The Newton Community Pride board elected a new board of directors. “During these challenging times for the arts and culture community, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lean in and help build a stronger organization to answer the call for community programming that can support our village centers, artists and arts and culture nonprofits,” said newly elected board chair Gloria M. Gavris. [..]
In an effort to connect its residents, support local businesses, and help the artistic community recover from the pandemic’s financial impact, Newton Cultural Development is working with local nonprofits, organizations and individuals to fund and organize art projects in the city, including artist-painted doors and live-streamed concerts. Paula Gannon, the director of Newton Cultural Development, said art plays a part in helping residents cope with the pandemic. [...]
The first time Maria Finkelmeier saw the Hatch Memorial Shell on the Charles River Esplanade, she was a kid in Cincinnati watching Boston Pops concerts with her family on TV. After moving to Boston as an adult, she got to enjoy many in-person experiences with the site — from biking the area when she was dating her now husband, to catching concerts by Boston Landmarks Orchestra on hot summer evenings. As a professional percussionist, she even got to perform on the stage. “The Hatch Shell has this deep-rooted history with orchestral music,’’ Finkelmeier said via phone recently. But with a new multi-sensory art installation, she said, “we’re pivoting to say ‘Let’s make this a platform for contemporary music.’ ’’ Commissioned by the Esplanade Association for the park’s 20th anniversary, Finkelmeier’s “Hatched: Breaking Through the Silence’’ will play [...]
Call for Art for Newton Outdoors, a new public art initiative debuting in the Spring. Deadline to apply is February 28, 2021 [...]
Thanks to three cultural organizations in Western Massachusetts, an online music festival is bringing performers like Lake Street Dive, The Fab Faux, and June Millington to screens everywhere. Get Down With Your Hometown is the handiwork of a small group of women — nicknamed the “Giddy-Up Gals’’ — from the Institute of Musical Arts, Shea Theater, and North Star, a Sunderland alternative learning center for middle and high school students. The 38-act program will stream live on Facebook and YouTube Friday and Saturday, free of charge. [...]
As COVID hit Boston in March, a small clutch of rock musician friends became aware that their whole way of life had abruptly gone extinct: gigs, rehearsals, even the hang — the after-show gabbing at favorite bars — all fell victim to the virus. “I so missed going to bars like the Plough and Stars [in Cambridge] to see all my friends play,’’ explained drummer Larry Dersch. “So I suggested we hang out on Zoom.’’ The friends were all veterans of the Boston rock scene of the ’80s and ’90s: [...]
Every kid with a musical bent has fantasized by waving their arms, conducting an imaginary orchestra. For Amelia LeClair, it wasn’t a fantasy. It was her only way to make real music. The founder and director of Cappella Clausura, the ambitious vocal ensemble that specializes in contemporary women composers as well as “the nuns,” as LeClair calls them - early-music pioneers like Barbara Strozzi and Hildegard von Bingen - had to find a way to record her 16 singers and instrumentalists. With live performances on hold, Cappella Clausura came together virtually to record Chiara Margarita Cozzolani’s “Magnificat.” The process began with LeClair, alone. [...]
More than 2,200 artists nationwide — including two dozen from Boston — are carving out a holiday shopping tradition of their own with Artists Sunday. In the style of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Small Business Saturday, Artists Sunday focuses on buying artwork, crafts, and other goods from individual creators. Scheduled this year for Nov. 29, the campaign aims to make this Sunday “the arts’ most profitable day annually,’’ according a release. Participating artists compiled their creations — including sculptures, jewelry, pottery, clothing, crafts, home goods, and more — in a directory on artistssunday.com. Some even scheduled events and activities leading up to the day. [...]
Combining films by, for, or about kids, the Boston International Kids Film Festival celebrates its eighth year, beginning on Nov. 20. Dispensing with its usual in-person screenings this year, the festival will encompass online screenings, interactive Q&As after each screening block, and virtual workshops. The films, chosen by a panel of professional reviewers assembled by nonprofit Filmmakers Collaborative, have been broken up into blocks by audience age, film type, and language. Both professionally and student-made films will be showcased.[...]
NEWTON, MA — A couple near the corner of Grant and Commonwealth avenues, halfway up Heartbreak Hill, had to take down a large tree on their front lawn. Rather than grind the trunk to dust, they decided to have an artist turn it into a sculpture for the community. So what does a homeowner along a key part of the Boston Marathon route choose for a sculpture? That's not a hard call.[...]
