Category animals in art
Birdwatching Merges with Watching Art on Somerville Community Path
Walking Somerville Community Path from Willow Ave toward Grove Street (near Davis Square), watch for hints of nesting in Christopher Frost’ s “Annex” and note the wide-spread wings of the newly landed Raven in “a Free Range Sculpture Garden.”
Gail Boyajian’s Mosaic on the Ground Looks Up to Birds, Myths, Flight, and Sky
While museums and art centers must be closed, I’ve opened my eyes to art outside their doors. Today I’ll focus on “Bird Mosaic” by Gail Boyajian in the memorial garden to the right of the gate to Maud Morgan Arts in my neighborhood. Planned sequel posts should show and tell more about the art center and the garden (Mary’s Garden).
Animal Sculptures Greet Us along the Somerville Community Path
None of the animal sculptures in this post are very new to the Somerville Community Path, and I have visited them all before. Mainly I delayed posting about them because I wanted to learn more about each one. So far my usual online research has not led to informative links I’d like to share.
This week though, with playgrounds closed and other outdoor options limited, the bike paths beckon people of all ages. Along the path, intriguing artworks await our attention and give pleasure by their presence. Maybe this post will lead to answers from people who made these animals or know the stories of their creation.
Birds Led to Absorbing Art on the Bikeway in Arlington
A sudden flurry of bird activity in my yard this past weekend got me out on the mild Monday, February 3, to revisit three artworks in easy walking distance from each other: Extraordinary Ordinary Birds, “Colony,” and “Penny the Swan.” All three added to my appreciations of birds and art.
Follow up on Elliott Kayser’s Pigs from their Year on the Greenway
The photos in this post come from January 1, 2020, the last time I visited Elliott Kayser’s eight ceramic pigs along the Rose Kennedy Greenway. They had kept their stations well for almost a year. Now that the Year of the Pig is almost over they are gone!
From a very informative Greenway blog post, I have learned that five of the pigs have moved on to the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton. Chiefly the blog post clearly tells a story with great photos of ten steps involved in creating the pigs. If you wondered about the origins or future of these sculptures, about 250 pounds each, read that blog post.
Madeleine Lord’s Sculptures Inspire Action in Boston and Beyond
Four of Madeleine Lord’s scrap-metal sculptures have enlivened the lawn of Federal Reserve Bank of Boston for at least four years now. Through those years I have wanted to post about them but hoped to take better photos and learn more about the artist first. Earlier in November I got to see more of her art in the New England Sculptors Association exhibition Spirit of Place at Castle Hill. I still need to take good photos, but I can link you to strong ones on the artist’s website and two other sites listed below. Those sites also offer fascinating information about Madeleine Lord’s art and process, such as her statement here.
Art Ramble 2019 Creates Connections in Concord Town Forest
Six weeks over and just two weeks left, I took the golden opportunity of a sunlit October morning to take the trail through Hapgood-Wright Town Forest around Fairyland Pond and enjoy fourteen temporary art installations connected by the theme, Witnessing Change. I hope to go again before it ends November 1 and to convince anyone who can to go as well. Each stop on Art Ramble 2019 offers an enlightening way to engage with some aspect of the forest.
George Sherwood’s Art and Tower Hill Botanic Garden: A Marvelous Match
Yet again I feel compelled to post without the revisiting, rereading, and rethinking I like to do before pushing the Publish button on this Wordpress site. George Sherwood’s kinetic sculpture exhibit Wind, Waves & Light, Art in Motion, will end on October 14, 2019. Tower Hill Botanic Garden will continue and develop through the years ahead. I certainly want to see more of both, but first I must urge as many people as possible to plan to go before the sculptures leave.
Admire Animals by Artist Katharine Lane Weems in Boston: Dogs, Dolphins, Rhinos and More
The more I learn about sculpture by Katharine Lane Weems (1898 — 1989), the more I admire the art, the artist and the animals. An earlier post about two rhinos, Bess and Victoria, installed 1937 in Cambridge led me on to sites in Boston with work by this artist “famous for her realistic portrayals of animals.” Her art combined scientific accuracy, meticulous renderings, and creative design to bring out the animals’ majesty and character. This post notes four places in Boston to be in the presence of her elegant animals.
Christopher Frost’s “Annex” in Somerville Builds Beautifully on his “Colony” in Arlington
Alerted by the Somerville Arts Council newsletter, I found my way to “Annex,” Christopher Frost’s newly completed installation on the Somerville Community Path bike trail near Willow Avenue.
Art Outdoors 