This project that began with a question: "how to create new homes and a stronger connecting with nature and a new state bike path?" This work resulted in a deeply researched creative placemaking site plan with The Michaels Organizations and an iconic art installation, Dorchester Soaring.

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Dorchester Soaring creates a kaleidoscopic 2,600-square foot vista of nearly 40 local and native birds rendered in vibrant color along the new expansion of the Lower Neponset River Trail in Boston, MA.  Each bird along this 236-foot wide installation is in a different scene that sheds light on the varied lives of our natural world, with birds standing, socializing, soaring – and even nibbling on an oyster. Birds were selected in partnership with ornithological experts at the Department of Conservation and Recreation along with input from Dorchester community members – ensuring the art centers local experiences. Special care was made to include threatened and endangered species like the Piping Plover. Larger-than-life, with some birds having 28-foot wing spans and measuring 12 feet high, the artwork brings nature to a more human scale that invites curiosity and engagement. The bright colors communicate joy and play, with each bird its own mosaic of color. Visible human brushwork meets nature’s majestic ecologies – a bridging of worlds that envisions harmony in our environment. This project celebrates the local nature that connects people – especially in urban contexts - with environmental stewardship and recreation.