During Carnaval 2025, a custom-built wooden box offered a unique interactive art experience for the East Somerville community. Before entering, participants received materials to respond to the prompt: “What’s the future of East Somerville?” They then stepped inside the box to add their creation to one of its walls.

Inside, lights and mirrors created an immersive environment where community members could interact, with the final mirror serving as a symbolic message: “We are the future of East Somerville.” From this activity, we were able to gather valuable media — videos, photos — but most importantly, ideas and creative pieces that reflect the community’s vision for the future.

The turnout was incredible, with many residents engaging with lead artist Andrés Duarte in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Outside, another artist painted a live mural on one of the exterior walls while music played, adding to the festive atmosphere.