Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans brings world-class public art and events to promote ocean advocacy in East Boston during challenging times

Presented by Linda Cabot, local public art group HarborArts is collaborating with the international nonprofit PangeaSeed Foundation to bring their globally renowned public art program, Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans, to Boston. The initiative, known as Sea Walls Boston, will install six large-scale public murals throughout East Boston next month, as well as host a series of accompanying virtual community events.

The planning of Sea Walls Boston began in early 2019, and by mid-October of last year, the project had developed into a ten-day public art festival in East Boston scheduled for September 2020. Planned by a team of community leaders, artists, and change-makers, the event was to feature 15 international and regional artists coming together to paint for a purpose giving East Boston’s coastal communities a creative voice through public art and activism. 

In the wake of COVID-19, the Sea Walls Boston team has rescheduled the main event to July of 2021 but will continue in the form of a pilot project next month. The Sea Walls Boston team has listened to the community and has received positive feedback that East Boston wants to see public art installed this year. Now more than ever, there is no better way to bring positivity to the community than to add fresh, bright colors to the neighborhood during an extraordinarily difficult time.

Sea Walls Boston will kick off on September 1st with the creation of six large-scale ocean-themed murals. Participating talents are local ARTivists Silvia López Chavez, Julia “JULZ” Roth + Cedric “Vise1” Douglas, Josie Morway, IMAGINE, and Artists for Humanity featuring teen leaders from East Boston. 

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These murals are being painted with a purpose to give our oceans a creative voice, by serving as educational tools and conversation-starters about locally relevant key issues affecting our oceans, environment, and people. Four of the mural sites are located at Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina, and two are located on the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway. 

The project, which runs through September 20th in conjunction with Eastie Week, provides a series of opportunities for the community to get involved and learn more about how they can become stewards of our oceans. In addition to the new collection of monumental public art installations, Sea Walls Boston will bring a whole host of virtual educational programming including artist talks, panelist “conversations”, and family activities like a free downloadable Coloring Companion that will engage local youth with the murals being painted in their neighborhood. 

Sea Walls Boston is working diligently to ensure that the program keeps artists, volunteers, and the community safe, following the guidelines from the State of Massachusetts, the City of Boston, and the CDC. For the safety of the artists and the general public, we will be hosting public events as part of Sea Walls Boston online. If the public chooses to visit the mural locations while they’re in progress, the organizers ask that they wear a mask, social distance from other viewers, and respect the artists’ safety by remaining at a distance.

Presenting Sea Walls Boston is long-time PangeaSeed Foundation supporter Linda Cabot. Linda is a lifelong ocean advocate, sailor, and founder of Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, a Boston-based nonprofit that challenges students to explore issues impacting the oceans through art. Sea Walls Boston is produced in partnership with Boston Harbor Now, East Boston Main Streets, the Davis Companies, the East Boston Foundation, ZUMIX, Artists for Humanity, the Donald McKay School, the Friends of the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway (formerly the East Boston Greenway), and many members of the East Boston community. The project is also supporting local small businesses and restaurants impacted by COVID-19 by purchasing materials and food for the artists and volunteers.

Through the Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans program, PangeaSeed Foundation has created over 400 ocean-themed environmental public murals and art installations across the globe. By engaging individuals and communities the world over through public art, they are helping to inspire, educate, and empower people to become better stewards of our oceans and catalyze positive change by fostering a sense of community pride and ownership for the artworks and our natural resources. 

For more information on Sea Walls Boston, please visit seawalls.org or contact the local Sea Walls team at SeaWallsBoston@pangeaseed.org 

About PangeaSeed Foundation & Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans

PangeaSeed Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization working at the intersection of culture and environmentalism to further the conservation of our oceans. Using the combination of science, education, and art, they aim to unify and connect individuals around the world, opening a dialog to share ideas and develop a better global understanding of our connection with the oceans.

Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans is PangeaSeed Foundation’s groundbreaking public art program that brings the oceans into the streets around the world. By collaborating with the world’s most renowned contemporary artists, they create large-scale public murals that address pressing environmental issues our oceans are facing.

About HarborArts

Since 2009, HarborArts has been creating a stage for dialogue through public art. Transforming the 14-acre Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina into an outdoor gallery representing local and international artists, HarborArts has brought thousands of visitors through the shipyard to explore the intersection of industry, community, and artistic expression. The outdoor gallery is open to the public free of charge, year-round. We are proud to continue bringing public art to our beloved neighborhood of East Boston.