This is Your Plaza
Earlier this past spring, the City of Framingham and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) issued a public call for artists to create a creative placemaking project in historic Nevins Hall. I was thrilled when my proposal was selected, and This Is Your Plaza / Esta es tu Plaza / Esta é a sua praça / यह आपका चौक है was born.
From the beginning, I wanted to create the feeling of a Latin American plaza: a shared public space where people naturally come together, encounter one another, linger, participate, and feel a sense of belonging. A place to share stories, make things, play, eat, dance, and simply enjoy being together.
Over two months, I worked to transform Nevins Hall into a temporary civic and cultural gathering space. An important part of that process was reaching people directly, including going door to door in Latino and Brazilian communities. I wanted to make sure the invitation reached the people of Framingham, not just those who were already connected to the city or its cultural programs. I used community organizations, flyers, social media, WhatsApp, Eventbrite, local gatherings, colorful lawn signs, and personal connections to spread the word.
Nevins Hall was transformed from a large, formal, mostly empty room into a colorful, festive multicultural plaza. Papel picado and tropical paper birds filled the space, colorful banners hung from the balcony, and four large interactive walls invited people to participate. The Family Archive invited people to share migration stories and family memories. The Love Map became a place to mark the places that are meaningful to them in Framingham. The Vision Wall asked people to imagine the future of arts and culture in the city, while the Bridge Wall invited people to share the cultural traditions, celebrations, and communities they wanted to see represented.
Creating the plaza was also about making people feel welcome and comfortable. Eight bilingual facilitators were present each day to welcome visitors, explain the activities, encourage participation, and help people share their ideas. LUCE verifiers were also present throughout the weekend, helping build trust with immigrant communities and making sure people felt comfortable participating. Food was another important part of the experience. Food trucks offered free tacos and ice cream, bringing people together around a shared table.
On August 15 and 16, 2026, more than 800 people came through Nevins Hall, many from South Framingham. The space came alive with music from around the world, food, games, art-making, storytelling, and conversation. People could participate in Conversation Café, play Lotería Mexicana and dominoes, make collages and origami, contribute to giant coloring stations, and leave their thoughts, memories, and visions for the future of arts and culture in Framingham on the four interactive walls.
People sat together at shared tables. Strangers became game partners. Families created art together. Children and adults added their own pieces to the larger installations. The room was constantly changing, shaped by the people who walked through the doors.
One of my favorite things was seeing how naturally people from different backgrounds, who did not know each other, connected. It was wonderful to watch people sit together, play games, make things, and share stories.
That, to me, is what public art and creative placemaking can do.
This project was never just about transforming a room. It was about creating a space where people could see themselves, their cultures, and their community reflected and celebrated.
The stories, ideas, and artwork shared during the weekend will help inform Framingham’s Arts and Culture Vision Plan and the future of Nevins Hall.
www.mapc.org/resource-library/framinghamartsculturevisionplan
