Harriet Jacobs’s life and legacy embody dignity, security, and justice. Expanding access to safe, affordable homes in Cambridge carries that same moral weight today.

By E. Denise Simmons, Marc McGovern, Sumbul Siddiqui, and Jivan Sobrinho-WheeleUpdated September 2, 2025, 3:22 p.m.

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E. Denise Simmons is the mayor of Cambridge. Marc McGovern is the vice-mayor of Cambridge. Sumbul Siddiqui and Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler are Cambridge city councilors.

Harriet Jacobs is one of America’s most important abolitionists. Her 1861 autobiography, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” stands alongside the works of Frederick Douglass as a foundational text of freedom.

In the late 19th century, Jacobs lived in Cambridge at 17 Story St. for several years, where she and her daughter ran a boarding house that welcomed Harvard students and faculty.

Cambridge should be proud of this history. We must honor Jacobs. Preserving her legacy is not in question; the challenge is how to best do so.

The Jacobs House is poorly maintained and has been used only intermittently over the years as administrative space.

According to a memo submitted on behalf of the city’s historic preservation staff to the Cambridge Historical Commission, “From the 1960s until 2020, when the current owners acquired the property, the building received only minimal maintenance and appeared to be in danger of demolition by neglect.” Delaying the project now before city boards will not save the house; it will leave it exposed to time and uncertainty, without the resources needed to stabilize and restore it.

The developer has proposed “relocating the Harriet Jacobs House from the back of the site to sit prominently at the front corner of Mt. Auburn and Story Streets.” The site would house a new “eight story hotel and residence building, which will have approximately 67 hotel keys as well as approximately 50 residential units. The Harriet Jacobs House will serve as the hotel lobby and will connect to a small cafe.”

The proposal does three things at once: It restores and preserves the house and relocates it to a prominent, visible position on the site, where it can be regularly accessible to the public. It adds 50 much-needed homes, including affordable units, in the midst of Cambridge’s housing crisis, which is pushing long-time residents and young families out of the city. And it finances preservation through hotel revenue, following an adaptive-reuse model that has saved countless historic buildings nationwide.

This is not preservation versus profit. It is preservation through investment versus continued deterioration.

While some worry that moving the house may diminish its integrity, preservation professionals have emphasized the opposite: Keeping it where it sits today would bury it behind new frontage in the proposed development and all but hide it from public life.

Over years of design iterations, city preservation staff have urged architects to bring the house forward so it can be seen, cared for, and used. Cambridge Historical Commission chair Chandra Harrington made the same case. “I think this project is great,” Harrington said at the commission’s last meeting. “They’re honoring the house and the history by preserving it and placing it right up in front of the property. These people have the money and want to put it in now. If we pass by them, who knows who’s going to come up and do this?”

The Jacobs House sits within the Harvard Square Conservation District. The Historical Commission has full jurisdiction over its relocation, alteration, and restoration, and can condition approvals to ensure preservation standards are met. According to the memo, a separate landmarking process “may not be necessary” if the project is eligible for a Certificate of Appropriateness as designed or as modified. Launching an additional, duplicative landmarking process would consume scarce staff resources without adding meaningful protection, since the commission is already empowered to review the scale and design of the new construction.

At the same time, Cambridge’s housing crisis is undeniable. Rents are among the highest in the nation, and too many people — our grown children, teachers, health care workers, recent graduates, young families, and new residents seeking sanctuary from cruel and xenophobic laws — are being priced out. Adding 50 units, 20 percent of them affordable, is not a luxury but a responsibility.

Harriet Jacobs’s life and legacy embody dignity, security, and justice. Expanding access to safe, affordable homes in Cambridge carries that same moral weight today.

The best way to honor Jacobs is not by allowing her home to languish with makeshift repairs, as some have suggested, but by securing its future while advancing Cambridge’s values of dignity, inclusion, and shelter.

By Camilo Fonseca Globe Staff,Updated August 31, 2025, 6:30 a.m.

CAMBRIDGE — The scent of smoked meats fused with the sound of public karaoke on Saturday night as several thousand people packed Brattle Street in celebration of the Harvard Square’s first Asian Night Market.

The street festival featured over a dozen different vendors, selling everything from pork skewers to jewelry. It was organized by the Harvard Square Philippine American Alliance, in partnership with the Harvard Square Business Association — though cuisine and curios from all across East Asia were on display.

Andrew Yang, 33, came to the event from Arlington with a friend. Standing at the edge of the festivities holding a half-finished Thai iced tea, he said he’d jumped into a line for one of the various food stands; what the line was for, he said, he had “no idea,” but that didn’t seem to faze him.

“I grew up in China, and a lot of food reminds me of the Chinese style,” he said.

The teeming crowd was full of Harvard students, some no doubt fresh off of the university’s move-in day, as well as parents and couples. More than 4,000 people were in attendance, according to Amanda Henley, a spokesperson for the business association.

Jeff Katz and Pam Gilman, of Cambridge, said that even with the holiday weekend, they were surprised at the turnout.

“This is insane,” Katz said. “In a good way.”

The two said they had been waiting in line for dinner for several minutes; similar to Yang, they didn’t realize they were waiting for Filipino food until they got close enough to see the stand. Despite the massive crowd making it nearly impossible to cross the short stretch of Brattle Street, the two said they were excited to try to navigate the rest of the offerings.

“It’s wonderful living in such a vibrant place with people from all over the world,” Katz said. “I love it.”

Though there was plenty in the way of food, there were also several booths for other cultural activities, including one for the Taiwanese Film Festival of Boston, which will be held on Sept. 19 and 20.

“We’re the only representation of Taiwan in the whole market,” said Jerry Lin, the film festival’s co-president, adding that visitors to the stand have been “surprised that there’s a Taiwan Film Festival. They didn’t really realize that we have this. So this [night market] is what we have to do: promote more and welcome audiences all over the Boston area.”

It was a surprise to Brian Yu, a Harvard Dental School student originally from Taiwan, who said he hadn’t expected representation from his home country at all.

“They said they’re inviting a Taiwanese director here” for the film festival, Yu said. “So that’s very cool.”

Yu’s friend Nguyen Nguyen, of Houston, said the market had great offerings, but mused that the tightly-packed crowd made it difficult to see all of them.

“I think this demonstrates that there’s a lot more interest [than expected],” he said. “So I think a bigger space to accommodate that would really make the whole experience more enjoyable for everyone.”

But Nguyen added that the long lines were proof enough that the festival filled an important niche for the local community, of Asian Americans and non-Asians alike.

“It’s a very cool thing to have … that kind of represents the diversity of people here,” Nguyen said. “Celebrating culture and sharing it with others is a really great way to just make us all realize that we’re more connected than we are different.”

By Victoria Wasylak Globe Correspondent
Updated August 27, 2025, 9:00 a.m.

Ask a music fan what’s missing from Harvard Square and the answers will vary — but you will get an answer.

Some folks might pine for the heyday of “the Pit,” the now-demolished outdoor seating area where counterculture pooled in the heart of the Square. Others would mourn the programming at Charlie’s Kitchen and Hong Kong Restaurant, two neighborhood eateries that once provided intimate performance spaces for independent artists but stopped hosting shows in recent years.

The potential responses vary by genre and era (an exhaustive, decades-spanning list of cultural losses in Harvard Square would gobble up the entirety of this column). But they all trace back to a similar notion: There are no longer many public or independently-operated spaces where artists can make a proper home in Harvard Square.

Cormac Hurley, a manager at a new venue and restaurant called Lou’s, says the area once produced “artists that have heritage in Harvard Square.” Folks like Joan Baez and Tracy Chapman, who weren’t necessarily from Greater Boston, or even New England, but who developed their careers in the neighborhood and, many years later, remain associated with it.

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“Being a part of that heritage, is, I think, what people miss in a lot of different ways,” says Hurley, the brand and event manager of the Brattle Street business.

Related

Lou’s, a new live music venue and restaurant, opens in Harvard Square this weekendEnd of an era: The Pit, a landmark of Harvard Square, is demolished

It’s notable, then, that Lou’s isn’t just carving out a space for more live music; it’s also curating a calendar of friendly faces. Since opening at the end of July, Hurley says the 289-person “jazz-adjacent” club has strived to be a place of discovery, booking Boston artists ranging from the trad jazz of Josiah Reibstein & The Hubtones to R&B from Aric B. and The Presidential Suites.

Many of the acts are booked for repeat performances a few weeks apart, offering the performers the chance to put down sturdy (or studier) roots in the scene.

Jazz guitarist Eric Hofbauer, the trio of South African-born jazz drummer Lumanyano Mzi, and Berklee student and viral singer-pianist Su Yavez, are a few of the performers who will return to Lou’s stage at the end of August and beginning of September, after helping welcome the first batches of guests into the venue’s 5,600-square-foot space. (At the opposite end of the venue, a listening area also accommodates guests who are tuned in to whichever DJ is spinning vinyl that evening.)

The speakeasy-esque den feels like an art deco twist on the space’s previous identities. The space at 13 Brattle St. was formerly the jazz bar Beat Brasserie (also called Beat Hotel), a sister business of The Beehive in the South End. In 2018, the space rebranded as Beat Brew Hall, broadening its focus to include a beer hall dining room, in addition to a back-room lounge and performance space. Beat Brew Hall survived the wrath of COVID-19, but only briefly; it shuttered in 2022 after a short-lived post-pandemic reopening.

As of last month, the “beat” goes on via Lou’s. But in the years between Beat Brew Hall’s final day and Lou’s elegant launch this past July, 13 Brattle St. was little more than a silent, vacant basement. Coincidentally, “vacant” is the exact emotional atmosphere of many public spaces that have cropped up around the Square. Think of chain restaurants with stiff, inhospitable seating (if any), and dystopian curiosities like the “Capital One Café,” a spine-chilling concept if there ever was one.

Some serial show attendees will see Lou’s as a fine complement to the Regattabar, the jazz club located in the Square’s Charles Hotel. Folks more inclined to seek out music at a dive bar might turn their nose up at such an elegant new establishment, or the idea of sipping $15 cocktails during showtime.

Personally, I don’t have a preference between swanky venues and scrappy ones. I just know that music is always better than a vacant silence.

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GIG GUIDE

At TD Garden on Friday, Nine Inch Nails return to Boston for the first time since their doubleheader at the 2022 edition of Boston Calling, when the industrial rock project ended up headlining two of the festival’s three nights. The band’s polar opposite, the wholesome, backflipping pop singer Benson Boone, comes to the arena on Tuesday to support his sophomore album, “American Heart.”

A burst of 1990s and early aughts rock nostalgia rattles MGM Music Hall at Fenway this weekend, courtesy of performances from Simple Plan (Friday) and Coheed and Cambria with Taking Back Sunday (Saturday). Latin hip-hop and reggaeton artist Eladio Carrión continues his already jam-packed year — which includes releasing his April album “DON KBRN” and countless singles — at the venue on Wednesday.

Highlights from the North Shore include a Friday performance from Puerto Rican cuatro player and composer Fabiola Mendez at The Cut, and a Saturday visit from The Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward at the Shalin Liu Performance Center.

Baltimore pop-R&B singer Gabby Samone, one of the standout contestants on the most recent season of “American Idol,” continues her career’s momentum at City Winery on Tuesday. Stella Cole summons charming jazz standards from her new record, “It’s Magic,” on Wednesday and Thursday at the winery.

And speaking of Harvard Square success stories, Campfire. Festival will spread performances from over 60 musicians across Labor Day weekend at Passim. It’s almost impossible to select highlights on a roster this robust, but some daily picks include Ana Schon (Friday), Gabriella Simpkins (Saturday), Anju (Sunday), and Dom the Composer (Monday).

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NOW SPINNING

Canyon Lights, “Breathe Easy.” After staking their claim on the Billboard Blues chart in the Boston band GA-20, two former members — drummer Tim Carman and singer-guitarist Pat Faherty — strike out on their own in this new outfit. Joined by bassist Heather Gillis, Canyon Lights present classic, swampy blues gold on their debut LP, “Breathe Easy.” Don’t miss the satisfying spirals of guitar on standout track “Drivin’ Me.”

The Beaches, “No Hard Feelings.” Under most circumstances, a band repeating the formula of its breakthrough album on another project would be grounds for breaking out the dreaded “slump” label. But on the Beaches’ third LP, the Canadian band revels in the same wisecracking alt-rock as 2023’s “Blame My Ex,” conveying new emotional battle scars with familiar charm.

Tei Shi, “Make believe I make believe.” Tei Shi ought to return to Berklee College of Music — her alma mater — and teach a course on cross-genre cohesion. On her fourth album, the Argentina-born artist once again tinkers with her musical trajectory, crafting an intricate web of reggaeton rhythms, glittering synth-pop, and all of the gossamer sounds in between.

Home | Arts + Culture | Food + Drink

Drink: Wusong Road reinvents paradise for Harvard Square

By Karenna Umscheid

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Sakurako K. via YelpA Neko cocktail cup is just the start of the Tiki bar aesthetic at Wusong Road in Cambridge’s Harvard Square.

With its many accolades, including most recently being named one of USA Today’s Restaurants of the Year, Harvard Square’s Wusong Road has been on my drink list for quite a long time. Even the entrance was distinct from across the street, adorned with lush tropical leaves and flowers. Inside, Wusong Road is perpetually in bloom.

Wusong Road leans in unwaveringly to the kitsch of a Tiki bar, embodying everything that is so appropriative of the nightlife tradition. There are posters for the film “South Pacific,” Tiki cups and statues galore, and the waitstaff wears floral tropical shirts. Though I can’t say a drink called Love Meow Long Time served in a Neko cup is appropriate in any circumstance, I can respect the incorporation of the cuisine in unexpected ways via a cocktail menu.

I first tried the Mango Sticky Rice Colada, which was as delightful and sweet as it sounds. It includes Tanduay white rum infused with mango sticky rice, carabao mango puree, mango nectar and lime. The rum infusion – like all Wusong Road’s juices and infusions, made in-house – is perfect: milky, sweet and tropical. It pairs nicely with the rum and the flavorful mango puree, making for a dreamy, lush beverage that invokes crashing waves and the sticky humidity of a hot, sandy beach.

Looking for restaurants and bars to try in Harvard Square? Our 2025 guide has picks for locals, students, and visitors — with plenty to keep everyone well fed.

By Katelyn Umholtz
August 27, 2025 | 1:42 PM

6 minutes to read

Harvard Square isn’t just for students. This bustling Cambridge neighborhood draws in young professionals, families, and tourists alongside the college crowd. From casual joints serving burgers and fries to brunch cocktails, the square offers a number of restaurants and bars for every kind of outing.

To help you navigate a host of enjoyable options, we’ve updated our guide to some of the most popular eateries and bars in the Cambridge neighborhood. Between browsing for books at the local shops or attending the Head of the Charles Regatta, you’re sure to find a new favorite spot.

Where to eat

Alden & Harlow

Beneath the Brattle Theater, you’ll find this hip, subterranean New American restaurant that’s perfect for a night out. While you’re browsing the menu, think of ordering the basil pasta served with carrot bolognese, the Secret Burger on a house-made roll, or the Loch Duart salmon served with ratatouille. Don’t miss out on dessert — the smoked chocolate bread pudding is a winner in our book.

40 Brattle St., Cambridge

Bosso Ramen Tavern

This ramen izakaya opened in 2022, and since then, it’s become a neighborhood fixture. Bosso Ramen Tavern serves sushi, sake, and ramen, made with a homemade broth. For those who don’t eat meat, the vegan ramen includes soy meat, cashews, walnuts, and red chili oil. After a flavorful entree, cleanse your palate with the black sesame ice cream. 

24 Holyoke St., Cambridge

Cafe Sushi Shoten

The pandemic had the team behind Cafe Sushi, a favorite among Bostonians, pivot to a mostly takeout and grab-and-go operation. But while seating may be limited, and the sushi may come in plastic containers, the quality is still very present. Split a box of sushi for two for $60, which comes with multiple pieces of tuna, salmon, and yellowtail nigiri and two specialty maki rolls. The bento boxes are the best deal, getting you teriyaki chicken or salmon, appetizers like gyoza and a seaweed salad, and a cucumber-avocado roll for $22 to $24. 

1105 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge

• Where to find the best sushi in Greater Boston, according to readers

Felipe’s Mexican Taqueria

A casual spot on Brattle Street, Felipe’s is the place to go when you need a Tex-Mex fix. Order the Baja-style tacos, made with a choice of lightly breaded shrimp or fish, or enjoy nachos made with extra melted cheese, refried beans, and pico de gallo. Reader Elaine S. from Belmont said, “A lot has changed in Harvard Square. Felipe’s is still a great and affordable social space with a limited but authentic selection of Mexican food… Best margaritas in Camberville.”

21 Brattle St., Cambridge

Forage

A short walk away from the square will bring you to this little bistro, where seasonal ingredients drive a daily menu that could include dishes like heirloom tomatoes and peaches, seared bluefish with orzo and an arugula salad, and a by-the-glass list of natural wine. Make it a special evening with the $75 tasting menu that can be modified by the following diets: omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, or vegan. 

5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge

Luxor Cafe

The Egyptian cafe located in the former Darwin’s space opened last fall and has already become a hangout spot among students and neighbors. The Halal deli and bakery serves a selection of sandwiches, breakfast plates like eggs with Pasterma, and the locally-viral Dubai chocolate french toast. Order a strawberry matcha latte or coffee during a study break or when you’re in need of a pick-me-up. 

148 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge

Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage

Students love this joint, where you can build your own burger or choose from one of their creatively named options, like the Masshole or The Ozempic. Reader Gene D. from Waltham called the spot “a local landmark,” adding that “the service is always friendly and fast, the campus ambiance is strong, and most importantly, the food is tasty! I’ve been dining there for years, and Mr. Bartley’s burgers are the best in the Boston area!”

1246 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge

Orinoco Kitchen

For quality Venezuelan dining, visit Orinoco Kitchen. Try one of their many arepa options or the empanadas, which can be ordered with fillings like shredded beef or forest mushrooms, piquillo peppers, and cheese. The restaurant also serves a marinated chicken adobo that you can choose to eat with malanga gnocchi. The molten chocolate cake, made with pure Venezuelan dark chocolate, makes for a decadent finish. 

56 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge

Source Restaurant

Craving a slice of pizza? Head over to Source, which features “rustic yet refined food.” Neapolitan pies are cooked in a wood-fired oven, and you can choose from a variety of flavors: the classic margherita, the Tuscan kale, pepperoni, or a seasonal pie. You’ll also find pasta dishes on their menu, from the bucatini in a carbonara sauce to tagliatelli with bolognese sauce. Cocktails, wine, and beer round out their offerings.

27 Church St., Cambridge

• More than 74,000 votes cast: This is the best pizza in Greater Boston

The Hourly Oyster House

If you’re looking to dine on seafood from New England and beyond, visit The Hourly Oyster House on Dunster Street. Order a seafood tower for your party, or fill up on Jonah crab fritters, lobster rolls, or swordfish schnitzel. They even have seafood cocktails — for example, a martini with caviar or shots of tequila served with oysters. 

15 Dunster St., Cambridge

Where to drink

Grafton Street Pub & Grill

Get a drink at Grafton Street, an Irish gastropub that is both contemporary and inviting. You’ll discover draft beers here, such as Mighty Squirrel Kiwi White and Remnant Hangtime, as well as ciders and spirits. Cocktails include the Fig Mule served with fig vodka and a small selection of mocktails.

59 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge

Grendel’s Den Restaurant & Bar

Students frequent Grendel’s, a neighborhood tavern with beer on draft, sangria by the pitcher, and a range of cocktails, sangria, and even mead. The spot also offers “horoscope drinks,” a rotating selection of beverages based on the astrological charts. Grendel’s hosts live events, from music, to storytelling and poetry. Having been in the Square for over 50 years, they’re a classic haunt.

89 Winthrop St., Cambridge

Longfellow Bar

Once you’re done with dinner at Alden & Harlow, go upstairs to Longfellow Bar. Look out for craft cocktails like the Avant Gardner, made with blanco tequila, moletto tomato gin, blanc vermouth, cantaloupe, lime, simple, angostura, and absinthe. Or try the black tea bourbon Ramblin’ Man, which incorporates honey, cassis, sweet vermouth, marsala, and peach bitters. If you’re still wishing you had a bite to accompany your drink, Longfellow also has a menu of elevated bar snacks, like fries topped with kewpie mayo and chili crisps or a Japanese milk bread grilled cheese. 

40 Brattle St., Cambridge

Russell House Tavern

A lively and comfortable spot, Russell House Tavern is a great place to sip drinks after work, boasting an extensive beer, wine, and cocktail list. You may be drawn in by the Lichi-li martini, which combines lychee liquor, vodka, and pink rosé vermouth. To go with your beverages, order the local oysters, Harvard Square fries, or try a Tavern pizza.

14 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge

Wusong Road Tiki Bar

Wusong Road marries Asian American cuisine and tropical Tiki escapism. Drinks include the Scorpion Bowl, made with Appleton Estate rum, brandy, gin, lemon, orange, pineapple, and hibiscus grenadine, as well as the Singapore Sling, made with Roku gin, cherry brandy, curacao, Benedictine, pineapple, and lime. You’ll find some bites on the menu here too, such as the coconut spareribs and Aloha sliders.

112 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge

By Benjamin Cortez

Published on August 12, 2025

Source: City of Cambridge

Cambridge, Massachusetts is getting crafty with its climate change initiatives, and “Heat BLOOMS”—an art installation in Harvard Square—is the latest addition to its Shade Is Social Justice program. According to a recent announcement, the installation features flowers that only open when the thermometer hits 85 degrees, a temperature the Cambridge Public Health Department marks as a high alert for extreme heat. These smart blooms, created by the collective Art for Public Good, use a memory alloy wired to react to temperature, essentially serving as a botanical heat indicator and a conversation starter about our warming planet.

The city-wide art program also includes other installations, like “Sun Block” in Jill Brown-Rhone Park, designed to provide shade and a respite from the blistering summer sun; and there’s another piece scheduled for Hoyt Field, with these artworks collectively highlighting the need for cooler community spaces and public engagement on climate issues. Funded initially by a $100,000 grant, the project’s purse has been bolstered by funds from the City of Cambridge and mitigation contributions from local developer New England Development, “Sun Block” stays put until this fall, no thanks to the relentless pace of climate change.

Designers and artists from the area were invited last spring to participate, and from 18 aspiring candidates, a panel of community members handpicked five based on their previous work and interviews—as per the details shared on the city’s official website. “Heat BLOOMS” is not just a decorative piece but part of a broader campaign to strengthen climate resilience in Cambridge, tying into other initiatives such as fossil fuel bans in large commercial buildings by 2035, electric vehicle charging programs, and better infrastructure for bikes and buses.

The team behind “Heat BLOOMS” collaborates closely with various stakeholders including the Harvard Square Business Association and local public health officials, all playing their part in a grander scheme that puts art at the forefront of climate activism and urban planning. Claudia Zarazua and Lillian Hsu lead this charge in Cambridge, alongside a multi-department project team, making up a strand of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s regional Resilience Community of Practice, which aims to cultivate better practices and clear the obstacles to environmental progress.

While art like “Heat BLOOMS” turns heads and starts discussions on the seriousness of heat waves, it’s also a crucial reminder that extreme heat packs more than just a punch—it can be downright dangerous. The city’s website urges residents to seek shade and hydrate regularly, because although Cambridge’s landscape may be changing with the climate, its commitment to keeping its citizens safe and educated remains steadfast.

August 12, 2025 • 1 day ago

“Heat BLOOMS” by Art for Public Good. (Matt Conti photo)

Art Installation’s Flowers ‘Bloom’ In Extreme Heat To Indicate Danger Of Our Warming World

When temperatures top 85 degrees, the flowers of “Heat BLOOMS”—a new art installation in Cambridge’s Harvard Square—bloom, like a visual thermometer warning of extreme heat. Three consecutive 85-degree days or hotter are considered a high alert danger by the Cambridge Public Health Department.

“Heat BLOOMS” is one of three temporary, innovative, public artworks that will be on display in Cambridge this summer as part of the City of Cambridge’s Shade Is Social Justice program. The installations provide shade and seating across the community to further Cambridge’s efforts to address our warming world.

Visit “Heat BLOOMS” in Brattle Square, on Brattle Street, in Harvard Square. It’s designed by the Western-Massachusetts collective called Art for Public Good, comprised of Carolina Aragon, Brynya Ablamsky, Nikolas Dombrowski, and Grace Kirkpatrick.

The artwork’s flowers are made from a smart memory alloy wire, which remembers its original form: the “open” position. As the wire cools down it softens and the weight of the petals partially “close” the blooms.

“Heat BLOOMS” by Art for Public Good. (Matt Conti photo)

This summer, the Shade Is Social Justice program has also reinstalled “Sun Block,” designed by Gabriel Cira and Matthew Okazaki, to bring shade to Cambridge’s Jill Brown-Rhone Park in Central Square until this fall. An additional installation is expected to arrive at Hoyt Field later this month.

The Shade Is Social Justice program helps Cambridge adapt to global warming by strengthening our climate resilience and preparedness. It uses the power of art and design to shape perception, stimulate discussion of the challenges, and find solutions. Cambridge’s additional climate efforts include an ordinance requiring large commercial buildings to eliminate the use of fossil fuels by 2035, an electric vehicle charging program, and improving infrastructure for bicycle and bus transportation.

Shade Is Social Justice was initially funded by a $100,000 Accelerating Climate Resiliency grant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The City of Cambridge has identified additional funds to increase the number of artists and sites. The budget includes mitigation funds from New England Development, the developer of CambridgeSide.

A call for designers was announced in spring 2023. A panel of community members selected five winning designers from 18 applicants from the region based on past work and interviews with the candidates.

Remember, hot weather and extreme heat can cause serious illness and can even be life-threatening. Seeking shade and staying hydrated can help you cool down during extreme heat. For more cooling resources, see Cool, Safe Cambridge.

The “Heat BLOOMS” team worked closely with the Harvard Square Business Association and the Cambridge Public Health Department.

Shade Is Social Justice is led by Claudia Zarazua, Arts and Cultural Planning Director for the City of Cambridge, and Lillian Hsu, Cambridge Arts Director of Public Art & Exhibitions. The project team includes staff from multiple Cambridge departments: Cambridge Arts, Community Development Department, Office of Sustainability, the Department of Public Works, and the Public Health Department. The project team is part of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s regional Resilience Community of Practice, which supports grantees, advances better practices, and reduces barriers to progress.