Category libraries

Take in Bike Tour of Public Art in Cambridge: Central Square, Cambridgeport, and Riverside

September 16, 2022 · by · in African American History, architecture, Art, Artists, ceramic tiles, families, guides, interactive art, libraries, Mosaic, mural conservation and restoration, Murals, parks, playgrounds, poetry, political issues, portraits, public art tours, Sculpture, social justice, visual art · 4 Comments

This post notes outstanding outcomes of an exciting event one perfect evening in late July 2022: the beautifully organized free bike tour of Cambridge public art between Central Square and the Charles River. 1. Bike-riders of all ages gathered outside the Central Square Library for an overview of art around the library and along the planned route of the whole tour. Cambridge police and attentive volunteers guided everyone safely through the sunset finale. 2. The tour is now engagingly documented in a 2-minute video. 3. The route has become a self-guiding tour for cyclists, though certainly adaptable to walkers. Facts, links and videos on the tour site are informative and intriguing for interested readers far from Cambridge. 4. The whole experience even elevated my already towering enthusiasm for public art!

Bronze Sculptures by Cyrus Dallin in Arlington Combine History and Humanity

January 3, 2022 · by · in animals in art, Arlington Public Art, Art, art history, Artists, bronze, families, history, libraries, Massachusetts history, memorial, Monumental sculpture, Nature study, political issues, public art, public art tours, Sculpture, social justice, visual art, water · 2 Comments

New important plantings around Cyrus Dallin’s long-standing sculpture (since 1912) on the lawn of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston this summer made me realize how much I did not know about the sculptor. That led me to Arlington, where some of his significant works have braved all weather for over a century, and where the Cyrus Dallin Art Museum has developed valuable online resources about his works. A winter lull finally let me review my summer notes and photos for Dallin’s art in Arlington, where he lived in the first half of the twentieth century. Now I need to share some fascinating aspects of his art.

Artists Add New Life to Familiar Forms: “GO OUT DOORS – ARLINGTON  2021” November Notes and Quotes

November 19, 2021 · by · in animals in art, Arlington Public Art, Art, Artists, Bicycle Paths, bikepaths, books, calligraphy, collabrative murals, commuity, Contemporary Sculpture, environmental education, environmental sculpture, flowers, gardens, hiking trails, Installations, interactive art, landmarks, libraries, Massachusetts history, Minuteman Bikeway, music, painting, plants, public art, temporary art, visual art, Weather and seasons, women artists · Leave a comment

Guided by the very helpful interactive map on the GO OUT DOORS NEIGHBORS!, Arts Arlington, I have visited most of the 2021 doors. I hope to see them all before November ends, when they’ll be kept safe from the threats of winter weather. Then I will watch for their return in spring 2022 and for newly created doors as well. If able, I will want to show and tell more about “Go Out Doors” beyond Arlington.* Meanwhile here are names, art titles, links ( click on artists’ names in red for their websites), and quotes for the doors I’ve seen so far.

Many People Play a Part in Art Installation by Nilou Moochhala in Menotomy Rocks Park, Arlington

June 24, 2021 · by · in Arlington Public Art, Art, Artists, banners, calligraphy, collaborative art projects, commuity, design, drawing, environmental sculpture, families, graphic design, hiking trails, Installations, kinetic sculpture, libraries, painting, parks, public art, Sculpture, temporary art, trees, trees, visual art, women artists, wood sculptures · 2 Comments

I wish my words or photos could convey the sense of being in the presence of this important installation in Menotomy Rocks Park. Certainly I want to return there and to get others in or near Arlington to go too. Also I want people who can’t go to still appreciate the energies, organization, and interplay involved in such ventures. So I offer this quick post now with links and quotes that might lead you further in than I’ve yet been

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.