By Rachel Lake

The Greenway Conservancy is delighted to announce the commission and upcoming installation of a new public artwork, The Herd, from Boston-based fiber artist Andy Li in Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin Park on The Greenway. The Herd will continue the Conservancy’s annual curation of sculptural installations celebrating the twelve years of the Chinese Zodiac. 

Andy Li’s text and fiber-based installation reflects on the Year of The Ox by channeling its most prominent zodiac attributes, such as the Ox’s ethic of perseverance. Li is creating a series of banners, each juxtaposing a series of resilient messages in both English and Chinese with embroidered botanicals. Through repetition of content and form throughout the banners, The Herd will evoke determination and grit. In some mythology, the Ox was sent from the heavens to assist humankind and work with them to prevent famine. The Year of the Ox will be arriving during a very difficult time for the world and will carry with it hope through determination, honesty, and patience. The Herd was envisioned to create a serene and unifying environment in Chin Park to remind us that like a herd of oxen, we are in this together. 

The artwork will be attached to the bright red bamboo structures in Chin Park in early February ahead of the Lunar New Year and will run through January 2022. The artwork currently on display, Furen Dai’s changing neon light A Mouse with Ears and Tail (2020), can be seen until early February, when it will be deinstalled.

A free webinar produced by the Conservancy will be held on Thursday, January 28th. It will feature artists Andy Li and Furen Dai and celebrate the Lunar New Year through the Public Art Program’s continued annual curation of Chinese Zodiac-inspired artworks on The Greenway. All are invited to hear from the artists themselves about the meaning behind their work and connections to the Chinese Zodiac. Learn more and register at rosekennedygreenway.org/calendar; Mandarin and Cantonese translation will be available. 

This month, the Conservancy updated and installed two new pieces of signage in Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin Park to help guide residents and visitors to The Greenway. These new signs will increase visibility and provide information about the park’s namesakes, Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we remind visitors to wear a face covering and practice appropriate physical distancing while on The Greenway. To learn more about The Greenway and 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. 

Rachel Lake is the Marketing and Community Affairs Manager at the Greenway Conservancy.

To read this article in Chinese (Traditional), please click here。