Ja’Hari Ortega Celebrates Black and Latina Culture with New Hoop Earring Installation
The Roxbury native and multi-disciplinary artist says she was inspired by the sets of gold hoops her mother wore growing up
Photo courtesy: Mel Taing, Rose Kennedy Greenway Credit: Mel Taing, Rose Kennedy Greenway | Courtesy
The most meaningful works of art are the ones that connect us to our roots and culture. Boston-based artist, sculptor, and jewelry maker Ja’Hari Ortega is celebrating Black and Latinx heritage with her newest installation “Big Hoops to Fill.” The large-scale interactive sculpture, designed by Ortega, features two life-size golden bamboo hoop earrings, also known as “door knockers,” that serve as a swing set.
The Roxbury native, who remembers being fascinated with her mother’s beautiful gold hoops, says she was inspired by the iconic hoops popularized by Black hip-hop legends like Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shanté and Queen Latifah.
The installation, which is composed of steel, resin, and fiberglass composite and features built-in handles, aims to “heal one’s inner child, cultivate and encourage healthy multigenerational relationships, and foster confidence in one’s identity and culture,” according to the Rose Kennedy Greenway website.
“Jewelry to me is like photography; it captures a moment in time and special pieces are often passed down from generation to generation. These hoops are an unapologetic statement of self-expression, pride, and connection to one’s roots and identity,” Ortega told the Beacon Hill Times.
Located at the center of downtown Boston, the installation invites women of color to play, rest, and relax in the park, as it can be challenging for Black and Latinx women to do so due to lack of access, exclusion, or discouragement. The swing set will be on display at the Greenway through October 2026, and a free opening reception for the piece called “You’re Invited to the Cookout” will be held on May 15 and feature food trucks and live music.
“A lot of people say the bigger the hoop, the bigger the attitude,” Ortega told the Bay State Banner. “But there’s this balance between loud and proud and just walking out of your home wearing your jewelry without shame… With this piece we’re trying to encourage these women to also take up space, play, rest in public, to create this balance of yes, I am a hard worker but I also deserve to be acknowledged, recognized and to be in space and be at peace.”
Though Ortega is primarily drawn to sculpture and jewelry-making, Ortega is also an educator and advocate who uses vernacular language to capture the pulse of her city. She attended the Boston Arts Academy, the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, the nation’s first and only public independent college of art and design, and the North Bennet Street School, developing her practice and earning a BFA and diploma in jewelry-making.
During her studies in the past, Ortega designed a set of hoop earrings that also served as hula-hoops, evoking the same sense of childhood joy and freedom. She often uses her creative skills to support her community and has been a panelist for Radical Imagination for Racial Justice, an initiative that invites Boston-based creatives of color to imagine and co-create justice with their communities. “I grew up in Roxbury,” Ortega shares. “I would love to see the piece go back to the community that inspired it.”
