Public Art — Julia Csekö

A Home for Our Future Generations

In progress

I am honored to be collaborating with my fellow Brazilian artist, Raquel Fornasaro, on a public artwork responding to the theme of sustainability, supported by the Our Energy Future Grant.

Funded by the sponsors of Mass Save through a Community Education Grant, the City of Framingham and the Town of Natick have invited us to design and lead two complementary participatory public art projects, one in Framingham and one in Natick, centered on the theme Our Energy Future. This initiative highlights the vital role each of us plays in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our homes and buildings. Through creative engagement, our project aims to amplify the importance of collective action and inspire communities to imagine and build a more sustainable future together.

Transcending Borders

Immigrant EXxperiences and Dreams

2023 to present

Seen here at Salem’s Artist’s Row during the Salem Public Artist in Residence 2024.

Title: Transcending Borders Immigrant Expereinces and Dreams

Materials: Modular fence structure, concrete blocks, mailbox, custom printed signage, custom printed ribbons with the phrase YOU ARE WELCOME HERE in several languages commonly spoken by immigrant populations of Greater Boston. AR integration.

Dimensions: 5x3x6ft

Year: 2023 to present

This Participatory Public Art piece is inspired by a Brazilian custom, where people of all ages, backgrounds, religious beliefs, and nationalities come to the historical Church of Senhor do Bonfim in Salvador, Bahia, and tie a ribbon representing a wish on the fence surrounding the premises. Transcending Borders features over 2,000 brightly colored ribbons featuring the phrase YOU ARE WELCOME HERE in several languages commonly spoken by immigrant populations of greater Boston. The public is invited to take a ribbon and engage with the piece through a QR code and a mailbox, allowing participants to share stories about immigration. The AR integration leads to organizations that support immigrant and refugee rights.

How do we define immigrants? Historically mostly everyone in America is an immigrant or from an immigrant family. It’s important to contextualize the arrival of the British settler-colonists as early immigrants. How many generations have you or your family lived in America?

Denholm Building Window Display

October 2024 to October 2025

Denholm Building, 484 Main St STE 320, Worcester, MA 01608

A Message to the Future

2022 to present

Currently on view at 141 McBride St., Jamaica Plain MA

With congresswoman Ayana Presley and co-creator and collaborator Eddie Maisonet

These panels are part of a community benefit package negotiated by the Stonybrook Neighborhood Association for a Jamaica Plain development project.

The project is a collaboration with Eddie Maisonet, a Jamaica Plain native with a BA in Psychology from Smith College, and a two-time artist-in-residence at The Theater Offensive (2017 and 2019). His 2019 project, Narratives of Home, explored the unique impacts of gentrification on local communities. Maisonet has cultivated strong connections with community builders who continue to organize, care for, and uplift neighborhood members.

The three panels honor Jamaica Plain community leaders, presenting them as role models for younger generations while highlighting their invaluable contributions. Csekö and Maisonet hope to inspire future generations to engage in the ongoing pursuit of human rights and social justice. Together, these panels reflect memory, community leadership, and social engagement.

The first panel pays homage to Julia Martin, a longtime Jamaica Plain community organizer. Maisonet interviewed Martin to feature her words directly in this panel. Martin’s activism began in the 1960s with the “Mothers for Action,” tackling issues from preventing Interstate I-95 from cutting through neighborhoods to addressing addiction. Today, the Julia Martin House at Jackson Square, part of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation, bears her name and provides low-income seniors with independent, supportive living.

The second panel presents original text by Maisonet, reflecting his deep knowledge of Jamaica Plain and his commitment to continuing Martin’s legacy.

The third panel features the words of local leader Ernesto “Eroc” Arroyo-Montano, sourced by Maisonet. Arroyo-Montano is an educator, artist, facilitator, organizer, youth worker, and community activist. A proud father of three, he has led initiatives in youth programming and intersectional movement-building, demonstrating dedication to racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice.

A Message to the Future

2020 to present

Words by John Lewis, Together You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation

This mural was commissioned by Emerson College as a response to anti-semitic and white supremacist graffiti found on the Piano Row Campus. The Emerson administration began a conversation with the student body to understand how they wanted to approach the incident. The students requested that a piece of art be created in response. Leonie Bradbury, the Henry and Lois Foster Chair of Contemporary Art Theory and Practice, Distinguished Curator-in-Residence at Emerson College stepped in to create a student advisory board. The text selection was of great importance - and everyone involved expressed the desire for an uplifting message, something that would propose and inspire, propel us to navigate the anxiety caused by the unstable political scenario and social distancing practices with strength and clarity.

The conversation extended for weeks, and on the very day of our final meeting, Bradbury suggested using the essay published in the New York Times on July 30th, 2020, written by John Lewis himself, inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. The essay was read at Lewis’s funeral.

Both of these sore topics share the looming threat of white supremacy as a common denominator, and Lewis’s message of unity against bigotry shines bright, illuminating the path out of hatred into a society based on justice, peace, and equality. Lewis urges us to continue to exercise our rights and duties as citizens. To participate, to unite, and to vote, because in his own words, “democracy is not a state, it is an act”, and the right to vote is not a guarantee, it needs to be upheld as the clearest sign of a functioning democracy. In honor and remembrance of all those who were lost to the horrors of the holocaust, and to the horrors of slavery. In acknowledgment and solidarity to all of those who are survivors of prejudice, bigotry, and violence, be it for their religious faith, their culture, the color of their skin, or their sexuality. Let John Lewis continuously encourage us to unite and build a better future: “When Historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression, and war.” […] “Walk with the wind brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.”

He passed days after writing it, leaving an elegant and beautiful message of resilience and resistance and his last words touched us all very deeply. He addressed and praised the union of people from all backgrounds towards the fight for human dignity, justice, democracy, and equality, and urged us to end bigotry within our lifetime. The essay had many beautiful passages, and it was an incredible honor and pleasure to pick a few of his words to live within the Emerson Campus. Much in the spirit of John Lewis’ lifelong advocacy for nonviolent protest, a hateful act resulted in a hopeful outcome. This mural was made to honor Lewis’s memory and entice the viewer to learn more about his exemplary life as an activist and statesman. It is but a small contribution to keep Lewis’s deeds and words present in our hearts and minds. Lewis participated in many of the Freedom Rides, being brutalized, assaulted, and humiliated, but even the mental and physical suffering caused to him did not distract him from his vision of the future, or from his mission of radical pacifism as a transformative agent. No one should ever endure what Lewis did, and what many BIPOC peoples continue to endure, and have endured historically. Returning to the original incident that resulted in the creation of this mural, we must not forget the horrors of the holocaust. As we must not forget the horrors of slavery, segregation, and racial inequality.

A Message to the future

2019 to present

Currently on view at Winter Pl., Boston MA

This mural was commissioned by the Boston Downtown BID and created in partnership with the Boston Literary District. The three excerpts featured in this mural are by:

Margaret Fuller (1810-1850), was an American journalist, editor, critic, translator, and women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movement. She was the first American female war correspondent, writing for Horace Greeley's New-York Tribune, and full-time book reviewer in journalism. Her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century is considered the first major feminist work in the United States.

Edward Bellamy (1850-1898), “Looking Backward: 2000–1887” a utopian socialist novel.

Eddie Maisonet, is a transgender, disabled, Afro-Puerto Rican interdisciplinary storyteller, teaching artist, and actor. He is born and bred from Boston with his roots lovingly planted in Jamaica Plain. In 2017 and 2019, he was awarded artist residencies with The Theater Offensive. His 2019 collaborative project, Narratives of Home, was a response to the question of the unique ways gentrification impacts our communities.

A little note from the Mass Cultural Council Community Initiative:

"Next time you’re in Boston’s Downtown Crossing area, check out this great collaboration between Boston Literary District and the Downtown Boston BID; at the alleyway connecting Winter Street and Temple Place.

It only fits one person at a time and runs for about 40 feet. Inside are bands of color evoking Sol Lewitt with three areas of text w/ excerpts of writings by Margaret Fuller, Edward Bellamy Memorial Association, and Eddie Maisonet. Really beautiful pit stop when walking and exploring the City.

A Coney Island of the Mind - Marshal McLuhan

2014-2018

Emerson College entrance of Walker Building

This mural was commissioned by Emerson College in 2014 for the entrance of the Walker building. This is an ongoing series of paintings using the written word as raw material. These paintings are meant to be featured in public spaces, sharing excerpts of theory, poetry, and philosophy in high-traffic urban spaces. The colors and text are chosen in relation to the place where they will be displayed. This mural was commissioned by Emerson College and was featured at the Walker Building entrance. Photos by Peter Harris Studio. The choice of Marshal McLuhan's text was made in conversation with the Emerson College staff. Thank you to Joseph Ketner and Robert Sabal for this opportunity.