At over three stories tall, the grandstand windows at Suffolk Downs once gave patrons a view of thoroughbreds like Seabiscuit racing around the historic track. Now, with the former racing facility planned for Boston’s largest mixed use development project, the facade is offering a new type of visual entertainment.
Throughout the construction of Suffolk Downs, HYM is finding ways to creatively activate the former racetrack and partner with organizations that contribute to the community and align with HYM’s values as we welcome the public to the site.
One of our first partnerships was with Artists For Humanity, a Boston-based organization that provides under-resourced teens the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in art and design. As part of the opening of The Track at Suffolk Downs, Artist For Humanity’s installation titled “The Window Walk” leverages the vast length of windows at Suffolk Downs and creates six different experiences that are in alignment with the future of the public space.
Playing off of the experience of view through windows, The Window Walk utilizes the vast length and height of the grandstand to create six snapshots of life viewed through different perspectives. The physical scale gives viewers a reason to walk (or run) the full length of the space, and to have a reason to stop to appreciate both big and small moments in life.
Artists For Humanity provides under-resourced teens the opportunity for self-sufficiency through a paid employment specifically for art and design, bridging the gap between economic, racial and social divisions in Boston. The HYM Investment Group chose AFH as a partner to activate the former track property for community use and enjoyment as long-term development plans move forward. The Suffolk Downs grandstand installation is Artists For Humanity’s largest installation to date, offering new challenges and experiences to its artists.
“Artists For Humanity has partnered on hundreds of wonderfully creative projects during it’s now 30 years of mentoring and employing Boston teens in art and design, but none has been as large and ambitious as the transformation of an iconic racetrack into a new, vibrant community,” said Richard Frank from Artists For Humanity. “The Window Walk at Suffolk Downs is a perfect example of connecting a progressive, values-based company and a creative teen arts enterprise to build more inclusive spaces that express young, imaginative voices and invite all to participate in the fun.”
The Window Walk installation is currently open and on view from The Track at Suffolk Downs, which is open daily to the public for free recreation. Find more information at https://atsuffolkdowns.com/
