Davis Square statues
Encyclopedia
The untitled Davis Square statues are life-sized cast masonry public sculpture, created by James Tyler, located in Davis Square
, Somerville
, Massachusetts
at the Davis
, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
subway station. The statues are based on people that lived near Davis Square in the 1980s. In 1996 bronze "masks" were added to the sculptures to repair vandalism damage and deter future vandalism.
program. This first of its kind program was devised to bring art into the MBTA's planned Northwest Extension of the Red Line
subway stations in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and became a model for similar drives for public art across the country. The statues were one of 20 artworks created for this program, out of over 400 proposals submitted by artists for artworks spread out across five different newly created subway stations. The first 20 artworks, including this one, were completed with a total cost of $695,000 USD, or one-half of one percent of the total construction cost of the Red Line Northwest Extension.
The statues are composed of cast masonry, and were all originally located in one plaza, in front of J.P. Licks
and a Store 24
, but in 1996, the Somerville Arts Council, in conjunction with the city, chose to move the statues to their current locations all across Davis Square, in front of subway stations, and in other small parks nearby. Also in 1996 bronze "masks" were added to the statues. Steven Post states, “the statues were meant to be ‘temporary’ in that they were not made of bronze. Vandals destroyed some of the faces of the statues over the years, so the artist and the city decided to replace the faces with the bronze ‘mask’ that the statues all now ‘wear’.”
Davis Square
Davis Square is a major intersection in the northwestern section of Somerville, Massachusetts where several streets meet: Holland Street, Dover Street, Day Street, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, and College Avenue.- Location :...
, Somerville
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
at the Davis
Davis (MBTA station)
Davis Station is located at the intersection of Holland Street, Elm Street, and College Avenue , in Somerville, Massachusetts. It opened on December 8, 1984. Davis Station is named after the Davis family of Massachusetts, a political dynasty whose members, over 220 years, have held at least...
, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
subway station. The statues are based on people that lived near Davis Square in the 1980s. In 1996 bronze "masks" were added to the sculptures to repair vandalism damage and deter future vandalism.
Arts on the Line
The sculptures were created as a part of the MBTA and the Cambridge Arts Council's Arts on the LineArts on the Line
Arts on the Line was a program devised to bring art into the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 's subway stations in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Arts on the Line was the first program of its kind in the United States and became the model for similar drives for art across the country...
program. This first of its kind program was devised to bring art into the MBTA's planned Northwest Extension of the Red Line
Red Line (MBTA)
The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the MBTA running roughly north-south through Boston, Massachusetts into neighboring communities. The line begins west of Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Alewife station, near the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Route 2...
subway stations in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and became a model for similar drives for public art across the country. The statues were one of 20 artworks created for this program, out of over 400 proposals submitted by artists for artworks spread out across five different newly created subway stations. The first 20 artworks, including this one, were completed with a total cost of $695,000 USD, or one-half of one percent of the total construction cost of the Red Line Northwest Extension.
History
The statues in Davis Square are all based on actual people that lived in or around the square. For instance, one of the statues is of an elderly man and woman standing arm in arm; it depicts a couple who owned a little restaurant. "They were the nicest people you'd ever meet in your whole life." says a woman who knew them, "If you didn't have a dime, you could still get a nice dinner for nothing."The statues are composed of cast masonry, and were all originally located in one plaza, in front of J.P. Licks
J.P. Licks
J.P. Licks is an ice cream store chain located in and around the Boston area. Currently, it has a total of ten stores. Owner, Vince Petryk, started the first store in Jamaica Plain in 1981 and has expanded since...
and a Store 24
Tedeschi Food Shops
Tedeschi Food Shops is a chain of 189 convenience stores , located primarily in Massachusetts, with 10 stores in New Hampshire, 2 stores in Rhode Island, and 1 store in Connecticut.-History:...
, but in 1996, the Somerville Arts Council, in conjunction with the city, chose to move the statues to their current locations all across Davis Square, in front of subway stations, and in other small parks nearby. Also in 1996 bronze "masks" were added to the statues. Steven Post states, “the statues were meant to be ‘temporary’ in that they were not made of bronze. Vandals destroyed some of the faces of the statues over the years, so the artist and the city decided to replace the faces with the bronze ‘mask’ that the statues all now ‘wear’.”