Boston Cuts Ribbon on Jamaica Plain Public Art Project Nine Years in the Making

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston unveils "With and Web," Jamaica Plain's first Percent for Arts public art installation, after nine years of development. Chief of Arts and Culture Cara Elliott Ortega emceed the ribbon-cutting ceremony July 22 outside the Jamaica Plain branch of the Boston Public Library and BCYF Curtis Hall, where Mayor Kim Janey credited the installation to her administration's "Joy Agenda" and thanked more than a dozen city offices and community partners. The work, by Jamaica Plain sculptor and MassArt professor Matthew Hintzman, features bronze chairs cast by Sincere Metalworks and a restored lawn, and is described by city officials as the first completed project funded through Boston's municipal Percent for Arts program, which began development in 2017. Spoken word artist Lisa Lee performed an original piece at the ceremony, and Hintzman's children, Azure and Sienna, cut the ribbon. Hintzman credited early community sessions with shaping the work, singling out one resident directive above all others: "Let's keep JP weird."