A few years ago I noticed a “Not Art” stencil for the first time, on a concrete barrier alongside the Mystic Path, which runs along the eastern shore of the Mystic Lakes. Over the winter I took pictures of every one I saw in Medford, Arlington and the Middlesex Fells. I didn’t go looking for them; I just documented what I encountered. And no, I didn’t know they were a thing until I Googled them. Here’s a Boston magazine story about them from 2014.

The original (at least for me): Lower Mystic Lake, eastern shore, Jan. 17, 2023

Western end of Chandler Road, Middlesex Fells, April 15, 2023

Boston Avenue and North Street, Medford, Jan. 10, 2023

Minuteman Bikeway, just south of Spy Pond, Arlington, Jan. 4, 2023

Southern tip of South Reservoir, Middlesex Fells, Dec. 30, 2022