bostonzest

Category: Arts

  • Who Are the Men Depicted in These Profiles on Boston’s Statue of Alexander Hamilton?

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    You may have walked by the statue of Alexander Hamilton on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall dozens of times. Did you ever wonder who the three men are in the bas-relief profile on the base? 

    According to the Smithsonian Museum's database of outdoor sculpture, they are (from right to left) George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.

    Here are a few tidbits you may not know about this statue of Alexander Hamilton.

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    • This sculpture has been located between Arlington and Berkeley Streets on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall since 1865. 
    • It's one of the few surviving works by Dr. William Rimmer, whose father claimed to be Louis XVII, heir to the French throne. 
    • In the book, A Guide to Public Art in Greater Boston, Marty Carlock says Rimmer's interest in anatomy led him to a career in medicine which he practiced for a few years. Rimmer became a full-time sculptor at age forty-five.

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    • This is the only sculpture carved from stone on the Mall. Since Rimmer was self-taught, he used his own technique to create it. According to Public Art Boston, this technique makes the sculpture "particularly fragile and difficult to maintain."
    • The Friends of the Public Garden have taken on the responsibility for restoring and then providing annual maintenance of the artwork in The Boston Common, Boston Public Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
    • To help The Friends pay for this work, you can contribute to the Henry Lee Conservation Fund.

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    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2008-2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

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    Does a Sculptor Think About Snow?
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  • Fenway Studios 2016 Open Studios Is This Weekend, November 12th & 13th

    You are invited behind these historic doors this weekend to visit a fabulous example of purpose-built architecture and a fascinating community of artists that make up Fenway Studios.

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    It is an event we look forward to each year. Rather than trying to visit each floor and each artist, we try to spend some quality time with just a few and then a few different artists the next year.

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    Here is a list of the artists who will be taking part in this year's event. And, with the event coming just before Thanksgiving, this community is asking visitors to help the larger community. They say, 

    "The Open Studios committee also uses this event as an opportunity to solicit donations to the Greater Boston Food Bank. Visitors are asked to bring a non-perishable food item, which the artists then deliver to GBFB. 
    Click here to find out more about the GBFB’s most needed items."

     

    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: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

  • Fenway Studios 2016 Open Studios Is This Weekend, November 12th & 13th

    You are invited behind these historic doors this weekend to visit a fabulous example of purpose-built architecture and a fascinating community of artists that make up Fenway Studios.

    6a00e54fc42bb88834017c332c82ec970b-800wi

    It is an event we look forward to each year. Rather than trying to visit each floor and each artist, we try to spend some quality time with just a few and then a few different artists the next year.

    Openstudios_86_928890584 (1)

    Here is a list of the artists who will be taking part in this year's event. And, with the event coming just before Thanksgiving, this community is asking visitors to help the larger community. They say, 

    "The Open Studios committee also uses this event as an opportunity to solicit donations to the Greater Boston Food Bank. Visitors are asked to bring a non-perishable food item, which the artists then deliver to GBFB. 
    Click here to find out more about the GBFB’s most needed items."

     

    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: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

  • Sunrise Spotlights the Architecture: Today In Boston!

    Each morning the angle of the sun points out a different building or architectural detail with its selective spotlight.  

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    "I like that time is marked by each sunrise and sunset whether or not you actually see it." Catherine Opie (Fine art photographer)

    About Today in Boston: We keep hearing that people miss our cover photos that ran for years in the Back Bay Sun. That assignment was to provide a photo that showed what the week was like in the neighborhood. Often the photos illustrated favorite quotations. Today in Boston is an occasional offering to our BostonZest readers featuring photos along the same theme but taken wherever we happen to be.

    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: © 2016 Penny Cherubino  

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  • Sunrise Spotlights the Architecture: Today In Boston!

    Each morning the angle of the sun points out a different building or architectural detail with its selective spotlight.  

    CHE_2132

    "I like that time is marked by each sunrise and sunset whether or not you actually see it." Catherine Opie (Fine art photographer)

    About Today in Boston: We keep hearing that people miss our cover photos that ran for years in the Back Bay Sun. That assignment was to provide a photo that showed what the week was like in the neighborhood. Often the photos illustrated favorite quotations. Today in Boston is an occasional offering to our BostonZest readers featuring photos along the same theme but taken wherever we happen to be.

    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: © 2016 Penny Cherubino  

    Related articles
    Then & Now: 176 Marlborough Street by Developer Eben Dyer Jordan #throwbackthursday
    Marlborough Street Jack-O-Lanterns Ready for Halloween: Today In Boston! – BostonZest
    Halloween Humor at 5 Commonwealth Avenue: Today In Boston! – BostonZest
    Back Bay Houses (.Org) Expands and Wins a Preservation Award.

  • Sunday Is Leif Erikson Day, Discover his Boston Statue!

    October 9th has been the official Leif Erikson Day since Congress declared it so in 1964. If Hurricane Matthew allows us to have a nice day on Sunday, we suggest you take a walk along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall to the corner of Charlesgate East (map) and discover Boston's Memorial to this Viking explorer. 

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    At the moment, many details of the monument are hidden by tropical plants. 

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    In this photo from the Boston Public Library Collection, you can see that he stands above a dragon-headed boat and that boat would have been the basin for a fountain rather than a planter.

    According to an 1887 Boston Globe article, the memorial's dedication was originally located on a traffic island at Commonwealth Avenue and West Chester Park, the former name of Massachusetts Avenue. We are still trying to confirm when it was relocated.

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    Here's a photo that Penny took a few seasons ago with more of the monument showing in the setting sun.

    Plan a return visit!

    Be sure to come back in winter to discover all the lovely details that sculptor Anne Whitney incorporated into this work of art. A few years ago, we interviewed Sarah Hutt, the Friends of the Public Garden Collections Care Manager. She admitted that this is her favorite statue on the Mall. “I just find that so playful,” she said. “I’ve had the opportunity to go up on the scaffolding [during a restoration] and look at it. There is so much interesting detail… It has all these little stories of his voyages engraved in it.”  

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    How Do You Spell It? 

    Back in 1000, when this man was said to be sailing up the Charles, people were not as fussy about spelling as we are today. References to him include the following spellings: Leif, Leifur, Leiv, Erikson, Ericson, Ericsson, or Ericksson. As you can see on the information plaque attached to the statue, the city has gone with the Leif Erikson version so we are following their example for now. 

    Our research files on this monument contain many more interesting tidbits that we'll share at a later date. For now, enjoy the fall weather and take a walk to see this piece of Boston public art.

    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: © 2016 Penny Cherubino, historic photo by Moulton Photograph Co. courtesy of the Boston Public Library.

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    Lucy Stone and a Leaf (Part 2)

  • Sunday Is Leif Erikson Day, Discover his Boston Statue!

    October 9th has been the official Leif Erikson Day since Congress declared it so in 1964. If Hurricane Matthew allows us to have a nice day on Sunday, we suggest you take a walk along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall to the corner of Charlesgate East (map) and discover Boston's Memorial to this Viking explorer. 

    IMG_0623 copy

    At the moment, many details of the monument are hidden by tropical plants. 

    5790833630_3043cb0850_z

    In this photo from the Boston Public Library Collection, you can see that he stands above a dragon-headed boat and that boat would have been the basin for a fountain rather than a planter.

    According to an 1887 Boston Globe article, the memorial's dedication was originally located on a traffic island at Commonwealth Avenue and West Chester Park, the former name of Massachusetts Avenue. We are still trying to confirm when it was relocated.

    20101102DSC_8714 - Version 3 copy

    Here's a photo that Penny took a few seasons ago with more of the monument showing in the setting sun.

    Plan a return visit!

    Be sure to come back in winter to discover all the lovely details that sculptor Anne Whitney incorporated into this work of art. A few years ago, we interviewed Sarah Hutt, the Friends of the Public Garden Collections Care Manager. She admitted that this is her favorite statue on the Mall. “I just find that so playful,” she said. “I’ve had the opportunity to go up on the scaffolding [during a restoration] and look at it. There is so much interesting detail… It has all these little stories of his voyages engraved in it.”  

    IMG_0632

    How Do You Spell It? 

    Back in 1000, when this man was said to be sailing up the Charles, people were not as fussy about spelling as we are today. References to him include the following spellings: Leif, Leifur, Leiv, Erikson, Ericson, Ericsson, or Ericksson. As you can see on the information plaque attached to the statue, the city has gone with the Leif Erikson version so we are following their example for now. 

    Our research files on this monument contain many more interesting tidbits that we'll share at a later date. For now, enjoy the fall weather and take a walk to see this piece of Boston public art.

    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: © 2016 Penny Cherubino, historic photo by Moulton Photograph Co. courtesy of the Boston Public Library.

    Related articles
    Russet May Be the Color of Autumn 2016 in Boston – BostonZest
    Boston Area Commencement Dates for Spring Impact Hotel Prices, Availability, Restaurant Reservations and More
    Lucy Stone and a Leaf (Part 2)

  • Time to Trim the Magnolias!

    Back in 2011, Penny wrote an article for the Back Bay Sun about caring for the trees damaged in a blizzard. Today we ask that those of you responsible for the beautiful magnolias and other lush trees around the city prevent this from happening again. 

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    Currently the magnolias along Commonwealth Avenue, for example, are lush, full, and offer lovely shade. We enjoy walking under their protection on hot summer days. However many of them the are very much in need of pruning before the next round of winter or early spring storms.

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    Broken magnolia after a blizzard in 2011.

    Back in 2011, arborist Bobby Loree of Boston Tree Company reassured homeowners saying, “The first thing is don’t panic. It may look awful, but magnolias are resilient and grow fast. Many of the magnolias that got broken up badly in the April Fools day storm of about a dozen years ago recovered nicely though they looked hopeless at the time.”

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    The Trees Have Recovered

    And now they need pruning for a few reasons. Trees with dense foliage and branches are more likely to be damaged in hurricanes and northeasters because they resist the wind rather the letting it pass through.

    The weight of heavy snow that collects on branches can cause breakage even when the foliage is not out. Should it be a spring storm when the trees are in leaf, it can be much worse. A good pruning can make a world of difference in the outcome. 

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    As a courtesy to pedestrians, trees should be trimmed high enough above the sidewalk so that people can pass under them even when rain and snow lower the branches. Right now you have to be well under 6 foot to walk under some of these trees. 

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    Call a Pro

    Take a few minutes to examine your tree canopy. How dense is it? Are there branches rubbing on one another that might cause damage in a wind storm? Would a heavy snow be caught up in your tree with branches breaking from the weight? If so, it's time to call an arborist to evaluate and perhaps prune your trees.

    As Boston’s Tree Warden Greg Mosman said back in 2011, “Trees should be cared for by professionals and proper pruning can reduce damage in extreme weather conditions, though no amount of pruning can totally prevent damage.” He advised, "Pruning should be done by a certified arborist."

     

    Related articles
    Confused Plants and More November Foliage
    November Foliage in the Heart of Boston
    The Hope of Spring …
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  • Time to Trim the Magnolias!

    Back in 2011, Penny wrote an article for the Back Bay Sun about caring for the trees damaged in a blizzard. Today we ask that those of you responsible for the beautiful magnolias and other lush trees around the city prevent this from happening again. 

    IMG_8295

    Currently the magnolias along Commonwealth Avenue, for example, are lush, full, and offer lovely shade. We enjoy walking under their protection on hot summer days. However many of them the are very much in need of pruning before the next round of winter or early spring storms.

    BBS0125tree-care copy

    Broken magnolia after a blizzard in 2011.

    Back in 2011, arborist Bobby Loree of Boston Tree Company reassured homeowners saying, “The first thing is don’t panic. It may look awful, but magnolias are resilient and grow fast. Many of the magnolias that got broken up badly in the April Fools day storm of about a dozen years ago recovered nicely though they looked hopeless at the time.”

    IMG_8265

    The Trees Have Recovered

    And now they need pruning for a few reasons. Trees with dense foliage and branches are more likely to be damaged in hurricanes and northeasters because they resist the wind rather the letting it pass through.

    The weight of heavy snow that collects on branches can cause breakage even when the foliage is not out. Should it be a spring storm when the trees are in leaf, it can be much worse. A good pruning can make a world of difference in the outcome. 

    IMG_8291

    As a courtesy to pedestrians, trees should be trimmed high enough above the sidewalk so that people can pass under them even when rain and snow lower the branches. Right now you have to be well under 6 foot to walk under some of these trees. 

    IMG_8260

    Call a Pro

    Take a few minutes to examine your tree canopy. How dense is it? Are there branches rubbing on one another that might cause damage in a wind storm? Would a heavy snow be caught up in your tree with branches breaking from the weight? If so, it's time to call an arborist to evaluate and perhaps prune your trees.

    As Boston’s Tree Warden Greg Mosman said back in 2011, “Trees should be cared for by professionals and proper pruning can reduce damage in extreme weather conditions, though no amount of pruning can totally prevent damage.” He advised, "Pruning should be done by a certified arborist."

     

    Related articles
    Confused Plants and More November Foliage
    November Foliage in the Heart of Boston
    The Hope of Spring …
    Growing Fond of the Boston Public Garden Fence

  • Concerts in the Courtyard at the Boston Public Library for 2016

    Once again the Boston Public Library comes through with free entertainment for those of us who take advantage of the endless ways this Boston resource serves the public. The Concert in the Courtyard series for 2016 began this week and will continue through August 31st.

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    Here's what the folks at the BPL have told us about this season.

    "Boston Public Library’s free Concerts in the Courtyard series returns June 1 and runs through August 31, featuring a variety of artists and musical genres in the library’s iconic courtyard at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street. Concerts are held on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and on Fridays at 12:30 p.m. All the concerts are free and last approximately one hour. Wednesday concerts are presented in partnership with Berklee College of Music."

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    June Schedule:

    • Rodolfo Arteaga, Wednesday, June 1 ● 6 p.m. Rodolfo Arteaga is a singer-songwriter and cellist from Ciudad Ojeda, Venezuela.
    • Cocek! Brass Band, Friday, June 3 ● 12:30 p.m. Cocek! Brass Band’s original music is based on the sounds of Eastern European brass bands and blends dance music with improvisation and inspiring melodies.
    • Samuel Batista, Wednesday, June 8 ● 6 p.m. Samuel Batista is an alto saxophone player from Panama City, Panama.
    • Moody Street Sound, Friday, June 10 ● 12:30 p.m. Hailing from Lowell, Massachusetts, Moody Street Sound is a sextet specializing in jazz, soul, and the blues.
    • Harshitha Krishnan, Wednesday, June 15 ● 6 p.m. Harshitha Krishnan is a vocalist of Indian origin from Lagos, Nigeria.
    • Duo Esplanade, Friday, June 17 ● 12:30 p.m. Duo Esplanade explores the flexible sounds of flute and clarinet, both as solo instruments and as part of different instrumental combinations in the various styles of standard classical repertoire, new music, and original arrangements.
    • Eduardo Mercuri, Wednesday, June 22 ● 6 p.m. Born in Curitiba, Brazil, guitar player Eduardo Mercuri has performed at the Panama Jazz Festival, Beantown Jazz Festival, and the 2013 Latin Grammys. 
    • Properly Unprepared, Friday, June 24 ● 12:30 p.m. Properly Unprepared is a jazz combo made up of five members with an average age of 18.
    • Kristin Corpuz, Wednesday, June 29 ● 6 p.m. Kristin Corpuz is a singer-songwriter, actress, and dancer from Tampa, Florida, who currently attends Berklee College of Music as a 2013 Presidential Scholar.

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    July Schedule 

    • Phil Berman, Friday, July 1 ● 12:30 p.m.
    • luhx., Wednesday, July 6 ● 6 p.m.
    • Castle of our Skins, Friday, July 8 ● 12:30 p.m.
    • MIXCLA, Wednesday, July 13 ● 6 p.m.
    •  Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble, Friday, July 15 ● 12:30 p.m.
    • Dear June, Wednesday, July 20 ● 6 p.m.
    • Isabel Stover and Molly Flannery, Friday, July 22 ● 12:30 p.m.
    • Shirhan Agabeyli, Wednesday, July 27 ● 6 p.m.
    • Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras’ Intensive Community Program, Friday, July 29 ● 12:30 p.m.

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    August Schedule 

    • Kyle Thornton & The Company, Wednesday, August 3 ● 6 p.m.
    • Kenn Morr Band, Friday, August 5 ● 12:30 p.m.
    • Njoki Karu, Wednesday, August 10 ● 6 p.m.
    • Hiroya Tsukamoto, Friday, August 12 ● 12:30 p.m.
    • James Fernando, Wednesday, August 17 ● 6 p.m.
    • Yi David Yang, Friday, August 19 ● 12:30 p.m.
    • Honeysuckle, Wednesday, August 24 ● 6 p.m.
    • Boston Lyric Opera, Friday, August 26 ● 12:30 p.m.
    • Aliya Cycon Project, Wednesday, August 31 ● 6 p.m.

    Concerts in the Courtyard are generously supported by the Library Programs Fund at the Boston Public Library Foundation. Concerts will be moved indoors in the event of inclement weather. 

     

    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: © 2008-2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino