Brighter Revealed

What is the source of your inner strength?

Brighter Revealed is an illuminated mobile art display focused on sharing the light and vibrancy we each have to offer.

This larger-than-life lantern was designed and created by artists Tova Speter and Emily Bhargava and built by Manny Hutter in 2021. It focuses on revealing the many sources of inner strength and bright spirit contained within our community and includes artwork from over 300 participants from 16 partnering schools and organizations throughout the Greater Boston area. The work is complemented by an audio soundtrack engineered by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Neal Katz, and featuring the voices of 75+ people of all ages sharing the source of their inner strength.

The celebration of Hanukkah centers around sharing the miracle of light amidst darkness and the triumph of freedom prevailing over persecution. By bringing communities together to create art and by publicly showcasing their collaborative work, this project not only highlights the past miracles of Hanukkah, but also reveals and acknowledges the present day miracles, inspiration, and collective strength found in our Boston community.

Brighter Revealed toured over 30 locations in just two weeks in December 2021 and is now sharing its light once again. It is on display throughout December 2022 at The Station in the Fenway for the entire community to enjoy as it is illuminated nightly from 4 PM – 11 PM throughout Hanukkah and the month of December.

The History

Brighter Revealed is the 4th in a series of “Brighter” collaborative public art installations commissioned as part of “Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights,” presented by JArts and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (see Brighter Together in 2018, Brighter Beyond in 2019, Brighter Connected in 2020, and Brighter Ignited in 2022). Pursuing even more access, Brighter Revealed was built on a trailer to allow it to travel throughout the eight days of Hanukkah (and beyond) to reach as many people in as many places as possible throughout December 2021.

The Process

While the Brighter Revealed structure was being built by Manny Hutter, a woodworker based in Boston and Lead Carpenter at Herculean Woodworks, community artists Tova Speter and Emily Bhargava facilitated 16 community art workshops with over 300 participants. Before beginning their artmaking, all community participants were asked to respond to the following prompt: “What is the source of your inner strength?” They then selected a color palette and one of eight stencils that resonated most with their individual source of inner strength. Special transparent “scratch art” sheets were used to reveal designs, allowing light and color to shine through. Lastly, participants were invited to upload a short audio recording of themselves discussing their contribution. These recordings were compiled and played aloud as part of the final installation, and their scratch art adorns the structure’s glass windows.