This summer, Moakley Park became something extraordinary: a place where imagination and stewardship met in the form of giant, mythological sea creatures made from marine debris.
Led by environmental artist Pamela “Posey” Moulton, neighbors, families, and young people across the neighborhoods of South Boston and Dorchester gathered to transform discarded nets, ropes, and plastics pulled from our harbor and beaches into something playful, colorful, and full of life. Last week, the sand dollar sculpture was installed and next week we hope to install it along the fencing of Moakley Park. The sculptures are art and symbols of how we can reclaim what was once waste and turn it into something that brings joy.
Art as Reckoning and Celebration
Posey described the project as both joy and reckoning. The joy came in the act of creation: kids weaving plastic scales, families shaping fins, longtime residents threading ropes into fantastical tails. The reckoning was quieter but just as present: every strand of fishing net and every scrap of rope once threatened our waters, our wildlife, and our coastline. Together, they became a reminder that the story of our harbor is still being written.
Community in Every Stitch
What made this installation remarkable wasn’t just the scale of the sculptures but the hands that built them. Parents worked beside teenagers, strangers swapped stories as they tied knots, and the process itself created new connections. As one partner, South Boston en Acción, reflected: families and longtime residents built something lasting out of materials that once harmed our harbor. The creatures became proof that resilience can be playful, that care for the environment can also be artful.
A Park in Motion
Moakley Park has long been envisioned as a cornerstone for resilience in South Boston. Plans are underway to redesign the park to manage stormwater, protect against flooding, update sports fields, and create more inclusive access. This summer’s sculptures felt like a glimpse of that future: a park that isn’t static but alive, shaped by and for the people who use it. Temporary as they may be, these sea creatures reminded us that community engagement can be as transformative as bricks, soil, and seawalls.
Lasting Impressions
For Boston Harbor Now, this project was about more than art. It was about bridging the gap between community and environment, between responsibility and celebration. When you get the chance to stand in front of these creatures, you will see clearly – parks are not just green spaces, they’re places where belonging takes root.
Moakley Park came alive this summer, not only with sculptures, but with the spirit of collaboration, care, and creativity. And that, more than anything, is what will carry our waterfront forward. Join Boston Harbor Now and our partners in upcoming future park cleanups, community events, and art making. Learn more about the park and other upcoming events at Moakley Park visit: https://moakleypark.org/
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