Watertown, Mass. – Summer is officially in bloom at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards! Shops and restaurants have been opening up – including recent additions like Ben & Jerry’s and City Works Eatery & Pour House – and Arsenal Yards’ outdoor Rivergreen space is well underway as construction continues.
To celebrate all of these happenings, Arsenal Yards has injected some extra color onto the concrete amidst the construction with the launch of a new “Petals to the Metal” public art and music installation. With this new installation, complete with beautiful floral takeovers and live piano performances, Arsenal Yards invites shoppers, diners and visitors to stop by and enjoy the ambiance while shopping, grabbing an ice cream, or enjoying dinner and a drink.
The unique floral installations, made from unusual structures including construction cans and even a dumpster, are overflowing with flowers, demonstrating that beauty can truly be found anywhere. The containers of blooms include three different types of Hydrangea, Double Knockout Rose, Hibiscus, Allium, Rudbeckia, Daylilies, Echinacea, Rose of Sharon and more. The floral elements at Arsenal Yards can be found in three locations, including by Gap Factory, Shake Shack and City Works.
Complementing the floral installations, Arsenal Yards just debuted two pianos hand-painted with gorgeous floral notes and nature accents, thanks to Jason Talbot, co-founder at Artists for Humanity. The pianos, located near Shake Shack and City Works, are available for customers to play and enjoy (with lots of hand sanitizer nearby; players are asked to sanitize hands both before and after touching the piano).
Arsenal Yards is also inviting visitors to enjoy some musical ambiance while they shop and dine with scheduled performances taking place at various times on Wednesday through Saturday evenings in partnership with Berklee College and through referrals from Watertown’s New Repertory Theatre. Upcoming performances follow below, and visitors are encouraged to check out the Arsenal Yards Events Calendar as performances will continue to be added:
- Thursday, August 6, 5-7pm: Berklee alumni Gabby Cotter
- Friday, August 7, 5-7pm: Berklee alumni Brett Gladstone
- Saturday, August 8, 6-8pm: Berklee student Riccardo Gresino
- Thursday, August 13, 6-8pm: vocalist Christina English and pianist Catherine Stornetta
- Friday, August 14, 5-7pm: guitarist Santiago Lopez and pianist Warren Pettey
- Saturday, August 15, 6-8pm: Berklee student Nicole Dobberpuhl
“Even if this summer isn’t going the way most of us hoped it would, that won’t stop us from making the best of it with some floral, musical fun for everyone to enjoy,” said Jessica Reed, Marketing Director, Arsenal Yards. “We encourage both locals and visitors to Watertown to put on their mask, grab their camera, and come on over to experience our ‘Petals to the Metal’ installation while enjoying shopping, dining and socially distanced fun at Arsenal Yards.”
The health and safety of customers, employees and guests remains the top priority at Arsenal Yards. Arsenal Yards asks anyone planning to “tickle the ivories” to please sanitize their hands before and after touching the piano. Sanitizer is provided and will be monitored to ensure it doesn’t run out. Guests are asked to please wear a face mask and stay at least 6ft away from others, including performers, and to maintain safe distance and not crowd the piano during performances.
