Boston AIR Podcast City of Boston Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture

In episode five of the Boston AIR podcast, we’ll hear from one of the artists of this year’s cohort, Anthony Romero, and his City partner Carol Leon of the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, Gabriela Cartagena from City Life/Vida Urbana, Rita Lara and Kaylee Aguilar from Maverick Landing Community Services. They’ll be talking about the accessible housing support and defense stations they’ve worked together to develop in partnership with community organizers, grassroots organizations, the Nulaw lab at Northeastern University School of Law, and the LitLab at Suffolk University School of Law.

To learn more about the Boston Artist-in-Residence program please visit www.boston.gov/boston-air

In episode four of the Boston AIR Podcast, we will hear from members of the trans and the non-binary community at the City of Boston virtual Trans and Non-binary Town Hall as they discuss the representation of transgender & nonbinary individuals in the City of Boston’s policies & processes, with a focus on naming ways the City can better support transgender and nonbinary Bostonians. 

This town hall collected written and oral testimony specifically from trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender-expansive individuals currently living in the Greater Boston area.

Trans and non-Binary Town Hall hosted and organized by Boston Artist-in-Residence Golden and Feminine Empowerment Movement Slam (FEMS) Founding Director Zenaida Peterson with the support of the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture Artist-in-Residence Program.

To learn more about the Boston Artist-in-Residence program please visit www.boston.gov/boston-air

The series features a panel of Indigenous leaders, artists, and allies who speak about their work in the public realm, and address how symbols perpetuating colonial myths affect the lives of Indigenous people in the city and contribute to the public health emergency of racism.

In the last episode, the discussion focused on Massachusett and Nipmuc tribal people. We will hear from artist Jenny Oliver, and youth worker Kristen Wyman as they discuss the idea of collectivism vs memorialising one male figure and the misunderstood role of Native women in Indigenous culture.

Discussion facilitated by Erin Genia, Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota and Boston Artist-in-Residence.

Learn more about Boston AIR at boston.gov/boston-air

The series features a panel of Indigenous leaders, artists, and allies who speak about their work in the public realm, and address how symbols perpetuating colonial myths affect the lives of Indigenous people in the city and contribute to the public health emergency of racism.

In the second episode, we will hear from panelists Elizabeth Solomon,  co-founders of OPEN SYSTEMS, Heather Leavell, and Dr. Darlene Flores as they share their thoughts and work around topics such as the miseducation/lack of Indigenous culture and history in schools, the history of the Christopher Columbus monument at the city's waterfront, and Italian-Americans as allies of Indigenous people.

Discussion facilitated by Erin Genia, Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota and Boston Artist-in-Residence.

Panelists: Elizabeth Solomon, member of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag,  Director of Administration in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.

Pierre Bélanger, Ghazal Jafari, Pablo Escudero of OPEN SYSTEMS a design-based, non-profit research organization of builders, educators, and farmers, dedicated to opening systemic knowledge related to complex, socioecological challenges and geopolitical conflicts—at the intersection of land, water, environmental justice, spatial inequality, climate change, and community self-determination.

Heather Leavell, co-founder of Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples Day 

Dr. Darlene Flores, United Federation of Taino People

Learn more about the Boston Artist-in-Residence program at www.boston.gov/boston-air

The series features a panel of Indigenous leaders, artists, and allies who speak about their work in the public realm, and address how symbols perpetuating colonial myths affect the lives of Indigenous people in the city and contribute to the public health emergency of racism.

In the first episode, we will hear from panelists Mahtowin Munro, Jean-Luc Pierite, and Lilly E. Manycolors as they share their thoughts and work around topics such as the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue, advocating for the protection of sacred sites around Boston, and Indigenous youth reclaiming spaces with public art.

Discussion facilitated by Erin Genia, Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota and Boston Artist-in-Residence.

Panelists: Mahtowin Munro, Lakota, Co-leader of United American Indians of New England and lead organizer for IndigenousPeoplesDayMA.org

Lilly E. Manycolors, mixed Choctaw, interdisciplinary artist and scholar https://www.wovenwomxn.com/

Jean-Luc Pierite, Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, President of the Board, North American Indian Center of Boston http://www.naicob.org/

Learn more about the Boston Artist-in-Residence program at www.boston.gov/boston-air