Category flowers

KENDALL SQUARE ART WALK: A Great Way to Find and Focus on Public Art

For countless years I’ve wandered around Kendall Square in Cambridge to locate murals, sculptures, and other outdoor art to post about. Now a new numbered map and list from THE ART WALK PROJECT provides a much-needed self-guiding resource. KENDALL SQUARE ART WALK has already proven its worth for me, with exciting promises ahead! Here are two sample discoveries from January 1, 2024, late afternoon in Kendall Square: a recent mural by Sophy Tuttle and a long-standing sculpture by Chris Williams,

Follow Changes and Connections through Art Ramble 2023 “Geo-Metric” in Concord

‘Art Ramble is an annual, temporary exhibition in the Hapgood Wright Town Forest in Concord, MA, a collaboration of The Umbrella Art Center and Concord’s Division of Natural Resources (CDNR).’ (quote from The UMBRELLA, Art Ramble 2023) September 1 – November 19, Curated by Stephanie Marlin-Curiel

Part 1: Rob Greene, Liz Helfer, Ellen Schön, Laurie Bogdan, Fran Sharp, Susan Arthur

Tent by Liz Shepherd and Suzanne Moseley is an Impressive, Inspiring Work of Art

As artists in residence 2023 at Mass Audubon’s Magazine Beach Nature Center in Cambridge, Liz Shepherd and Suszanne Moseley created a unique, multipurpose tent, rich in images of local plants and animals. Their focus through the traditional photographic process called cyanotype ( or blueprinting) reveals an amazing array of hues from deep blue to bright white. Explore all four sides for fascinating features of nearby nature. Discover even more when you enter and experience how sunlight shines through various fabrics. And be sure to look up and appreciate what wings can do!

Massiel Grullon’s Mural, “Knotical Waves” Relates to Lots of Art at Lot Lab in Charlestown

My photos from the opening of Lot Lab, June 7, focus on Massiel Grullon’s mural with informative quotes from NOW+THERE. This summer I should post sequels to focus on artworks for Lot Lab by Ghada Amer, and Sam Fields.

Look Back at Daniel Gordon’s Dewey Square Mural on the Greenway 2021

Though I visited and photographed Daniel Gordon’s art on the Greenway in 2021, I didn’t get to post about it. I kept meaning to go back for better photos and then the art was gone. But there are better photos and valuable perspectives in the Key Resources from Wonderland, WBUR, and Daniel Gordon’s own website, all quoted and listed here. Also now I want to document the transformations created by all nine Dewey Square murals in the past ten years.

Artists Kayla Myers and TECHNI Energize Art-Making for Zone 3 Community Sketchbook

Early in the afternoon of art activities for Zone 3 Community Sketchbook on July 16 in Allston, I photographed people of all ages engaged in adding to the very long stretch of inviting open wall. Two days later I came by again. Awed by the art that had been accomplished in one weekend, I couldn’t wait to share the impressive results. Here are selected photos, links, quotes, and notes to convey how this new phase of creativity in Zone 3 came to be.

ART SCRIM Extends Possibilities for Public Art Outdoors, as shown by Yenny Hernandez, Anna Dugan and Deborah Johnson

Each of these three artists has created several fabric panels that transform stretches of metal construction fencing near the intersection of Harvard Street and Western Avenue in Allston. One, Anna Dugan, incorporated concrete Jersey barriers as well. All three worked out their own distinctive series of panels printed on scrim, a lightweight durable translucent textile that has long been used in theater sets. Daylight, street light, clouds, the sky itself, and any machinery or equipment behind the fence can add variables to our view. Whether driving by or standing near, we respond to these shifting features. I grew more aware of such changes as I photographed the art. In fact, I felt that each artist had recognized and successfully addressed the possibilities of scrim.

Murals offer Many Ways to Celebrate a City: “Chelsea Resilient: Call and Response Through the Ages” and “City of Dreams”

In mid-May I visited two mighty murals barely two blocks apart: “Chelsea Resilient: Call and Response Through the Ages” by David Fichter and “City of Dreams” by Silvia López Chavez. With great enthusiasm, I now share photos, quotes, and links that should convey the rich history and possibilities of both murals.

Anna Thurber’s Ice Sculptures Enliven the Esplanade: “Frozen in Life,” March 18-20

From 10 a.m. till 4 p.m., explore a row of 15 different ice sculptures on display in Fiedler Field, each of the three days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Quotes and links give background and perspective.

Cheer for Changes in One Tree through Several Holidays and Seasons

Here is my record of seasonal decorations in the front yard of a historical house near me in Cambridge: William James House at 95 Irving Street. Most of the photos here focus on the tree and fence, though the steps, porch, and roof have also been transformed for several holidays. This post just keeps track of the leaves, blossoms, lawn, and snowfall as they interact with holiday shapes and colors people placed within the landscape.