Archives: Media Room

By Benjamin Cortez

Published on August 12, 2025

Source: City of Cambridge

Cambridge, Massachusetts is getting crafty with its climate change initiatives, and “Heat BLOOMS”—an art installation in Harvard Square—is the latest addition to its Shade Is Social Justice program. According to a recent announcement, the installation features flowers that only open when the thermometer hits 85 degrees, a temperature the Cambridge Public Health Department marks as a high alert for extreme heat. These smart blooms, created by the collective Art for Public Good, use a memory alloy wired to react to temperature, essentially serving as a botanical heat indicator and a conversation starter about our warming planet.

The city-wide art program also includes other installations, like “Sun Block” in Jill Brown-Rhone Park, designed to provide shade and a respite from the blistering summer sun; and there’s another piece scheduled for Hoyt Field, with these artworks collectively highlighting the need for cooler community spaces and public engagement on climate issues. Funded initially by a $100,000 grant, the project’s purse has been bolstered by funds from the City of Cambridge and mitigation contributions from local developer New England Development, “Sun Block” stays put until this fall, no thanks to the relentless pace of climate change.

Designers and artists from the area were invited last spring to participate, and from 18 aspiring candidates, a panel of community members handpicked five based on their previous work and interviews—as per the details shared on the city’s official website. “Heat BLOOMS” is not just a decorative piece but part of a broader campaign to strengthen climate resilience in Cambridge, tying into other initiatives such as fossil fuel bans in large commercial buildings by 2035, electric vehicle charging programs, and better infrastructure for bikes and buses.

The team behind “Heat BLOOMS” collaborates closely with various stakeholders including the Harvard Square Business Association and local public health officials, all playing their part in a grander scheme that puts art at the forefront of climate activism and urban planning. Claudia Zarazua and Lillian Hsu lead this charge in Cambridge, alongside a multi-department project team, making up a strand of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s regional Resilience Community of Practice, which aims to cultivate better practices and clear the obstacles to environmental progress.

While art like “Heat BLOOMS” turns heads and starts discussions on the seriousness of heat waves, it’s also a crucial reminder that extreme heat packs more than just a punch—it can be downright dangerous. The city’s website urges residents to seek shade and hydrate regularly, because although Cambridge’s landscape may be changing with the climate, its commitment to keeping its citizens safe and educated remains steadfast.

August 12, 2025 • 1 day ago

“Heat BLOOMS” by Art for Public Good. (Matt Conti photo)

Art Installation’s Flowers ‘Bloom’ In Extreme Heat To Indicate Danger Of Our Warming World

When temperatures top 85 degrees, the flowers of “Heat BLOOMS”—a new art installation in Cambridge’s Harvard Square—bloom, like a visual thermometer warning of extreme heat. Three consecutive 85-degree days or hotter are considered a high alert danger by the Cambridge Public Health Department.

“Heat BLOOMS” is one of three temporary, innovative, public artworks that will be on display in Cambridge this summer as part of the City of Cambridge’s Shade Is Social Justice program. The installations provide shade and seating across the community to further Cambridge’s efforts to address our warming world.

Visit “Heat BLOOMS” in Brattle Square, on Brattle Street, in Harvard Square. It’s designed by the Western-Massachusetts collective called Art for Public Good, comprised of Carolina Aragon, Brynya Ablamsky, Nikolas Dombrowski, and Grace Kirkpatrick.

The artwork’s flowers are made from a smart memory alloy wire, which remembers its original form: the “open” position. As the wire cools down it softens and the weight of the petals partially “close” the blooms.

“Heat BLOOMS” by Art for Public Good. (Matt Conti photo)

This summer, the Shade Is Social Justice program has also reinstalled “Sun Block,” designed by Gabriel Cira and Matthew Okazaki, to bring shade to Cambridge’s Jill Brown-Rhone Park in Central Square until this fall. An additional installation is expected to arrive at Hoyt Field later this month.

The Shade Is Social Justice program helps Cambridge adapt to global warming by strengthening our climate resilience and preparedness. It uses the power of art and design to shape perception, stimulate discussion of the challenges, and find solutions. Cambridge’s additional climate efforts include an ordinance requiring large commercial buildings to eliminate the use of fossil fuels by 2035, an electric vehicle charging program, and improving infrastructure for bicycle and bus transportation.

Shade Is Social Justice was initially funded by a $100,000 Accelerating Climate Resiliency grant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The City of Cambridge has identified additional funds to increase the number of artists and sites. The budget includes mitigation funds from New England Development, the developer of CambridgeSide.

A call for designers was announced in spring 2023. A panel of community members selected five winning designers from 18 applicants from the region based on past work and interviews with the candidates.

Remember, hot weather and extreme heat can cause serious illness and can even be life-threatening. Seeking shade and staying hydrated can help you cool down during extreme heat. For more cooling resources, see Cool, Safe Cambridge.

The “Heat BLOOMS” team worked closely with the Harvard Square Business Association and the Cambridge Public Health Department.

Shade Is Social Justice is led by Claudia Zarazua, Arts and Cultural Planning Director for the City of Cambridge, and Lillian Hsu, Cambridge Arts Director of Public Art & Exhibitions. The project team includes staff from multiple Cambridge departments: Cambridge Arts, Community Development Department, Office of Sustainability, the Department of Public Works, and the Public Health Department. The project team is part of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s regional Resilience Community of Practice, which supports grantees, advances better practices, and reduces barriers to progress.

August 11, 2025

Student News, Faculty News

Cambridge, MA – Extreme heat is on the rise in Massachusetts and residents are facing serious health risks. The MA Department of Public Health (DPH) reported that at least 30 heat-related deaths have occurred in Massachusetts over the past decade, and these numbers are increasing rapidly as the state experiences more extremely hot days and heat waves each year. Heat Blooms, a new public art project installed in Cambridge’s Brattle Square on August 4, 2025, alerts viewers to extreme heat’s effects on local communities through a striking display of handcrafted, heat-activated flowers that inspire curiosity, cultivate empathy, and spark dialogue.  

Heat Blooms was designed and executed by UMass Amherst Associate Professor Carolina Aragón, architectural designer Brynya Ablamsky, and their Art for Public Good team in collaboration with UMass Amherst students and design and engineering firms across New England. The project’s kinetic sculpture acts as a visual thermometer by using smart memory alloy wires that react to temperature changes. The wires hold the colorful, vinyl flowers in bloom when the temperature in Cambridge rises above 85°F, which the MA DPH considers a “High Threat” to communities that experience this temperature for three consecutive days. As the temperature cools, however, the wires soften, partially closing the petals. 

Carolina Aragón, the project’s lead artist and founder of Art for Public Good, has been fascinated by how smart materials work as environmental sensors. For the last eight years, Aragón has incorporated these materials into her teaching and, more recently, in her Art for Public Good projects.  

“I’ve been trying to produce artworks that respond to environmental conditions in ways that are easy to understand and that give each project a sense that it has a life of its own,” said Aragón. 

As the flowers transform throughout the day, Heat Blooms invites the public to witness what is happening in their environment and to reflect upon climate change’s effects on everyday lives. The 67 blooms represent the number of heat-related calls dialed in Cambridge since 2021. For architectural designer Brynya Ablamsky, this decision to inscribe meaning in the flowers aids in “humanizing the structure and the space.” Heat Blooms signals a community’s call for help, but as the blooms create a canopy of shade, the sculpture becomes a powerful symbol of collective action and hope in the heart of the city.

Heat Blooms arrives as the third installation in a recent series of Art for Public Good projects about extreme heat in Massachusetts that share a focus on education and environmental justice. In 2024, Aragón and her team partnered with Cooler Communities and the Duggan Academy in Springfield, MA, to call attention to extreme heat’s effects on schools lacking air conditioning. SWARM debuted at the Springfield Science Museum as a dynamic display of origami butterflies that changed colors in response to temperature rise, unveiling messages written by middle school students expressing their concerns about extreme heat and their hopes for the future. The project recently won the 2025 CODAawards Merit Award in the Social + Climate category. 

Heat Blooms builds upon Art for Public Good’s mission to use handmade, human-scale artwork to make the realities of climate change visible and to provide resources so communities can advocate for their needs and explore lasting solutions.  

Art for Public Good projects are made possible by robust collaborations and the intensive creative and technical endeavors of individuals striving to make a difference. The Heat Blooms team extends a special thanks to UMass Amherst Graduate Assistant Nick Dombrowski, who led the project’s research and development, and undergraduate student Grace Kirkpatrick for her design and communications support. The team also thanks Claudia Zarazua & Lilian Hsu from the City of Cambridge, Denise Jillson from the Harvard Square Business Association, and Nancy Rihan-Porter from the City of Cambridge Department of Public Health. 

Heat Blooms was commissioned by the City of Cambridge’s Shade is Social Justice program. The installation will be on display in Brattle Square in Cambridge until September 28, 2025. 

To learn more about Heat Blooms, visit https://www.artforpublicgood.com/work-1/heatblooms. For announcements about upcoming public events, follow Art for Public Good on social media @artforpublicgood. For the MA Department of Public Health’s resources on extreme heat, visit https://www.mass.gov/extreme-heat. 

About Art for Public Good 

Art for Public Good aims to positively impact communities affected by climate change and environmental justice issues. The group engages with scientists, community groups, civic agencies, schools, and youth organizations to co-create art projects to bring better understanding and provide actionable paths for addressing environmental and health challenges. Projects bridge science, art, craft, and activism, in order to provide new ways to understand the impacts of climate change and environmental pollution in ways that are less intimidating and bring hope. 

About the UMass Amherst Department of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning 

The Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning (LARP) at UMass Amherst provides sustainable solutions to complex problems. The department educates outstanding students, serves diverse communities, and undertakes influential scholarship. LARP seeks to exemplify a new generation of professionals and educators who work collaboratively across disciplines and cultures. This provides leadership to find regenerative, equitable, and beautiful designs and spatial and social practices. 

Photo Credits: Matt Conti 

By Kara Baskin Globe Correspondent, Updated August 7, 2025, 1:54 p.m.

Where to: Daily Provisions, a sunny spot with big windows and cheerful bustle in Harvard Square.

Why: For an all-day repast from Union Square Hospitality Group, the New York City restaurant powerhouse run by Danny Meyer — known for time-honored institutions like Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, and Shake Shack.

The backstory: The first Daily Provisions opened in New York in 2017, a spinoff of Meyer’s people-pleasing Union Square Cafe. This is the 10th location — and the first one in Massachusetts. (Another will come to the Seaport next year.)

Meyer received a James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur Award in 2005, and his restaurants have won a multitude of outstanding service awards.

What to eat: “Silver Palate Cookbook”-esque, café cuisine. Breakfast is served all day, with heavier items sharing real estate with sweets and baked treats. Daily Provisions is known for maple crullers, and you can enjoy them as a husky Lumberjack breakfast sandwich with eggs and cheese ($13.50) or a la carte ($4.95). There’s the requisite avocado toast ($11) with accompaniments ranging from smoked salmon to eggs, or a savory-sweet everything croissant piped with cream cheese ($5.95).

Sandwiches are available after 10:30 a.m. They’re simple and satisfying: Get the tuna melt ($13.50), a polished affair — no diner this — with a subdued amount of mayo, griddled sourdough just buttery enough to taste melty, not greasy, coated with a thin layer of American cheese.

The rest of the sandwich menu veers picnic chic: BLTs, cured ham and cheddar, herb chicken salad, chickpea veggie, with healthy sides like tomato and green bean salad ($9) and snap peas with quinoa ($9).

My dining companion enjoyed a bountiful “chefy” salad ($16.50, but big enough for two), with roast chicken, jammy hard-boiled eggs, marinated white beans, cucumber, gruyère, and breadcrumbs.

“Eggs were indeed jammy and really flavorful, which doesn’t happen when they’re overcooked. All the other ingredients felt fresh and did not give the vibe of having been sitting in a fridge bin somewhere. Chicken in particular was tender and gently shredded, not the squeaky cubes you often see in salad. Little crunchy topping and a really good, creamy dressing was light and not gloppy, kicked up with dill, clearly house-made,” she reflected after taking the rest home — but noting that, for $16.50, bread or chips might have made the salad feel more like a meal. (The dressing is DP’s version of Thousand Island.)

You can also order dinner-ish main courses here, though the space has a lunchtime, benches-and-laptops vibe. A roast chicken dinner, big enough for three, comes with roasted carrots, Brussels sprouts, and crispy potatoes ($45). Order it to-go, and pass it off as your own at your next small dinner party.

What to drink: A wide assortment of caffeine and/or alcohol, from salted caramel cold brew ($5.75) to matcha lemonade ($6) to Beaujolais by the glass ($9) or bottle ($32). You’ll order at a counter, but a server will deliver your goods. While you wait, take a moment to appreciate the local touches, such as a brick salvaged from the late, lamented Pit down the block, marked with a plaque and perched on a shelf that looks straight out of a Restoration Hardware showroom.

The takeaway: Once upon a time, The Tasty was Harvard Square’s all-hours gathering spot for counter-service sandwiches, sweets, and melts. Down the street, Daily Provisions is the 2025 version: healthier, cleaner, dressier. Still tasty, though.

By Lisa Zwirn Globe Correspondent,Updated August 5, 2025, 6:00 a.m.

For those who love quality chocolate bars, a shop with an excellent and wide selection is bound to be your happy place. Welcome to Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe. The Harvard Square store opened 75 years ago and carries gourmet foods, wines, and beers from around the world. It’s also a popular Italian deli. But the highlight for many is the variety of distinctive chocolate bars — “a whole chocolate wall,” says general manager Una Donegan — with products representing over two dozen countries and 100 brands. Some of the world’s finest dark and milk chocolate bars are here, including French brands Bonnat and Valrhona, Belgian Dolfin and Neuhaus, Venchi from Italy, Friis-Holm from Denmark, Milkboy from Switzerland, Raaka of Brooklyn, Markham & Fitz from Arkansas, and Compartes, Dick Taylor, and Dandelion from California. Sudbury’s own Goodnow Farms is well represented, as are Taza of Somerville and Lake Champlain of Burlington, Vt. (Prices range from $5 to $20 per bar.) Many brands come in different flavors and styles so you can enjoy your favorites and discover new chocolate makers. As Donegan says, “There really can be a chocolate bar that changes someone’s day.”

Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe has locations at 6 Brattle St., Cambridge, 617-491-8888, and 99 Seaport Blvd., Boston, 617-326-8655. In 2026, a third shop will open on the Street in Chestnut Hill.