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Who Restores the Art Outdoors? Clues in Cambridge Examples: William Reimann’s Bollards and Bland Hoke’s “Artesian Well”

December 16, 2022 · by · in animals in art, Art, art restoration, Artists, birds, community, design, furniture, granite, granite sculpture, history, interactive art, Nature study, parks, public art, Sculpture, steel, steel sculpture, studios, technology, visual art, water · Leave a comment

As I have visited and revisited local art outdoors for many years, I’ve seen how artwork can be worn down by time, weather, and all imaginable events. Luckily, also I have seen how artwork can be restored by planful focused funded teamwork. For example, here are photos, quotes and links with hints of how change happened at two sites in Cambridge.

Artists Ekua Holmes and Elizabeth James-Perry Bring MFA Lawn to Life with “Garden for Boston”

August 13, 2021 · by · in African American History, Art, art history, Artists, children's literature, collaborative art projects, design, flowers, gardens, granite, history, illustration, interactive art, landmarks, landscape architecture, Monumental sculpture, museums, photo portraits, political issues, public art, Roxbury community, Sculpture, social justice, temporary art, visual art, Weather and seasons, women artists, Women's history · 2 Comments

Whether or not you go inside the Museum of Fine Arts, on the front lawn you will find rich offerings by artists and curators attentive to soil, sun, sea, community, and history. One morning in early August, I joined other visitors enthralled by plantings and perspective in the collaborative venture called “Garden for Boston.” Delighted by discoveries, I’ll share a few of my iPhone photos with quotes from enlightening resources on the MFA website and other specified links.

Restored and New Art Combine in Renovated Clarendon Avenue Playground: Bronze Birds by Juliet Kepes with Leaf-Pattern Fence by Bart Uchida

July 21, 2021 · by · in animals in art, architecture, Art, art restoration, books, bronze, children, children's literature, collaborative art projects, commuity, Contemporary Sculpture, design, families, fences, gates, granite, illustration, interactive art, landscape architecture, local birds, Nature study, parks, playgrounds, public art, Sculpture, visual art, women artists · 4 Comments

In 1980, artist Juliet Kepes designed five bronze birds for the brick walls of Clarendon Avenue Park in Cambridge. A longtime admirer of her children’s book illustration, I wasn’t aware of her range of creative work until a few years ago when I read the Cambridge Arts/ Public Art listing below. By the time I managed to visit the park in 2019, it was closed off for extended renovations after almost forty years of use. ….
Recently I learned that the renovated park had opened, so I headed there one early evening in July. The bronze birds were back, set against a stone wall that replaced their brick background. Floral plantings enhanced their new setting, with the promising addition of a flowing plant-patterned fence that certainly added to my appreciation of the whole park.

Wonders of Children’s Books Wait within the Solomon Gate, Designed by Höweler + Yoon Architecture

March 22, 2021 · by · in animals in art, architecture, Art, Artists, children, children's literature, commuity, design, families, fences, gates, granite, granite sculpture, Harvard University, history, humor, illustration, ironwork, libraries, literature, public art, Sculpture, visual art · 2 Comments

If you enter Harvard Yard from Quincy Street near its intersection with Massachusetts Avenue, watch for the rushing rabbit, grinning cat, top hat, and other small images in the tall black ironwork of the gate completed in December 2020. These might entice you to stop and look for more connections to “Alice in Wonderland” or to a world of children’s books.