Boston is a city rich in culture, but its public art landscape has long been shaped by inequity. Major institutions have historically served a limited audience, leaving many neighborhoods overlooked and excluded.
The Boston Public Art Triennial 2025 set out to shift that narrative. As the city’s first-ever public art triennial, its goal was to create a cultural movement rooted in accessibility, equity, and joy, bringing free public art to streets, parks, and everyday spaces across Boston.
Media Cause led the launch and awareness campaign. Our team developed the central concept: “More Belonging. Add More Art to Your Everyday.” A flexible, participatory platform designed to reflect the values of the Triennial and spark connection across the city.
From modular headlines like “More Joy,” “More Wow,” and “More Connection” to location-based messaging such as “Add More Art to Your Commute,” the campaign invited all Bostonians to see themselves in the movement. It showed up boldly across the city through building wraps, bus shelters, billboards, social content, and signage at over 20 sites.
More than a call to attend, the campaign was a call to belong. By shifting the visual language of public art from elite to everyday, the Triennial helped Boston feel more open, inclusive, and connected.
How We Brought the Campaign to Life
The “More Belonging. Add More Art to Your Everyday.” campaign began with a bold challenge: to launch Boston’s first-ever public art triennial. Because this was the inaugural event, the campaign had to do more than build awareness—it had to introduce a new cultural format, define its meaning for local audiences, and spark citywide excitement around a brand-new tradition.
Our team at Media Cause developed a modular, emotionally driven concept that could flex across the city and across time. At its core was a headline system built to scale: phrases like “More Joy,” “More Wow,” and “More Belonging” paired with location-specific or action-driven lines like “Add More Art to Your Commute” or “Add More Art to Roxbury.” This allowed the campaign to feel both universal and personal—meeting people where they were, and helping them see themselves in the story.
From initial concepting in March to launch in May, we worked in close collaboration with the Triennial team to develop messaging, build a visual identity, and execute across more than 100 placements. The creative system emphasized accessibility, joy, and boldness—featuring high-contrast color, clear typography, and layouts that translated seamlessly from bus shelters to billboards to building wraps.
One of our key challenges was scale. We weren’t just promoting an event—we were launching a brand, explaining a new civic experience, and inviting residents into something unfamiliar. We met this by embedding the campaign into the city’s daily rhythms: transit paths, neighborhood centers, and online channels where Bostonians already gather.
We also faced a complex permitting environment and a fragmented cultural infrastructure. By activating everyday public spaces, we ensured the campaign reached across demographic and geographic lines—without relying on exclusive channels.
The campaign needed to last six months and span across 20 exhibition sites. To keep it feeling fresh, we built a system that allowed the rotatation of messaging by moment and place. That modularity helped keep the experience dynamic, alive, and responsive to the city.
What made “More Belonging. Add More Art to Your Everyday.” unique was its dual role: It functioned both as a visual identity for the Triennial and as a welcoming public interface. It framed a citywide invitation to participate while offering wayfinding, storytelling, and emotional connection.
From building wraps to hyper-local signage, the campaign introduced the idea of a triennial as something that could belong to everyone. It reimagined public art not as a destination, but as part of the everyday—free, shared, and for all.
Results
The campaign helped launch Boston’s first public art triennial as a landmark civic and cultural event.
Reach and Visibility
Millions of Bostonians encountered the campaign through MBTA bus shelters, subway interiors, building wraps, and digital displays. With placements across 21 neighborhoods, the Triennial became a visible, citywide presence.
Equitable Access
Localized creative helped spotlight historically underserved areas—including Roxbury, Mattapan, Dorchester, and East Boston, ensuring the campaign reflected the full geography and identity of the city.
Public Engagement
More than 35 free public programs drew thousands of residents to artist talks, performances, installations, and community events—many encountering a “triennial” for the first time.
Buzz and Cultural Relevance
The campaign contributed to broad press coverage and online buzz, with features in The New York Times (PDF), Forbes (PDF), and WBUR, helping reframe Boston as a vibrant, art-forward city.
Long-Term Impact
Beyond attendance, the campaign established a foundational identity for future triennials. It shifted perceptions—helping residents see public art not as rare or exclusive, but as part of everyday civic life.
Ultimately, we consider this a success because the campaign didn’t just promote an event. It helped change how Boston sees itself: More open, more connected, and more creatively alive.
