Boxes at the Fish Pier

On June 8th we celebrated the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new shipping container installation in the Boston Seaport called “Boxes at the Fish Pier”. This project was a wonderful collaboration between many different organizations including Artists for Humanity, Agency Landscape + Planning, BRM Productions, 10 World Trade, LOT-EK, Massport, Grayscale Collaborative and Wangro/ Zaragunda bringing together art, industry, and craft.

The boxes consist of two 40-footlong shipping containers stacked on top of each other with many intricate details – all welded and created at our Fabrication Facility, The FID. Peter Karas, a long-time welder and employee of Cannistraro, artistically crafted these boxes along with the help of Dave Dion, Fire Protection Outside Superintendent. The process involved cutting out corrugated sides of the containers using a plasma cutter. A skill saw was then used to cut the pieces into triangles and a flat bar was tack welded around the corrugated metal. The triangles were then mig welded all the way around on both sides and sheet metal was applied on the inside of the triangles to allow for a flat canvas for art. Once the triangles were welded back into the container Artists for Humanity put the finishing touches on the piece by beautifully painting them.

Throughout this summer, the installation will serve as the venue for a variety of public events, including a scheduled seafood market as well as musical performances. Organizations interested in hosting pop-up events will have the opportunity to utilize this unique space. Visitors are encouraged to explore the interior of the Boxes, which showcases a “mini museum” exhibit covering the Boston seafood industry, the history of the Boston Fish Pier, and highlights the dedicated business owners and employees who keep it thriving.

We are glad to have played a part in this wonderful collaboration and encourage everyone to check it out!