What would “trust, respect, generosity, care, positivity and inspiration” look like behind the windowpanes of a corner store?
A wander down Mount Auburn Street, beyond Harvard University’s Smith Center at its intersection of Holyoke Street, sits a pint-sized space that hopes to show passersby just that – and maybe more.
The sign for “Gallery 24/7” – a red-letter, paper cutout, propped in a pane along Holyoke – could be missed easily were it not for the iridescent pink scales of a white fish design placed alongside. A few steps beyond, taped near the Mount Auburn entry, is a more informative sign. The corner location, once a Bank of American ATM, has morphed into an all-day, all night artists’ collaborative, the latest in what some hope will be a series of public art installations in and around the city. This location is sponsored by Harvard Student Agencies, which owns the space, and the Harvard Square Business Association, as well as the creatives who provide their work for free.
The temporary gallery took root soon after Denise Jillson, executive director of the business association, passed by on one of her daily strolls through the square. Jillson noticed the empty space in early June and called her HSA contact, Dan Boldt (founder of Trademark Tours and “former punk,” according to Jillson, who got to know him during his undergraduate years at Harvard). That was followed by a conversation with local ceramist Kyoko Ono about curating the site. HSA gave the thumbs up, Ono said yes and, within a few weeks, the space was transformed.
