Mrs. Gardner called it the Veronese Room, but I always think of it as “the lace room.” It’s not so strange; many of the rooms in the faux-Venetian palace are named for one of their singular features. Once you have climbed two sets of heavy stone stairs and you are on the third floor of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, you have a choice to turn behind you …more…
Arts America Blog
Ceci N’est Pas Une Map: George Deem exhibit at the Boston Athenaeum
May 19, 2012 by
On the right when you enter the exhibit George Deem: The Art of Art History at the Boston Athenaeum, there is a very large map of the coast of a foreign land. Looking closer, you see that this is not an ordinary hand-drawn or printed map done in ink, and it is not on paper or parchment as it appears to be at first glance. Instead, it’s mixed media – …more…
MoCA: a place full of place
May 13, 2012 by
Last Saturday, I visited the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (familiarly known as Mass MoCA or just MoCA) in North Adams. It was my first time there, and while it’s on the other side of the state, I would say that it’s worth the road trip from Boston. One of the best things about this museum is its space; the buildings were originally a 19th-century fabric printing factory, then a …more…
Fenway Celebrates its 100th and Death Cab for Cutie Celebrates Orchestral Music
April 30, 2012 by
As I look back, April really has been an eventful month, particularly in the last couple of weeks. I’d be remissed if I didn’t take the time to highlight some of the events that makes Boston a vibrant community for classical music as well as everything from sports to pop culture. So, I thought I’d highlight a couple of instances where Classical music met not-so-classical events in a big way. …more…
Jazz Concerto Premiere – An Interview With Lewis Porter
April 10, 2012 by
On April 19, 2012, at 8:00 p.m. in Paine Hall on the Harvard University campus, jazz pianist, composer, educator, and author, Lewis Porter’s Concerto for Saxophone will receive its world premiere with jazz icon Dave Liebman as the soloist (event site). Dr. Porter was kind enough to answer some questions about the piece and his collaborations with Liebman:
Your achievements as a scholar and educator are tremendous: You have been a …more…
A Temperamental Topic
March 30, 2012 by
Earlier this month, Boston Children’s Theatre presented Reflections of a Rock Lobster, the real story of a 1980’s high school student who sues his school for the right to take his boyfriend to prom. Tackling the issues of prejudice, bullying, homosexuality and civil liberties, the show was performed by and for high school students.
For many Massachusetts residents, the topic of homosexuality and gay rights brings up quite a bit of …more…
April Showers Bring…Spring Concerts?
March 28, 2012 by
As Spring rolls through, I’m finding that the streets of Boston are becoming more and more bustling with visitors and residents alike—a fact that is painfully apparent due to the lack of street parking. This can only mean that the weather is getting warmer and days brighter. And what better way to celebrate than with a night out to one of symphony area’s many classical performances. I thought I’d take …more…
Wall Works at deCordova
March 27, 2012 by
Natalie Lanese, Retro Future, 2011 acrylic and collage Installation at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum Courtesy of the Artist Photo by Tony Luong
There’s still time to catch Wall Works at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, on view through April 22, 2012. For the exhibition six artists were invited to create site-specific wall installations in response to the deCordova’s permanent collection. The artists—Kysa Johnson, Natalie Lanese, Caleb …more…
A.R.T Director Wins Prestigious Award
March 24, 2012 by
It looks like the American Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director Diane Paulus is heading to a pretty swanky soiree in New York this May. And by “pretty swanky soiree,” I mean to say the 78th Annual Drama League Awards. Paulus will receive the Drama League’s 2012 Founder’s Award for Excellence in Directing.
Paulus, who also teaches at Harvard University, has added her own distinct directorial flair to her shows at the A.R.T. Her …more…
Carrie Moyer: Interstellar at Worcester Art Museum
March 16, 2012 by
Now through August 19, 2012, the Worcester Art Museum (WAM) presents Interstellar, a survey of canvases of Carrie Moyer’s work from the past decade. ...more...
An Interview with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Program Production Manager
March 15, 2012 by
Opened to the public since 1903, the Isabella Stewart Gardener—a 15th-century Venetian palace museum featuring more than 2,500 pieces—is obviously a renowned fixture in the Boston art scene. But what many visitors don’t know is that it boasts an eclectic music schedule every season. And to top it off, the Gardner got a bit of a facelift this year with the opening of its new 70,000 square-foot wing, completed on January 12th. And one of the wing’s focal points? The 296-capacity Calderwood Hall performance space. ...more...
David Palmer: Paintings at Clark Gallery
February 16, 2012 by
Grace, 76in x 76in Acrylic on linen 2009
On view at the Clark Gallery through February 29th, David Palmer: Paintings features some of the largest works of the artist’s career. If we head back 10-plus years to the explosion of internet media, specialized cable channels, and the supreme domination of strip malls populating the horizon, one can sympathize with that earlier version of David Palmer. There, at the start of …more…
Art Since the Mid-20th Century at Worcester Art Museum
February 1, 2012 by
Who couldn’t use a little more Alex Katz in their life? Now’s your chance to head out to the Worcester Art Museum to catch a peek at one of his iconic Ada paintings, along with a new installation of the Museum’s collection of art since the mid-20th century. Featuring approximately fifty works of art, displayed in renovated galleries, the exhibition is presented in three thematic installations: The Persistence of Abstraction, Revivals of Figuration and Portraiture, and Cultural Signs. ...more...
NEC Celebrates the Work of Claude Debussy
January 21, 2012 by
While the coming of a new year offers plenty of reasons to celebrate, there is one occasion this year that might go unnoticed. 2012 marks 150 years since one of the greatest instrumental composers ever was born — Claude Debussy. ...more...
Isaac Julien: Ten Thousand Waves at ICA Boston
January 19, 2012 by
On view through March 4, 2012 at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art is the only east coast museum presentation of Isaac Julien’s acclaimed video installation Ten Thousand Waves. The nine-screen installation weaves together stories linking China’s ancient past and present. ...more...
Keenan Kampa: Racehorse Ballerina
January 9, 2012 by
Another stellar member of Dance Magazine’s top 25 for 2012, Keenan Kampa is a young ballerina from Oak Hill, VA with the limbs, legibility, and corporal freedom of the brilliant French dancer, Sylvie Guillem. It is no wonder that Kampa was one of the first Americans asked to attend the Vaganova Ballet Academy in Russia as just a mere teenager. The Vaganova Academy is where the great Mikhail Baryshnikov, among a bevy of other great ballet stars, was formed and nurtured. ...more...
The New Year with John Harbison and the BSO
January 2, 2012 by
As we ring in the new year here in Boston, festive fireworks and optimistic resolutions aren’t the only things on everyone’s mind. As an active member of the arts community, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate the coming of 2012 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as your host.
While any weekend at Symphony Hall will satisfy your need for spectacular symphonic performances in a historic space, there’s one upcoming selection …more…
Aphrodite and the Gods of Love at The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston
December 30, 2011 by
On view at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston through February 20, 2012, Aphrodite and the Gods of Love. is the first museum exhibition of classical works devoted solely to Aphrodite. Known as Venus to the Romans, the show celebrates her likeness as the first female nude in western art history. Now that the holiday season is over, all of us can switch gears to questions of love and romance, and what better way than meditating on Aphrodite herself? Featuring160 works from the MFA’s Greek and Roman collection, the exhibition also includes 13—9 of which are from Rome and Naples—including Sleeping Hermaphrodite, which has left Italy only once prior to this show. ...more...
Mayor Menino Gives Boston the Gift of Music
December 22, 2011 by
The holiday season can be an expensive time, because let’s face it, when it comes to spending time with family and friends, it’s easy to have that spare-no-expense attitude. But, with time and money devoted to buying gifts and preparing feasts, how will you actually enjoy the company and festivities? ...more...
Art at the Origin: The Early 1960s at the Rose Museum of Art in Waltham
December 17, 2011 by
Roy Lichtenstein, Forget It! Forget Me! 1962. Gevirtz-Mnuchin Purchase Fund, 1962. Copyright Estate of Roy Lichtenstein.
With all of the buzz about the contemporary in Boston, it might be easy to neglect the incredible collection the Rose Art Museum has maintained of 20th Century art. Located at Brandeis, the museum has long been at the forefront of supporting and collecting American art, and the names displayed on its walls—de Kooning …more…
Record-breaking Holidays with the Boston Pops
December 1, 2011 by
On a crisp, cool morning in December of 2010, a group of festive Bostonians gathered outside the Prudential Plaza along Boylston St. singing tunes and spreading cheer. It was your average holiday caroling group, right? Well, almost—in this case the “group” was comprised of several thousand and was lead by Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops as they tried to set the Guinness World Record for the most carolers in …more…
Roswell: New Work by Jennifer Moses at Kingston Gallery
December 1, 2011 by
On display at the Kingston Gallery in Boston through January 1st, Roswell: New Work displays selections from over 40 new paintings, drawings and collages produced by Jennifer Moses over the course of her recent year in New Mexico. ...more...
Michael Cooper: A Sculptural Odyssey at Fuller Craft Museum
November 23, 2011 by
The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts is currently presenting Michael Cooper: A Sculptural Odyssey, 1968 – 2011. On display through May 13, 2012 the show focuses on a career spanning more than 40 years where Cooper has explored the frailties of human nature through increasingly complex wood and mixed media sculptures. With equal parts wit and technical adroitness this exhibition presents some of his most provocative works, often exploring the dark side of our fascination with violence, power, and greed. ...more...
Classical Innovation: Boston Modern Orchestra Project Announces 2011/2012 Season
November 18, 2011 by
Like most of the arts, in order for a music scene to grow, it needs an audience with equal amounts of respect for the legends and support for the up-and-comers. The Boston Modern Orchestra Project takes this concept to heart. This innovative group, founded in 1996, is widely considered the premier ensemble for commissioning, premiering and otherwise supporting young, contemporary composers from around the world.
BMOP just recently announced its 2011/2012 …more…
Degas and The Nude at the MFA
November 16, 2011 by
Let’s just say it’s true, and that Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet—the two great granddaddies of Impressionism—did in fact meet when they bumped into each another while sketching a Velazquez at the Louvre. If not, it is still one of the better stories in modern art, as the inheritance of the line and the importance of outside influences from the arc of Parisian art history were absolutely essential in creating the revolution that laid the groundwork for abstraction, the 20th Century, and beyond. ...more...
