Check Out the Corner of Main and North Streets Today

The Medfield Cultural District announces the installation of the first Art Box in downtown Medfield on Main Street (Route 109) at the intersection with Pleasant and North Streets to beautify the traffic signal box and share stories of Medfield’s history. 

The box features artwork by renown artist John Austin Sands Monks who lived and worked in Medfield in the late 1800s. Monks designed the Medfield Town Seal in 1896 and used the Peak House as his studio, as well as the building at 406 Main Street which he shared with his colleague, landscape painter George Inness.

Monks and his wife Olive built the block at the corner of North Street and Main Street (Route 109) in 1888 on property owned by her parents. The building remains a prominent feature of downtown and looks much the same today. 

An old image of the building is included on the Art Box along with two additional animal images of sheep and a dog. Monks became nationally known for his etchings of sheep at a time when most artists avoided rural scenes. The dog painting is of Jack, the faithful companion of the beloved Dr. Arthur Mitchell who was Medfield’s town doctor for 48 years. Jack saved Dr. Mitchell from drowning during an epic storm in which the doctor fell into the floodwaters of a river (assumed to be the Charles) and Jack dove in after him, pulling his master to shore. 

Mitchell commissioned Monks to paint Jack’s portrait and hung it in his office. This painting, and several of Monks’ etchings, are owned by the Medfield Historical Society and available for public viewing. Each Art Box features a QR code directing viewers to additional information on the Medfield Historical Society website. 

The Monks’ Art Box was sponsored by the Medfield Employee and Merchants Organization (MEMO). 

More Boxes to be Installed

Five additional installations are planned at utility boxes around town including one in front of CVS featuring artwork by George Inness, and another on South Street near Lords featuring the history of straw hat making to be researched and designed by Montrose students. Additional boxes will be completed as a Medfield Foundation Inc. initiative when funds are raised ($500 each). 

Any individuals, businesses or neighborhoods wishing to make a tax-deductible contribution to complete an Art Box in their area are invited to contact Project Manager Jean Mineo at JeanMineo@aol.com. The Art Box project thanks the Medfield Historical Society for their work to provide the narrative and images to implement this project.