Several major public artworks are moving in the City this fall

First up is The Robert Burns Statue, formerly located in Downtown Boston’s Winthrop Square. Henry Hudson Kitson's 100-year-old sculpture of Scottish poet Robert Burns and his dog, Luath, was originally located in the Back Bay Fens until it was moved to the Financial District in 1975. It was removed this past summer for conservation, and is being returned to its original location near the Johnson Gates entrance of the Fens as part of MP Boston’s renovation of the area. There will be a public dedication ceremony happening on October 30 from 2-4 p.m. at the intersection of Agassiz Rd. and the Fenway. The celebration will include music, recitations, speakers, and refreshments. All are welcomed to join, and a map of the location can be found here.  The event is made possible by the  Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, Parks and Recreation, the FCA, MP Boston, the National Trust for Scotland, Samuel's and Associates, the Fenway Alliance, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and the Fenway Cultural District. 

You might also be familiar with Quest Eternal by Don De Lue, which was located outside of the Prudential Center from 1967 until 2014. The 27-foot-tall sculpture has since been donated to the City of Boston by Boston Properties, LLC. The Boston Art Commission worked with the City’s Parks Department and the Allston community to find a new home for the sculpture at the new Smith Field. The City is hosting a ribbon cutting at the new location on Saturday, November 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and all are welcome.

And finally, two Fu Dog sculptures are returning to Chinatown! The granite pedestals currently located at the Chinatown Gates will be removed and replaced with benches, to serve as the bases for two Fu Dogs sculptures that will be returning to the Phillips Square Plaza at Harrison Ave and Essex Street. The sculptural elements and Fu Dogs will join the Phillips Square Plaza at the end of this month, with a dedication in early November.

If you have any questions about these relocations and resitings, feel free to reach out to the City of Boston’s Art Collections Manager, Patricia Gilrein, at patricia.gilrein@boston.gov. You can learn more about the City’s public art collection online.