Arts + Policy

Finding synergy between artists, innovators, developers

Artisan's Asylum expanding footprint in Allston-Brighton

By Antonio Viva and Morgan Pierson Arts and Culture 0 Comments Aug 13, 2022

IF YOU THINK of some of the world’s greatest and most productive cities through history – Florence, Paris, Hong Kong, New York, and of course, Boston – there is an underlying quality that makes them flourish. In these cities, innovators and artists have always worked side by side sharing their creative spirit, knowledge, and entrepreneurial(...)

Fitchburg aims to drive back to the future

Reconfiguring Main St., arts initiative, new housing all pieces of revitalization puzzle

By Michael Jonas Fitchburg, Fitchburg Art Museum, Stephen DiNatale 0 Comments Jul 12, 2022

EARLY ON A RECENT Thursday morning, Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale climbed into the passenger seat of a 1914 Model T and took a ride down Main Street into the city’s future. At first blush, the occasion seemed to mark the kind of humdrum event that could only excite a municipal traffic planner – opening the(...)

In Hynes redevelopment, you’ve got to have arts

State should think boldly -- and creatively -- in planning reuse of convention center

By Craig Coogan 0 Comments Jun 1, 2022

GENE RODDENBERY’S classic television series explored the voyages of the starship Enterprise, exploring new worlds, seeking out new lives and civilizations and to boldly go where nobody has before. We have that opportunity today here on Earth with 4.4 acres of underutilized space in central Boston. Gov. Charlie Baker is moving ahead with a plan(...)

Street mural artists explain their craft

Viewing art as “the creative genius of humanity”

By Shira Schoenberg 0 Comments May 31, 2022

ARTISTS, SAID PERCY FORTINI-WRIGHT, are “documenters” of history. “Without artists, you wouldn’t know what went on in the past,” he said. “Art is what man has created up until now…It’s the most important thing and should be kind of put on a pedestal and not looked at as like art as a profession. It should be(...)

Murals: An emerging form of community development

Many cities find urban art can be transformative

By Shira Schoenberg arts 0 Comments May 30, 2022

THE WALLS OF the affordable housing buildings in The Point neighborhood of Salem have been painted for as long as 15-year-old Bunny Spodick can remember. For a long time, they were painted with nasty messages and graffiti, giving the neighborhood a dim, dark feel, she said. Then El Punto Urban Art Museum started in 2017,(...)

Boston’s corporate sector needs to step up on arts

Firms need to broaden their support beyond large institutions

By Robert H Simonds Arts and creativity 0 Comments May 24, 2022

WHEN I WAS a working musician, few metrics mattered more to me than my orchestra’s concert attendance. A full house has a flywheel effect where the energy between the performers and audience creates a positive feedback loop. It’s no surprise then that corporations tend to support large arts institutions with loyal audiences. This type of corporate sponsorship(...)

CommonWealth wins six awards from New England newspaper association

Four first-place honors across a range of coverage areas among the winning entries

By CommonWealth Staff Journalism awards 0 Comments May 5, 2022

COMMONWEALTH WON SIX AWARDS, including four first-place designations, from the New England Newspaper & Press Association in its Better Newspaper Competition. The awards were for articles written between August 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021. The awards were announced over the weekend at the association’s annual convention in Boston. CommonWealth competed in the category of(...)

Using art to address social issues

Projects across state taking up the challenge

By Beth Francis and Peter Taylor Arts and Culture 0 Comments Apr 14, 2022

First in a series of commentaries on arts in community LeLand Gantt’s performance of Rhapsody in Black was an entry point for people in an overwhelmingly White region to talk about race. This compelling one-man show exploring racism, identity, and self-image was presented virtually in 2021 through a Berkshires community collaboration. Clinton Church Restoration is(...)

New Samuel Slater Experience spotlights ‘father of American manufacturing’

Interactive Disney-like museum teaches about Webster mill magnate

By Shira Schoenberg Arts and Culture, Samuel Slater 0 Comments Mar 6, 2022

AS SAMUEL SLATER traveled from England to the United States in 1789, he voiced his ambitions to revolutionize the US textile industry with knowledge he had gained in England. Yet he also heard the voice of his mentor in his head telling him if he left England, he would be considered “a spy, or worse,(...)

Asian-American/Pacific Islander arts face unique challenges post-COVID

Groups struggled with racism, loss of community

By Shira Schoenberg 0 Comments Feb 21, 2022

TWO YEARS AGO, Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy had 200 students learning martial arts in Malden and Quincy. Its performance team was hired to perform lion and dragon dances and martial arts demonstrations at festivals, weddings, and business openings. Then the pandemic hit. Wah Lum offered classes online. But for students used(...)