Reach Sculpture

Installed in 2011, the 27-foot ‘Reach’ sculpture in JP’s Mozart Park is an eye-catcher. Artist Douglass Kornfield, in partnership with Hyde Square Task Force, created the piece to represent the hope and expectation felt by many immigrants to Boston. 826 Boston, a non-profit writing organization for the city’s youth, worked with kids from the neighborhood, themselves immigrants or the children of immigrants, to create the inscriptions of the sculpture.  

“I came to America to save my family from a life with no light,” reads a small, gleaming plaque, mounted on the center pillar a few feet off the ground. Another plaque declares, “Violence has been passed down like an inheritance, but we are also heirs to faith and potential.” And finally, a testament to coexisting identities and the strength they bring: “I am both here and there. When you ask me where I’m from, I tell you I am from a place I call my own.” Though many residents of the Latin Quarter come from far away, they bring their cultures and families with them to our beloved neighborhood. 

To continue the tour, head back to the corner of Centre Street and Mozart Park. Look down at the sidewalk, and you’ll see some faded white and purple lettering - it’s the first Peace Dove on the tour. Want to find out more? Just keep listening!