Public Art Projects Affirm More Equitable Public Spaces Across Massachusetts

(Boston, MA) The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) is proud to announce the recipients of the Public Art for Spatial Justice (PASJ) grant. Totaling $460,000, these 16 grants support public art projects that create more just, vibrant, and welcoming public spaces across Massachusetts.

NEFA’s PASJ program supports public artmaking that allows communities to see, feel, and experience spatial justice in the present while working toward more just futures for public spaces and public culture. Today, PASJ remains a critical investment in community-centered creativity across Massachusetts, having supported 107 projects in a variety of artistic disciplines, through $2,259,000 in grants since 2020. 

“Public Art for Spatial Justice affirms the freedoms to create, access, express and share arts and cultures are a human right,” said Harold Steward, executive director of NEFA. “This work is essential to more equitable and vibrant public spaces, and we recognize that these freedoms aren't equitably afforded to all. On behalf of NEFA, I congratulate each grantee on this milestone and look forward to the projects. I also want to acknowledge the important partnership with the Barr Foundation on this work.”

"We believe public spaces can shape a person’s sense of belonging within a community,” said Francisco Torres, program officer for Arts + Creativity at the Barr Foundation. "Through Public Art for Spatial Justice, artists are working with residents to transform public spaces, so they reflect the cultures, stories, and aspirations of the people who live there. Barr is proud to partner with NEFA in supporting artists who are helping reimagine public spaces as more vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming for all."

“The arts are a powerful tool for positive change, and public art has the power to shift public culture and change the future,” said Kim Szeto, senior program director, Public Art. “Some of this year’s recipients are boldly anchoring the right to simply be and thrive in public, by centering unhoused communities as well as immigrant communities affected by tactics of fear and violence. Other recipients are celebrating diverse stories from within community and creating opportunities for connection through dance, music, and storytelling.” 

This year's PASJ project grants range from $15,000 to $30,000. Learn more about each project: 

• rainbow at the mill, 50 Arrow Gallery | Easthampton, MA
• CircuStations: “Feeling Right” in Everyday Life: Culture Rx Project, Black History in Action | Cambridge, MA 
• Stitching Memory along the Blackstone River Valley, Cheryll Toney Holley | Worcester, MA
• Culinary Commons: Eastie, EquiTable Food Systems | Boston, MA 
• Energy Spaces, Faries Gray; Balraj Gill; Mary Jirmanus Saba; Tareq Rantis | Malden, MA
• Palestinian Storytime in the Garden, Interlink Foundation | Northampton, MA
• The Collective Home, Maverick Landing Community Services | East Boston, MA
• Salsa In The Park 2026, MetaMovements | Greater Boston Area, MA
• Dance for the Diaspora: Boston, Museum of African American History | Boston & Nantucket, MA
• Untitled Land, Pat Falco & Melissa Teng | Boston, MA 
• Murals of Belonging, Raw Art Works | Lynn, MA
• 250 Years of Revolution, Sobek | Boston, MA 
• For The City: It St(ARTS) in the Park, StiggityStackz Worldwide | Boston, MA 
• The 11th Island Film & Arts Festival, The Cabo Verdean Heritage Month Coalition | New Bedford, MA
• The Let Out, Vikiana Petit-Homme and Guerrilla Magazine | Boston, MA 
• 2026 Catch Basin Mural Project, Worcester Green Corps | Worcester, MA

NEFA’s Public Art program is made possible with funding from the Barr Foundation and the Fund for the Arts at NEFA.

ABOUT NEFA

The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities, fostering equitable access to the arts and enriching the cultural landscape in New England and across the United States. Founded in 1976, NEFA has grown into a vital national and international leader, advancing opportunities for artists and strengthening the arts infrastructure through grantmaking, partnerships, convenings, and knowledge sharing.  

NEFA’s work is made possible through generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the six New England state arts agencies, private foundations, corporations, and individual donors. As NEFA approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026, it continues to lead with creativity, resilience, and vision, affirming the vital role of the arts in civic life and advancing a cultural landscape where all people have equitable access to artistic expression. www.nefa.org.  

Contact: Ann Wicks, 617-423-1390