tubman Memorial by Fern Cunningham
Harriet Tubman Square, at Pembroke Street and Columbus Avenue

Five bronze figures stand at the entrance to the park, including Harriet Tubman, clutching a Bible and leading the group. This work is “the first statue on city-owned property honoring a woman,” according to the Boston Art Commission. When the piece was unveiled, the artist, Fern Cunningham, emphasized the fact that the monument told the story of the liberated—not the liberator.

Photo by Anna Buckley

“Honor Roll” Mural by Jameel Parker
Harriet Tubman House, 566 Columbus Ave.

Created by artist Jameel Parker—who attended Boston Public Schools throughout his adolescence and later attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts—”Honor Roll” spans two sides of the Harriet Tubman House and honors various people of color relevant to Boston’s South End. Featuring everyone from musicians to activists, the energetic mural and the faces depicted are vibrant and celebratory.

Photo by Anna Buckley

“Betances Mural” by Lilli Ann Killen Rosenberg and local children
Plaza Betances, in Villa Victoria, at 100 W. Dedham St.

Founded in the 1970s, the Villa Victoria housing project was built when members of the South End community, many of whom were Puerto Rican, fought against increasing gentrification in the area. The “Betances Mural” was created by Lilli Ann Killen Rosenberg, with help from community members, and was sponsored by Villa Victoria tenants’ association. Vibrant and intricate, the mural is an engrossing piece of collaborative work honoring Puerto Rican culture.

Photo by Anna Buckley

Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial by Robert Shure
Washington and W Dedham streets

The Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial in the South End is the first public memorial in the nation honoring Puerto Rican veterans. Depicting two soldiers, male and female, the statue reads “la libertad no es gratis,” which translates to English as, “freedom is not free.” According to the Boston Globe, the unveiling of the statue was 15 years in the making and a product of the work of several local veterans, who secured the land from the city and raised more than $100,000 for the monument’s construction.

Photo by Anna Buckley

“Soul Revival” by the African American Latino Alliance
Peters Park, Washington and South Berkeley streets

This vivid mural displays a cacophony of characters in a snowstorm, with the central figure being a man cloaked in an American flag, surrounded by red and blue stars. Two children and a dog are also depicted, with the words “Soul Revival” emblazoned above the scene. The piece was painted by the African American Latino Alliance following renovations to Peters Park.

Photo by Anna Buckley

“LandWave” by Shauna Gillies-Smith
Peters Park, Washington and South Berkeley streets

Located between the Peters Park baseball field and the Washington Street sidewalk, this permanent installation honors the original edge of the Neck—the narrow isthmus that connected the Shawmut Peninsula, which is now downtown Boston, to the mainland. The combination of vibrant blue tiles of varying shades and natural elements like mulch and grass results in a historical and visually intriguing testament to time and the changes it brings.

Create your own walking tour of public art in the South End with our map: