Updates from our Public Memory and Memorials Lab
MASS Design Group
Our mission is to research, build, and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity.
Who Gets Remembered — and How?
The Public Memory and Memorials Lab Report: As monuments and memorials across the United States face growing scrutiny, we—alongside our partners—are asking a deeper question: Who gets remembered, and how?
In our newly released 2024 Public Memory and Memorials Lab Convening Report, we share insights from a powerful gathering of more than 90 artists, architects, historians, educators, and community leaders held in Boston. Together, we explored how memory work can serve as a path toward collective healing, cultural recognition, and justice.
At the heart of the report are three core principles:
The report highlights 25 active public memory projects—from a returned Lipan Apache Cemetery, with our partners at the BIG BEND CONSERVATION ALLIANCE in Texas to a peace initiative in Rwanda—with a combined funding need of $85 million. It calls on funders, policymakers, and practitioners to help bring these community-led efforts to life.
This is more than a report. It’s a manifesto for a people’s public memory.
Read recent coverage in ARCHITECT Magazine ; For the full report, click here.
Studio Highlights
Honoring Dr. Paul Farmer: A Place of Healing and Remembrance in Rwanda
University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), Partners In Health and MASS have designed a constellation of sacred spaces in Butaro, Rwanda to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Paul Farmer.
Set within the hills that Paul loved so deeply, The Paul E. Farmer Mausoleum & Glade offers a place of reflection, respite, and renewal for those carrying his work forward. Rooted in the natural topography and crafted with local materials, these spaces reflect Paul’s belief that healing must be not only clinical, but also spiritual, cultural, and communal.
This past month, Paul’s family and members from the Partners In Health and MASS team gathered at UGHE to celebrate his extraordinary life and impact. The Glade and Chapel now stand as a living testament to his vision of justice, beauty, and accompaniment—inviting all who visit to continue the work of healing the world.
Kings Chapel: A New Legacy of Truth and Remembrance
Since 2021, MASS has partnered with King’s Chapel, to develop a bold vision for a beautiful and immersive memorial honoring the 219 identified individuals formerly enslaved by ministers and members of the church. Located on Tremont Street in downtown Boston, King’s Chapel—founded in 1686—seeks to address its historic connections to slavery with a twofold Memorial to the enslaved: a physical commemoration and a living fund. Acclaimed artist Harmonia Rosales, from Harmonia Rosales Studio , was selected to realize this vision through a multi-part installation. A service of dedication will take place September 14th in Boston.
To learn more, watch King’s Chapel: A New Legacy, a short film above introducing the Memorial to Enslaved Persons and Rosales’s transformative work.
The Gun Violence Memorial Project will remain on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit through August 24th. The memorial, which opened in May, is a powerful, living monument that honors the lives of people lost due to the gun violence epidemic. For visiting hours and more on the memorial, please visit MOCAD’s website.
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