Category Arlington Public Art
Arlington’s Artist-in-Residence Michelle Lougee Highlights the Existence of Persistence on the Bikeway
Many hands and minds created each of nearly forty unique forms installed among the trees two months ago to survive four seasons of New England weather. Their shapes and textures have become more distinct since October’s shade from autumn leaves has gone. Like others who use the bikeway, I’ll watch for ways the art will change with wind, snow, sleet and sunlight. And I’ll keep thinking of the meanings of “persistence.” Meanwhile, here are quotes, links, and images that should reveal the resourcefulness, resilience, and reasoning that have carefully kept this prescient project going.
Chris Frost Builds Two New Birdhouses for the Bikeway in Arlington before Taking Colony Down
After more than two years of winning devoted fans and welcoming many special guests, “Colony” created by Christopher and Basil Frost is due to depart before October ends. When I visited for an emotional last look, I was glad to find that two new birdhouses nearby were ready for first looks, both full of their own appeal and promise.
Applaud Playground Turtles and their Creators: Nancy Schön and Lilli Ann Killen Rosenberg
Endurance is a quality shared by the turtle sculptures in this post. Lilli Ann Roseberg’s colorful concrete turtles in Cambridge have been ridden, jumped on, snowed in, flooded over and lots more in the past three decades. Nancy Schön’s bronze Myrtle the Turtle was bound up and relocated within Boston’s Myrtle Street Playground soon after settling in last year. These sculptures endured isolation while playgrounds were closed in the spring and then cautiously reopened.
See Poems in New Ways along the Bikeway in Arlington and Somerville
This week I enjoyed Walking Poetry in Arlington and Poetry on the Path in Somerville. Both added to my awareness of when, how, and where a poem can move people. I should post swiftly and simply with quotes, links, and photos that let anyone who lives near these locations experience poems that may be elsewhere in a week or two.
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.
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.
Eileen de Rosas’ Art Brings Life to Brick in Arlington
My January journey to this temporary art, up since mid-December, inspired me to track down information, stories, and colorful images that are best enjoyed on Eileen de Rosas’ website under Public Art.
James Weinberg’s Art Transforms a Brick Wall, a Bus Shelter, and a Book Idea
This fall brought opportunities to see three new works of art, each with different scale and surface, but in the same distinct compelling style of one artist, James Weinberg. Plants, animals, and sky appear in all three, adapted to the materials and dimensions assigned to their creation. A large brick wall, a framed glass structure, and the paper pages of a picture book serve as stages for dynamic dramas.
Neighbors, Nature and Time Play Great Parts in Art by Christopher Frost: Colony and Much More
After two visits in the past month, I hope to make many more in the three seasons ahead before Colony leaves its maple tree on the Minuteman Bikeway. The photos in this post are mine but the links below will lead to more varied and vivid ones, including the installation process. The quotes below also give background about Christopher Frost and will suggest why I have seized the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for his spirited splendid sculpture!
Art on Bikeway in Arlington Endures in January Snow
Temporary Art Takes in the Expected Effects of Time and Weather After posting about two temporary art installations, “Ripple” and “Current,” in early autumn, I planned to revisit them at least once each month to see how they would survive seasonal changes. I did not know then how compelling both would prove to be, far beyond just curiosity. […]
Art Outdoors 