BORN AND BRED BOSTON
"Born and Bred Boston" was an event that took place at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2019 highlighting local artists, activists, and entrepreneurs who grew up in Boston. The event united the students with long-time residents in a shared space to address the effects of gentrification. Curated artwork and live performances were exclusively by local, "born and bred" creatives, many of whom were self-taught, or who had never been inside the school - even though they lived in the same neighborhood. Boston, being a college town, has an influx of new residents each year, but those new residents don't always connect with their neighbors. This event aimed to address that by creating a space where relationships could be made between students with access to resources and locals lacking those same resources, all while enjoying art.
The design for Born and Bred Boston's poster was inspired by photographs of "the El" being torn down in 1987, captured by Marie Campanella McLaughlin.
It's rumored that some local artists and students, having just met for the first time, left the event early to record music together in the school's sound studio. This event didn't just open the door to a night of art, but to new relationships and shared resources.
