Category commuity

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.

Murals by Silvia López Chavez: Uplifting Connections

Starting with one of the newest of many murals by Silvia López Chavez, I want to share some images, notes, and rich resources that convey my enthusiasm for her art and process. For the three murals in this post, as well as plenty more, the artist’s website includes excellent photos that document stages of her work and inspiring stories related to the art.

Nancy Winship Milliken, Pasture Song, plus Earth Press Project: Witness

Pasture Song at deCordova, was originally scheduled to depart this summer. What great news that it will stay another year! ….Meanwhile another time-sensitive matter has sped up my posting about Nancy Milliken’s work. That is Earth-Press Project: Witness, which calls on all of us to each offer one word that might be imprinted in an adobe block of earth for an installation at Minute-Man National Historic Park in Lincoln.

Indoor Activity Develops Outdoor Imagery for Mystic River Mural Panels

Thanks to David Fichter, one morning in August 2018 I got to visit the Mystic River Mural team at work in the Mystic Activity Center.  My photos from a few moments hint at the numerous hours of planning, researching, sketching, designing, projecting, shaping, painting and much much more by teens and adults involved in the project. Outdoor explorations along the river were key features of the project, but indoor studio time was key to creating the mural panels added to the ongoing mural outdoors along Mystic Avenue.

Poem by Marjory Wunsch Takes On Our Wheels and Feet in Central Square

I want to speak out for a poem that speaks for our sidewalks.

Beauty and Drama Resonate from New Mural, “Resonance” by Super A (Stefan Thelen) on the Greenway

In awe of the art, I’m excited to announce the completion of the latest monumental mural in Dewey Square. I plan to come into its presence many times before it is painted over by another artist or artist team next year. For now I’m posting photos, quotes, and links so you can join me in learning more about and from Super A (Stefan Thelen).

Tufts’ Monumental Mascot: Jumbo by Steven Whyte

The first time I saw Steven Whyte’s Jumbo statue on the Tufts University campus I had big plans to post about it. That was in April 2015 when it was first installed and celebrated.  Now four years including several visits later, I know that the massive range of Jumbo’s stories kept me from a decisive post. Today I’ll try to step back and share a bit of the big picture.

Huge and High above Us, Daffodils by Daniele Frazier Activate Seaport Common

Quick Post Now in Time for the Boston Marathon and April Vacation Plans

Men in Cambridge Made by Women: Anne Whitney and Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson

The statues of Charles Sumner and the Hiker both connect to stories worth telling, well told in the quotes below. The Sumner statue story leads back to a much earlier Boston proposal that was rejected because the artist Anne Whitney was a woman. The Hiker statue story leads on to a much later time when fifty bronze replicas of Kitson’s original around the country became part of a scientific study.