Category: Arts

  • Special Saturday Concerts July 28th in the Library Courtyard

    PMC_5005 - Version 22012-06-29-library-couryard-copley square- boston-massachusetts-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    The Boston Public Library Courtyard is the perfect place to enjoy some fine music. Tomorrow, there will be three, one hour-long concerts for you. We're making this series our Friday Link and turning over the keyboard to the concert organizers for details.

    "Saturday, July 28, 11:00 am. – Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble
    Since its inception in 2000, the Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble has presented diverse programs from the chamber music repertoire for wind and string instruments. Each member of the Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble brings a high level of musical artistry to the group, and they are quickly becoming known throughout the Boston area as outstanding musicians.

    Saturday, July 28, 12:30 p.m. – The Brant Grieshaber Trio
    A consummate band leader, soloist, and sideman, Brant Grieshaber performs all over New England, from the Maine Music Society to the Beantown Swing Orchestra, and from the Beehive to Johnny D's. He's shared the stage with jazz giants such as Grammy nominee Bill Frisell, James Carter, and Charlie Hunter.

    Saturday, July 28, 2:00 p.m.  – Annie Sharkey
    Annie Sharkey began her career in musical theater in New York City. She has been a vocalist in the Boston area for over 25 years in various venues, including Broadway, cabaret, top forty, original rock, an oldies show band, and as a vocalist for the Winiker Orchestras.

    The Boston Public Library’s regular Friday afternoon concert series features music that ranges from jazz to classical and from folk to funk at 12:30 p.m., each week, through August 31. For more information, visit www.bpl.org/concerts."

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    Details:


    Boston Public Library, Copley Square (map)

    700 Boylston Street
    Boston, MA 02116
    (617) 536-5400

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino  

    Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

  • Special Saturday Concerts July 28th in the Library Courtyard

    PMC_5005 - Version 22012-06-29-library-couryard-copley square- boston-massachusetts-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    The Boston Public Library Courtyard is the perfect place to enjoy some fine music. Tomorrow, there will be three, one hour-long concerts for you. We're making this series our Friday Link and turning over the keyboard to the concert organizers for details.

    "Saturday, July 28, 11:00 am. – Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble
    Since its inception in 2000, the Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble has presented diverse programs from the chamber music repertoire for wind and string instruments. Each member of the Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble brings a high level of musical artistry to the group, and they are quickly becoming known throughout the Boston area as outstanding musicians.

    Saturday, July 28, 12:30 p.m. – The Brant Grieshaber Trio
    A consummate band leader, soloist, and sideman, Brant Grieshaber performs all over New England, from the Maine Music Society to the Beantown Swing Orchestra, and from the Beehive to Johnny D's. He's shared the stage with jazz giants such as Grammy nominee Bill Frisell, James Carter, and Charlie Hunter.

    Saturday, July 28, 2:00 p.m.  – Annie Sharkey
    Annie Sharkey began her career in musical theater in New York City. She has been a vocalist in the Boston area for over 25 years in various venues, including Broadway, cabaret, top forty, original rock, an oldies show band, and as a vocalist for the Winiker Orchestras.

    The Boston Public Library’s regular Friday afternoon concert series features music that ranges from jazz to classical and from folk to funk at 12:30 p.m., each week, through August 31. For more information, visit www.bpl.org/concerts."

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    Details:


    Boston Public Library, Copley Square (map)

    700 Boylston Street
    Boston, MA 02116
    (617) 536-5400

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino  

    Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

  • Love Those South End Fences

    DSC_6563 - Version 22012-07-06-south-end-cash-iron-fences-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    As a fan of traditional architecture, different parts of Boston attract me with their delightful details. The South End is rich in wonderful buildings filled with outstanding design elements. But as I walk there, my eye is constantly seeking out the rows of cast iron fences marching along the streets. 

    Fences, like the one in Ed's photo above, have an unmistakable strength and dignity and seem to unite buildings into strings of neighbors. With the brick sidewalks, they give you a sense of time and place.

    A big thank you to The South End Historical Society for helping to restore and preserve this trademark in their neighborhood.

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    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photography: © 2012 Ed Cherubino  

    Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

  • Small Rice Bowls Let Flavors Shine

    We love our collection of rice bowls. They fill the dishwasher at night because we find uses for them all day long. 

      IMG_5190 - Version 22012-05-23-pro-basil-take-out-tip-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    When we order take-out from a place like Pho Basil (where the chef really works to develop a specific flavor for each dish), we can use small rice bowls to savor each item without mixing.

    In the photo, there's a portion of rice in each bowl with tangerine pork (on the left), and yellow curry with vegetables topped by crispy chicken (on the right). You can savor the sauce exactly as intended by its creator. No mixing sweet and sour with red curry!

    We like white dishes but rice bowls let you go as tame or as inspired as you wish.

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    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino  

    Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

  • Take a July 4th Revolutionary Stroll in the Heart of Boston

    While you're waiting for the concert and fireworks, consider taking a stroll to visit some of the people who led the battle for independence. 

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    In addition to George Washington, you'll also find statues honoring Revolutionary heroes Colonel Thomas Cass, and Tadeusz Kościuszko in the Boston Public Garden.

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    The Commonwealth Avenue Mall has three important figures from the Revolutionary War: Alexander Hamilton, General John Glover, and Abigail Adams

    And, of course, the Freedom Trail is the perfect hop-on-hop-off path that honors the people and places that played a leading role in what we celebrate today!

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    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

    Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

  • Esplanade Concert Stages before the Hatch Shell

    Since 1940, Boston Pops Concerts on the Esplanade have been held at the Edward Hatch Memorial Concertorium, better known as the Hatch Shell. But, there have been concert stages along the river since July 4th, 1929.

    38firstshell copy - Version 42006-10-20-first-music-shell-esplanade-Courtesy of State Archives© 2011 Penny Cherubino2006-10-20-Boston-pops-Hatch Shell postcard-© 2011 Penny Cherubino
    (Photo courtesy of the Massachusetts DCR Archives)

    The Hatch Shell replaced temporary music stages that had been used for Arthur Fiedler’s Esplanade concerts since the inaugural event. The first concert stage was a small platform backed by a shell-shaped sounding board made of wood. This structure was erected and dismantled for each season’s concerts.

    Second stage Metal2011-06-20-Boston-pops-concert stage-metal-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    In 1934, this was replaced by a temporary steel structure. While it was designed with an open back, it was described as, “insufferably hot” by Linda Cox in, “The Charles River Esplanade, Its Fascinating History.”

      Hatch Shell postcard2011-06-22-Boston-pops-Hatch Shell postcard-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    In 1939, the trustees of Maria E. Hatch’s estate entered into an agreement to give the Commonwealth of Massachusetts $300,000 to build a concertorium or music shell on the Storrow Memorial Embankment in Boston. It would be a memorial to her bother, Boston real estate auctioneer, Edward Hatch.

    The agreement was very specific as to the use of the structure. It would be for “musical and artistic purposes… of general public interest and entertainment, except, however, that it shall not be used for sectarian, political or controversial purposes.”

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    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Postcards are from a private collection 

  • Pride: 40 Years of Protest & Celebration

    This year's Boston Pride Week (June 1-10, 2012) is the perfect opportunity to visit the art gallery at the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE). On view, right now, is Pride: 40 years of Protest & Celebration.

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    (Photo courtesy of the History Project)

    This is a joint project between the (BCAE) and The History Project. Drawn from The History Project’s archive, the exhibition traces the development of Pride in Boston from a sparsely attended protest to a massive celebration drawing hundreds of thousands of participants each June.

    The pieces displayed in the exhibition, showcase the immense cultural and political changes that have affected New England’s LGBTQ communities over the decades. 

    JoelBenjamin Pride 1

    (Photo by Joel Benjamin)

    Accompanying Pride: 40 Years of Protest & Celebration will be Fierce Pride: 1992, an exhibition of portraits taken during the 1992 Pride Celebration by Photographer Joel Benjamin. These never-before-exhibited portraits reflect the rich diversity of LGBTQ communities and the role of Pride in creating a safe space for self-expression.

    IMG_5196 - Version 22012-05-25-Pride, 4o years of pride- bcae-© 2011 Penny Cherubino   DSC_5100 - Version 22012-05-25-Pride, 4o years of pride- bcae-© 2011 Penny Cherubino   IMG_5202 - Version 22012-05-25-Pride, 4o years of pride- bcae-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    Click on any image to see a larger version.

    As photographers, we are grateful when organizations like BCAE open their gallery space to photographic art. And, we applaud collections and archives like those compiled by The History Project that save and share the work across time.

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    Details:

    Boston Center for Adult Education 
    122 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116 (map)
    Phone: (617) 267-4430 

    www.bcae.org

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © Courtesy of BCAE 

    Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

  • Classic “Art” Gone Punk

    PMC_1021 - Version 22012-04-11-statue-art-boston-public-library-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    The classical statue representing art outside the Boston Public Library took on a punk look for a few days.

    This work was created by Boston sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt, who was a teacher at the School of the Museum of Fine Art. When his mentor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, could not complete the commissioned artwork for this area, Pratt was selected to create two statues representing Art and Science.

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    Here's a photo of a model for the statue from the Boston Public Library Collection. (Used under this creative commons license.) I wondered if those two lamps were ever part of the finished work and checked through photographs on file from the time the libary was completed. They never appear. 

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    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

    Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

  • Made by Hand, a Handcrafted Friday Link

    The upcoming, juried exhibition, “Made by Hand: a celebration of exceptional work from the North Bennet Street School” is our Friday link.

      Made by hand

    We never cease to be enthralled by the work that comes from the students and alumni of this Boston treasure and look forward to seeing this collection of hand-made objects painstakingly crafted by the school’s students and alumni– from elegant furniture and one-of-a-kind musical instruments to exquisite jewelry and ornate hand-bound books. 

    Here's a sneak preview they have shared with us! In the photos below (left to right) are:

    • Handmade pendant by Laurie Berezin, NBSS ‘11
    • Handmade fiddle by David Golber, NBSS ‘98
    • Decorative bench by Jerry deRham, NBSS ‘83
    • Hand-bound book cover by Kevin Sheby, NBSS ‘13
    • Grandfather clock by Juan Pablo Blanco, NBSS ’12 
    • Photo courtesy of North Bennet Street School  069
    • Photo courtesy of North Bennet Street School  065
    • Photo courtesy of North Bennet Street School  066
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    Photo courtesy of North Bennet Street School  068
    Click on the small photos above to see a larger version in the viewer window.

     

    • What: Made by Hand: a celebration of exceptional work from the North Bennet Street School
    • Where: Main Lobby, 125 High Street, Boston MA  (map)       
    • When: Monday, May 7 through Friday, May 18, 2012
    • Hours: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm daily. 
    • Admission: Free
    • Handicap Access: Yes
    • Reservations: Not required.
    • Nearest parking: 125 High Street garage. Limited street parking (metered).
    • Nearest T stop: South Station (Red line)
    • More Information about the show: 617-227-0155 or see the online page.

    If you clicked over to the North Bennet Street School site, it may have made you think that you'd like to learn a new skill or give someone you love the chance to explore the life-changing opportunities inside those walls. 

    Here are some books to inspire you to do just that, at any age!

    It's Only Too Late If You Don't Start Now: HOW TO CREATE YOUR SECOND LIFE AT ANY AGE

    The Renaissance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One

    The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World

      

    Details:

    North Bennet Street School

    39 N Bennet St.
    Boston, MA 02113-1914 (map & reviews)
    (617) 227-0155

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

    Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We reserve the right to edit ads out of comments.

  • Dot by Dot: Recent Work by Artist Bob Oppenheim

    Bob Oppenheim Dot by dot

    Tonight, a show of recent work by our friend, Bob Oppenheim opens at the Trustman Art Gallery at Simmons College. This is a great opportuntiy to not only see some of Bob's work but also to add another venue for exploring art to your leisure time list. The gallery exhibits the work of professional artists and has a yearly exhibition of student work.

    Dot by Dot

    April 30-June1, 2012

    Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m

    Gallery reception, Tuesday May 1, 5pm-7pm

    Closed May 18th

    Trustman Art Gallery
    Main College Building, Fourth Floor
    300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115-5898 (map)

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    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

    Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.