Insite: Boston Harbor Islands Through The Artist’s Eyes

Insite Studio – Through The Artists Eyes Introduction 1Mags Harries, Artist And Heather Heimaimarck, Landscape Architect

Stewards 5Samuel Waxman, Monica Lynn Manoski, And Jasmine Higbee

Floating Houses 9Eryn True

Habitat Restoration On Peddocks Island 13

Topographic Rainwater Catchment 15Kimberlie Garg

Bees 19Micaela Leone

The Pastures At Fort Andrews 23Liz Tonne

Tranquil Spaces: Trails, Vistas And Native Plantings 27Diana Simon

Artist-In-Residency & Permanent Gallery 31Alexi Widoff

Leaving Marks 35Sibel Levi

Spectacle Island: Layers 39Angie Verge

Sea Star Island 43John Horst

Board On Forts Or Other Defenses 47Keith R. Clougherty

Introduction to Insite: Through the Artists Eyes

Instructors: Mags Harries, Sculptor and Heather Heimarck, Landscape Architect

The Studio SiteThe Boston Harbor Islands are an amazing underutilized recreational resource to the City of Boston, some islands are wild and undeveloped while others have a long history of human habitation, all of them possess the potential for new future uses. The students bring their ideas to this dialogue.

The Boston Harbor Islands are a unique geological formation known as a drumlin field. Once a part of the mainland, they are now islands. The inner islands are drumlins, made of glacial deposits, the outer islands are stone outcrops. Some of the oldest human remain in North America have been found on the islands. The islands have been the summer village grounds for native and contemporary Americans, civil war forts, industrial factories, hospices, waste disposal sites and sewage treatment centers. The complexity of the islands history is reflected in the multitude of organizations whoown and manage this unique resource. *

Native Americans benefitted from the rich resources of the harbor ecology. The city is constructed here because of the protection of the harbor and the local resources. Once an extensive shallow marshland with channels carved into it, the Boston’s harbor and its contributories became the site of slaughter houses, tanning and ceramic factories with human, and industrial waste streaming right into the rivers and bay. In the 20th century, the harbor had become one of the filthiest harbors in the world. The tide has fortunately turned, the water quality today has improved tremendously as the sewage infrastructure for the city and environs has advanced.

The National Park Service motto, “minutes away, worlds apart” resonates with every member of this class.

The ClientCharles Tracy of NPS River and Trails program is very interested in getting artists involved in interpreting the landscape and history for park visitors. Charles invited sculptor Mags Harries to see if she would develop a class to involve art and design students in the National Recreation Area, the Boston Harbor Islands. Together with Heather Heimarck, director of The Landscape Institute, the studio was supported by the Pros Arts Consortium classroom connector program. The Parks Service was our client, however to successfully conceive of our projects, many different “clients” were considered such as the visitors to the islands, the stewards of the islands, island residents both human and animal, and the goal of doing no environmental harm

* The Boston Harbor Islands Partnership collaboratively manages the federal, state, city, and nonprofit agencies involved with the harbor islands. The Boston Harbor Islands Advisory Council advises the Partnership on the development and implementation of the general management plan for the islands, including ongo-ing park operations. The Boston Harbor Island Advisory Council includes partners from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), Massachusetts Port Authority, (MPA); nonprofit organizations: The Island Alliance, The Trustees of Reservations, and Outward Bound; City of Boston departments: Office of Environmental and Energy Services, the Boston Redevelopment Authority; and federal organizations: the United States Coast Guard and the National Park Service. The list of partners can expand even further to include native American tribes, local universities and schools, and others who are invested in the islands history, ecology, and future.

The CourseThis one semester long studio is based on the premise that interdisciplinary dialogue, cross fertilization, and collaboration between designers and artists is desirable and helpful to the projects. The course also embraces the idea that communi-cation skills and modes of engagement with a larger audience is vitally important for creative ideas to be endorsed and supported. The students contributed to a class blog, insitemo.blogspot.com, presented their work for review, and created this book, all valuable and different modes of communication.

The premise of the studio is to create proposals to enhance the visitor’s experience of the harbor islands. The strategic management plan authored by NPS provided a foundation for the student’s preliminary investigations. In late September, the class camped on Peddocks Island to observe the site through sunrise to sunset and through the cycle of the tides. This enjoyable weekend helped to stimulate ideas, observe the island, and immerse ourselves in the project. Some of the stu-dents became involved as volunteers for the National Parks Service helping to plant, clear brush, and became intimately familiar with the island fauna.

Art Historian, Silvia Bottenelli’s course “The Greening of Art” was a suggested co-requirement for SMFA students. The assignments in Silvia’s course provided a critical field for contextualizing and informing an intellectual history of ideas.

The Student’s ProjectsStudent site selection and project definition were self directed. The resulting projects range in size and scale, from deep geological time referencing climate change or water quality to master plans and visions for future island uses, including educational programming to performance pieces and ritual acts. There are projects that record an instant in time, or cel-ebrate a seasonal phenomenon or a family history captured through interviews.

Presenters To The ClassEllen Berkland, DCR; Chris Frost, sculptor; Michael Liang, NPS; Josh Schecter, Culture Now; Dawn Tesorero, NPS; Charles Tracy, NPS

ReviewersSilvia Bottenelli, SMFA; Chris Frost, sculptor; John Furlong, LI/BAC; Hugh Hawthorne, NPS; Tom Powers, BHIA; Charles Tracy, NPS; Connie Saienga, BHIA; Rebecca Smerling, BHIA

The InstructorsMags Harries, teaches in the Sculpture area of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and also works in collaboration with Lajos Héder on public projects all over the US and abroad. This class was a reflection of her own practice, to bring students of different disciplines together to dream. To bring their own artistic sensibilities to a great resource ‘The Harbor Islands’.

Heather Heimarck has completed BFA, University of Michigan; MLA, Harvard Graduate School of Design. Since 2007 Heather has been the director of The Landscape Institute, a center for learning about landscape design, design history, preservation and stewardship. Prior to dedicating her efforts to education Heather practiced as a landscape architect on award winning projects ranging from urban planning and community projects to private residences. Special thanks to Ross Bressler, Pros Arts Consortium, Monica Manoski for her extraordinary organization and help as the studio Teachers Assistant, and Veena Krishnakumar for her brilliance and generosity in the design of this publication.

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Local and Global: Framing In-Site.

Silvia Bottinelli, Tufts University

Thirteen students, two teachers, four institutions. These are the numbers of In-Site: Models of interpretation through the artist’s eye. Many were the individuals and organizations participating in the course, whose ultimate result is to present proposals for site specific art inspired by the Boston Harbor Islands. The Boston Architectural College and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts partnered with the National Park Service, involving students in a didactic experience that combined hands on practice and theoretical study. Professors of different disciplines and institutions, such as BAC landscape architect Heather Heimarck and SMFA artist Mags Harries, helped the students look at the site from multiple perspectives, promoting interdisciplinarity and collaboration.

The stress on collaboration between designers and artists links In Site with a model of public art, which was pre-dominant in the late 1970s and 1980s and remains common today. This paradigm, defined as art-as-public-space or ‘place making’, identifies phenomenological involvement of the viewers and functionality as key elements. In her seminal book One Place after another: site specific art and locational identity Miwon Kwon argues: “The incorporation of site specificity as a programmatic imperative by local, state and national public art agencies in the mid-1970s encouraged the development of a design team approach in which artists were asked to collaborate with architects”.1 Some of the proposals for In-Site benefit from the dialogue between artists and designers. For example, a group of four students – Kimberlie Garg, Micaela Leone, Liz Tonne and Diana Simon - understood the potential of teamwork: their integrated proposals for a Habitat Restoration on Peddocks Island function as an ecosystem of projects that connect flora, fauna and the site’s visitors.

The interdisciplinary dimension of In Site expands beyond the relationship between art and design, incorporating an art historical component. In fact, In Site students were encouraged to attend my Tufts art history course The Greening of Art: Ecology, Sustainability and Sculpture2, and The Greening of Art students had the option to write interviews and curatorial texts for their InSite peers, collaborating in the definition of their intentions. A theoreti-cal background seems to inform the proposals of students like Keith Clougherty and Alexi Widoff. Clougherty’s Board on Forts or Other Defenses is inspired by Joseph Beuys’ method of inquiry and develops a performative ap-proach based on the process of asking questions. Widoff, in turn, is intrigued by the role of the artist as a curator, designing a gallery space and artist in residence program on Peddocks Island. She follows the steps of artists as diverse as the Independent Group, Group Material and Willem de Rooij3, seeing her curatorial choices as a form of creative engagement and institutional critique.

1 Miwon Kwon, One Place After Another, Site Specific Art and Locational Identity (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002), 5.

2 I would like to take the opportunity to thank The Greening of Art’s Teaching Assistant, Valerie Moon, for her passionate and competent work.

3 See also The Artist as Curator, symposium organized by Afterall, the Central Saint Martins School of Arts and Design, London, November 10th 2012.

The didactic nature of In-Site mirrors the structure of initiatives that have become popular in the early 2000s: workshops for younger artists offered by established colleagues as part of public art experiments. Sometimes initiated by artists, like Lucy and Jorge Orta, in order to involve locals in the design of specific operational pieces; other times organized by independent curators like Marco Scotini, with the goal of creating a platform for social change with artists of diverse backgrounds; and often supported by institutions like the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan, Italy, which try to reach out to local residents proposing alternative educational tools; these workshops intend to address issues of public relevance inspired by specific sites4. Within this format, In Site allows an in depth analysis of the Boston Harbor Islands, due to the semester long experience and to the fact that participants reside in the Boston area. While fluidity and mobility are highly valued in today’s contemporary art world, as Claire Bishop argues discussing the post-studio, site responsive artist and global art curator5, equating local practices with provincialism seems superficial. Rather, as insiders, InSite students, teachers and reviewers understand local culture and institutional structures in depth6. Also, living in the same area and having the chance to meet every week, they consistently share ideas and brainstorm collectively about their work.

Despite being based in Boston, In-Site students are exposed to global art practices through classes, exhibi-tions and travel. They are well aware of strategies such as relational aesthetics, art in nature, and ‘designart’, responding to contemporary trends in performance, installation and environmental art. For example, we could frame the proposal of Samuel Waxman, Monica Manoski and Jasmine Higbee within the context of relational art; their conversations with the inhabitants of Peddocks Islands, documented in the video Stewards, are the core of their piece: this work values the possibility of open and unstructured encounters with people, whose participa-tion is defined as a form of co-authorship, more than objectification. Also Eryn True’s Floating Houses is meant to homage local residents of Peddocks Islands, evoking their memories and stories into a performance that implies their participation. The public targeted by Sibel Levi’s Leaving Marks is open: not only the residents but also the visitors are called to build cairns from found natural materials. This project expands on the work of Richard Long, David Nash and Andy Goldsworthy, among others; it explores the concepts of art in nature7 and marked site8, which foster a respectful, experiential and non-invasive relationship with the environment. Viewers’ participation is also essential for Angie Verge’s Spectacle Island: Layers, and John Horst Sea Star Island, which can be linked to ‘designart’ strategies9: their works experiment with design solutions that blend function, form and historic or environmental meaning.

While rigorously working on a specific place, In-Site’s structure is receptive to international experiences of site specific and environmental art. Awareness of global issues informs the work of all the participants in the project, but solutions are tailored for a specific, local site. From this perspective, In-Site seems to embody the sustainable development motto ‘Think globally, act locally’.

4 For a more articulated discussion of participatory art and didactic projects, see: Claire Bishop, Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship (London: Verso Books, 2012), 241-274.5 Ibidem, 193-217. 6 On the different challenges of site specific public sculpture by insider and outsider artists see Kwon, One place after another, 56-99. 7 John Beardsley, Earthworks on Beyond (New York, London, Paris: Abbeville Press, 1998), 41-58. 8 Rosalind Krauss, “Sculpture in the Expanded Field”, October 8 (1979), 30-44.9 Alex Coles, Designart (London: Whitechapel, 2007). 4

STEWARDSSam Waxman, Monica Manoski, and Jasmine Higbee

Interested in the life and history of Peddocks Island, one of the largest and most diverse in Boston Harbor, the artists set out to interview those with ties to the mysterious place. Conversations with residents, volunteers, and rangers from the National Park Service all shared a common theme: stewardship. The video project highlights the ways in which individuals and communities see themselves as the eyes, ears,

Sam Waxman likes plants. Sam Waxman likes trees. Sam Waxman likes people. Sam Waxman likes art.

Monica Manoski was raised in Northwest Indiana where she was surrounded by a compassionate group of family, friends, and neigh-bors. Manoski has since moved away from her Midwestern roots and those she grew up with, but her practice highlights her interest in peo-ple. Today, her work focuses on interpersonal relationships and forms of communication. Manoski believes everyone has an interesting story to tell, and she aims to translate these tales in creative ways.

Jasmine Higbee is a video installation artist whose work explores group identity and notions of legacy and sustainability. Higbee experi-ments with political and environmental rhetoric to investigate contest-ed histories and challenge current understandings of stewardship.

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Andrew Petit de Mange - National Park Service Ranger Bob Kelley - Volunteer Claire Hale - Peddocks Island Matriarch

Claire Hale - Peddocks Island Matriarch Mark Albert - National Park Service Stewardship Program Director Mike McDevitt - Peddocks Island Resident and Tug Boat Captain

FLOATING HOUSESEryn True

During the mid to late 1800’s a group of Portuguese Fishemand and their families established a village on the lower East Head of Long Island. During the 1880’s they were forced to relocate due to the construction of Fort Strong. Rather than move elsewhere they floated their houses across Boston Harbor to Peddocks Island and restablished themselves there.

The houses are still on Peddocks Island today, though mnay have evolved over the years from the original fishinig community into an ensemble of summer cottages. As of 1993 an ironic restriction was placed on these summer cottages, resulting in the current owners being unable to pass their homes on to future generations. Once the current owners pass on, their homes will be taken over by the Metropoli-tan Development Commission, bring the cycle of displacemnt full circle.

The piece, Floating Houses is designed to serve as a ghost like journey to shed light on both the legacy and the history of the community of houses and the residents of Peddocks Island. Floating Houses is a parade of illumninated houses, which will be pulled by tug from Long Island to Peddocks Island at the beginning of Labor Day weekend.

Once at Peddocks they will be lined up parallel to the shore; at this point the current residents will become involved in the event. They will kayak out to the houses and detach a house from the procession and pull it into shore where they will then mark the house with their family name and memories. Once this is completed they will float their house back out into the cove where the illuminated houses will remain on display for the remainder of the holiday weekend.

Eryn True grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, but over the years devel-oped a passion for exploration and traveling. Her travels have taken her all across the global and given her deep appreciation for personal connections and home, which has lead her back to her New England roots. True is currently in the midst of getting her BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and is focused primar-ily in sculpture and photography

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The Houses Will Be Pulled From Long Lsand Across The Boston Harbor To Peddocks Island

Long IslandThe hosue is roughly 10 x 10 x 13 and made out of PVC, which is then covered in translucent fabric.

The house is illuminated by a battery powered LED light.

The houses are onnected by rope and carabinners, and pulled by tug. The Tug will be operated by Mike McDevitt, a current Peddocks Island resident.

Which is all floated on top of a 10 x 10 Polyflange/Permafloat dock.

RainsfordIsland

The houses are onnected by rope and carabinners, and pulled by tug. The Tug will be operated by Mike McDevitt, a current Peddocks Island resident.

The houses will be pulled up parallel to Portuguese/Perry Cove on Peddocks Island

The residents would all be lined up along the shore in kayaks, awaiting to detach the houses from the procession.

The house will be marked with the name of the families and placed back in the cove to be illumninated for theremaineder or Labor Day Weekend.

Habitat Restoration on East Head Peddocks Island

Kimberlie Garg, Micaela Leone, Liz Tonne and Diana Simon

Our project improves the habitat, biodiversity and resource use of the East Head of Peddocks Island in the Boston Harbor Island’s National Park Area through an ecologically based design that re-introduces native plants to the Island. After hun-dreds of years of human use, ranging from fishing, agriculture, manufacturing, log-ging and military use, Peddocks Island today exhibits a fascinating but significantly altered environment. Changes to the island’s topography and natural vegetation have allowed exotic, invasive plants to dominate many of the island’s natural com-munities and culturally inspired lawns and maintenance practices have left large areas with low diversity value.

We have proposed four inter-related projects that begin the restoration process on Peddocks Island: Diana Simon has designed a trail system with several strategi-cally sited Native Plant Gardens and Nurseries. Nursery plants will be carefully chosen to be both shade and drought tolerant and to potentially supply appropriate plant material for native plant restoration efforts throughout the coastal wooded areas of the Harbor Islands. Micaela Leone has contributed sun-loving Pollinator’s Gardens and visually striking Bee Hives that emphasize the importance of pollina-tors in an ecosystem. Liz Tonne’s design converts Fort Andrews’ Military Parade Grounds into three pastures and a stable area designed to house and exhibit a small herd of goats invaluable to low-cost and ecologically sound invasive plant management. Kimberlie Garg’s sculptural pool system, reflecting the topography of each island, captures and transports rain water providing an irrigation supply for newly introduced plants and the Peddocks goat herd.

The National Park Service at Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area, in ful-filling its mission to responsibly maintain and steward the islands, has created a Stewardship Group of community volunteers who work in collaboration with other managers in the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership and make regular island visits to clear invasive vegetation and re-establish native plants. Our project provides an economical and readily accessible source of plant material for these on-going res-toration efforts. It also creates an opportunity to partner with non-profit organiza-tions like The New England Wildflower Society and Project Native, forerunners in native plant propagation, to increase awareness about the benefits of native plants while restoring plant diversity to the Boston Harbor Islands. In introducing wood-land trails winding among beautiful native gardens, ecologically sound reflecting pools, active pollinator hives and petting goats, set in the context of the historic military building of Fort Andrews, this project will make the East Head of Peddocks Island an exciting and popular visitor destination.

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TOPOGRAPHIC RAINWATER CATCHMENT Kimberlie Garg

HOW DO YOU HARNESS THE RAIN?

Rainwater Catchment Pools draw on the physical and topographic shape of the islands. Each catchment pool will be the reverse topography of the island cast in Ciment Fondu and reinforced with fiberglass, wood or stone. The purpose of these pools is to provide a visually pleasing sculptural water basin that serves the practical use of storing and slowly dispersing rain water to the nearby plants. The pools would be placed in conjunction with newly envisioned landscaped destination spots on the islands and at places were water drains naturally, thus using gravity to both fill the pool and disperse the water to the surrounding landscape.

These pools will provide a series of holding tanks on every island, providing a water source for the organic gardens and landscaping envisioned on the islands.

Kimberlie Garg, a San Jose, California resident, has come to SMFA Boston for a one year Post Baccalaureate program focusing on outdoor installation. Garg’s love of the Yosemite Valley and the Pacific coastline landscape and her concern for ecologically appropriate installations provides the backdrop for her sculpture.

Kimberlie earned a BS in Political Science and an MA in Public Policy, which led her to work for the United Nations in Vienna Austria. Garg has also conducted field research in Varanasi, India. More recently, she returned to school to earn an AA in Advanced Sculpture. As a mother of three grown and growing children she has returned to art, her first love. Garg works with a diverse array of sculptural materials including steel, stone, wood, bronze, glass and fiber arts to express her passion for the beauty she sees in nature

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East Head Topography Pool:Nestled on the very top of East Head, at elevation 120 ft, this pool will take the shape of the East Head of Peddocks Island. Twelve feet long and 44 inch deep, this pool is surrounded by stepping stones and lush landscaping. Scattered around the pond will be a series of “topo benches” to provide a quite resting spot to view the pool. Leading out of the pool is a stone river bed that travels across the top of the drumlin and down the slope to the meadow below.

Topographic Benches:Around the pools and along the trails, visitors can rest on benches that mimic the topographic elements of the island.

Drainage To The Surrounding Landscape:At the low points in the Topographic pools, soaker hoses will carry the water from the pool to the surrounding landscaping and plant nursery. Ever in change, the pools will be in a constant flux from full on rainy days to empty on dry days revealing and hiding the topographic land-scape of the island just as the islands have grown and shrunk over time in their own historical experience.

Vista Points And Sculpture Park:As visitors travel on the gentle path to the top, they will encounter grassy vista points where the beauty of the Boston Harbor unfolds before their eyes. Artists will have the chance to bid for commissions to install sculptures along the path to the top, creating a sculpture park over time.

Lower East Head Peddocks Island Topographic Rain Catchment Pool:At the base of the trails leading to the twin drumlins of Peddocks East Head is a pool that takes the exact shape and topographic representation of the island itself, except in reverse. The Peddocks Island Rain Catchment pool is the model for pools on all of the islands. This twenty five foot long, 44 inch deep pool will capture the imagination as it fills with the monthly three inches of rain, then slowly drains out to the surrounding landscape, revealing the re-verse topography of the island.

Waterfall And Path To Lower East HeadTraversing the top of East Head and down the face of the drumlin, a stone filled riverbed and waterfall leads to the larger Peddocks Island pool below. The riverbed moves the water from the top pool to the lower pool, picking up the rainwater as it travels down hill. Following the waterfall is a steeper stone path for the more athletic visitors to the island.

Fort Andrews site; existing (top), proposed (bottom)

BeesMicaela Leone

THE INSTILLATION OF HONEYBEE HIVES, NATIVE BEE BOXES, AND FLOWERING BEE GARDENS

We live in a world that faces constant change—economic change, social change and environmental change. My personal concern is with climate change. With the current magnitude of change, it is crucial that we adopt new lifestyles that have greater consideration of self-dependency, sustainability, and thoughtfulness for the planet. Individual and local efforts can eventually have a global effect.

The city of Boston is increasingly affected by climate change. In the past four hundred years, the city has been artificially constructed over the waters of the Boston harbor. The land has been reclaimed with a wide diversity of people, establishments, and architecture— limiting the visibility of nature. However; what Boston does offer residents and visitors is a unique experience of the natural world right off the coast, into the Boston Harbor Islands.

In comparison to the activity on Boston’s mainland, the islands are relatively under utilized. The Harbor Islands provide an ideal location for experimentation of and exposure to a self-sufficient and sustainable lifestyle. The islands are so close to the city yet so distinct in that they have their own ecosystems. The islands present city dwellers with an opportunity to re-engage with nature and foster an appreciation of the land, which can foster a greater appreciation of the natural world at large.

In collaboration with my ecologically minded peers, I propose a program on Peddocks Island to raise awareness of the ecology of Boston. Creating an understanding of nature’s balance on a local level will lead to a greater sensitivity to issues like climate change on a global scale. Through education and participation, visitors of the islands can remember the delicate balance that is nature; where human life and the natural environment are fully united in a balanced system.

I propose an Installation of honeybee hives and native flower gardens on Peddocks. Bees are a powerful example of human disruption of nature; Colony Collapse Disorder is a recent phenomenon of disappearing honeybees, hypothesized to be a result of pesticide use and environmental change. The Peddocks program will support the bee as a critical component of nature, while supporting the native ecosystem as a whole.

An additional component of the project will be the recognition of honeybees as a non-native species and their interaction with the existing native bees on Peddocks. Native bees are slightly different in that they are mostly solitary and do not produce honey. They do, however, provide vital pollination to local species. The Boston Harbor Islands are home to hundreds of native species, with a current bee-monitoring project. We will celebrate and encourage the population through the installation of native bee boxes.

Whether bees live together in a colony or individually, their collaborative work plays a major role in the balance of nature. Their system is simple yet it provides countless organisms with the means of life. They are pollinators who ensure reproduction, growth, and food not only for themselves, but for other insects, plants, and animals (including humans.)

The plan will be carried out through the Islands’ existing Stewardship Saturday program, which focuses on habitat restoration and island ecology. A diversity of volunteers is encouraged to participate in the native flower planting, the honeybee hive and native bee box installation, and the long-term maintenance of both components. As the honeybees begin to produce honey, volunteer beekeepers will collect both honey and bee pollen to sell at the benefit of project maintenance and the Boston Harbor Islands.

Micaela Leone works towards her BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and is focusing on sculpture and material. She is excited by the material behavior as it takes on three-dimensional forms. Although the art making process is a ritual for her, she questions the final purpose of the piece. The materiality takes form with her love for fiber arts, wax, small metals and the repurposing of found and recycled objects. She finds inspiration in environmental thoughtfulness, sparking a recent political interest in sustainable living as art.

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LOCATION: PEDDOCKS ISLAND, EAST HEAD.

The bee instillation and native fl ower plantings will take place in three locations:

1. Fort Andrews structure removal site. This will be the only site with bee housing, with the best interest in island visitors and their exposure to a large population of stinging insects. The honeybee hives will be situated along the edge of the existing pathway against the tree wall and the native bee boxes will be attached to the trees themselves. They will both be brightly painted as a warning sign and playful addition to the sun-loving native fl ower garden. (Bees also like color!)

2. Yurt camping site. Second site for native fl ower plantings.

3. Ranger cabin and tool shed. A fi nal native fl ower garden will be planted next to the ranger cabin. Tools for the garden and the honeybee hives will be placed in the existing tool shed next door.

Fort Andrews Site

(above) an example of the beehive setup.

(left) a native species to the island, and a species pollinated by bees.

THE PROCESS

Organic beekeeping is very simple—once the setup is complete, checkups and maintenance keep the hive alive. Of course before one can begin the process, one needs to observe his/her surroundings to confi rm that a hive can stay healthy. The important question to ask is: why incorporate a hive into the landscape? How will it benefi t the bees, plants, animals, and owner(s) of the hive? The bees will affect the entire ecosystem of the site.Bees and other pollinating organisms pollinate one third of the food we eat, so placement in vegetable and fruit gardens is extremely benefi cial for produce quantity and success. And their pollination provides life for countless fl owering plants. The most widely used style of hive is the Langstroth beehive due to the easy access for check ups on the health, activity and honey production. These should be placed in areas that receive plenty of sunlight, water access, blockage from strong winds and of course, an abundance of food (nectar.)

The hives will be obtained from local beekeeping societies, painted by stewardship volunteers and artists and will be set on platforms constructed from recycled wood.

The vacant Fort Andrews lot will be in a healthy location in all seasons, with careful maintenance.

ConcernsThe introduction of non-native species (in this case, honey bees) can pose negative side effects on the pre-existing native species. Competition can brew over limited food resources, size of native bee vs. non-native bee and visitation times. Problems can also arise when the non-natives begin to pollinate exotic species and weeds, causing them to thrive over the native species. In order to avoid possible dangers behind introducing a new species to the islands, an abundance of new native fl owers will be planted to avoid competition. It is important to be thoughtful to an entire ecosystem; respecting the current condition and the future condition based on current behavior.

The Pastures at Fort Andrews Liz Tonne

The Pastures at Fort Andrews on Peddocks Island proposes a re-use and re-vitalization of historic Fort Andrews, transforming its roughly six acre Military Parade Grounds into three rotating goat pastures, each referencing a native plant community that may have existed on the Boston Harbor Islands prior to European contact. A small herd of six goats will be stabled in the re-configured building foundation that now sits derelict in the northeast of the Parade Grounds. This will be the primary destination of a proposed path system that will run throughout the grounds, allowing visitors to experience the native plantings up-close while encountering the goats in their daily routine. A nearby informal seating area, exhibiting one of Kimberlie Garg’s rain collecting pools, will provide a place to enjoy a stunning view of the harbor.

The Parade Grounds are presently maintained by mowing: a practice that relies on the non-renewable energy of gasoline. The six acres of mown lawn currently functions as a biological monoculture, and introducing native shrubs, small trees and meadow- based grasses and flowering plants will dramatically increase the bio-diversity of the grounds. It will provide habitat for nesting birds and small mammals and offer a varied source of forage to the goat herd. Goats offer an inexpensive and ecologically balanced alternative to mowing as they forage most woody and herbaceous species, including invasive plants which are prevalent on Peddocks and most of the Boston Harbor Islands. The small number of the proposed herd allows the animals to be easily moved from one pasture to another, to other parts of the island and to other islands where invasive plant control is needed. By managing their browsing on a rotational basis, the individual vegetative character of each of the three Peddocks’ pastures can be preserved under low maintenance costs. The goat herd will directly support the National Park Service’s guiding theme Pioneers in Land Stewardship and aid the N. P. S.’ Stewardship Group in its efforts toward native plant restoration on the Harbor Islands. The Pastures and the Peddocks Goats will offer a surprising and exciting way of experiencing and learning about the harbor’s changing ecology.

Liz Tonne has concurrent interests in Landscape Design and Experimental Music. In addition to pursuing studies at the Landscape Institute she has an Advanced Certificate in Native Plant Studies from the New England Wildflower Society. Tonne is also a nationally performing experimental vocalist. Over the last two decades, her work with Boston-based ensembles undr quartet and The BSC have been instrumental in defining New England’s contribution to ‘lowercase music’, a minimalist form of electro-acoustic improvisation. Tonne performs both 20th-21st century compositions as well as improvised works in concert and has devoted the last two years to performing selections from John Cage’s Songbooks in celebration of the composer’s 100th birthday

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Prince Head Garden, View to Prince Head, Quincy and Hull

Vista to Boston, Sunset Garden

Proposed Trail System and Garden Sites

Trail Heads

Peddocks Island Area of Detail

TRANQUIL SPACES: TRAILS, VISTAS AND NATIVE PLANTINGS

Diana SimonThis is a proposal to create accessible woodland trails leading to several trail side native plant gardens, two with vistas, on the western side of East Head on Peddocks Island. The establishment of these gardens is intended to enhance the visitor experience by: creating hiking paths and naturalized gardens for enjoyment; making the island highpoint accessible; demonstrating the process of reintroducing and propagating native plantings; and opening discussion about the benefits of creating more diverse plant communities in the coastal woodlands of the Boston Harbor Islands.

On this western side of East Head is the largest drumlin (high point 110’) on Peddocks Island where the ferry pier, Fort Andrews (with multiple buildings and armories), visitors’ center, barn, chapel and other structures can be found. The naturalized part of East Head is wooded. The majority of the trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants are exotic/invasive species and this area is currently defined as a Northeastern Modified Successional Forest.

SYSTEMS AND GARDEN SITESTrailheads will be accessible from the main paths on the northwest and northeast sides of the drumlin. Trails will be accessible (grade less than 8%). Visitors will come upon three native plant gardens: 1. Sunset Garden, on the southwest side of the drumlin with a vista of the Boston skyline; 2. Prince Head Garden, on the south side with a vista of the outer island, Quincy and Hull and; 3. Sunrise Garden on the eastern side. A branching trail will lead to the highpoint where visitors will find a sculptural water catchment pool, seating and additional walking paths.Sunset Garden, Vista to Boston Skyline, Trail and Garden Map.

Diana Simon is earning a certificate in Landscape Design from the Landscape Institute at the Boston Architectural College. Having enjoyed the outdoors and home gardening for many years, she has decided to pursue a mid-life career change with a focus on public and residential landscape projects. Her project for In-site is on developing a trail system and native plantings on Peddocks Island in the Boston Harbor. Her time volunteering at the New England Wildflower Society and enjoying the plantings at Garden in the Woods inspired this project. She has a preference for naturalized landscapes and designing restorative spaces.

Prince Head Garden, View to Prince Head, Quincy and Hull

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NATIVE PLANT GARDENSEfforts will be made to maintain the wooded, wild characteristics of the drumlin by preserving mature trees, regrading the earth only for trails and garden paths, and restrict-ing garden size to approximately 50’ tall and 120’ wide. Exotic shrubs and herbaceous plants will be removed, with the support of the Peddocks Goats, at each garden site.

Trees, shrubs, wild flowers and ferns will be native to the Eastern United States, which will assure their adaptability to the soil and climate. All selected plantings will be drought and shade tolerant and perennial plantings will be easy to propagate by seed and/or division. Water necessary for plant establishment will be provided from the Sculptural Water Catchment Pool (located at the drumlin highpoint) and directed to garden specific catchment systems.

To encourage visitors to stay awhile and appreciate their surroundings, a hammock, swing, platform (for stretching or relaxation) or bench will be located in each garden. Signage will be kept to a minimum to encourage a restorative experience; perhaps incorporating small markers with plant names. Information about the native plant initia-tives will be found in the visitor center, through on-line sources, and communicated by park rangers.

SAMPLE GARDEN PLAN FOR SUNRISE GARDENSunrise Garden is sited on a slope with a ten foot drop from the top of the garden to the main trail. The design consists of two leaf shapes. The outline of the leaves create winding garden paths while the leaf veins act as branching paths creating gardener access for plant care. The inner garden will be screened from view by shrubs and trees to maintain privacy and an element of surprise for visitors who choose to enter the garden. The core of the garden (beds 11-21) will be nursery beds for selected wildflowers and ferns. Structures will include benches and a swing; a pool for storing water diverted from the highpoint catchment system; a bridge over an intermittent streambed, a composter; and a utility table for stewards and school groups.

1. Amelanchier laevis (Downy Serviceberry)2. Ilex opaca (American Holly)3. Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Red Cedar)4. Ostrya virginiana (American Hophornbeam)SHRUBS5. Clethra alnifolia, (Coastal Sweet-Pepperbush)6. Gaylussacia baccata (Black Huckleberry)7. Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel)8. Vaccinium augustifolium (Low Bush Blueberry)9. Viburnum dentatum (Smooth Arrowwood)10. Viburnum nudum (Withe-Rod)WILDFLOWERS and FERNS (sampling for nursery beds)11. Actaea racemosa (Black Cohosh)12. Aquilegia Canadensis (Canada Columbine)13. Actaea rubra (Red Baneberry)14. Aralia nudicaulis (Wild Sarsaparilla) 15. Dryopteris marginalis (Marginal Wood Fern)16. Gauletheria procumbens (American Wintergreen)17. Geranium Maculatum (Spotted Geranium) 18. Maianthemum canadense (Canada Mayflower)19. Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebell)20. Polypodium virginianum (Rock Polypody Fern)21. Sanguinaria canadense (Bloodroot)

1. Amelanchier laevis (Downy Serviceberry)2. Ilex opaca (American Holly)3. Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Red Cedar)4. Ostrya virginiana (American Hophornbeam)SHRUBS5. Clethra alnifolia, (Coastal Sweet-Pepperbush)6. Gaylussacia baccata (Black Huckleberry)7. Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel)8. Vaccinium augustifolium (Low Bush Blueberry)9. Viburnum dentatum (Smooth Arrowwood)10. Viburnum nudum (Withe-Rod)

WILDFLOWERS and FERNS (sampling for nursery beds)11. Actaea racemosa (Black Cohosh)12. Aquilegia Canadensis (Canada Columbine)13. Actaea rubra (Red Baneberry)14. Aralia nudicaulis (Wild Sarsaparilla) 15. Dryopteris marginalis (Marginal Wood Fern)16. Gauletheria procumbens (American Wintergreen)17. Geranium Maculatum (Spotted Geranium) 18. Maianthemum canadense (Canada Mayflower)19. Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebell)20. Polypodium virginianum (Rock Polypody Fern)

MEETING THE GOALS OF THE BOSTON HARBOR ISLAND ALLIANCE AND NATIONAL PARK SERVICEWhile habitat restoration of the coastal woodlands on the islands is the ultimate goal, this project is proposed as a beginning. A relatively low cost way to inspire interest in native plant restoration, a forum for testing and propagating plants, and providing a more naturalized experience for visitors who may not have previously ventured beyond Fort Andrews.

This project meets many of the goals of the National Park Service, specifically under the theme of “Home in the Harbor”. Educational and programmatic opportunities in-clude: discussion of native versus invasive plants; the use of specific plants for healing and dyes by indigenous peoples; propogation of native plants by seed collection and division, and more. Stewardship opportunities, involving the creation and care of these trails and gardens, are imperative. Finally, these lovely areas are intended to provide restful and restorative woodland experiences for visitors to Peddocks Island.

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCY AND PERMANENTGALLERY

Alexi Sarah WidoffBRINGING ART TO THE BOSTON HARBOR ISLANDS

The National Park Service has a goal to increase the amount of visitors, and a mission to preserve and document the natural environment of the Boston Harbor Islands. This goal and mission has inspired my proposal for an Artist-In-Residency program and permanent Gallery on Peddocks Island.

The creation of low-impact bungalows that house the artists, their studios and a permanent gallery, would be allow the Artist-In-Residency Program to attract and accommodate a variety of participants. Using sustainable methods similar to those implemented by the summer residents who have lived off the grid on Peddocks Island for years, the Artist-In-Residence would leave as little ecological impact during their stay as possible. Paying homage to Portuguese Fishing families who migrated to Peddocks Island during the 1880’s, the history of these people will be preserved through the connection between the artists and the rich history of Peddocks Island.

The Peddocks Island Gallery, run in conjunction with the Artist-In-Residency program, will create a public space for participants to display their work and connect with the visiting public. Gallery openings will encourage those interested in both art and the National Park Service to see the work that has been created through this artist-in-residency program, documenting and preserving the Boston Harbor Islands through a variety of mediums. Artists-In-Residence will also have the opportunity to curate their own talks during normal island visiting hours creating a discourse of environmental preservation though art. These self-designed talks will attempt to create a deeper connection between the visitors and the rich history and experiences of the artist on Peddocks Island.

Predominately the Peddocks Island Gallery serves to preserve the pieces created during the Artist-In-Residency’s stay on Peddocks Island. Creating this permanent and public space will encourage visitors to view the island through a different lens. Open during the visiting season, the Gallery will display a variety of work and attempt to inspire visitors to enjoy both the beautiful landscape and the art inspired by this program. Combined with the artists’ bungalows, the Gallery will define the artists place on Peddocks Island and the importance of art in the National Parks.

On a personal note, the class camping trip to Peddocks Island gave me the opportunity to explore the natural environment of the Boston Harbor Islands. Without a map or tour guide I was able to discover the beauty that the island had to offer. Walking from the shoreline to the top of the drumlins, I was able to reconnect with nature, a feeling that was reminiscent of my childhood summers. Through my exploration I realized that the beauty of the island was truly experienced by spending time discovering Peddocks Island on one’s own. I would have loved the opportunity to spend more time on the island creating art connecting with my experience. I therefore propose an Artist-In-Residency program and permanent Gallery on Peddocks Island, which will encourage the creation of art while achieving the goal of preservation by the National Park Services. These programs will attempt to educate and expand the visitor’s appreciation of the environment and history of the Boston Harbor Islands.

Alexi Widoff is a fourth year BFA student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Concentrating in sculpture, Alexi uses natural and recyclable materials to express her interest in the natural environment. Using a variety of mediums, including glass and photography, Alexi is particularly captivated by what can be created from and for a specific site. Growing up on the water, the In-Site: Boston Harbor Islands class inspired Alexi to use her personal experiences to create an artistic atmosphere allowing others to create art that documents and expresses the beauty of the natural environment within the National Park.

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These bungalows, constructed with low-impact materials, will grant the Artist-In-Residence a comfortable living and studio space. Offering the basic necessities, these bungalows are designed for a most environments, and can be retrofitted to accommodate a variety of artistic mediums and living requirements. The creation of a community of Artist-In-Residence bungalows, as well as a Gallery will be serve as an attraction for visitors to the Boston Harbor Island and turn Peddocks Island into a destination.

PURPOSE OF THE ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM

The Artist-In-Residence program on Peddocks Island gives those interested in exploring their artistic practice a place to do so while immersed within the historic and tranquil landscape of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park.

Intended to foster a space for artists to develop and display their work, the Artist-In-Residence program participants are able to explore Peddocks Island during their two-week stay on the island. Open to professional artists, the program encourages the documentation and preservation of the Boston Harbor Islands through a variety of mediums. Creating work that celebrates the rich and diverse history of the Boston Harbor Islands will increase public awareness about this National Park. Although minutes away, the Boston Harbor Islands are truly worlds apart, and participants will artistically document the natural beauty of these islands through their time in residence.

THE ARTISTS’ STAY

The Artist-In-Residency program aims to attract those interested in exploring the rich environmental and social histories of the Boston Harbor Islands. Creating visual representations of their experiences, the artists’ work should exemplify the uniqueness of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park.

Participants will stay on Peddocks Island for a two-week period between the months of May and October. Residing in bungalows constructed from low-impact materials located on Officers Row, artists will have access to electricity and running water. During their stay, the artists will engage with both the land and visitors of the National Park. While surrounding themselves in the serene and beautiful landscape, participants are encouraged to create pieces that reflect the beauty and simplicity of the natural environment.

THE ARTISTS & THE VISITOR

The Artist-In-Residence Program experience is shared with the public during summer events on Peddocks Island. The creation of a permanent gallery gives both the artists a showing space, as well as creates a visitor destination on Peddocks Island. During peak visitation during the summer, events will take place during the day that will encourage conversation between visitors and the artist. Visitors will be able to see the artist at work as well as learn first-hand about their experience.

Larger events will take place at the Peddocks Island Gallery four times over the visitor season. These events will showcase completed work from past Artist-In-Residence participants. Serving as a permanent place for the artist’s work to be preserved, as well as recording a visual representation of the islands history. As Peddocks is working to become a hub island, these open gallery events will attract seasonal visitors.

LEAVING MARKSSibel Levi

“Leaving Marks” invites visitors to create Cairns at Peddocks Island. My interest in Boston Harbor Islands is both historical and ecological. Recreating the practices of older cultures and sharing knowledge about these cultures with our future generations is central to my artistic project. By making accessible the traditions of an older culture, we honor, respect and acknowledge the wisdom of its people.

The history of the Boston Harbor Islands reveals that its first inhabitants, like those of many other native cultures, used environmental markers as signs and tools for navigation. A cairn is one such sign system. The piles of stones traditionally serve as landmarks to memorialize people, locations or events. They also invoke an earlier method of communication and navigation.

In my project / interactive installation, “Leaving Marks,” I encourage visitors to use stones similarly as markers of place. Visitors are invited to create their own cairns both collectively and individually. By leaving one stone in the place indicated, they leave behind their trace to be read according to this ancient sign system. Additionally, by also creating individual cairns composed of three stones, one on top of the other, visitors can leave a mark at their favorite place on the island, much like hikers. This cairns created by visitors to the island will invite others to engage in this playful concept and to experience this ancient method of marking the land.

The cairns will be built on the beach-side of the island since stones can more easily be found there but also because these stone piles are destroyed by the tides with time. As a result of the force of the tides, these marks left by humans could be erased. This process of creation and destruction mirrors the loss of the very tradition that it also echoes as it invites new visitors to explore the land and leave their mark. Once a cairn is stable and has received the maximum contributions of stones, visitors will be directed to another point on the island to begin creating the next one. The more visitors who come, the more cairns that will be built in different locations, visual records of visitors to the Islands.

The opening will involve an event to which many are invited to come and participate in a walking tour of the island. During that event, visitors will establish the foundation of what will in time become a large Cairn between low and high tide lines. After this event the participants will receive written information about the ancient practice of establishing cairns and marking the land. As the originator of the event, I will then visit the island every 45 days during spring and summer over the course of two years in order to observe and document the different cairns in their various stages of creation and erosion. The entire process will frame the island as a bridge between the present and an earlier time; “Leaving Marks” will provide viewer-participants the ability to experience, remember, and honor the old tradition surrounding the function of cairns.

Sibel Levi was born and raised in Istanbul. She studied interior design and decoration in Istasyon Art Center, Istanbul for two years. This helped her develop skills in working three dimensionally. In 1999, she began her career in sculpture. Levi came to Boston in 2009 and is currently studying at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA). As an artist and sculptor, she works in a multitude of mediums. Levi demonstrates skill in sculpture, photography and papermaking.

Levi likes to focus on her thoughts relating to her experiences and life perspective including the role we play in our communities. She is committed to environmentally sustainable practices and is also concerned with climate change. Levi believes that art is the best way to manifest her thoughts and concerns about life and the world. 36

Use large stones to build the base.Use fat stones and overlap the joints.Slope stones inward.

Overlap all joints.Pack the center with rubble.

10 inches minimum

35 in

ches

Special Event:

“Leaving Marks”On Memorial DayCome help build Cairns on Peddocks Island.

Cairns are tidal markers and ancient ways of marking the land. Built between the low and high tide, they erode over time and must continue to be rebuilt.

Your help in the remaking of these cairns will reaffi rm your visit and will be the visual markers that we leave for future visitors of our exploration of the islands.

Artist Sibel Levi will take visitors on a walking tour of Peddocks Island. Together they will explore the low and high tides of the Island and collectively build a large cairn. Please join us in this unique outdoor experience.

Location: Peddocks Island, Boston Harbor.Date: Memorial Day / Monday, May 27, 2013 Time: Boat leaves at 10.00 am, returns at 4.00 pm

SPECTACLE ISLAND: LAYERSAngie Verge

AN EXPLORATION INTO THE ISLAND’S COLORFUL PAST

Spectacle Island, a Boston Harbor Island, has a unique, colorful, and unscrupulous history of how it was used. The island has been layered and layered with debris and artifacts from each period, telling the story of how this ancient drumlin served the neighboring mainland and city of Boston.

The project, Layers, will build a seating area with stepped terraces for visitors to enjoy the views of Boston’s skyline, Logan Airport’s arrivals & departures, and the beautiful sunset to the west. This seating area, or informal amphitheater, can also be used for park programming, outdoor classes and special events. Layers will also include a paved lobby with accessible walkways linking this site to the existing trail system on the island.

Each terrace, or Layer, will be constructed of building materials and artifacts that could be found if one were to look into the island’s core, each layer represented by a respective year in history:

1231 – Native Americans used the island for fishing and shell-fishing1649 – European colonists used the island to gather lumber for building & fuel1847 – Travelers & locals used the island for a casino resort hotel1861 – Industry used the island to render horses into products, such as glue, horsehair brushes & soap1989 – Boston & Metro West used the island as a solid waste landfill

These materials & artifacts will be packed into gabions, which are welder wire mesh baskets that can be filled with a variety of materials. Gabion baskets will be used to create the terraced seating, providing visitors with a display of the layered history found deep within the island. Wood decking will sit atop the gabions, offering a comfortable seating surface. The site will also be planted with native grasses and shrubs, as well as small shade trees to provide a comfortable visitor experience.

In addition to Layers, Tall, gabion columns, packed with stone, shells & glass found on island, will quietly lead visitors to the site, which is nestled into the western slope of the northern drumlin. There will be a total of five columns, visible from the approaching ferries and lining the upper trail towards Layers. These columns will act as trail markers directing interested visitors to the site.

Spectacle Island, a main hub for ferry service, is an important asset to the National Park Service (NPS). The NPS is focused on increasing visitors to this and other harbor islands, while offering visitors a quality experience with interpretation, education & environmental stewardship. The Layers Project is a presentation of the island’s history, which correlates directly with the NPS and Boston Harbor Island Alliance’s Strategic & Management Plans.

Angie Verge, a Massachusetts native, is a practicing landscape designer focused on creating attractive landscapes that are also practical and sensitive to the ecosystem. Her design style reflects her preference towards natural materials and native plants. Her fondness of the outdoors & gardening led her to study plant biology, receiving a BA in Natural Science and Mathematics from Bradford College. She continued her education as an intern at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, studying under some of the top horticulturalists in the area. She is currently completing the Landscape Design Certification program at the Landscape Institute at Boston Architectural College.

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This westward facing slope of Spectacle Island is the proposed site of Layers.

Spectacle Island is only two miles from downtown Boston, making it an attractive and convenient destination for visitors to enjoy

THE VISITOR’S APPROACH TO LAYERS

The upper trail on the west side of Spectacle Island will be staggered with fi ve gabion columns, each fi lled with materials currently found on the island’s surface, such as rocks, seaglass and seashells.

These columns, each 8’ tall, will be visible through the low vegetation that dots the existing slope, marking the trail that will lead visitors to Layers, where one fi nal coluimn marks the entrance to the lobby.

These columns will also be visible from the approaching boats and ferries, providing a destination option for visitors as they disembark.

LAYERS

Layers is an informal amphitheater and vista point for visitors, situated on a west facing slope to capture some of the best views of Boston’s Skyline and the setting sun. This site is designed to provide the following features:

• a comfortable seating area for visitors to enjoy popular views of the city, airport and harbor

• a convenient location for hosting park programs, workshops, classes and small events

• an educational insight into the history of the island, including interpretive display boards explaining layers

• the planting of native trees, shrubs and grasses intended to attract local wildlife

• the addition of deciduous trees to provide shaded seating areas

• gentle slopes and switchback walkways to provide accessible access

• a minimal construction impact on sensitive subsoil, consulting with state engineering agencies to ensure compliance with environmental standards

ARTIFACTS AND MATERIALS TO FILL GABION BASKETSEach terrace will be built using a row of gabion baskets nestled into the existing slope. The gabions will be fi lled with artifacts and building materials representative of a noted year in history:

1967: Trash Heap Material: Glass bottles & PotteryBoston used the island as a solid waste landfi ll for over 60 years before being capped by fi ll excavated during the Big Dig Tunnel project in 1992

1861: Soap and Glue Material: Iron HorseshoesMore than 2,000 horses were rendered each year, producing soap, glue and horsehair brushes.

1847: Island Resort Material: Granite CobblestonesThe Island housed many hotels, seaside resorts and casinos, which were closed in the early 1900’s due to brothels and illegal gambling.

1639: Harvesting Material: End-Cut LogsColonists traveled to the island to collect and transport timber to be used for building and fi rewood.

1231: Shell Fishing Material: Clam ShellsNative Americans fi shed for soft shelled clams, oysters and lobsters in Boston Harbor.

Sea Star IslandJohn Horst

The Sea Star Island project will create a center for education and a floating laboratory for research. It will perform sediment remediation in a low impact and environmentally sensitive manner. The project will consist of two major components. A floating classroom on a barge docked at Peddocks Island, and a floating island in the form of a sea star (starfish) that will perform bioremediation to transform anaerobic sediment into a healthy medium for native plants and animals. The installation will utilize solar and wind power and use recycled materials extensively.

The general public, and in particular student groups, will attend hands-on demonstrations about the ways that natural bio-mimacry processes can mend the harbor. There will be interactive displays of the various causes of damage to the harbor and how current programs are improving water quality and restoring natural systems. The harbor cleanup project of the 1990’s substantially curtailed the sources of pollution in the harbor from the metropolitan area. Ongoing programs to eliminate combined sewer overflows will improve water quality even further. Natural tidal action within the harbor has allowed the water quality to improve dramatically. Yet the harbor still contains extensive areas with deposits of heavily contaminated sediments that create a very poor environment for the reintroduction of native plants and animals.

Curriculum based school groups, youth enrichment programs, and the general public will be able to engage with ecologists and volunteers in exploring processes that can restore the natural balance of the harbor.

John Horst is studying landscape design at the Boston Architectural College. He is particularly interested in sustainable design and low impact construction

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A Board on Forts or Other Defenses Keith Clougherty

RE-IMAGINING A DEFENSE OF BOSTON HARBOR FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Through researching the history of Boston Harbor I began to understand these islands as sites of evolving defense, protecting the city against military attacks but also against economic and social threats. From Ft. Warren to the dump on Spectacle, from the Farm School for naughty boys to the Moon Island sewage plant, the uses of the Boston Harbor Islands have been adapted to address a variety of threats. Today it seems that the Islands are destined to be used as recreational getaways with educational and historical roles, preserving aspects of their defensive history from a distant and separated standpoint.

My proposal is for an attitude that acknowledges the need to defend ourselves against the manifold threats that exist today, including climate change, through a horizontal, imaginative method. Through a survey that encourages people to think about their relationship to the Harbor its threats, a diverse range of ideas will be gathered and shared as to how we can address vulnerabilities that are currently being left undefended.

To connect to Boston Harbor’s unique history, the survey I created frames answers within an excerpted text from an 1886 military document called “Report of the Board on Fortifications or Other Defenses.” That Board, comprised of 9 top brass officials, outlined naval threats and suggested many methods for coastal defense, which resulted in the construction of nine forts in and around Boston Harbor. The collection of these surveys will constitute a ‘new Board’ on fortifications, but with a wider understanding of “threat” and a horizontal process for gathering ideas and producing defensive suggestions. For a world of unprecedented coastal threats my project aims to empower and challenge citizens across Boston to conceptualize these new modes of defense.

Keith Clougherty is from Miami Beach and has never learned to drive a car. There are three things that have a constant pull on his thoughts: girls, spliffs, and the implications of climate change. As an art student living in the United States Keith feels responsible for working within and against the inequalities that his country’s government and corporations perpetuate around the world. It is his belief that through transforming the means of material production that furnish our lives, sustain our economy, and warm our climate we can open new possibilities for a more just future.

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The survey was a way of ‘unpacking the research’ that went into the formulation of this project. By keeping it short and simple the survey can be conducted with many people at one time during a presentation. Survey participants are encouraged to read their answers aloud within the text from the ‘Report of the Board on Fortifi cations’, which is partially reproduced below. On the left are selected responses which can be fi t into the below framework. The numbered blanks correspond to the survey questions, which can then be read like a ‘Mad Lib.’

Participant 21. Chris2. An observer3. Migratory routes of whales4. Whales and sea life5.Shipping channels condensed and marked.

Participant 11. O-Beats2. UMASS student, resident of Dorchester3. Violence problems4. Poverty stricken areas5. Paint Castle Island white, the color of peace.

Participant 31. Alexi2.In-site student3.Lack of upkeep of structures, loss of history.4.Summer cottage residents, island structures.5. More Community activities preserving BHI.

Participant 41.Michaela2. Native Bostonian3.Rising water levels, pollution(Logan, port, highways)4.People living close to the water5 Organizing info spread, workshops, create new perspectives

Participant 51.Hugh2.Ranger3.Sea level rise4.Islands and low-lying areas5. Seawalls/surge protection

Here are two examples of completed surveys from the fi rst presentation of this project, November 27, 2012.

Book Design by Veena Krishnakumarveena.krishnakumar@gmail.com