BIO & CV
Matt's STORYMatt has dedicated his career to public art and creative placekeeping.
With a career spanning over a decade, he has designed, organized, produced, and presented numerous large-scale public art projects across the city. From permanent landmark art installations to interactive pop-up activations and 5,000-attendee art festivals, Matt’s work in creative placekeeping has made him an integral figure in Greater Boston's arts and culture landscape.
In 2011, Matt’s design career shifted from notable, emerging graphic artist and brand designer into public art producer and community organizer. After supporting the 2011 HarborArts Festival, he stepped into the role of Director at HarborArts, an organization dedicated to promoting public ARTivism and cultural programming in Boston. Under Matt’s leadership, HarborArts oversaw the outdoor exhibition of large-scale works by local and international artists, and Pollock was responsible for planning and managing all programming and events within the 14-acre Shipyard Gallery. The reshaping of the historic Boston Harbor Shipyard into a globally renowned destination for art and creativity has largely been attributed to Pollock and his predecessor and mentor, Steve Israel.
Today, Matt’s collaborations and presentations have showcased a diverse roster of renowned local and international artists, including Marka27, Masary Studios, Lauren YS (Squidlicker), Imagine, Silvia Lopez Chavez, Brian Kane, and Cedric "Vise 1" Douglas, to name a few. Most notably, Matt organized and produced a 60-foot mural with Shepard Fairey, a world-renowned artist, creator of the famed Barack Obama “Hope” Poster, and founder of OBEY Clothing.
Matt has worked with a wide spectrum of clients and collaborators, including Boston Ballet, New England Aquarium, ZUMIX, Artists for Humanity, Samuels & Associates, Ocean Havens, Masary Studios, Illuminus, Trustees of reservations, Boston Harbor Now, East Boston Main Streets, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Gerding Edlen, HYM investments, Lendlease, and many more. His productions and presentations have received critical praise from the media, including many features in the Boston Globe, and Chronicle WCVB Channel 5.
Matt has played a pivotal role in the preservation and revitalization of East Boston as a thriving arts and culture district. He has developed revered programs with Boston Public Schools and local nonprofits, with large-scale public installations at five schools and counting. Matt serves on the Board of Directors of East Boston Main Streets, working to empower the small business community of East Boston to participate in and capitalize on a growing public art scene in the neighborhood. He participates in planning and advisory committees for annual community events, including Eastie Week, East Boston Cultural Council Committee, and East Boston Artist Group events.
In 2023, Matt was nominated by State Representative Adrian Madaro for the Newell Flather Award for Leadership in Public Art. As Madaro notes, "Matt and HarborArts have helped transform the visual landscape of East Boston into one that includes vibrant colors and powerful artworks that uplift and inspire our community. They have increased access to public art encounters by incorporating art more thoroughly into the urban environment and providing opportunities to engage and interact with works on the street and in public spaces."
In February of 2024, Matt and his wife Ana Bess moved to their new home in New Bedford, MA, where he continues to share his collaborative energy and creative prowess to support the local art scene and cultural landscape of the community where he now resides.
CV
Projects
2024
Catch the Tradition
NB Fishing Heritage Center
Designer & Creative Producer
Harvest project
Eastie Farm, HarborArts
Creative Producer, Project Director
NeighborHealth
Curator & Creative Producer
New Bedford Oyster Fest
NB Fishing Heritage Center
Creative Producer
2023
Beautify Main Streets
East Boston Main Streets
Creative Producer, Program Designer
Harvest project
Creative Producer, Project Director
Boston Public Schools, Eastie Farm, HarborArts
ÜNI
Boston Ballet
Presenter & Community Liaison
Street art tours
Creative Producer
2022
Harvest project
Creative Producer, Project Director
Boston Public Schools, Eastie Farm, HarborArts
ÜNI
Boston Ballet
Presenter & Community Liaison
Street art tours
Creative Producer
Cinemarina
Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina
Ocean Havens
Creative Producer & Event Coordinator
Eastie Week
Planning team member
2021
Sea Walls Boston
Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans
PangeaSeed Foundation & HarborArts
Creative Producer & Project Director
GoHub! Maverick & Central
East Boston
Creative Producer
The Shipyard Gallery
Creative Producer, Curator
HarborArts
Director & Creative Producer
Eastie Week
Planning team member
2020
Sea Walls Boston
Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans
PangeaSeed Foundation & HarborArts
Creative Producer & Project Director
Massively Distributed
Masary Studios
Design team
The Shipyard Gallery
Creative Producer, Curator
HarborArts
Director & Creative Producer
Eastie Week
Planning team member
2019
Imprinted on the Water’s Edge
by Masary Studios
Presenter & site director
Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina. Presented in collaboration with LuminArtz
Pillar
New American Public Art
For Clippership Wharf
Creative Producer, Neighborhood Liaison
Sea Walls Boston @ HubWeek
Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans
Organizer & Project Director
Motel Diver & Chowder King
Neon Williams
Creative Producer
The Shipyard Gallery
Creative Producer, Curator
HarborArts
Director & Creative Producer
Eastie Week
Planning team member
2018
HD•BPM
by Masary Studios
Presenter & site director
Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina. Created as a Now+There Artist Accelerator Project with thanks to Boston Harbor Now, The Institute of Contemporary Art
The Shipyard Gallery
Creative Producer, Curator
HarborArts
Director & Creative Producer
Masary Studios
Studio Brand & Identity
Designer
2017
Sound Sculpture
by Masary Studios
The Eddy, Grand Opening for Gerding Edlen
Creative Producer, Curator
Commonspaces @ the Eddy
Works by Percy Fortini Wright, Jaime Diazo, Anna Yeroshenko
Curator, The Eddy Grand Opening
Hidden Dimension,
Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina
Curator
The Shipyard Gallery
Creative Producer, Curator
HarborArts
Director & Creative Producer
East Boston Open Studios
Creative Producer, the Studio for Artists without Studios
2015
Cinemarina
Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina
Coastal Marine Management
Creative Producer
Set off the Summer
Creative Producer
Eastie Week
Planning Team
The Shipyard Gallery
Creative Producer, Curator
HarborArts
Director & Creative Producer
East Boston Open Studios
Creative Producer, the Studio for Artists without Studios
2014
HarborArts Festival
Creative Producer
Cinemarina
Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina
Coastal Marine Management
Creative Producer
Circus For Construction
Worldwide Store Front
Site Director
BLDG 32 Shipyard Soiree
Creative Producer
Brian Kane’s “Paste”
Creative Producer
The Shipyard Gallery
Creative Producer, Curator
HarborArts
Director & Creative Producer
East Boston Open Studios
Creative Producer, the Studio for Artists without Studios
Eastie Week
Planning Team
2013
Bartlett Yard Mural Park
Site Manager (Sub)
Undadasi
New American Public Art
Creative Producer, co-creator
HarborArts Festival
Creative Producer
Summer on the Waterfront + Eastie Week
Creative Producer, Planning team
Figment Art Festival
Event team
East Boston Open Studios
Creative Producer, the Studio for Artists without Studios
2012
Graffiti Jam
Momentum Collective
Future Boston Alliance
Creative Producer
BATTLESHIP LIVE
Figment Art Festival
Designer & Artist
HarborArts Festival
Creative Producer
The Shipyard Gallery
Eastie Week
2011
Cavity.Lab
HarborArts Festival
Winter Warmer
Roles & Jobs
HarborArts
2011-Present: Executive Director
East Boston-based public ARTivism initiative.
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center
2024: Marketing Specialist
Telling the story of the commercial fishing community to the world.
Harvest: A collaboration of Urban Farming and Public Art
2022-Present: Producer & Creative Director
In partnership with BPS, Eastie Farm
Sea Walls Boston
2019-2021: Project Director
Bringing the oceans to the streets of Boston with the New England Aquarium, PangeaSeed Foundation, and HarborArts
Tripleseat Software
2016-2019: Creative Director
Event management software