By Jesse Brackenbury
As I prepare to depart in late April to lead the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, I wanted to reflect on the Greenway Conservancy’s efforts over the eleven years I’ve worked here. I’ve been lucky to work on the care and improvement of The Greenway since the first year of the Conservancy’s operations; I was hired in December 2009 and have led the Conservancy since the beginning of 2013. We’ve worked to bring vibrancy to Auntie Kay & Uncle Frank Chin Park and Mary Soo Hoo Park with events, art, and improvements for the community.
In the last 11 years, we have dramatically ramped up free events on The Greenway to 400+ annually (pre-pandemic). The Conservancy partners with a terrific set of community organizations, including Chinatown Main Street for the Chinatown Main Street and Lantern Festivals, the Pao Arts Center for Experience Chinatown, the Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) for Films at the Gate, the Boston Public Market Association for the Dewey Square Farmers Market, and the Celebrity Series for Concert for One. For several years, we have partnered with the Wang YMCA for free Zumba fitness classes and the Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi Arts Association for World Tai Chi Day. Through our summertime Play Program, our staff provide summer weeknight fun for children in Chin Park, and ACDC’s A-VOYCE teens bring family-focused activities on weekends. In total, in a typical year, there are ~50 events in Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin Park on The Greenway, all free.
Our contemporary public art commissions have made Chin Park an outdoor art gallery. Chin Park has been the site for annual Zodiac-animal-inspired art: Kyu Seok Oh’s paper-mache Wandering Sheep (2015), Don Kennell’s 12-foot Monkey See (2016), Chis Templeman’s 3D-rooster printer Make and Take (2017), Risa Puno’s community storytelling abacus Year of the Dog (2018), Elliott Kayser’s ceramic Year of the Pig (2019 sculptures), Furen Dai’s neon A Mouse with Ears and Tail (2020), and Andy Li’s The Herd (installed in February). With the help of a community jury, the Conservancy commissioned artist Yu Wen Wu to produce Lantern Stories (2020). Since the Conservancy launched our contemporary public art program, our art commissions have won more awards from Americans for the Arts than any other non-profit in the country.
The Conservancy has fundraised to improve Chin Park for residents and visitors. In 2010 and 2011, we added tables, chairs, umbrellas, and signage to soften the hardscape. Families have enjoyed the PlayCubes since we added them in 2016. We’ve brighted the landscape with the addition of the lush Chinatown Viewing Garden and in 2017 we celebrated in Chin Park the planting of the 150,000th flowering bulb. Community input has driven a significant set of improvements coming this year to add and upgrade lighting, replace the granite hills in Mary Soo Hoo Park with new pilot elements, and replace the PlayCubes’ safety surfacing. All of these additions have focused on delivering a more welcoming, comfortable, and safe park for all.
I’m so grateful to have worked with all the community leaders and organizations that make Chinatown one of Boston’s most vibrant and unique neighborhoods. I look forward to watching the park continue to develop. Thank you for your friendship and support.
To learn more about The Greenway and the work of the Greenway Conservancy, check out our website at rosekennedygreenway.org. Please feel free to reach out with any questions and concerns to info@rosekennedygreenway.org.
Jesse Brackenbury is the Executive Director at the Greenway Conservancy.
