Press release

 

THE BOSTON HARBOR ASSOCIATION AND LEVELUP JOIN SEVEN LEADING CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS PARTNER TO PROMOTE BOSTON WATERFRONT RENAISSANCE THIS SUMMER

Summer on the Waterfront welcomes Bostonians and Tourists
to Enjoy the Museums, Restaurants and Shops linking the Waterfront Neighborhoods from Charlestown to South Boston

  

(BOSTON – May 8, 2012) Eight leading waterfront non-profitsThe Boston Harbor Association, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, Boston Children’s Museum, the New England Aquarium, USS Constitution Museum, Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston Harbor Island Alliance and the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancyhave joined with high-tech startup LevelUp to celebrate the tremendous renaissance of the Boston Waterfront this summer.

 

Summer on the Waterfront, which officially runs from June 1 through September 3, brings together Boston waterfront neighborhoods from Charlestown to South Boston and all the cultural institutions, shops, and restaurants woven together by the pedestrian-friendly HarborWalk and Rose Kennedy Greenway. This summer-long celebration, which highlights the many events and exhibitions planned at each cultural institution, links these museums and neighborhoods together through an interactive, educational and fun waterfront trek that engages visitors in a series of location-based challenges they can do as they explore the area. Designed by LevelUp with content from each of the non-profit partners, the trek will be launched on the SCVNGR app at the Summer on the Waterfront kick-off celebration on Saturday, June 2 from 2 to 4 pm at the Rose Kennedy Greenway at High Street across from the Boston Harbor Hotel.

 

“After decades of work by tens of thousands of people and over $20 billion in public and private investment into new infrastructure, Boston Harbor and its waterfront have gone through a profound transformation,” said Vivien Li, President of The Boston Harbor Association. “We want to encourage the people of Boston and visitors from around the world to explore what is truly one of the most beautiful urban waterfronts in the United States. Summer on the Waterfront is the perfect way to experience the richness and diversity of Boston and its coastal beauty.”

 

The events, exhibitions, performances and programs coming alive along Boston Harbor all summer offer a variety of entertainment options for visitors of all ages. Fire a cannon at the USS Constitution Museum, explore the exquisite sculpture of master glass-blower Josiah McElheny at the ICA, meet a sea lion at the New England Aquarium, and learn about Native American families at Boston Children’s museum.

 

Following please find highlights of events from each organization. A complete listing will be included on summeronthewaterfront.org as of June 1st.

 

Boston-based SCVNGR, Inc. will light up the waterfront this summer with two mobile applications, SCVNGR and LevelUp. Visitors to the waterfront can download SCVNGR to play digital challenges at the seven participating cultural institutions. Users will respond to challenge prompts by taking photos of cultural attractions, submitting creative responses, and answering questions about the locations they’re visiting.
Highlighting waterfront merchants, SCVNGR is offering its cutting edge technology to participating businesses with LevelUp, the free mobile app that allows people to pay for their purchases with their smartphones. At least 150 merchants along the waterfront are expected to participate including Boston Harbor Cruises, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, and James Hook Lobster Co. For Boston merchants, LevelUp is like a high-tech loyalty and mobile payment program. For visitors to the waterfront this summer, LevelUp is the smarter way to pay. LevelUp will promote discovery of local businesses and reward customers for becoming regulars at their new favorite shops and restaurants. To use LevelUp, simply download the free application, browse nearby merchants, and pay with your phone to save time and save money. Learn more at TheLevelUp.com. SCVNGR + LevelUp is funded by Google Ventures, Highland Capital Partners and Balderton Capital.

 

Boston Children’s Museum
Native Voices: New England Tribal Families, on view through September 3, is an introduction to native communities around New England today. By visiting five different communities from northern to southern New England, visitors learn a lot about Native American traditions and how modern families balance contemporary life with preservation of important cultural identities.

Created by Boston Children’s Museum (BCM) and sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Ocean Spray, this exhibit represents a unique collaboration between native advisors and the Museum’s exhibit design team. It builds on 60 years of collaboration between the Museum and native tribes in New England. The hands-on activities, compelling immersive environments, and evocative artifacts, both old and new provide a great way to learn about how all cultures preserve important values and hand them down from one generation to the next. The exhibit will be at BCM through September 3, 2012 before traveling to museums throughout the United States.

Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
Kicking off the summer season at the ICA is master glassblower Josiah McElheny and the first US museum survey of his work, Some Pictures of the Infinite (on view June 22 – October 14). Combining art and science in unexpected ways, the exhibition will leave you breathless as it ignites big ideas and possibilities through a series of exquisite glass works of a size and scale that you would never have imagined.

Also on view this summer will be the vivacious works of Brazilian street artists Os Gêmeos as well as the elegant and evocative paintings of West Coast artist Dianna Molzan (on view August 1 – November 25). In conjunction with these bold and lively exhibitions, the ICA has planned a robust offering of summer programs including the ever-popular, free outdoor concert series, Harbor Walk Sounds (starting July 12); the renowned Boston chef series Talking Taste (starting July 13) featuring culinary masters like Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette, and the return of the best dance party on the Boston waterfront, DJs on the Harbor (starting August 10).

New England Aquarium
Take a trip to exotic waters with more than 70 exhibits featuring aquatic animals from around the world. Come face-to-face with sea turtles, seadragons, rays and more. See where we keep the really big animals: Find an adventure on a whale watch, and catch exciting IMAX films on the largest screen in New England.

Don't miss the Aquarium's newest additions. Get to know Zoe and Sierra, the lively California sea lions in the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center. Watch them splash, play and interact with their Northern fur seal neighbors. Experience the largest touch tank on the East Coast. The Trust Family Foundation Shark and Ray Touch Tank allows visitors to have a close encounter with sharks and rays.

Rose Kennedy Greenway
At this ribbon of contemporary parks running from the North End to Chinatown, we’re planning over 200 events from May through October. On June 2, the Greenway will host the weekly Greenway Open Market, offering artisan crafts; as well as Figment - the participatory and interactive arts festival taking place both Saturday and Sunday, June 2-3. Every day, the popular Rings Fountain at Milk Street beckons the child in everyone, while a fleet of food trucks and carts tempt you with a wide variety of cuisine. Free exercise classes include yoga, Tai-Chi and fitness walking plus lawn games and activity carts allow you to work off those snacks. The biweekly Boston Public Farmers Market and a variety of special events keep the Greenway busy. Please join us for any of these great activities and events.

USS Constitution Museum
You might not be able to recall everything (or anything) that happened during the War of 1812, but by the end of 2012 you will be a true expert. The Bicentennial of the Second War for Independence is upon us and the commemorations are already beginning. At the USS Constitution Museum, the War of 1812 is a topic discussed every day through hands-on, interactive exhibitions that teach the broad subject of the war through the lens of USS Constitution. You can furl a sail, fire a cannon or swing in a hammock, just as sailors did two-hundred years ago.

On June 16th the Museum invites the whole family to an extraordinary day of history exploration at the Museum. The ribbon will be cut for the NEW Old Ironsides 1812 Discovery Center where those of all ages can travel back in time to fight on the high seas and learn about the battle that gave USS Constitution her famous nickname, “Old Ironsides.” Watch as we unfurl three 90 x 40 foot flags in the Navy Yard that will stretch from the Museum to the ship to celebrate 200 years of peace. On July 4th Constitution will go underway into the harbor as the Blue Angels fly overhead and tall ships accompany her 21-gun salute to Castle Island. Join the Museum to celebrate this momentous occasion and come set sail on a voyage of Discovery today!

The Boston Harbor Association
When TBHA was founded in 1973, the Boston waterfront was a polluted, seedy place. Cut off from the rest of the city by a noisy, gloomy elevated highway, most of the area had not been redeveloped in a century and was in serious decline. Spectacle Island was a smoldering trash dump. Rainstorms sent raw sewage directly into the harbor; an accidental swim meant a trip to the hospital.

After decades of work by tens of thousands of people and over $20 billion in public and private investment, Boston Harbor has gone through a profound transformation. TBHA works both to promote and celebrate Boston’s world-class waterfront, and work to make this area more resilient to climate change-related flooding.