Dewitt Playground Public Art Projects
These long-term public art projects complement a recent renovation of Dewitt Playground.
Enhancing the renovated space with the Mirror of History installation, shade canopies, and other elements.
Project details
Project Context
The recent renovation of this park is part of a larger public works project called the Whittier Choice Neighborhood Transformation Plan. The renovation includes:
- an elevated stage area that can be used for activities, such as movie nights, farmers markets, and open-ended exploration
- an additional seating and activity area
- two play areas and an exercise equipment zone
- passive seating zones, seat walls, cafe-style tables and chairs
- a series of shade structures created by local students, and
- updates to lighting and softscape elements, including lighting on the basketball courts
Project Site
These public art projects are located at the corner of Ruggles Street and Dewitt Drive, next to the Madison Park High School Athletic Field Complex in Roxbury.
Design Goals and Community Values
There are three qualities of the Ruggles Corridor neighborhood that the artists considered when designing this project:
Health and Wellness
As a public open space, areas that add to the health and wellness of residents are a priority.
Intergenerational Engagement
The community strongly believes in Dewitt Park as an intergenerational space for both play and social activities. Any design should engage people in all stages of life.
Play
The community encourages park users to think more broadly about play. That approach could be incorporated into the design in a way that encourages exploration and discovery.
About the Artwork
P.L.A.Y. (Play Learn Athletic Youth) is a collaborative project designed by artist Marlon Forrester in collaboration with Studio Luz Architects at Madison Park Playground. More than a celebration of basketball, it honors the history of social justice and the trailblazers who have advanced BIPOC communities.
Anchored by M.O.H. (Mirror of History), Shaded Canopies, and Agora23 Sidelines, the transformed basketball court becomes an Afrofuturist space—one that bridges the wisdom of the past with the aspirations of the future. This multipurpose venue invites visual arts, performance, and design workshops rooted in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
P.L.A.Y. is both an act of community uplift and an immersive journey into a sacred environment guided by the African philosophy of Ubuntu—"I am because we are." It affirms that we are ethical stewards with a shared responsibility to sustain the long-term well-being of one another, governing ourselves with respect and unity within this space.
About the artist team
The City of Boston selected Team P.L.A.Y. for the Dewitt Playground public art project. Their team is made up of:
- Boston-based artist and educator Marlon Forrester
- Studio Luz Architects, led by Principals Hansy Better Barraza and Anthony Piermarini
Marlon Forrester was born in Guyana, South America. He is an artist and educator raised in Boston. Forrester is a graduate of School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and Yale School of Art. He served as adjunct professor at School of The Museum of Fine Arts Boston. He is a resident artist at African-American Masters Artist Residency Program (AAMARP), adjunct to the Department of African-American Studies in association with Northeastern University. He has shown both internationally and nationally. Forrester's work is concerned with the corporate use of the Black body, or the body as logo. His paintings, drawings, sculptures, and multimedia works reflect meditations on the Black figure in America.
Studio Luz Architects is an agile, forward-thinking practice. They strive to integrate social responsibility and sustainable practices with built architectural expression. The firm was founded by architects Hansy Better Barraza and Anthony Piermarini in 2002 and is based in the Roslindale neighborhood in Boston. Their projects and practice have been widely recognized and have received international honors.
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