Category commuity

Marvel at Moses Mosaic

The brilliant new mosaic mural above the Moses Youth Center entrance radiates reminders of its history and promise. While not much could happen inside through the summer 2020, the Moses Mosaic had been collaboratively created by community youth and artists before the pandemic began. So, in early July after weeks of labor-intensive installation, the Moses Mosaic was ready for public view.

Animal Sculptures by Judy McKie and Jay Coogan Prove Patient, Purposeful and Playful

Judy McKie’s bronze cat benches and Jay Coogan’s aluminum dogs and cats were kept off location during extensive construction of Cambridge Public school and library properties where they had become favorite features. Soon after they returned ready to resume their roles, the closing of all schools and libraries in March 2020 cut short the opportunities for children and adults to interact with them again. Though I had found opportunities to admire and photograph these artful animals, I didn’t want to share the images until the sculptures could be part of daily life once more.

Gardens in Radcliffe Yard Contain Changing and Constant Art

While kept apart from most indoor art  throughout the spring of 2020, I became especially grateful for the outdoor art in Radcliffe Yard. I managed to post about one sculpture then, with intentions to mention more. Here now is a broader view that encompasses other highlights of Radcliffe Yard.

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.

Mystic River Mural Panels from Last Summer Make Powerful Connections

Photos, quotes, and links related to the Mystic River Mural Project focus on the most recent additions, affirming the project’s persistent powers.

Playgrounds Thrive on Art by Mitch Ryerson and Gail Boyajian

As playgrounds have cautiously reopened, I can happily share photos of art by Mitch Ryerson and Gail Boyajian. This lifts my own sad restrictions on earlier posts about these artists and others with work outside Maud Morgan Arts. Now I can show and celebrate art that was meant to be where children play.

John Tagiuri’s Art Can Open Doors in Surprising Ways

The two giant paintbrush “door pulls” created by John Tagiuri for Maud Morgan Visual Arts in 2009 when the center first opened now must wait for a post-lockdown reopening, whenever that will be. Meanwhile my attention to these and other artworks outside the center pulled me into John Tagiuri’s website, which is rich in samples of his other projects, all displaying unique combinations of strong concepts with playful twists. From those, I located the towering endless-column lamps over the basketball court in Sennott Park, at Broadway, Cambridge.

Look Up to Mosaic Masterpieces at Fletcher Maynard Academy, Cambridge

Closed all spring 2020 like every school, Fletcher Maynard Academy in Cambridge continues to offer art that is open to public view. People can look up above the school’s doors at the corner of Broadway and Windsor Streets to marvel at the Mosaic Masterpieces created a year earlier by students with artists David Fichter, Liane Noddin, and art teacher Lolly Lincoln.

Mitch Ryerson’s Benches Begin Adventures for Many at MMVA

Mitch Ryerson’s Dancing Benches near the Sacramento Street sidewalk signal the start of the short walk to the gate that leads our way to workshops and studio classes at MMVA whenever art centers can open up again. Meanwhile these two benches have led my way to learn how many other enticing outdoor structures have come out of Ryerson Design.

Randal Thurston’s Birds and Butterflies Guide Our Ways through Yerxa Road Underpass in Cambridge

Maybe best to show some of what I have seen lately along this pertinent passageway without trying to explain why I didn’t post earlier. I hope the links and quotes will give you ways to appreciate the efforts and effects of this public art project completed in 2006.