The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority displayed short documentary-style videos made by local teens on digital billboards at different Boston stations Monday.
The endeavor — done in collaboration with the Institute of Contemporary Art — showcased the work of Boston-area teenagers who are a part of the ICA Teen Arts Program. The three teenagers —Mithsuca Berry of Revere, Gabe S. and Sydney Bobb of Boston — created short films based on the themes of “whimsy,” “love letter to Boston” and “peace and quiet,” respectively.
The videos premiered on the MBTA’s Outfront digital boards, the high-definition digital definition screens installed within MBTA stations. These boards are also used to generate advertising revenue to provide customers with information, according to a press release from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
The use of these billboards has previously come under fire due to how they can shift the atmosphere of different neighborhoods.
Evan Rowe, the MBTA’s director of revenue, said along with the roll out of the new digital screens across the MBTA system, the company has been thinking about how they can provide value for their customers and make their journeys more enjoyable.
While this project is just beginning, Rowe said that he looks forward to receiving criticism from travelers in order to improve and continue different projects in the future.
“We’re hoping that our customers really enjoy this and the feedback that we get from this and feedback from our other efforts across the system,” Rowe told The Daily Free Press. “We hope that this is the first of a long line of partnerships with various groups around Greater Boston.”
Gabrielle Wyrick, the associate director of education at the ICA, said in addition to being an organization that’s dedicated to teen art education, their art curriculum includes a robust program for young people to be creative in many ways.
Wyrick said the collaboration with the MBTA was “fortuitous” as the ICA was approached by an MBTA official who was looking for creative content to showcase the capability of their new digital screens.
“We have so many talented young people with something to say through their artistic voices that we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give them that platform and let their voices be heard across the city,” Wyrick said.
Mary Quimby, 52, of Chinatown, said she thinks the project is beneficial in showcasing the artwork of young students from schools across the Commonwealth.
“I actually work at Boston Arts Academy, which is a performance school … so I think it’s great to show student’s artwork,” Quimby said.
While the project is an experiment, the ICA plans to continue the collaboration depending on how this first attempt goes, Wyrick said. The ICA is a strong supporter of giving youth voices a platform to share their artistic vision, she said.
“It’s not often that emerging artists, young artists [and] high school students are given such a broad visibility in the city,” Wyrick said. “I feel like it’s one of the most visible platforms an artist can have in the city of Boston — is on the transit system. It’s seen by thousands of people every day.”
William Flowers, 47, of Brighton, said he would have to see the content of the short films before he could make a judgement call on them. He said since the films were made by students, the content might be controversial.
“Is there censorship on it?” Flowers said. “Who makes the judgment call on what is acceptable content? So those kinds of issues come up at first, but I guess the initial concept sounds fine.”
Edward Boches, an advertising professor at Boston University, said its always positive when major public institutions support student art.
“… It will encourage more young people to be creative and express themselves using new media,” Boches said. “… it basically creates yet another space — it’s kind of a public art installation, if you will.”
