PROTESTING THE BARBARIC Ukraine invasion by banning Russian music from orchestral concerts is shortsighted, but replacing the 1812 Overture on July 4th programs is long overdue. Tchaikovsky was born in Russia, but his father’s family came from Ukraine (“Chaika” is the name of a Cossack war boat). He often summered there, and at least 30 of […]
Arts + Policy
Posted inOpinion
How arts enrich the state’s civic life
LOCAL ARTS PROVIDE a wellspring for community – energizing residents and enriching civic life. Our regions benefit from the remarkable ways that arts and cultural expression help people engage, connect, and contribute to more equitable, vibrant places. It happens on multiple levels. Merrimack Valley residents join in municipal development through a question that goes to […]
Posted inOpinion
As history shows, those educated in arts shape the future
THIS YEAR marks a profound milestone in how Massachusetts became a national symbol of ingenuity and creativity, leading the way in preparing new generations to take on the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing economy. In 1871, state leaders had the foresight to make an inspired investment in our Commonwealth’s future. Without the luxury […]
Posted inArts and Culture
‘The Embrace’ is good art, but not good public art
I AGREE WITH those who say “The Embrace” tribute to Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King is good art. But it may not be good public art. Good public art, as understood both in the academy and among regular folks, is art that evokes both historical memory and challenges us in ordering our future […]
Posted inThe Download
GBH host O’Donovan faces bleak prognosis with ‘poetry and prayers’
It was a moment when memories were made, beautifully, poignantly, publicly. Brian O’Donovan, celebrating the 20thyear of his annual live show “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” stood onstage at Boston’s Cutler Majestic Theater with his wife and two of his daughters, along with the rest of the cast. As the audience joined in, they sang the […]
Posted inArts and Culture
GBH host O’Donovan faces bleak prognosis with ‘poetry and prayers’
IT WAS A MOMENT when memories were made, beautifully, poignantly, publicly. Brian O’Donovan, celebrating the 20thyear of his annual live show “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” stood onstage at Boston’s Cutler Majestic Theater with his wife and two of his daughters, along with the rest of the cast. As the audience joined in, they sang the […]
Posted inOpinion
Focus on the building, not the ‘starchitect’ who designed it
AS AN ARCHITECTURAL historian, I’m usually delighted to learn that an architecturally significant building has been saved from demolition. But there is no avoiding the fact that the Baker administration’s recently released plan to adapt and preserve much of Paul Rudolph’s Boston Government Service Center, due in large part to the demands of historians like myself, […]
Posted inOpinion
Supporting BIPOC artists helps grow communities
Second in a series of commentaries on arts in community ARTISTS, AND THE cultural expression they create, are essential to the future of Massachusetts cities and towns. Communities must do our part to support their development, celebrate their work, and amplify their voices. Justin Beatty makes visual art in Western Massachusetts based on his worldview […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Finding synergy between artists, innovators, developers
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 […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Fitchburg aims to drive back to the future
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 […]