Bird Promenade 2026
The Bird Promenade took place in Jamaica Plain from June 9-21st, 2026, and consisted of four sculptural installations of birds within walking distance of each other, with a couple of bonus birds in between. A love letter to Jamaica Plain, the goal of the Promenade was to encourage viewers to slow down and look around. Birds are everywhere, all around us, but how often do we notice them?
Materials: Fabric, paper, and paper clay with recycled materials, thread, exterior latex house paint, wood, steel, and wire.
Photography by John Savoia.
Map of Sites [Promenade Route]
1. Hope Central Church (85 Seaverns Ave)
2. Loring Greenough House (12 South St)
3. Margarita Muñiz Academy (20 Child St)
4. The Meeting Point (3464 Washington St)
All sites in Jamaica Plain, MA. Images and descriptions of each artwork (plus the extra birds in between) below.
Bird Cloud #5 [Turkeys and a Hawk]
Hope Central Church, 85 Seaverns Ave
Since I started this Bird Cloud series, I have fantasized about making a piece about turkeys. Something about the way they move is so fascinating. It is slightly awkward, kind of humorous, sometimes menacing. I’m sure I’m not alone in the strange combination of delight and fear they inspire in me when I see them skulking around the neighborhood. Recently, I witnessed a turkey checking itself out in the rear-view mirror of a parked car. Hilarious! But I walked away quickly before it saw me looking.
I asked the church what kind of birds they would like to see represented in the installation, and they said turkeys and hawks. Rather than combining these two birds into one sculpture, it made more sense to me to have the turkeys be their own freestanding cluster of birds. But if you looked, you could see a hawk hanging out in a nearby tree.
Woodpeckers
Private residence
I put fliers in mailboxes all along the Bird Promenade route, inviting interested folks to host bird sculptures in their gardens. Only two got back to me, which is not entirely surprising! With all the crazy stuff happening out there, perhaps others thought it was a bizarre scam?
But this wonderful participant was enthusiastic about the project, and requested woodpeckers! During the opening bird walk, I invited her to say a few words about her experiences with these birds, and while she was talking, a few actual woodpeckers started pecking in the background.
Primary Bird Cloud
Loring Greenough House, 12 South St
The garden at the Loring Greenough House is so magnificent, I decided to take a somewhat minimalist approach. The birds in this installation are Cardinals, Bluejays, and American Goldfinch. I chose these birds because of their correspondence to the primary colors, which I thought would best set off the lush greens and colorful flowers in the garden, rather than compete.
Summer Tanager
Private residence
These awesome folks requested a bird with reds and pinks, so I went with a summer tanager with a little berry in its mouth. I had no idea that the bush we would be installing it in would be covered with berries when the time came! An amazing surprise.
Harmonizing Bird Cloud
Margarita Muñiz Academy, 20 Child St
Each installation for this project was built to resonate with the sites they were created for, based on various levels of collaboration with the communities they serve. In the case of the Margarita Muñiz Academy, I worked with art teacher Laura Dávila and the yellow class of 9th graders to work out the design. I asked the students to each choose a bird they felt best represented them, and they made amazing choices. A peacock, parrot, eagle, raven, sparrow, bluejay, hummingbird, and even a phoenix! The installation also incorporated watercolor paintings the students made illustrating textures of their chosen birds.
Peregrine Bird Cloud
The Meeting Point, 3464 Washington St
The Meeting Point is an amazing place that provides a wealth of different therapeutic services. Engaging in this type of work requires courage, so I wanted to choose a bird that reflected that. The peregrine falcon (brought to my attention by my friend Talia) is the world’s fastest bird. Their diving speeds are said to exceed 200 mph. Incredible.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my contacts at Hope Central Church, Loring Greenough House, Margarita Muñiz Academy, and the Meeting Point (as well as the two private residences) for your trust, enthusiasm, and openness to my work. Thank you to John Savoia and Charlotte Huffman for your help with installation. Thank you to Edso Valena for the help with armature building. Thank you to all of my friends and family, who cheered me on throughout this project, especially when the going got tough.
The map above uses an atlas from 1924. Did you know that there are a whole bunch of old Boston Atlases available online? Check it out here.
This project was made possible by an Opportunity Fund Grant from the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. Thank you so much.
