Union Square Neighbors (USN) in collaboration with Union Square Main Streets (USMS) will hold the second of three neighborhood-organized events entitled The Space in Between: Art, Green Space and the Public Realm, on Thursday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m. USN and USMS have asked members of the creative community in Somerville and around greater Boston to talk about projects that make public spaces delightful for all. Four speakers will give short 8-minute presentations about built work or work in progress followed by a small group discussion. This week’s speakers include:

Rob Trumbour, founder of Art Forming, a Boston-based collective of artists, educators and design professionals who are rooted in the conception, fabrication, and installation of multi-sensory public art and architecture intended to foster individual contemplation and open public dialog.
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Jason Turgeon, a resident of Roxbury’s Fort Hill neighborhood and the producer of the free Greenway arts festival Figment. Jason is also a national expert on energy efficient sewage treatment, anaerobic digestion, and the complexities of modern waste management.
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Shauna Gillies-Smith, Founding Principal of Ground, a landscape design practice with a focus on artful landscapes and a specialization in urban projects and large-scale green roofs.
Peter Rose, Principal at Peter Rose + Partners, an internationally-recognized, award-winning architecture and urban design firm. The scale of his projects has varied from large urban design projects, such as the Old Port of Montreal Waterfront Master Plan, to smaller renovations and additions.
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The first “Space in Between” symposium on July 24 drew approximately 30 people who live and work in Union Square. Participants generated diverse ideas on art and green space that help identify Union Square and facilitate people’s participation in the space. Ideas included a discussion on the unexpected surprises, imagery, and functional infrastructure that give Union Square its character. Ideas for the future included pop-up installations, pocket gardens and rooms, human scale and auditory projects, and use of paths and alleys to create spaces that allow for interaction, participation, and interpretation.
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USN and USMS welcome everyone to attend. The presentations and ideas generated in the symposia will be documented and available online through both USN and USMS websites as a resource for City planning efforts and the US2 master developer team.
The events will be held in Union Square at:
CrossFit Somerville
35 Prospect Street
Somerville, MA 02143
Upcoming Dates:
Thursday, July 31, 2014 7:30pm-9:00pm
Thursday, August 7, 2014 7:30pm-9:00pm
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Speaker and Volunteer Opportunities:
For speaker and volunteer opportunities, please contact Shu Talun at usnsomerville@gmail.com
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About Union Square Neighbors:
Union Square Neighbors (USN) is a grassroots, independent neighborhood association dedicated to helping residents and stakeholders of Union Square shape the future of their community. Our vision is for a healthier, greener, and more vibrant Union Square that includes buildings and places that reflect the inventive, unique, and historic character that people love about our neighborhood. We seek to help inform and engage neighbors in these issues, and to advocate to protect what make Union Square such a great place to live today while helping to bring an even better tomorrow. http://www.unionsquareneighbors.com/
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About Union Square Main Streets:
Union Square Main Streets creates a vibrant neighborhood by enhancing the Union Square business district and surrounding neighborhoods through active community collaboration. By highlighting the artistic and ethnic strengths of the neighborhood we seek to drive commercial and economic development. We celebrate food — local and international, our own eclectic creative sensibilities, and the dense, unique fabric of our New England square that blossomed before there was such a thing as smart growth. http://www.unionsquaremain.org/