PUBLIC ART CONSULTANT
Writing
OVERVIEW
In all the different roles she has held in the public art world Sarah Hutt has written extensively for publication about a broad range of public art related topics, from memorials to collaboration to advice and resources for artists.
A selection of her written pieces for publications such as Boston Art Review, BigRedandShiny.com, and Communication Arts appear below.
“Individual Voices on Art at Its Most Public, A Boston Roundtable Moderated,” Boston Art Review, Issue 04 (The Public Art Issue), July 2019
Hutt participated in a roundtable discussion on the ever-evolving factors affecting public art for “The Public Art Issue” of the Boston Art Review. The roundtable was moderated by Jen Mergel and in addition to Hutt included Che Anderson, Kenneth Bailey, Lucas Cowan, Barry Gaither, Leah Triplett Harrington, Jameson Johnson, and L’Merchie Frazier.
“Boston Monuments: Memorial and Meaning”, BigRedandShiny.com, May 12, 2016
“One beautiful July morning in 2013 Boston woke to discover green paint had been thrown against the Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial that sits across from the State House in the Boston Public Garden. Outrage followed but questions “why?” went unanswered. Ten days later the perpetrator returned, this time during the busy afternoon, parked in the bus lane, ran through the crowd to the monument and again threw paint, this time yellow, across the recently cleaned surface…”
“Temporary Public Art 2001–2002”, Now + There blog, April 21, 2015
Kate Gilbert, executive director of Now + There, invited Hutt to guest blog about her three favorite Boston public art projects in the “Critical Reflections and Opinion” piece “Know your past to chart your future: three successful projects in Boston’s History”. Hutt chose to focus on Redefining Public Space (2001), Symphony of a City (2001) and Making Time Visible: The Scollay Square Project (2002):
“There are moments when the stars align and the planning and preparation provide the tools for unexpected opportunities. From 2000 to about 2003, while I was Director of Public Art in the Office of Cultural Affairs, Mayor Thomas Menino announced the creation of the short lived Boston Cultural Agenda Fund (BCAF). From that fund we produced a series of temporary art interventions inside Boston City Hall and outside on City Hall Plaza and assisted with other independently produced projects throughout the city. The following three projects are examples of moments when artists, the City and community successfully came together to make stimulating public art experiences…”
“New to public art? Three things you should know!”, NEFA blog, March 5, 2014
In her role as a consultant for the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), Hutt highlighted resources available to artists and organizations working with public art.
“How to Win Support and Influence your Community”, Communication Arts, May 2002
“The stereotype of the artist laboring alone in a garret leaves a lot to be desired. While it is certainly true that great work can and does happen in isolation, collaboration can provide unanticipated opportunities and tap unexpected resources. A collaborative project can expand an idea and provide the support for a career-based project, not just for one, but for many. In a practical sense, more opportunities for grant money are available for collaborations which employ one artist, several artists or other members of a community, and bring the diverse members into a planning process that benefits an entire neighborhood.
As director of technical assistance in the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs in Boston, I have seen many ideas that effectively bring individuals into a larger network, take advantage of a team approach or use an umbrella organization for unconventional collaborations that yield wonderfully imaginative results…”