Public Art Walk

Public Art Walk is the City of Boston’s map of murals and public art, created to celebrate the cultural stories of neighborhoods across the city. Run by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture and the Boston Art Commission, it helps residents and visitors find artwork they can see for free. Murals are a focus because they are often made by community members responding to the moment, and the map started with just over 70 murals.

The city also commissions permanent and temporary public art. Recent and ongoing projects include murals on basketball courts at Malcolm X Park in Roxbury, artwork for new fire stations and branch libraries, the Chinatown Worker Statues Project by Wen-ti Tsen, a community-led monument to Frederick Douglass in Roxbury, and a mural celebrating Afro-Latin dance and music at Mozart Park in Jamaica Plain. Each year the city also selects artists to paint utility boxes.

What to Know

• The city’s curatorial vision recognizes Boston as the traditional homeland of the Massachusett people.
• Artists and community members can propose their own public art projects through the city.
• The Percent for Art fund supports new artwork at Boston Public Schools.
• A Boston Artists-in-Residence program pairs artists with city departments.