Hincman’s Bench

Jamaica Pond's paths were laid out by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted with uniform seating, a rhythm Massachusetts College of Art & Design professor Matthew Hincman interrupted in 2006. He snuck the piece into a row of benches without Parks Department approval. Boston officials took a week to notice the uninvited bench and four more days to confirm it was unauthorized, prompting its removal.

The intervention caught the admiration of the Parks Director, however. Backed by the agency that hauled it away, Hincman secured approval from the Boston Art Commission to reinstall it permanently on poured footings as art you can sit on.