Bring The Greenway Home

For over a decade, it has been the Greenway Conservancy’s mission to manage and care for The Greenway, providing vibrant green space that is essential to everyone who shares our city. In these difficult times, we will continue to do so.

For those near and afar, our team is sharing The Greenway’s story digitally for our friends and supporters to bring The Greenway home; be sure to follow our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram channels to learn more!

  • Thank you to those who joined our January 28, 2021 live virtual event, Curating the Chinese Zodiac: The Work of Furen Dai and Andy Li on The Greenway. Taking place online via Zoom webinar with live translation and broadcast live on our website, this event celebrated the Lunar New Year through our Public Art Program and our continued annual curation of Chinese Zodiac-inspired artworks on The Greenway!

    Moderated by Sheila Novak, Public Art Project Manager

    Speakers:

    • Lucas Cowan, Greenway Conservancy Director and Curator of Public Art
    • Furen Dai, Artist
    • Andy Li, Artist

  • Thank you to those who joined our December 10, 2020 live virtual event, Public Art in the Age of COVID, where Lucas Cowan, Greenway Conservancy Director & Curator of Public Art, and members of the Greenway Public Art Advisory Group explored of the importance of public art during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our panel discussed the ways in which artists and arts administrators are working to adapt, collaborate, create, and plan ahead for public art in this unprecedented time. 

    Speakers: 

    • Kara Elliott-Ortega, Chief of Arts and Culture, City of Boston
    • Che Anderson, Deputy Cultural Development Officer at the City of Worcester
    • Dr. Leonie Bradbury, Foster Chair, Distinguished Curator-in-Residence, Emerson College School of the Arts 
    • Lucas Cowan, Director and Curator of Public Art, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy

     

     

     

     

  • Thank you to those who joined our October 29, 2020 live virtual event, Lighting the Way: Exploring ‘Lantern Stories’ in Boston’s Chinatown, featuring a conversation between Artist Yu-Wen Wu and Greenway Conservancy Director and Curator of Public Art, Lucas Cowan. Lantern Stories consists of 31 lanterns suspended over the central plaza of Chin Park that portray Chinatown’s history of immigration, culture, and resiliency. Focusing on each individual lantern created for this exhibit, the artist guided us through her vision and creative process.

    Speakers: 

    • Yu-Wen Wu, Artist
    • Lucas Cowan, Director and Curator of Public Art, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy

  • Thank you for joining the Greenway Conservancy to learn the truths and stories behind our organic practices in our October 22, 2020 webianr! The Conservancy is a leader in organic park management; this webinar dives deeper on the what, why, and how, especially the brewing and application of compost tea to promote healthy soils. Our panel explored the range of Greenway sustainable park care practices, highlighted the role of our talented staff and volunteers in organic maintenance, and provided a behind the scenes look at our innovative Compost Tea operation.

    Speakers: 

    • Keelin Caldwell, Director of Programs and Community Engagement 
    • Anthony Ruggiero, Superintendent of Horticulture
    • Cathy Weston, Greenway Conservancy Volunteer

  • Thank you to those who joined our July 15 live virtual event, Your Summer On The Greenway: A Live Update! We were delighted to share stories of the summer so far, and hear from many of you. Conservancy’s leadership shared behind-the-scenes stories of the fascinating work of our talented staff and the latest updates on The Greenway‘s art, horticulture, fountains, food trucks, drinkeries, markets, and more.

    Speakers:

    • Jesse Brackenbury, Executive Director
    • Keelin Caldwell, Director of Programs and Community Engagement
    • Lucas Cowan, Director and Curator of Public Art
    • Rebecca McKevitz, Capital Projects Manager
    • Anthony Ruggiero, Superintendent of Horticulture

  • Thank you to those who joined our July 21 live virtual event, a conversation on Lantern Stories, the upcoming public art project for Boston’s Chinatown by artist Yu-Wen Wu. Greenway Conservancy Public Art Project Manager Sheila Novak moderated a lively conversation engaging Chinatown leaders, community members, and artist Yu-Wen Wu.

    The Conservancy received a number of questions and feedback from the community during this virtual event; find a collection of these questions, with answers from our panelists on our blog.

  • Greenway Conservancy Director and Curator of Public Art, Lucas Cowan, moderated a lively conversation engaging perspectives of contemporary art from artists, software developers, and curators. The panel explored how increased access to technology and the borderless possibilities of Augmented Reality enable the scope of public art to exist in all spaces, from public parks to our living rooms. How has an increase in technology, from the growth of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, intersected and expanded public art opportunities, especially in a pre/post COVID-19 world?

    Panelists:

    • Lucas Cowan, Director and Curator of Public Art, Greenway Conservancy
    • Nicolas Robbe, CEO, Hoverlay Inc.
    • George Fifield, Director and Founder, Boston Cyberarts, Inc.
    • John Craig Freeman, Conservancy Artist & Professor of New Media, Emerson College

  • Berklee Summer in the City Concert Series

    Missing our summer Berklee College of Music concerts on The Greenway? #BringTheGreenwayHome and check out their new programming, making Berklee Summer in the City available to all through their virtual concert series! Summer in the City is back this month with virtual concerts every Thursday, July 16 through August 27, at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Copresented with some of Boston’s most beloved institutions, all events are available to stream on Berklee’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels.

    The 2020 edition of the series will feature Berklee students and recent alumni putting their own spin on tracks by Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Lizzo, Blackpink, H.E.R., Dua Lipa, Rosalía, Travis Scott, and more, via prerecorded video, from locations around the world. Previous Summer in the City performers have included Betty Who, Esperanza Spalding, Haerts, Stray Birds, and Sierra Hull.

    How to start seeds from home

    At the Conservancy, spring is synonymous with seedlings. Along with the many buds and blooms on The Greenway, our horticulture staff are cultivating seedlings that will eventually be transplanted into the park. We invite you to #BringTheGreenwayHome with these step by step instructions on how to grow seedlings in your own home or backyard!

    Have a food truck lunch at home

    Have you become a bread baking guru or still looking for tips to get started? Scott Riebling, co-founder of Stoked Wood Fired Pizza Co., has been spending time baking with his family and shared his go to bread recipe with us!

    For those who have been craving a bowl from Hometown Poké, we teamed up to share an easy at-home recipe for their Spicy Shrimp Poké bowl!

    Morad Bouzidi, proud owner of Mo’Rockin Fusion has started a YouTube Channel to share recipes you can make at home! Recipes for his shrimp casserole and creamy seafood pasta can be seen on our latest blog post!

    Planting your own container garden

    As spring blooms begin to emerge, May and early June are the perfect time for planting container gardens. These gardens will often last through the whole season; many holding right up to Thanksgiving!

    Interested in planting your own container garden this summer? Our horticulture staff are here to help #BringTheGreenwayHome with some helpful tips and tricks to get started, whether you’re planting in your garden, on your deck, front stairs, or fire escape!

    Birding on The Greenway and at home

    As spring blooms on The Greenway and in our own backyards; #BringTheGreenwayHome by learning from one of our resident birders on what you can expect when looking for feathered friends in New England!

  • Scenes from The Greenway Facebook Albums

    If you are unable to explore the park, #BringTheGreenwayHome and enjoy these scenes from Spring 2020 and Summer 2020. 

    What’s blooming on The Greenway: Summer 2020

    Phenology is the study of the timing of biological events in plants and animals such as flowering, leaf unfolding, hibernation, insect emergence, and bird, fish and mammal migration. Phenology is literally “the science of appearance.” The Greenway Conservancy has a dedicated group of volunteers who walk the park and record these phenological observations each week. Throughout the season, they help find the best, most exciting and interesting plants blooming this week, in real time! Learn more below about what’s blooming on The Greenway this summer in our May, July, August, and September blog posts!

    Greenway Bingo

    Missing all your favorite activities and places on The Greenway? #BringTheGreenwayHome by playing our Greenway BINGO games! In our general Greenway BINGO, mark what you have done and see if you can create any lines, vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. For our Greenway Food Truck BINGO, show us what trucks you have tried across the park. Share your boards with us for a chance to be featured on our social media accounts!

    Zoom Virtual Backgrounds

    Delight your friends and coworkers by adding your favorite Greenway scenes to your Virtual Background settings on Zoom!

  • Look behind the scenes and learn about the people who make the park!

    Maintenance on The Greenway

    • The Conservancy is working towards energy we can all be proud of! We have converted 90% of the park’s almost 500 lights to energy-efficient LED’s; watch our Senior Maintenance Technician Bobby at work converting these lights in the park! This has resulted in a 75% reduction in energy usage, the elimination of ballasts (which regulate currents in fluorescent lights and are made from a precious metal), and the increase of the bulb life up to 75%, all without sacrificing the quality and effectiveness of the park lighting.
    • Our Greenway Carousel is the only carousel of its kind. The hand-carved characters are inspired by the air, sea, and land animals of Boston Harbor, and by the imaginations of Boston students. To keep our Carousel in the best shape possible, the Conservancy has made shelf-stable mold castings of our carousel creatures so they can be recreated in the event of damage or aging through time. Our Senior Maintenance Technician Bobby has been at work building crates to keep our mold castings safe in storage.

    Horticulture on The Greenway

    • Conservancy horticulture staff are hard at work keeping lawns and gardens on The Greenway happy and healthy! Watch our Ecological Health Care Horticulturist Tori spreads calcitic lime across one of our lawns to help maintain the balance of pH between our grass and soil. #BringTheGreenwayHome by learning more about our plants and landscapes!
    • Don’t treat your soil like dirt! The Conservancy employs strict water conservation practices to minimize usage across The Greenway. Thanks to unique practices such as soil moisture readings, match precipitation tests, and irrigation auditing, our Greenway lawns have developed deep root systems that require less water. Learn more about some of these strategies in one of our #EarthDay blog posts!
    • The Conservancy’s Pollinator Ribbon encompasses 17 areas across The Greenway, with designs that mimic the habit and groupings of native plants, and create plant communities that are dense, lush, and mutually supportive. Learn more by exploring how to protect pollinators on the park and in your own backyard in one of our #EarthDay blog posts!

    Voices of Volunteerism

    Learn more about our incredible Greenway Conservancy Volunteers through our Voices of Volunteerism blog series

    Public Art on The Greenway

    With the aim of celebrating both past and present, each year a new artwork has been installed by the Conservancy in front of the Essex Street Gate for the past six years. The installation’s goal is to celebrate the culture, history, and traditions of the Chinese New Year and the Chinatown community through the ideas and expressions of contemporary artists. We invite you to #BringTheGreenwayHome by exploring our past five installations, as well as our current artwork, by learning more about the artists and their work in our latest Discovery Guide!

  • The Greenway Conservancy is excited to announce our 2020 Greenway Fitness Season, presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. The Conservancy’s free fitness classes from local gyms and instructors would typically have begun in May but due to COVID-19, many classes were postponed pending guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the City of Boston.

    The Greenway Fitness Program runs throughout the summer and offers free fitness classes across the park every Monday through Thursday and Saturday, with additional classes taking place on select Fridays and Sundays. This year’s offerings consist of a range of options including yoga, cardio dance, strength and conditioning circuits, and parkour workouts. Check out our calendar and blog to learn more about our in park and virtual offerings!

    Learn more about one of our new fitness partners, TRILLFIT, and their one-of-a-kind boutique fitness studio in the heart of Boston’s Mission Hill Neighborhood on our blog!

  • Color The Greenway with us and learn more about the park and work of the Greenway Conservancy.

    Be sure to share your artwork with us as you #ColorTheGreenway!

The Greenway Conservancy is committed to supporting our partners and neighbors during this unprecedented time. When we emerge from this crisis, and people are searching for affordable ways to reconnect while staying healthy, The Greenway’s vibrant green space, free fitness classes, exhilarating art and cultural programming, and al fresco drinkeries and dining options will be more important than ever–and our neighboring businesses and services will continue to be essential components of a lively, welcoming, and resilient downtown Boston. 

Find the latest changes to our programming here. Please be sure to check our online calendar for the latest details, and reach out to [email protected] with any questions or concerns.