Public Art installation Opens in Brookline's Monmouth Park

BROOKLINE, MA – There's a "Shimmer" in Monmouth Park today. Thanks to the Brookline Arts Center, the public art installation will be on view in Monmouth Park through the end of October.

Artist Meagan Hepp, who has worked at the center since 2017, created the piece, which is a replication of the center's historic building. This is her first solo public art piece.

The sculpture is a silhouette structure built from wood and painted wire mesh. Plastic ribbon, recycled by hand from plastic water bottles, were woven through the mesh, filling in the walls of the building. During the day, the bottles reflect the sunlight out into the community and at night, the structure is lit from inside, creating a pattern on the park’s floor.

“In this sculptural world, both destruction and healing are painful, messy, and ongoing—leaving structures standing shakily, yes, but nevertheless standing,” said Hepp, who also runs the ceremics studio at the center. “For the structure in Monmouth Park, I hope to use the metaphor of recycling and repurposing to bring the conversation of environment and the action of the community to the forefront.”

This installation is part of the new permanent public art component of the center's gallery program. Each year, one the center will seek proposals for a six-month public art installation at the park, then a dynamic solo artist or small collaborative group will have the opportunity to experiment and develop their work with the support of the center. Artists will then design, create and exhibit their proposed installations.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Brookline Commission for the Arts, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. It is also supported by The Brookline Community Foundation and The Brookline Parks and Open Space Division.

Learn more about the installation and the public art program at www.brooklineartscenter.com.