City dwellers—and let’s face it, most of the rest of us—rarely look up from their devices these days, yet those walking through the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the park running from the North End to Chinatown, won’t be able to resist looking skyward at the amazing sight of Janet Echelman’s As If It Were Already Here as it floats above the cityscape. This monumental sculpture by the renowned local artist, made from colorful rope fibers and anchored to the surrounding buildings, changes with the wind and lighting conditions as it dances far above the heads of spectators. In a nod to Boston history, the work’s three voids reflect the trio of hills that once stood over the central part of the city, while the color banding recalls the six traffic lanes of the old, elevated Central Artery that dominated the area before the Big Dig buried the highway and opened up the land on which the Greenway resides. On view through early October, this is one piece of art that should lift the spirit of anyone passing through. 


Photo: Courtesy Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy/ Copyright Peter Vanderwarker