Charlestown Artist Chosen To Create Public Art In Boston

CHARLESTOWN, MA — Come October, the city's business district will look a little brighter, as 12 local visual artists, including Charlestown-based Jasmine Lee, unveil public works of art on the city's utility boxes.

The theme? Almost everyone's favorite. Downtown Boston Business Improvement District gave the artists the task of reimagining Boston's regional culinary history for its "Tasteful Boston" project.

The artists hail from different regions of Boston, and all bring their diverse backgrounds to bear on art works that tell the story of the city's most iconic foods and what they mean in a collective sense.

Charlestown-based Lee uses bright colors to render her fondest memories growing up in Chinatown: family dim sum brunches, community banquets, and the neighborhood’s bustling bakeries and Boba shops.

Lee’s piece can be seen finished starting Oct. 2 at the Chinatown T stop, near Washington and Essex streets.

Lee has strong roots in Charlestown. She grew up with a single mother and brother in the Charlestown projects and Boston's Chinatown. She graduated from Tufts University with a double major in American Studies and Community Health and double minor in Chinese and Asian American Studies and also was a visual arts major at Boston Arts Academy. She has devoted her life to tackling issues in her own community, according to her website.

As the Art Director of R Visions for Chinatown and lead artist, she has worked with community members, local artists, nonprofit organizations, institutions and the Boston Art Commission to raise awareness and organized collective actions around the affordable housing crisis in Boston Chinatown, according to her website.

Check out a walking map of the 12 utility box installations at www.tastefulboston.com.