Prudential Center

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Spring is a season full of possibility, hope, and discovery — the perfect time to launch a new art series that highlights extraordinary talent within our community. That’s why Boston Properties has teamed up with Artists for Humanity to bring the work of up-and-coming artists to Prudential Center throughout this spring and summer. 

Artists For Humanity (AFH) provides under-resourced teens the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in art and design. AFH is built on the philosophy that engagement in the creative process is a powerful force for social change, and that creative entrepreneurship is a productive and life-changing opportunity for young people. Bridging economic, racial and social divisions, AFH enriches urban communities by introducing young people’s creativity to the business community. To learn more about AFH, please scan the QR code on the screen

Launching in May, the Pru/AFH collaboration will display the work of one featured artist each month. Look for the digital screens throughout the Center to enjoy the creative expression of these talented young adults. To learn more about AFH, hold your phone up to the QR code on the screen. We know you’ll be just as impressed and inspired by these up-and-coming artists as we are!

Here’s a preview of the first three featured artists, below.

May’s Featured Artist: Sarah Richi

Two pieces by Sarah Richi will be featured throughout Prudential Center during the month of May: “Rotations of Priorities” and “Page Fourteen.” 

“Rotations of Priorities” acrylic on wood 36 x 24 in.	“Page Fourteen” acrylic on wood 36 x 36 in.

Sarah’s Statement

I am an intuitive abstract expressionist, meaning my painting process is based heavily in intuition and emotion. The result of my intuitive painting process is artwork that is an inimitable expression of self and the inner workings of my imagination. Color and brushwork are the most important components of my art. While creating marks with brushes and palette knives allows for technicality and texture, my favorite brushes are my hands. Painting with my hands allows me to feel integrated with the paint and the work, it makes the process extremely personal. I put my energy and imagination into each piece, and it is evident through the uniqueness of my colors and markings. The purpose of art is to evoke emotion, to bring life to something that was once just an idea. The concept of dreaming plays a large role in my work, as I am constantly striving to recreate the illusive, nostalgic feeling of being in a dream. I create dreamscapes by abstracting familiar places and adding a fluorescent twist. My vibrant palettes and unique compositions prompt wonder in the viewer. The painting experience for each piece takes me on a magical, colorful journey, and my intention is to bring others along with me.

About the Artist

Sarah Richi is a 22-year-old abstract painter based in Boston, Massachusetts. From a very young age she has had an affinity towards art. During her teen years she had the opportunity to be mentored by some of the most talented professional artists in the Boston area. She is passionate about giving back to the community that has given to her, and that drives her as she pursues her degree. Sarah believes in promoting creativity and self-expression in even the youngest members of her community. Her own childlikeness can be seen in her art, as she creates bright and bold abstractions.

Getting to Know Sarah

Q: What is your favorite spot in Boston?

A: My favorite place in the city to explore is the Arboretum. Because nature is always changing, you will always see something new and beautiful.

Q: What is your favorite retail store?

A: My favorite retail shop is Sephora. As much as I love painting on canvases, my eyes are some of my favorite surfaces to make art on!

 

June’s Featured Artist: Sam Quintin

The digital screens throughout Prudential Center will feature Sam Quintin’s artwork — “Taking a Risk” and “Disordered Clarity” — during the month of June.

“Taking a Risk”	“Disordered Clarity”

Sam‘s Statement

“Taking a Risk”

This was one of the first pieces I’ve ever done in this style, and I was scared but ready. So I took the risk and show that risk through the red-orange background, but I also show the calm I had while making the painting through the blue designs.

“Disordered Clarity” 

This painting took a lot of time to make, like about a month long. Throughout this painting I had a lot of emotions circling around, making me lose track of my main goal. I show this in the painting through the multicolored designs. But when making the painting I felt at peace, like everything was in order and clear. And so I express that feeling through the blue to pink gradient that is in the background and the pink to blue transition within the designs. 

About the Artist

I’m going to be 100% honest, I first joined Artist For Humanity because I thought it would be an easy paycheck. But I was wrong, very wrong. For starters, painting ain’t easy like I thought it would be. I was really struggling with brush handling, colors, and even coming up with ideas for a painting. In the beginning I felt as if I wasn’t painting for myself. But as I continued to work here I developed a love for this medium and started to find my own art style. And I still don’t know what my style is exactly, but I guess that’s what makes this fun, and what’s a painting if you’re not having fun with it? I want my art to be a way of connection for everyone. I want it to be able to let the viewer see themselves in a way they haven’t before. And I believe it does that through the multicolored backgrounds and the different sizes and shapes of the designs I put. I am more than grateful for the opportunity that Artists for Humanity has given me to explore myself and art.

Getting to Know Sam

Q: What is your favorite spot in Boston?

A: The Boston Public Library is my favorite place to explore because it’s relaxing and quiet. When I am there, I like to draw and sketch in the main rooms and among the bookstacks.

Q: What does your perfect day in Boston look like?

A: I love a sunny nice day in Boston, when the weather isn’t too warm or cold. On those days, I like to chill outside and walk around Downtown Boston.

 

July’s Featured Artist: Lydia Disla

During July, Lydia Disla’s artwork, “Uneasy” and “Loopy,” will be featured throughout Prudential Center. 

“Uneasy”	“Loopy”

Lydia‘s Statement

“Uneasy”

This portrait was probably one of my more experimental pieces, as I tried to experiment with feelings of emptiness. With using a palette knife and basic acrylic paint, I wanted to do something really simple but in a deep and meaningful way. Doing a simple piece is something that I’m not used to. I enjoy the complexity of structure, lines and shapes, so having this pure abstract approach was very new to me. However, I enjoyed this approach and having layered colors on top of each other. In the top left corner, comes feelings of peacefulness as green, yellow and blue are heavily layered with a hint of white. The shape itself reminds of watching a waterfall in the forest and feeling at ease with things in your life. The bottom left colors show the opposite with the mixed feeling of anger: The colors, orange, yellow, red and a little bit of blue help portray this. The top right is a mixture of the left side, as one can experience a sense of peacefulness and some feeling of anger at the same time: It’s complicated and hard to understand. The slight dash at the bottom right is more so to show how quickly feelings can come and go. Overall, having these all on one canvas but with the plain background tells me that we can experience all these emotions at the same time but still feel empty.

“Loopy”

This painting is purely feelings surrounding feeling mellow with a bit of nostalgia. It goes with the flow with a lot of things in life as it’s constantly connected to each other. In a weird way this painting resembles a corn on the cob, with its simple nature in colors. I wanted the colors to be as blended as I can to show its natural side and how beautiful life can be within its own way. The gradient of dark green to lighter green represents feelings of wonder and curiosity, which aligns with feelings I felt in my childhood as I was curious about the world. So, having the yellow, white and the outline are red being connected with the green gradient is showing how I’m not in a rush to try to understand things that are out of my control anymore. I’m not overcomplicating or overthinking it. I’m at my most peaceful state of mind while trying to understand what life throws at me.

About the Artist

Before joining Artist For Humanity, I never painted and never took art seriously. Growing up, I had a very narrow-minded belief in what “good” art meant. Looking at portraits of people, I purely believed that, that’s what it meant to create good art. I didn’t understand that there was a whole other world of pure abstract art that can also be considered good, which is why I turned away from exploring painting as a whole. But I’m extremely grateful I’ve gotten the opportunity to explore my abilities in the abstract world. Painting overtime has been a great outlet for me to release my emotions and served as a great distraction from real life. Most of my paintings explore the themes of understanding emotions and feelings — whether it’s through color, structure, or shape — it represents what I was feeling at that moment in time.

My paintings progressively get more and more abstract as I mature and get older. I’ve experimented with different types of abstract art to try as I try to show emotions through various forms. I mainly rely on the undertones of the acrylic paint and the shape of the piece to help communicate the vibe of it. However, regardless of how I feel in that given moment of time, my main goal is to have others feel or relate to my painting in some sort of way. My main purpose of my art pieces is to help connect with others emotionally whether it’s on a deep or surface level. It’s the main reason why I don’t tell people the meaning behind my artwork because the meaning is whatever you interpret it to be.

Getting to Know Lydia

Q: What does your perfect day in Boston look like?

A: Recently I have been enjoying biking a lot more, and I especially love biking in more nature-filled areas. There’s a biking path that starts from my house and goes all the way to Forest Hills. It is such a relaxing and beautiful trip, and it is especially amazing during the summer while watching the sunset. In addition to that I’d probably have a cute little picnic on the grass or at the arboretum.

Q: What is your favorite spot to eat in the city?

A: Since 2020, I decided to go on a plant-based diet, and in Boston there aren’t many vegan places. If there are, it is hard to find a good one. My favorite go-to spot to eat is My Thai Vegan Cafe. I love all that it is affordable, and I am obsessed with Asian cuisine, so it’s the perfect place for me.

 

Make sure to stop and take notice of these teen artists’ work as you visit us this spring and summer.