World-renowned street artist Banksy recently painted a mural for a primary school in Bristol, England, which only goes to show how far street art has progressed from being a nuisance to well, being something parents of school-age children can appreciate. Now there’s a fresh take on public art brewing just “across the pond” in Boston.
Boston’s mayor has a Mural Crew, where “young Boston artists work alongside professional mural painters to conceptualize, design, and paint large-scale murals throughout the city.” And this summer, their murals have been materializing—literally—at the most unexpected times: whenever it rains.
“Raining Poetry” is an art installation collaboration between the Mural Crew and Mass Poetry. Together, they’ve been installing poetry along select sidewalks in Boston. According to Sarah Siegel of Mass Poetry, the crew uses “a biodegradable water-repellent spray and stencils made by local artists.” On dry days, you can’t see the poems. But once it rains (or you throw a bucket of water over the words), the text darkens and becomes poetry.
Boston’s Poet Laureate, Danielle Georges, has selected four poems for the initial art installation, including three by Massachusetts poets.
The ultimate goal is to add so many poems that a commuter will encounter one or two poems a month as they traverse Boston city streets. Longterm, they’d like to include poems in different languages as well.
For more information about “Raining Poetry,” click here.