A small traffic-calming project near the Fitzgerald School in North Cambridge provided the occasion for this unusual work of art. Narrowing a wide intersection resulted in the creation of a small plaza with trees, which in turn became the canvas for well-known local painter, Jane Goldman.
Goldman's goal for her piece in newly constructed Sheridan Square was to create a
serene "New England oasis in an urban environment." Using the unexpected but durable and affordable medium of yellow, black, red, and white construction pavers, she designed patterns around the square's five tree pits. The arrangements are derived from traditional quilt patterns, summoning up associations of comfort and warmth, as well as paying tribute to one of America's most enduring homespun artforms.
Educated at Smith College and the University of Wisconsin, where she received her M.F.A., Goldman is a prolific and versatile artist. Her works, executed in watercolor, oil, intaglio, lithography, relief, screenprint, and terrazzo, have been exhibited widely in the U.S. and Europe, and are part of the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Cleveland Museum, and Library of Congress, among others. Local travelers may be familiar with Goldman's aquatic-themed terrazzo walkways at Logan International Airport. She is a resident of Somerville, MA.
Commissioned through the Cambridge Arts Council's Public Art Program.
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