Category: Arts

North Bennet Street School’s “Made by Hand: an exhibit of extraordinary craftsmanship”

The North Bennet Street School is a Boston treasure where students follow their hearts and make their career dreams come true. From May 18th to the 29th, 2015 the school presents, "Made by Hand: an exhibit of extraordinary craftsmanship." (details below)

At this event, you can view dozens of one-of-a-kind objects created by North Bennet Street School students and alumni.

If you've been following along with us for the past decade, you know that this BostonZest team is a big fan of fine craftsmanship. We admit to having a fascination with this magical place and the people who make it so special. Here are a few examples of what to expect.

Title: Spice Cabinet Artist: Chris Anderson, Materials: walnut, holly, black locust, red cedar

Title: Samurai Chain Mail Bracelet Artist: John Gifford, Materials: 18-karat yellow gold

Title: 1580 Gasparo Da Salo (copy) Artist: Julia Felix, Materials: Ebony, Bosnian Maple, European Spruce

Title: The Robin and the Wren, Artist: Becky Koch, Materials: cave paper, goat skin

QUICK FACTS:

Once again, we must thank the information team at NBSS for putting together this great quick facts guide for our readers.

Event title: “Made by Hand: an exhibit of extraordinary craftsmanship”

Where: Windgate Gallery, North Bennet Street School, 150 North Street, Boston MA 02109

When: weekdays, May 18 through May 29, 2015 (closed Tuesday, May 19), and Saturday May 23

Hours: weekdays, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. (Friday, May 29, 8:00am – noon.) Saturday 9:00am – 4:30pm

Admission: Free

Handicap Access: Yes

Reservations: Not required for the main exhibition. Pre-arranged guided tours of the school available, provided reservations are made at least one day in advance.

Parking: Limited street parking (metered) and discounted parking at the Parcel 7 garage –http://www.nbss.edu/about/the-boston-area/visit/index.aspx#

Nearest T stop: Haymarket (Orange, Green lines)

Directions: via Google maps – http://goo.gl/maps/97sY4

More exhibition details: http://www.nbss.edu/about/news/student-and-alumni-exhibit2015/index.aspx
More about NBSS full-time programs and workshops: http://www.nbss.edu

In conjunction with the annual exhibition, a limited number of daily guided tours will be offered beginning Wednesday, May 20th. Tours must be scheduled at least one day in advance. For reservations, contact Chris Jankowski at 617-227-0155, x170 and cjankowski@nbss.edu.

This is a wonderful opportunity to discover this amazing place full of very talented people.

What's on your Artistic shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your arts & craft needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: Courtesy of North Bennet Street School

May 15, 2015
North Bennet Street School’s “Made by Hand: an exhibit of extraordinary craftsmanship”

The North Bennet Street School is a Boston treasure where students follow their hearts and make their career dreams come true. From May 18th to the 29th, 2015 the school presents, "Made by Hand: an exhibit of extraordinary craftsmanship." (details below)

At this event, you can view dozens of one-of-a-kind objects created by North Bennet Street School students and alumni.

If you've been following along with us for the past decade, you know that this BostonZest team is a big fan of fine craftsmanship. We admit to having a fascination with this magical place and the people who make it so special. Here are a few examples of what to expect.

Title: Spice Cabinet Artist: Chris Anderson, Materials: walnut, holly, black locust, red cedar

Title: Samurai Chain Mail Bracelet Artist: John Gifford, Materials: 18-karat yellow gold

Title: 1580 Gasparo Da Salo (copy) Artist: Julia Felix, Materials: Ebony, Bosnian Maple, European Spruce

Title: The Robin and the Wren, Artist: Becky Koch, Materials: cave paper, goat skin

QUICK FACTS:

Once again, we must thank the information team at NBSS for putting together this great quick facts guide for our readers.

Event title: “Made by Hand: an exhibit of extraordinary craftsmanship”

Where: Windgate Gallery, North Bennet Street School, 150 North Street, Boston MA 02109

When: weekdays, May 18 through May 29, 2015 (closed Tuesday, May 19), and Saturday May 23

Hours: weekdays, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. (Friday, May 29, 8:00am – noon.) Saturday 9:00am – 4:30pm

Admission: Free

Handicap Access: Yes

Reservations: Not required for the main exhibition. Pre-arranged guided tours of the school available, provided reservations are made at least one day in advance.

Parking: Limited street parking (metered) and discounted parking at the Parcel 7 garage –http://www.nbss.edu/about/the-boston-area/visit/index.aspx#

Nearest T stop: Haymarket (Orange, Green lines)

Directions: via Google maps – http://goo.gl/maps/97sY4

More exhibition details: http://www.nbss.edu/about/news/student-and-alumni-exhibit2015/index.aspx
More about NBSS full-time programs and workshops: http://www.nbss.edu

In conjunction with the annual exhibition, a limited number of daily guided tours will be offered beginning Wednesday, May 20th. Tours must be scheduled at least one day in advance. For reservations, contact Chris Jankowski at 617-227-0155, x170 and cjankowski@nbss.edu.

This is a wonderful opportunity to discover this amazing place full of very talented people.

What's on your Artistic shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your arts & craft needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: Courtesy of North Bennet Street School

May 15, 2015
Fresh Paint Day 2015 Is Sunday, April 26th

Today's Friday Link is to the Copley Society who will kick off their annual Fresh Paint fund raising event this Sunday by sprinkling the artist members of the group around the city to create fresh artwork.

Those creations will be auctioned off at their Gala event on May 9th.

We love using this event to enjoy a spring walk around Boston. We download a map from the Copley Society site or pick up one from the first artist we see. Then, we wander around visiting with the artists working on their contributions to the event.

What's on your Artistic shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your arts & craft needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2011 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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April 24, 2015
Fresh Paint Day 2015 Is Sunday, April 26th

Today's Friday Link is to the Copley Society who will kick off their annual Fresh Paint fund raising event this Sunday by sprinkling the artist members of the group around the city to create fresh artwork.

Those creations will be auctioned off at their Gala event on May 9th.

We love using this event to enjoy a spring walk around Boston. We download a map from the Copley Society site or pick up one from the first artist we see. Then, we wander around visiting with the artists working on their contributions to the event.

What's on your Artistic shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your arts & craft needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2011 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

What's Happening Around Boston in April 2015

Doin' the Pothole Dance!

April 24, 2015
Roses for Sarmiento

Those who walk by the statue of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall may not realize how important this spot is to those visiting Boston from Argentina.

This week, someone placed roses on the paving stones that The Garden Club of the Back Bay members added among the plantings around the sculpture.

These stones were put in place to make it easier for people to have photos taken of themselves or their group with the statue. Ed and I often volunteer to take these photos with visitors' cameras and we're fairly sure other neighbors do the same.

This was not among my favorite sculptures when I first encountered it, but over the years I've come to associate it with the people who take time out of their few hours in Boston to stop and pay tribute, have a photo taken for the folks back home, and, in at least one instance, stand with tears in their eyes looking up at a former President of Argentina being honored in a foreign land.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2015 Ed Cherubino

April 16, 2015
Roses for Sarmiento

Those who walk by the statue of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall may not realize how important this spot is to those visiting Boston from Argentina.

This week, someone placed roses on the paving stones that The Garden Club of the Back Bay members added among the plantings around the sculpture.

These stones were put in place to make it easier for people to have photos taken of themselves or their group with the statue. Ed and I often volunteer to take these photos with visitors' cameras and we're fairly sure other neighbors do the same.

This was not among my favorite sculptures when I first encountered it, but over the years I've come to associate it with the people who take time out of their few hours in Boston to stop and pay tribute, have a photo taken for the folks back home, and, in at least one instance, stand with tears in their eyes looking up at a former President of Argentina being honored in a foreign land.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2015 Ed Cherubino

April 16, 2015
Does a Sculptor Think About Snow?

Since February is Black History Month, Ed and I have been photographing subjects that help us think about this aspect of Boston's past. The sculpture of slave and poet Phillis Wheatley on the Boston Women's Memorial has long been one of my favorite photographic models. (Click on the photo for a larger view.)

At the dedication ceremony, memorial sculptor Meredith Bergmann said,

“External, legal freedom was denied to Phillis Wheatley. But she sought the inner freedom that enabled her to write and here she makes her pedestal a desk.”

I've read Bergmann's proposal for the memorial so I know how much thought she put into the smallest details of this artwork. But, I wonder if she considered how serene Phillis would seem with snowdrifts wrapping her and her desk? Did she plan for the light to outline this young face against the misty haze of winter trees?

Planned or not, the result can be stunning in the right light and, on one of our rare partly sunny days last week, I found that light.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2015 Penny Cherubino

February 9, 2015
Gordon Parks Exhibition & MFA Open House for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

A very special and timely exhibition, Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott, will open tomorrow at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MFA). In addition, the MFA has announced a free open house on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The MFA Says:

Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott (January 17–September 13, 2015) traces Parks’ return to his hometown of Fort Scott, Kansas and then to other Midwestern cities, to track down and photograph each of his childhood classmates. On view in the MFA’s Art of the Americas Wing, the exhibition’s 42 photographs were from a series originally meant to accompany a Life magazine photo essay—but for reasons unknown, the story was never published. The images depict the realities of life under segregation in 1950—presenting a rarely seen view of everyday lives of African-American citizens in the years before the Civil Rights movement began in earnest.

We Say:

This has been on our calendar since we first read about it. We have so much to learn from this multi-talented man.

Make this exhibition more enjoyable by doing your homework before attending.

The MFA gives you some tools for learning about an exhibition like this on it's website. We often rely on the press releases they send out to understand why a particular subject was selected and about the people and organizations that make an exhibition possible. Here's a link to the press release for Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott.

For each of its exhibitions, the MFA sets up a page that gives the details and often adds some resources that allow you to learn a bit about the topic before you attend. For this exhibition, they have a slideshow that lets you preview a few of the images and a short video by the curator, Karen Haas.

The museum has also announced the publication of the book Common Wealth: Art by African Americans in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

And, if you want to attend the exhibition at a time when there is something special scheduled around the topic, you'll find a "More Events" button near the top of that page.

We've also taken advantage of the Boston Public Library's resources on Gordon Parks and are reading some of his poetry and his memoir.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2015 Penny Cherubino, And screenshots courtesy of the MFA

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January 16, 2015
North Bennet Street School Open House in Their New Facility

We've told you about the open houses held at North Bennet Street School in the past. This Boston treasure trove is a place that turns dreams into reality. We have November 14 & 15 marked on our calendars because we can't wait to see the new facility at 150 North Street.

They say:

"Aspiring furniture makers, bookbinders, carpenters, jewelry makers – or those merely curious about the process of making beautiful things by hand – are invited to a special behind-the-scenes look at one of America's oldest schools of craftsmanship during a two-day open house at North Bennet Street School’s new facility at 150 North Street in Boston's historic North End."

We say:

This is a great way to spend some time meeting people who have gone after their dreams. Who knows, a door may open for you and you'll become a student. Or, perhaps you'll decide to explore one of the fine crafts they teach at a workshop or short course.

Or, you may decide to put someone's feet on the path to their dream with a North Bennet Street School gift certificate as a holiday gift.

Everything You Need to Know to Visit

As always, when the school provides us with information for an upcoming event, they think of all the little details that make it easy for our readers to get there and enjoy their visit.

Who: North Bennet Street School

What: Annual Open House and Open Studios

Where: 150 North Street, Boston, MA 02109 (North End, just off the Rose Kennedy Greenway)

When: Friday, November 14, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm; Saturday, November 15, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Cost: FREE

Handicap Access: Yes

Parking: Limited street parking (metered) and discounted parking at the Parcel 7 garage – http://www.nbss.edu/about/the-boston-area/visit/index.aspx#

Nearest T stop: Haymarket (Orange, Green lines)

Directions: via Google maps – http://goo.gl/maps/97sY4

More Open House details: www.nbss.edu/openhouse

More about NBSS full-time programs and workshops: http://www.nbss.edu

Contact: 617-227-0155 and admissions@nbss.edu

What's on your Artistic Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your arts & craft needs, and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: by Maureen Cotton, Courtesy of North Bennet Street School

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November 14, 2014
Roslindale: Open Studios & More Is Our Friday Link

On one of our many visits to the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, Penny picked up a flier for the 10th Annual Roslindale Open Studios to be held this weekend. (November 1st and 2nd from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.)

This is a great opportunity to explore Roslindale, one of Boston's "hidden treasure villages." We love this place – lots of great food and small businesses.

If you go on Saturday, you can add the Roslindale Farmers' Market to the mix. We haven't posted about this market for a while, but it's still going strong with a great group of vendors. Here's our post from a few years ago.

A Food Lovers Destination

We've also covered a few wonderful food spots that are still going strong:

Fornax Bread Company is a must stop for all bread-a-holics like Ed.

Romano's, where we recommend getting tacos from a pizzeria.

Boston Cheese Cellar is another must stop to put on your walking map.

While this may not be a typical tourist destination, it is a great outing for someone who wants to discover a new corner of the city.

What's on your Artistic Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your arts & craft needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: Courtesy of Roslindale Open Studios & Roslindale Farmers Market, Other photos Penny Cherubino

October 31, 2014