Category architecture
What do Edgar Allan Poe and Bill Russell Have in Common?
My answer to the title question: Both have statues created by women artists in Boston: Poe by Steff Rocknak and Russell by Ann Hirsch. The dedicated, thorough approach of each artist to her subject links both stories of how their artworks came to be.
Temporary Art by Teresita Fernández Activates Harvard Yard until October 1: Autumn (…Nothing Personal)
Day by day, this space generates staged and spontaneous creative activity. I’m posting now with basic information (see Key Resources below) so that anyone who lives near enough, as I do, can truly be there while it’s still up in September. Photos from events I’ve been to might hint at how they were.
Murals that Convey History: Local Examples
Walking to my nearby Porter Square and a bit beyond in Cambridge, I visited murals that show elements of history in ways that suit this artform. You can learn and sense a lot about earlier centuries in Porter Square by walking the block that contains three related murals. You can take in the impact and origins of a significant statesman’s life by standing in the presence of the Tip O’Neill mural in North Cambridge.
A Radiant Painting Generates Sixth Mural for Greenway Wall
“Carving Out Fresh Options,” Diptych Painting by Shara Hughes Leads Up to a Monumental Mural on the Rose Kennedy Greenway
The mural was scaled up about twelve times from the original painting, but also cropped and shaped to fit the curving, choppy features of the Greenway Wall (one side of the air intake structure building).
The diptych (two-part) oil painting will be on view at deCordova in the museum through May 2019, while the mural is up on the Greenway Wall in Dewey Square Park, Boston.
Art and Time on the Greenway: Year of the Dog, We the People II, Spaces of Hope, Balancing Act I and II
This final Friday in April, Greenway Art Ambassadors will lead a one-hour tour of phenomenal public art. The tour includes four engaging works of art, each within minutes of the next. All four are temporary; all four will likely be gone by next April, though new temporary art will take their places.
These current four have given me such valued visits, I’m hoping for still more time with each. I’m posting now to alert you to the tour before it’s over and to give basic background about the artists, their art and my appreciation of their time.
Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #1128 First Drawn by Denise Kupferschmidt and Five Other Artists
I had wavered about including Denise Kupferschmidt on my list of women artists represented on Public Art Walk Boston after I read that “a group of assistants executed this piece, guided by precise written instructions and diagrams from LeWitt.” Yet I came to understand that each artist on the team to carry out a wall drawing could contribute uniquely within LeWitt’s guidelines. More important, as I began to learn about Denise Kupferschmidt’s art, I truly wanted to share what she has shown!
Horses and Humans: Deborah Butterfield Connects us through Art: Henry and Paint
Deborah Butterfield is one of the twenty-two women artists represented on Public Art Walk Boston. Her sculpture “Henry and Paint” is situated outside Copley Place. Visiting Henry and Paint through successive seasons of 2017, I saw them as distinct individuals bonded by their survival of changed surroundings.
Pleasures of Playful Perspectives: Art by Mark Reigelman and Meredith James on the Greenway
Enlightened and excited by both artists’ presentations on September 26, I ‘m posting quickly now, just in case you can plan to go before their temporary exhibits vanish October 7 (Reigelman) and October 8 (James). Later on, I hope to share our perspectives in the interactive spirit of these engaging forms of art outdoors.
Two Murals and Their Makers: “See Her” by Ann Lewis and “Patterned Behavior” by Silvia López Chavez
As new murals emerged in Boston this summer, I tried to track two through different stages of development. Both reminded me that mural artists must envision on a grand scale while also dealing with daily details and constant complexities. Many minds, hands, and hearts helped both murals come into being. One source common to both was the force of the non-profit organization Now and There headed by Kate Gilbert featuring the Year of the Woman in public art. I have referenced and quoted from their wonderful website at several points in this post.
Garden of Peace, a Place for Grief and Hope
Planned by landscape architect Catherine Melina and sculptor Judy Kensley McKie, this memorial to victims of homicide provides a pathway and suggests a journey.
Art Outdoors 