Boston City Council committee advances three Boston Arts Commission nominees to full vote

BOSTON — September 29, 2025 — Boston City Council committee clears three Boston Arts Commission nominees ahead of a full council vote Wednesday. City Council President Liz Breadon chaired the September 29 hearing and announced she will file a report and move for unanimous approval of all three appointees: artist Napoleon Jones-Henderson, a 51-year Boston resident who has a permanent commission at the Bolling Building titled "Roxbury Rhapsody"; a director of exhibition planning at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum identified as Caitlin; and an MFA Boston contemporary art curator identified as Ian, who described a community arts program that engaged nearly 200 Boston schoolchildren this year. Councillor Erin J. Murphy pressed for QR-code signage at public artworks and raised concerns that graffiti cleanup costs not burden the commission's already limited budget. Karen Goodfellow, director of the Boston Arts Commission, confirmed the agency has contracted for new signage development and is hiring a staff member to oversee murals and two-dimensional public art.