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ABOUT THE WINDOWS ART PROJECT

Somerville 1995: There were not many venues for presenting and viewing art, especially local art. The city had hardly any coffee shops. The only galleries were at the Somerville Museum and Brickbottom. Somerville Open Studios had yet to emerge. And real estate agents (of which there were also fewer) hadn’t even considered showing art as a means to entice clientele. Public art didn’t really exist, except for a few disconnected examples, and temporary public art in the area was unprecedented.

The Windows Art Project – WAP – helped change all that. It resulted from a random thought which occurred at a Somerville Arts Council public meeting in early 1995, and the project was launched that July. The intent? To intersect art and businesses within the community for mutual benefit. The longevity of WAP as it moves into its 11th year points to its success and popularity.

WAP has become one of the Boston area's largest public art events. Since its inception, this juried exhibit has infiltrated public and private spaces of Somerville's Squares. The project ran for many years in Davis Square; beginning in 2003, the Somerville Arts Council moved WAP to Union Square.

The Windows Art Project (WAP) is one of the Boston area’s largest public art events. Since 1995, this juried exhibition has infiltrated public and private spaces of Somerville’s Davis Square with the aim of integrating art into daily life. Look for artwork in Union Square business windows and in outdoor locations, such as the plaza and the Bow Street traffic island.

ARTSUNION

WAP and the WAP reception will be tied into the ArtsUnion project, an initiative designed to boost the cultural and economic development of Union Square, Somerville. Arts Union will celebrate and promote the unique community of the area and attract people to this buzzing cultural destination. The Somerville Arts Council and the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development created this project, in partnership with ArtSomerville, Brickbottom Artists Association, the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission, the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, Somerville Open Studios, Washington Street Art Center, and Union Square Main Streets. Through generous funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and its John and Abigail Adams Arts Program, ArtsUnion will cultivate and promote the square’s diverse artist and business community.

Check out this years' programming.

The ArtsUnion initiative, shepherded by numerous local organizations, artists, businesses, and community members, is expected to spark community-wide excitement about the Square, as well as create new economic opportunities for local artists. Over time the project will strengthen the regional identity and long-term appeal of Union Square.