On the heels of the graceful entanglement of flowing yarn by artist Janet Echelman, the Greenway Conservancy continues to execute against its vision of public art on the string of public parks known as the Emerald Necklace. Instead of looking up at the sky, visitors will see art greeting them on the ground at the Rings Fountain between Central and Milk Streets through October 21.
The newest installation in the Wharf District has a cast of 10-foot tall characters greeting visitors. Artist Ai WeiWei created the twelve 1,500-2,100-pound, bronze-cast statues, known as the Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads. The exhibit is swinging through Boston as it completes in tour through cities including New York City, Taipei, Paris, Prague, Los Angeles and Toronto.
According to the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the twelve animal heads are installed in the order of the traditional Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The heads will be mounted around the fountain, so that they look directly at cars and pedestrians passing by on Surface Road and Atlantic Avenue.
BTW, we're in the year of the Monkey, so you can make that head your first stop.