Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Boston Public Library and view the "Dear Boston" exhibit, created from the makeshift 2013 Marathon Memorial. It was a very moving experience. This exhibit will continue for a few more weeks (until May 11th).
The following information explains the exhibit and is found on the following BPL website:
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Dear BOSTON - Messages from the Marathon Memorial
Boston Public Library
Central Library in Copley Square
McKim Exhibition Hall
Monday, April 7—Sunday, May 11, 2014
Monday–Thursday: 9 a.m.–9 p.m.,
Friday & Saturday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday: 1–5 p.m.
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On April 15, 2013, two bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, transforming the city, its residents, and the runners and visitors participating in this world-famous event. Almost immediately, a makeshift memorial began to take shape, first at the police barricade at the intersection of Boylston and Berkeley Streets and later at Copley Square. People from across the globe left flowers, posters, notes, t-shirts, hats, tokens of all shapes and sizes, and—most significantly—running shoes.
Each of the objects left at the memorial, whether giant banner or tiny scrap of paper, store-bought or handmade, was a message of love and support for grieving families and a grieving city. They were hope in material form, symbolizing the human desire to help, comfort, connect, and sustain when confronted with great tragedy.
In June 2013, the memorial was dismantled and these thousands of objects were transferred to the Boston City Archives for safekeeping. To mark the one year anniversary, a selection of items from the memorial collection will be displayed—in one of Boston’s most important civic buildings—so visitors can once again experience the outpouring of human compassion they represent.
Dear Boston has been organized by a partnership that includes the Boston City Archives, Boston Art Commission, New England Museum Association, and Boston Public Library.
