Category humor
Uplifting Updates about Hayward Zwerling’s Interactive Artworks: Giraffes and Elephant on Bike Path
George the Giraffe, Big Poppy, and Elly the Elephant still grace the Somerville Community Path on both sides of the Cedar Street intersection. More than five years have passed since they first mysteriously appeared.All three bright sturdy animal characters continue to turn delighted heads of people passing, in familiar greeting or surprise! Bikers, walkers, runners, and school groups still stop by to set them in motion, with a reliable, satisfying sense of effort. Now finally I feel free to confirm that Hayward Zwerling created them! A recent Globe article, April 2024, by Spencer Buell reveals their stories, with great supporting photos.My main goal here is to enthusiastically share links to the Globe article* and to valuable related resources ( videos, context) on Hayward Zwerling’s website.
Lively Large Creatures, Past and Present, Greet Us from a Lawn in Cambridge
If you live near 101 Washington Avenue in Cambridge, you can still visit the colorful Coconut Crab by day or night. Otherwise, enjoy a few views here, with some clues to origins and purpose.
Also here are photos from December 2020 of another great greeter, Silly Frilly Lizard, more evidence that other fascinating creatures have and hopefully will grace the same lawn over time.
Liz LaManche’s Mural Transformed a Park Stairway in Memory of Al Riskalla
Here are my photos from 2018 of Liz Lamanche’s unique, memorable mural I had long hoped to post about. Delayed with hopes of getting more worthy photos in different seasons, I was then daunted by roped-off, covered steps during a few years of construction related to the Boston area transportation system.
Construction now completed, the mural’s faded and worn-down surfaces overwhelmed my attempts at photo-taking. If there are funds for mural restoration in Somerville this year, I’d advocate for this one above all! Meanwhile, I offer quotes and links to more vivid photos on the artist’s website Earthsign, to affirm this mural’s special features and fascinating story.
Changing Art Joins Constant Sculpture in Brattle Square: Ann Norton’s “Gateway to Knowledge” Stands with Beings Created by Minimum Wage Art
Tracking the relocations of “Skraelings” created by Minimum Wage Art (Bob Smith) led me to learn about Ann Norton’s long-standing brick monument in Brattle Square. Links and quotes offer background and perspective.
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.
Recent Art Combines with Earlier Creative Features on the Bikeway in Somerville
On an April walk along Somerville Community Path (or Bikeway), I stopped to enjoy some new discoveries and familiar favorites. In this post I begin with photos of the recent additions and then share older photos, plus links to supporting information in earlier posts or new resources. As always, I appreciate the reliable richness and intriguing changes on this path.
Art Raises Many Related Questions in Amazing Ways on the Boston Common: “What Do We Have in Common?” by Janet Zweig, now through October 24
Presented by NOW+THERE and Friends of the Public Garden, through wonderfully welcoming, attentive, versatile Guides.
I’ll post very quickly in case anyone who lives nearby can visit the Boston Common before this brief opportunity ends. I plan to return and post with more connections. Meanwhile here are a few photos from my first visit two days ago, with quotes from two informative rich resources: NOW+THERE and Friends of the Public Garden.
Wonders of Children’s Books Wait within the Solomon Gate, Designed by Höweler + Yoon Architecture
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.
Artists Myoung Ho Lee and B. Wurtz both Focus on Single Trees at deCordova Sculpture Park
Artists Myoung Ho Lee and B. Wurtz both focus carefully on single trees in these two samples from larger projects that reflect their own unique creative processes. Their artworks thrive on the trees and sky through seasonal or daily changes of their current settings in deCordova Sculpture Park. My iPhone photos here hint at those, while quotes give basic background. Links (in red) to intriguing resources reveal fascinating features of both artists’ approaches and results.
Panels from Significant Summer 2020 Extend Mystic River Mural and Affirm Hopes
In my July post about the Mystic River Mural Project, I was hopeful but not sure that the Summer 2020 project would work through all the complications of the pandemic. Now I can gladly share glimpses of the inspiring outcome with photos of the 2020 panels added this fall on Mystic Avenue. For context, read quotes with links to informative sources. Also note a new video that adds an enriching overview of the whole project.
Art Outdoors 