Category studios
Who Restores the Art Outdoors? Clues in Cambridge Examples: William Reimann’s Bollards and Bland Hoke’s “Artesian Well”
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.
Look Up to Mosaic Masterpieces at Fletcher Maynard Academy, Cambridge
Closed all spring 2020 like every school, Fletcher Maynard Academy in Cambridge continues to offer art that is open to public view. People can look up above the school’s doors at the corner of Broadway and Windsor Streets to marvel at the Mosaic Masterpieces created a year earlier by students with artists David Fichter, Liane Noddin, and art teacher Lolly Lincoln.
David Phillips Links Earth and Sky at Maud Morgan Arts
The previous post showed Gail Boyajian’s “Bird Mosaic ” in the memorial garden with David Phillips’ marking stone. This one leaps to the top of Maud Morgan Arts where his paintbrush-and-palette weathervane shifts directions with the wind. Next it takes in the whole building’s exterior design to identify other artists’ contributions that should get focus in future posts.
Madeleine Lord’s Sculptures Inspire Action in Boston and Beyond
Four of Madeleine Lord’s scrap-metal sculptures have enlivened the lawn of Federal Reserve Bank of Boston for at least four years now. Through those years I have wanted to post about them but hoped to take better photos and learn more about the artist first. Earlier in November I got to see more of her art in the New England Sculptors Association exhibition Spirit of Place at Castle Hill. I still need to take good photos, but I can link you to strong ones on the artist’s website and two other sites listed below. Those sites also offer fascinating information about Madeleine Lord’s art and process, such as her statement here.
Nancy Milliken’s Earth Press Project: Witness, October Views
Ways to Witness Earth Press Project: WITNESS in the next few weeks: 1. Visit the real installation before November, 2. Visit Nancy Winship Milliken Studio website. 3. Visit NPS website for Minute Man National Historical Park. 4. Visit website for the Umbrella, Arts and Environment. Any or all of the above will give you a sense of the complicated steps, interactions, and connections within a seemingly simple structure.
Indoor Activity Develops Outdoor Imagery for Mystic River Mural Panels
Thanks to David Fichter, one morning in August 2018 I got to visit the Mystic River Mural team at work in the Mystic Activity Center. My photos from a few moments hint at the numerous hours of planning, researching, sketching, designing, projecting, shaping, painting and much much more by teens and adults involved in the project. Outdoor explorations along the river were key features of the project, but indoor studio time was key to creating the mural panels added to the ongoing mural outdoors along Mystic Avenue.
Tufts’ Monumental Mascot: Jumbo by Steven Whyte
The first time I saw Steven Whyte’s Jumbo statue on the Tufts University campus I had big plans to post about it. That was in April 2015 when it was first installed and celebrated. Now four years including several visits later, I know that the massive range of Jumbo’s stories kept me from a decisive post. Today I’ll try to step back and share a bit of the big picture.
Eileen de Rosas’ Art Brings Life to Brick in Arlington
My January journey to this temporary art, up since mid-December, inspired me to track down information, stories, and colorful images that are best enjoyed on Eileen de Rosas’ website under Public Art.
Chesterwood and the Mount, Current Sculpture at Historic Homes
Both historic sites have formal gardens as well as multiple inspiring, flexible woodland areas where artists or curators chose to temporarily place their 21st-century art.
Art Outdoors 