Category landmarks
Nancy Webb’s Bronze Insects and Plants Became Treasures in Cambridge
I’ve walked through Charles Park before, (on the way to or from CambridgeSide Galleria) without noticing most of nearly forty bronze representations of insects and plants Nancy Webb created almost three decades ago. This week I came to find and focus on them, guided by the Cambridge Public Art Fact Sheet.
David Judelson’s Brickworker and Ballplayer Keep on Documenting History
By a ballfield in North Cambridge ( Rindge Field) since 1983, two brick beings by David Judelson have faced each other supported by pertinent names, equipment, and stories. In recent years I had visited them with vague plans to post about them, though waiting for a way to focus. Then this spring when walks with face coverings became one of the few recreational options, I discovered that Brickworker and Ballplayer had been outfitted in response to the pandemic.
Murals by Lisa Houck, Joshua Winer, and Ellery Eddy Reflect Cambridge History in Inman Square
These three murals within three blocks of each other build on local history and also have histories of their own, revealed as I lately took time to look at them and look online about them. A great resource was Lisa Houck’s documenting of the processes and people involved in restoring her mural on her blog and website. I hope now that the other murals noted here can get similar support to regain clarity, color, and impact.
Follow up on Elliott Kayser’s Pigs from their Year on the Greenway
The photos in this post come from January 1, 2020, the last time I visited Elliott Kayser’s eight ceramic pigs along the Rose Kennedy Greenway. They had kept their stations well for almost a year. Now that the Year of the Pig is almost over they are gone!
From a very informative Greenway blog post, I have learned that five of the pigs have moved on to the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton. Chiefly the blog post clearly tells a story with great photos of ten steps involved in creating the pigs. If you wondered about the origins or future of these sculptures, about 250 pounds each, read that blog post.
Rob “Problak” Gibbs Gave Momentum to his Mural, ‘Breathe Life 3’
Today I want to note this one of many murals by Rob “Problak” Gibbs and share some ways it adds to my awareness of what a mural can do. This one can actively demonstrate hand signs for its title when you view it through an app in your device. My post, so far, won’t directly reveal the actions but gives you links to see them or, better yet, go to the wall on Tremont Street at Camden Street, where you can enliven them yourself.
David Fichter and David Phillips Honor Community Histories in Public Art
David Phillips is a sculptor; David Fichter is a muralist. With their distinctly different materials, both are masters of rendering historical figures and events. Both have created public art that is densely packed with researched images and documents. As public art, the expansive colorful mural and the tactile intimate bronze relief wait openly for anyone who wants to focus on some sign or scene and make their own associations.
See all Sides of Art Installation by Jessie and Katey on Western Avenue in Allston
In May 2017, Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn incorporated every outer inch of a building, including roof, steps, and chimneys into a colorful commanding work of art. They responded inventively to the dimensions and angles of the space; they chose challenging materials as well. More than two years later their installation still stands out and draws us in.
Art Ramble 2019 Creates Connections in Concord Town Forest
Six weeks over and just two weeks left, I took the golden opportunity of a sunlit October morning to take the trail through Hapgood-Wright Town Forest around Fairyland Pond and enjoy fourteen temporary art installations connected by the theme, Witnessing Change. I hope to go again before it ends November 1 and to convince anyone who can to go as well. Each stop on Art Ramble 2019 offers an enlightening way to engage with some aspect of the forest.
More New Murals: Silvia López Chavez in Cambridge, IMAGINE (Sneha Shrestha) in Somerville
Wishing I could keep up with the mural-making by these productively energetic creative artists, I will at least show their momentarily newest murals and share links where you can appreciate each artist in action.
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.
Art Outdoors 