Category temporary art
Breathe in Energy of 2021 Art Ramble: “Something in the Air”
My first visit this year, on a sunny September morning, should be one of many in the next two months, so I won’t try to cram in whatever can wait for future posts. That suits the spirit I sensed along the pathways of this year’s ramble, allowing time and space between, and within each installation to appreciate what the air is offering. So here are just a few photos (with excerpts from artist statements) from four of the fifteen installations as samples of what you might see if you can go or explore online if you live elsewhere.
Artists Ekua Holmes and Elizabeth James-Perry Bring MFA Lawn to Life with “Garden for Boston”
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.
More Public Art Appears in Harvard Square: “Michelle the Blue Elephant”; Patricia Thaxton’s Mural
View two of a few recent additions to visual art in Harvard Square. I’ll save the rest for future posts. Both artworks involve creative use of fabric. Both are in settings that don’t always enhance viewing or documenting art. But as Patricia Thaxton notes on her printed mural “The Beauty of Everyday Living,” it is about joy and harmony “in spite of it all,…”, including unavoidable traffic, trash, and construction equipment. See photos, quotes, and links:
Temporary Art Leads to Ongoing Information from Harvard Museums of Science and Culture: PLAZA PAINT PROJECT
The person I saw painting attractive images on Science Center Plaza said she was not an artist, but she was creating interactive art to engage people with rich resources from the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture while the physical doors are still closed to visitors. She noted that the paintings on the plaza would be power-washed away in a few weeks. So once again I’ll post quickly to speed the news about temporary art before it goes.
Many People Play a Part in Art Installation by Nilou Moochhala in Menotomy Rocks Park, Arlington
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
Artists Resa Blatman and Christopher Frost Keep Up our Connections with Birds on the Bike Path
To follow up on earlier posts, here are views from recent rides ( June 2021) on the bike path through Arlington and Somerville, plus links to rich resources about both artists and community arts organizations.
Look Up at Significant Symbols in Concord for the Umbrella ARTFEST
The two photos above are from installations I had hoped to include in my quick post about ARTFEST a week earlier. Both installations interact with varying light, air currents above, and beings below. In this promised swift sequel I try to offer photos, quotes, and links that will lead you closer to those experiences online or in person.
Connect to Concord with “Change is in the Air: Art Walk” through May
Following the map for Umbrella Artfest Earth Day Art Walk has greatly added to my own awareness of Concord as well as the artists who created installations for the six stops listed. Because Art Walk has been up for a week with just a few more ahead, I’ll post quickly now. I want to spread the word so people who live close enough can go before it’s gone. Then I’ll hope to post a more comprehensive sequel later in May, including one key installation* I didn’t get to visit yet.
Murals by Sophy Tuttle, Solei, and Ann Lewis Highlight Pumphouses on the Charles River Esplanade
More than a year ago, three artists adorned all sides and surfaces of three different pumphouses on the Esplanade. I had meant to connect and celebrate these accomplishments at that time. Now at the start of a new year, I can do that with additional appreciation of their presence. Though pumphouses along the Charles River have always been essential in regulating water drainage, their cement block structures were neglected and defaced until funds from the Esplanade Association allowed artists to transform their appearances in 2019.
Art Grows from Trees: Alan Sonfist and Richard Rosenblum at deCordova
Sonfist’s The Endangered Species of New England has been part of the Sculpture Park since 2013. Rosenblum’s Venusvine, created 1990, has been there since 1996. Both artworks reflect their artists’ deeply rooted work with trees. Both are metal renderings of natural forms. Both artworks have decisive locations in the park. They’ve held their ground while other artworks have moved around, left or entered in recent years.
Art Outdoors 