AN INDEPENDENT ARTS & CULTURE GUIDE Art By: Cameron Teleau
Local film review!
“You Don’t Have Notes From to Take Orders from the Moon” What’s Happening Boston The Crew Artist Jaina Cipriano’s “You Don’t Have to Take Orders from the Moon” is a surreal film of passion and motivation. Unfortunately for our main character Cynzia, both can often lead one astray. We meet our unfortunate subject pleading with the first of many unsettling visual metaphors - a traffic light blinking indifferent direction to a woman clearly on the brink. But what exactly is Cynzia on the brink of? It is through excellent use of visual metaphor that this film truly shines. Seemingly everything has a double meaning, or reflection to it from the symbol of the moon to the use of color-or lack thereof. Silvery black and white light bathes this film, and omits information just as well as moonlight; only to have it’s curtain drawn back as the sun rises and brings with it harsh reality. But what is reality for the characters of this film? As we watch Cynzia worship an unknown entity, we realize that our main character is not walking on solid ground – but rather jumping from one ledge to the next as she works to attain her ultimate goal. Heavy themes of mental illness accompany her as she manically addresses family and friends, showing a lack of reflection and perceived narcissism. As the curtain is once again drawn over Cynzia’s performance, we are left with a sense of foreboding and dread. Within this film’s short runtime ( just under 20 minutes) we are given a full scope of how serious her situation truly is – time is running out, as symbolized by the phases of the omnipotent moon. “You Don’t Have to Take Orders from the Moon” is engaging and emotional with every passing minute, and definitely worth the ride. —Michael Coleman
With our country in the midst of a pandemic and political turmoil, Boston faces its own local tensions and unrest. Luckily, we do have two new candidates running for Mayor November 2021 that will hopefully work to settle this unrest. It is up to us, as Bostonians, to learn more about these candidates and understand how their policies will shape our future. Andrea Campbell, Boston City Councilor, offers representation that is long overdue. Growing up in Boston, she has first-hand knowledge of the intricate issues fellow Bostonians are facing. As a young candidate, Campbell offers a progressive vision for Boston. Visit her website at “ANDREACAMPBELL.ORG”. Michelle Wu, Boston City Councilor, has personally experienced the hardships families have faced throughout this pandemic and also offers a progressive perspective for Boston. Already, Wu has a popular lead of 48% by Bostonians in neighborhoods such as Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, and Roslindale. Visit her website at “MICHELLEFORBOSTON.COM”. FOLLOW OUR PAGE @whatshappening_boston on IG for more local news and happenings within the Boston area
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Hello beautiful Compass peeps! My name is Tina and I’m the Associate Editor for the Boston Compass Blog! I’m a painting major at MassArt, and I became acquainted with Brain Arts Org through my school’s devotion to artist-community partnerships. I started here back in October, and it’s been so wonderful to see the Compass continue to grow just over the few short months I have been here. As an artist, seeing what Brain Arts Org is doing in the community is such a powerful and joyful force to witness. Seeing the support, excitement, and vibrancy the entire BAO team brings to uplifting local artists and providing a platform to minority creators has been a true pleasure of my job. Having the opportunity to chat with these artists (even if it’s over Zoom) has been my favorite part of working on the Blog. My time working with the Compass has led me to understand how community is fostered and sustained; we all build each other up. There is such a refreshing, mutual love between the community organizations in Boston, and we’re all fighting the same fight in our own ways to build a better world for each other. I’m so excited to end this year with all the friends I’ve met through the Compass, and I’m even more excited to start this new one on a team of people who are truly motivated to uplift and preserve the love in this city. —Tina @empathyeasel LAYOUT DESIGN:
Phoebe Delmonte: p.1,4,& 5 Hannah Blauner: p.2 & 3 Adrian Alvarez: p.6 & 8 Julia Baroni: p.7 THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE BOSTON CULTURAL COUNCIL, A LOCAL AGENCY WHICH IS FUNDED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL, AS ADMINSTRATED BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ARTS + CULTURE
UNDERGROUND Humbeats for Prez FLEX
-------------------------------------------------- CASSIE CAPEWELL
Have you checked out Humbeats’ debut album yet? One of the premier producers out of MA right now, Humbeats has gifted us with Growth, featuring 24 local artists: 12 female and 12 male. We’ve got some insanely talented female artists in our city, and if you’re not hip to them yet, you can start with Growth, which includes veteran and new voices alike. Here’s a list, because I want all their names in print: Chelley Marie, Cakeswagg, Dutch ReBelle, MonaVeli, Red Shaydez, Tee Luxe, Honey Luv, Emma, Lord Ju, Brandie Blaze, Radha, and June Marie. Check them out!!! “Working with Hum was a lot of fun,” says Cakeswagg, who raps on “Trippin” with Chelley Marie. “The beat that Hum created left a lot of room for me to play with, which is something as an artist I really enjoy.” The guys—including Rosewood Bape, Gogo., Austin Fair, and Luke Bar$—for sure do their thing on the album as well. But Hum says, “having women on the album was a big priority. It’s hard to be an artist in Boston, and even harder for women. I feel like people purposely hold back and don’t share opportunities, and with female artists, it’s even more so.” He continues, “I just wanted to put women in their own light. I didn’t want any type of funny business going on.” Hum’s 10-year career as a producer started with making beats on a PS2 and has led to placements with artists like Cousin Stizz, Dave East, Millyz, and Tsu Surf, as well as the debut of his multifaceted brand Level Up Always in 2019.
“Ahoy fellow floater! Welcome to the Bay Village ferry, destination Eastie Aquafarm 8. Please board in a non-orderly fashion” “G’mornin, Rudder. How’s the water?” I asked as I stepped up to the liberated gondola and squeezed in next to Boaz. “As clean and clear as my maker’s conscience,” It responded, jerkily pointing to the hollow where it’s corporate medallion had sat. The whole work crew shared a good laugh as the gondola began to pick up speed, disturbing the scum of the canal. “Rising Tide gets more creative with their liberation patches every year, huh?” Boaz said, turning to me. “If only they put more time into padding these benches and a little less time with clever quips.” “You’re one to talk.” He said with a grin, and pulled his cap low. We had a long harvest in front of us. “Good morning Dex! Another beautiful day, isn’t it?” “Shut it, I’m late. Get me to work ASAP, take the Commons express if you need to. And reserve me a to-go breakfast at the cantina. Please.” “You got it. Today’s special is shrimp tacos in nori shells. Yum! I wish I had a digestive tract.” “Seafood again? Gross. Let’s add an egg.” “My deepest apologies, but you have already exceeded your farm food quota this month.” “You’re useless. Please pull up my interface. Filename Gondolier-DeLiberation-Pitch-Final final-copy” “Right away. How about some neo-jazz while you work? It’s my personalized genre recommendation for you this week.” “Uhh...sure. Why not. Now begin dictation mode, I’ve got some work to do.”
Growth the album sums up all of his work over the years, showcasing his talent and versatility. The project features a range of sounds and genres, including trap, drill, pop, and R&B. The community aspect of this project was apparent before its release. If you have driven down Blue Hill Ave. in the past couple months, you might have seen a billboard promoting the album, featuring the names of every featured artist. “It’s not just my album. There are 24 other people on it,” says Humbeats. “I want people to know that there’s a lot of good music going on.” Dutch ReBelle, featured on “Wouldn’t Believe It,” says “I’m immensely proud to be on this project. [Humbeats] is undoubtedly one of my favorite producers from here and it was a green light when he asked me to be a part of the project. His vision and execution was on point from the start so I knew I could trust his plans. Hum for President.” Be on the lookout for a potential deluxe version (!) and from here, let’s better support female artists and give Humbeats his flowers.
I leaned over the edge, watching Bay Village slide by. Dirty yellow kayaks flitted under laundry lines stretched between dour little houseboats. A film of wood smoke and fresh-baked bread smells hung over the petroleum-and-salt stink of high tide. Rudder deftly rounded a bend, and the tarred roofs fell away to reveal the Commons Viaduct. The gateway to the Charles. An imposing arch of bone white carbon-sink concrete, crowned with manicured ivy and ten whizzing lanes of express pod traffic that flashed in the morning sun. Peacekeeping drones had already started to scrape at the Rising Tide’s nightly message. This morning, it read “Tragic Commons”. “The toll deficit from a liberated gondola is significant, but the productivity loss is even greater. It is vital that Bay Village floaters ugh, recant - residents, maintain a baseline level of corporate loyalty. The Bay Village is a significant labor pool of essential workers, and we cannot allow it to dry up.” Dex pinches the bridge of her nose and turns away from the interface. She was high up, somewhere along the Commons, and could see one of the gondolas about to pass under and merge into the bustle of the Charles. It’s whole crew of floaters was bent, laboring at the pedal-powered engine, except one - a single upturned face, looking up at Dex’s pod. Looking up at Dex. The gondola passed below, and she realized she was on the edge of her seat. Her hands were on the cold glass, eyes searching the gyres of dirty water left behind. She sat back. “Tint pod windows to opaque. Continue dictation.”
------------------------ MICAH EPSTEIN
www.meandmy.systems insta @_____________m.e_____________
I don’t know about you, but I am ready to send off 2020 with a middle finger and drop kick to the face. What a garbage year. A global pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands. Our thoughts are with those who have lost friends and family in this nightmare. A reaction to that same pandemic has destroyed livelihoods and created an economic environment that has not only decimated small business (RIP to the 100,000 restaurants that have shut down), but seems uniquely designed to the exclusive benefit of giant corporations. (My New Year’s resolution is to boycott Amazon—could yours be, too?) A devastating war in my beloved homeland, Armenia, has killed thousands and seen much historic land lost to a people who have long sought our extermination. And not least of all, a corporate news cycle that remains bent on convincing us all that there is no happiness left on planet Earth (which is why, I guess, all the billionaires want to go to Mars?). But as we enter a new year, I urge you to pry yourself from your computer screens, walk outside, glance warily to your left and then to your right, make sure the coast is clear, gingerly lower your mask, and breathe in some of that fresh, snowy New England air. It will help remind you there is always something to be joyful, and whatever that thing is, I can guarantee it is not within reach of your devices: For my husband and I it’s the fact that we are having a baby. Hopefully by the time this issue reaches print, baby will have outgrown my sore and swollen womb and will have joined us out here, in this magnificent, complex world that we all inhabit and take hugely for granted. I’m excited and jealous that following his or her arrival, my baby won’t care about or remember any of this. The masks, the social distancing, the never-ending sheltering in place, none of it. He or she will simply relish in all that is new. Which is everything. We could all stand to be a little more like babies. But while having a baby is a miraculous process that blows my mind on a daily basis, it is not the idiotic, mass-produced inspirational quote in a fake wooden frame from TJ Maxx that corporations have conditioned us to believe it is. Perhaps the most nefarious part of consumer culture is that anything good about being human necessarily becomes an opportunity for exploitation and manipulation. It’s almost like, the more amazing the experience, the more exploitable it becomes. So that puts having children at the very top of the list of awesome things that corporations can turn into a disgusting cornucopia of consumption and excess. Worse than the debilitating nausea; than the painful sciatica; the constant itchy nose— a.k.a. Rhinitis, a very overlooked and annoying pregnancy symptom; the immobility; the insomnia and the general discomfort that has come with gaining half—yes that’s right, half—
my body weight (only 8 pounds of which are actual baby), has been the process of trying to figure out what essentials I actually need when baby gets here. Today’s babies are smothered, not with love, but with material and physiological excess, from the moment they exit the womb. I have found myself horrified by some of the toys I’ve been sent by relatives, which feel like they are designed to give children seizures, not improve the acuity of their senses and motor functions. The overstimulation is tragic. My cousin’s 2 year old has her own iPhone. It’s the direct result of an overactive free market that spends all its effort trying to solve human problems that don’t exist, meanwhile creating new ones—like an entire generation of children lacking an attention span, perhaps?— that it subsequently refuses to solve. Just over a century ago—in the days before video-interface baby monitors that sync to your iPhone and upload your child’s every waking moment to the cloud (and which, if you don’t buy, your kid will surely die of neglect)— for most people, babies represented a pair of future working hands to a cash-strapped family with very few resources. The average baby needed the basics, but nothing extravagant, considering how frugally and resourcefully people have lived for most of human history. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to be living in the world with modern medicine. And I recognize that things can go awry. I’m grateful to 20th and 21st century inventions which save lives, make life easier for parents, and generally speaking, put our minds at ease. But, and forgive the pun here, did we have to throw the baby out with the bathwater? Can we not have modern safety and hygiene, as well as resourcefulness and simplicity? If we in fact are so much better off today than we’ve ever been, why do we seem committed to a societal narrative that presumes disaster, with the only solution being to buy more shit? Americans’ feverish hysteria over children is yet another embarrassing symptom of our collective resignation to corporate propaganda. We are made to feel incompetent unless we buy this or that thing (which people somehow lived without for all of human history until now). We buy things we don’t need (predatory gadgets that overstimulate rather than educate), while foregoing the things we actually do (community, generational learning, toys and clothes made with care). Believe it or not, Tolstoy, ever the fingerwagger, sensed this collective unraveling over a century ago, and referenced it in his short story, The Kreutzer Sonata, about a man on a train who complains to a stranger about the corrupting frivolities of modernity and the urban bourgeoisie. “She was always hearing and reading from all sides endless rules for the rearing and educating of children,” says the man condescendingly of his wife, “which were continually being superseded by others… we… heard new rules every week, just as if children had only begun to be born into the world yesterday.” My baby will be born now. But to Tolstoy’s point, baby-rearing has a history as old as the rocks and the trees and the oceans. In short, we’ve been through worse, folks. And if that doesn’t provide some comfort in this time of imbalance, I don’t know what will. Happy 2021—it will be, if you let it.
------------------------------ KARINE VANN
SURVEIL AND CONTROL The police exist to maintain capitalist interests, protect wealth and safeguard property along racial lines. From their inception, they have monitored and suppressed those who seek to disrupt or reimagine the systems of power in this country. Throughout American history, the police have been weaponized by the status quo and their power to observe and control has only intensified in the era of mass surveillance. The expansion of law enforcement monitoring systems are a threat to everyone’s privacy, but the harsher consequences of these technologies fall mostly on communities of color. Modern American policing began with slave patrols—militias who would hunt escaped enslaved people and return them to bondage. The first urban police forces were not created to investigate crime, but to regulate the behavior of lower income populations, immigrants and union organizers. Efforts to liberate Black people in the mid-twentieth century led to the monitoring of groups like the Black Panther Party, whose members were brought down under the FBI’s COINTELPRO program. Nixon’s War on Drugs, sparked to criminalize Black communities, is still used as justification for racially motivated police surveillance. Heavily redacted documents released by the FBI in 2019 revealed the agency had conducted a national intelligence collection on “black identity extremism”, a contrived category used to monitor BLM protests and actors. Those who continue to push for reform as a solution to police violence cite the expansion of technology as an instrument of accountability within departments. The desire for a mechanical fix to a social problem has great appeal: it appears to have a scientific basis, and is also easier to implement
than actually confronting the role of white supremacy in the formation and function of the police. Digital rights advocates have been sounding the alarm on surveillance for decades, calling for an end to devices that violate civil liberties. Predictive policing software is a popular police tool that uses algorithms to predict future crime. Historically biased arrest data for a neighborhood is inputed, turning out data that reflects racially biased policing practices and encourages added patrol. This fuels over-policing and shows that innovative machinery is not inherently neutral. StingRays are devices that mimic nearby cell towers and force phones to connect and transfer call data and locations to cops. They are often operated without warrants in Black and lower income neighborhoods, allowing for the unchecked tracking of those residents. Following Ferguson, reformers pushed body cameras as instruments of culpability, but their legacy proves to be sealed footage and media lawsuits. Facial recognition technology has also expanded, despite being known to misclassify Black faces at much higher rates than white ones. The cameras that capture this data are disproportionately placed in Black and lower income neighborhoods, furthering the cycle of criminalization. Technology is not removed from human error and bias, nor is it non-political. Reforms only throw more money towards these advanced ways to surveil, control and criminalize, as if a racist system could be absolved through transparency. These technologies do not confront the history and reality of how police operate in society and put forth a false belief that an inherently biased and brutal system could be cured with sophisticated equipment.
------------------------------- GRACE RAIH
CLUTCH POP
------------------ MILLER PEÑAFLOR
@_GHOSTFACEMILLER
DENIZEN RECORDS
For indie labels, the more output the better. In the endless sea of Bandcamp releases, an increase in material means more chance for exposure, or for Boston-based label Denizen Records, it’s just because you want to put out everything you’ve ever made. Made up of co-founders Brad Barker, Sean Burke, Gavin Caine and Seth Loomis, the label hosts over 25 unique artist names, though most of the releases consist merely of some combination of the four of them. I spoke with Brad about Denizen’s prolific nature, and some of his favorite releases they’ve put out. Most recently, “American Dream 2020” is a true rock record from local artist Black Shelton. Released in November, the record is a wild ride from start to finish, featuring blistering punk guitars, thoughtful spoken word, rap guest spots, and an air of general misanthropy. Since May, the label has put out five split records, each containing 10-25 tracks by different bands from all over the country. Brad said he enjoys making splits, especially during the pandemic, because it works as a way to connect to people and establish partnerships. “I’m not gonna go so far as to say it’s a blessing in disguise, but I’ve definitely been in contact with more musicians than ever,” he commented.
One of the more popular splits, “Coalition,” is made up of artists from Boston and New York City including Plastic Teeth, Queen Crony, and Alex Walton. “Legends Split” is a comp featuring Death Snail (one of Brad’s projects), Dew Myron, and noise-punk legends Blue Ray. Though Blue Ray’s future is uncertain, the split contains some of the original lineup’s final tracks, due to last year’s departure of their drummer, Aidan Breen. Denizen’s most recent split, “Denizen Records Has Ruined Music for an Entire Generation,” is no less than 27 tracks, a massive project that rocks from front to back. “I spent a lot of time sequencing that one, I think it paints a really good picture of the local scene,” Brad commented. Denizen’s strength lies in their ability to find artists by turning over every rock, scouring every nook and cranny of the scene, and inviting them to be on a split. A listen through their Bandcamp discography is quite comprehensive of the local scene, given there are only four members, and they show no signs of slowing down, with several releases planned for this month and next.
-------------------- JAMES AMMIRATO
------------------ MELANIE DACEY
@SMELSLIKEDOGS
BR
AI MOR N-A E A RT T S.O R
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ADVOCACY Boston Ujima Project. “We believe that change won’t happen if we continue to work in silos. The challenges facing our communities — gentrification, poverty, homelessness, lack of food access, unemployment, and lack of healthcare — are all interconnected. We need a solution that is equally complex. Explore our ecosystem of innovative strategies for transformation” More info at ujimaboston.com ARTivism Initiative. “The ARTivism Initiative projects are ongoing and theme-based. They encourage individuals to think critically about our world through the arts.” More information about guidelines for submitting to their projects can be found at artivisminitiative.org New England Justice for Our Neighbors “NEJFON is recognized as an effective justice-oriented resource for providing hospitable, compassionate and high-quality, legal services for immigrants”. Consider volunteering for NEJFON. Learn more at www.newenglandjfon.org/ advocacy The Boston Women’s Fund is accepting movement building grant recommendations through December 10, 2020! They are “a progressive foundation that supports community-based organizations and grassroots initiatives run by women and girls in order to create a society based on racial, economic and social justice” https://www.bostonwomensfund. org/ Power to the People “Our mission is to empower black community by acknowledging the importance of supporting Black owned businesses & returning power back to the people.” Meets at DAP every Sunday at 4pm, follow and support @__pttp. Youth Villages provides help for children and young people across the United States. The Massachusetts team is having the next installment of their LEAD Series on Thursday, December 10th! Visit https://www.youthvillages.org/ and find a full list of events under the GET INVOLVED tab :) Follow Voices of Liberation for regular information and advocacy for housing equity in greater Boston. They host meetings, summits, and actions to engage the public in this important cause! Follow Survivor Theatre Project for online events and opportunities that support women, queer, and POC voices. More info on IG @survivortheatreproject Center for Teen Empowerment encouraging and advocating for youth involvement in social change and political movements specifically for low income and POC in greater Boston www.teenempowerment.org Freedom Fighters Coalition is a community organization responsible for many of the recent protests and counter protests. Follow them
to find out about actions in Greater Boston and volunteer opportunities. @ffcof2020 on Instagram. Black Minds Matter: “One Heart, One Mind, One Soul, One Sound. Through mental freedom we will achieve freedom for all.” Important community events found at @blackmindsmatter2020 Follow @unofficialcommittee “An open community for activists, designers, and artists who create solutions for positive social change.” www.unofficialcommittee.com
MUSIC & AUDIO LFOD + The ARTery present: The State of New England Hiphop 1/7 @6:30 featuring panelists Brandie Blaze, CAEV, Brandon Matthews, and Jessica Richards. For more information and to register for this FREE event visit www.wbur.org/events Saturday 1/23 @8pm DJ WhySham ft. Brandie Blaze, Genie Santiago, and Trap Beat Tranny! Hosted by ONCE Virtual Venue. Tickets and RSVP on Eventbrite. Sonorium. Ever check out the sick, recurring, Salem based experimental music expose known only as Sonorium?! Well you can see their past live performances online and stay informed on upcoming virtual performances. Videos on Youtube and more info at sonorium.net Follow Bummer City Historical Society to sign up for their monthly open mics (currently online), virtual performances, live music, and more! “The Bummer City Historical Society & Civic Engagement Coalition is a Boston-based community of DIY artists and organizers trying to develop intentional, inclusive, civically engaged communities throughout the Greater Boston area” More info at bummercityhistoricalsociety.com Bridgeside Cypher just wrapped up an amazing year of live performances and virtual competitions. Check out their archive of recorded cyphers and additional content at thebridgeside.com Check out local radical , artist, musician, and educator Noemi “Saafyr” Paz! She regularly hosts events and is scheduling virtual performances and opportunities soon! Visit saafyrexpress.com/ to learn more. Boston Stream Party! Virtual shows, readings, musings, music, and more. Check them out @BostonStreamParty for updates and announcements including upcoming events. Coming up in January Beard/No Beard 1/9, Graneros 1/16, The Groovalottos 1/23, Wild Sundays 1/30 BAGLY (Boston Area Gay and Lesbian Youth) Virtual Open Mic! 1/13 7-9pm on Zoom zoom.us/j/927719211 @bagly_inc Follow Community Music Center of Boston! CMCB is an arts education nonprofit founded in 1910, with a mission to transform lives by providing equitable access to excellent music education and arts experiences.
Boston Lyric Opera present BLO Street Stage! “BLO Street Stage is a mobile performance space bringing beautiful live music to your neighborhood. Join us in-person for an outdoor performance near you!”For more information, check out blo.org Lunch is Ova! on Spark FM with DJ WhySham: Every Tuesday/Thursday from 1-3pm www.sparkfmonline.com/ Feel it Speak it: Boston’s only monthly open mic movement dedicated to voices & experiences of the LGBTQ+ communities of color every Thursday. Open mic sign up: tinyurl.com/fisivirtual @feelit_speakit The OOZE New England’s only party dedicated and catering to all the rad underground genres of electronic music and internet subculture. Check out @kerrydabrunette on IG for info and updates. Did you know that Modern Party Art hosts Open Mic Night every Wednesday 6:30-9:30pm EST? From beginners to people who do this for a living...the stage is yours! Reserve your seat by buying tickets in advance. 20 person limit during Covid. Follow @modernpartyart for more! Virtual First Fridays Open Mic: All ages and talents welcome! Sign up here! https://bit.ly/ FF-OpenMic-Signup
VIDEO & FILM Girl Haus Cinema has announced a new online screening in January 2021! Follow them for updates or visit grrlhauscinema.com/onlinescreenings ShowPlace ICON is host to a redefined movie experience with cutting-edge digital and theatre technology. Check out their website for events. www.ShowPlaceICON.com @showplaceiconboston
VISUAL ART Boston CyberArts presents: In the Future Everything Will be Perfect by Anne Spalter. Opening 1/16. “In the Future Everything Will be Perfect includes a series of interactive work that can be accessed through Cyberarts’ windows featuring rotating abstract crystal balls in a sea of kaleidoscopic color. On view in the windows of Boston Cyberarts Gallery 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.” Distillery Gallery current show: Brooke Stewart No Potatoes. The show “looks at the floor and the meats of local legend, Market Basket…the exhibition addresses moments in the shopping experience that cause the viewer to question what they are shopping for and what they are actually looking at”. On view through 1/17 Fully Immersive 3D Virtual Gallery! Unbound Visual Arts that lets you walk through a fully immersive 3D virtual gallery space and learn more about the various artworks on display. More info and access to the gallery can be found at unboundvisualarts.org
Ever wish Boston had more popup exhibitions and galleries? Follow Boston EXIT Gallery and sign up for their newsletter to learn more about how that organization is working to make that a reality! Info at exitgalleries.com/about Now + There Public Art Accelerator Forum. Did you miss this amazing public art forum in October? Over 100 local artists, community partners, city officials, historians, and those curious about public art came together for two days of conversation and learning. You can now view all the content online! Visit nowandthere.org for more info. To Each Era Its Art. To Art, It’s Freedom. Art installation by Jose Dávila and guest-curated by Pedro Alonso. Now open in Central Wharf Park! “To Each Era gives Boston a platform for public-making in a time of physical distancing. We may have installed the materials, but it’s your interactions, perceptions, and questions that make it art. Now through spring 2021: help us build a place to rediscover spontaneity, regain our footing, and safely reinvent our shared outdoor spaces.” Find @now_and_there on IG for more information about this installation and other art :) Inaugural exhibition @ Praise Shadows Art Gallery: Leaving the City by Providence based artist Jarrett Key. December 9 - January 13. “A continuation of their Leaving the City series, this unique body of work depicts members of Key’s chosen family in relationship to the natural splendor of landscapes that define the figure, lushly painted on wet cement” @praise.shadows.art on Instagram!
LITERARY ART & NEWS MEDIA Check out the Papercut Zine Library virtual library! They are “a free, volunteer-run browsing library with a collection of 16,000+ zines & independent media”. https://www.papercutzinelibrary. com/ Boston ABG: Asian Book Group. Join the Boston Asian Book Group! We meet monthly in Kendall Square. Like our page to be notified about our next meeting! https://www.facebook.com/ bostonabg/
PERFORMANCE ART Check out Artists’ Theater of Boston! They produce “thoughtful, evocative work that challenges systemic injustices facing our communities through the collaborative process of making theater”. More info and online opportunities and performances can be found at artiststheater.org Free programming through New Rep Theatre including a monthly script reading book club and “Quarantine Creatives” - short online plays based on community members’ experiences during COVID. More info at newrep.org/free-programming
HOME Poetry Series - January Edition HOME consists of a featured reader and brief open mic every first Friday, followed by a writing workshop the following Saturday morning. The series is curated by Boston Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola and hosted by Anthony Febo. The poetry reading and open mic will be on January 1, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. Learn more and register at boston.gov/poetry. Midway or the Highway Open Mic! On Zoom! Find us on Facebook for the address. All are welcome when Angela Sawyer & Dave Robinson host some of the city’s most talented comedians, musicians, and weirdos too! If you’re feeling brave, put your name in the bucket and get a moment onstage under the lights. Make being tired on Monday morning worth it. Check out The Comedy Studio! Comedians from Boston and beyond. All events can be streamed on their website, as well as a weekly podcast Tuesdays at 8 PM. www.thecomedystudio.com/ The Black Comedy Explosion: Wednesday nights at Slades Bar and Grill starting at 7pm. Come on down and join us as we bring you some of today’s funniest comedians from BET Comic View, HBO DEF Comedy Jam, Comedy Central, Martin Lawrence 1st Amendment, with both national and local acts. www.sladesbarandgrill.com @slades.boston Artisanal Comedy: Weekly version of the popular monthly comedy showcase, bringing you unique, smart, hilarious comedians from across the country. 9pm EST, every 1st, 3rd & 4th Wednesday. More info @bethanyvandelft
COMMUNITY Boston Democratic Socialists of America: Chill With Comrades in person and online! Find events on FB including Cambridge DSA meeting 1/6, Immigration Working Group 1/11, Rent Control meeting 1/12, and their general meeting on 1/16. Email mentalhealth@bostondsa.org with any questions. Mass Cultural Council STARS Residency applications open on 1/27! “STARS Residencies support three-day-plus residencies that bring students and teachers together with practicing artists, scientists, and scholars to create rich cultural experiences. These residencies help youth build confidence, discover hidden talents, explore the natural world, understand their place in history, and rise as leaders in their community.” Want to get involved volunteering for local nonprofits but aren’t sure how? Check out One Brick at www.onebrick.org/ to get involved! “One Brick is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is a community of volunteers that support other local nonprofits by creating a friendly and social atmosphere around volunteering. They build community through volunteering!” BAGLY Weekly’s Meetings Including POC affinity groups, Trans/Non-Binary groups, and groups around preventing stigma around STI’s and HIV, and more! Visit www.bagly.org/calendar for more information
Boston GLASS operates Drop-In Community Centers for LGBTQ+ youth of color between the ages of 13–25! GLASS provides a continuum of services to LGBTQ+ youth of color and their allies in the Greater Boston and Greater Framingham areas. As a leader in LGBTQ+ youth services, we also provide education and consultation to other providers and community organizations. Women Explore Lecture and Discussion Forum: Women Explore provides lecture series within a feminist learning community for women, to connect with the sacred dimensions of their experience and to support and encourage each other in the world community. www.womenexplore.org Community Fridges! There’s a bunch of these popping up all around the city! Free food for all! Run by volunteers! Check Out @bostoncommunityfridge @dotcommunityfridge @allstoncommunityfridge @matcommunityfridge @cambridgecommunityfridge 826 Boston is a nonprofit youth writing and publishing organization dedicated to empowering traditionally underserved students ages 6-18 to find their voices, tell their stories, and gain communication skills to succeed in school and in life. Fall 2020 programming will be all digital. www.826boston.org
It’s finally 2021 and hope is on the horizon, but who knows what form theatre will take this year as uncertainty looms. Most of the 2020 season has been rescheduled to spring and summer of this year in the hopes of a vaccine that will enable us to resume to some semblance of normality by then. But will theatre be the same when it returns to the stage? Covid-19 abruptly destroyed the performing arts and the livelihood of its working artists, but it also forced many theatre companies to adapt to a virtual version of theatre that is more accessible than ever before. Accessibility in theatre has been a long-time struggle; it’s often viewed as a dated form of art in a technology driven world and its operating costs causing ticket prices to exclude many working class people. However, with many productions being developed for digital consumption and many pre-covid shows streaming online, theatre is easier to experience than ever. The question is how post-covid theatre will try to take that accessibility into the future. This is a quiet month but check out our listings for programming and check the Brain Arts blog for an updated list of January theatre events. Tips? Email TheatrescapeBoston@gmail.com —CEEK
ONGOING Dream Boston This ongoing, online series of short audio plays features a gaggle of local playwrights imagining the future in their favorite Boston spots. Talents include local theatre mainstays like John Kuntz, Melinda Lopez, Kirsten Greenidge and more. WHERE: Free to listen at HuntingtonTheatre.org
1/7, 5:30pm The Business of Virtual Theatre with StageSource As theatre evolves through all this uncertainty, navigating a new medium is a daunting task for many theatre companies. Cue StageSource, a local non-profit resource for the New England theatre community. This event covers monetizing virtual theatre, tracking viewership/engagement, contracting, live streaming, union guidelines and partnerships. Join the conversation with their panel of professionals. $5-20 tickets. WHERE: Register at StageSource.org
Boston LGBTQIA+ Artists Association is revamping with a new director and a new website! They just put out a survey asking what LGBTQIA+ artists in Boston would like to see happen with this new organization. Find it at www.blaa.us Cultural Survival Bazaar Virtual Festival Series: Happening Virtually! New England’s premier global Indigenous arts festival! Shop online anytime by visiting https://bazaar.culturalsurvival. org/ between November 16 - December 4.
BLAA is a volunteer-run organization that seeks to elevate the visibility of and provide resources to LGBTQIA+ Boston-area artists. Scan this code to fill out our Big 2020 Survey to help us gain a better sense of who we are serving, and provide placement for volunteers eager to make our city an exciting and equitable place for queer artists.
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VARIOUS DATES Better Future: Joy + Wellness Winter following 9 months of a pandemic is not going to be easy for anyone’s mental health. Luckily, Company One is expanding their Better Future series and joining forces with their BCA neighbor, The Theater Offensive, to share a variety of virtual events aimed at helping the creative community with health, relaxation and overall wellness. January workshops include yoga, social justice embroidery, trivia, a drag story hour and more. $5-20 tickets. WHERE: Register at CompanyOne.org/joyandwellness
Water you doing wrong? Winter houseplant watering for worried plant parents Water you doing wrong? Winter houseplant watering for worried plant parents To water or not to water? It’s winter and is dry as heck but it seems like your plants don’t want much H2O. So what’s the deal? Should you water more because it’s so dry, or less because your plants are dormant?!
Do you have many plants bunched up together? This might mean that through transpiration they stay a bit more moist.
Keeping these things in mind, you also can invest in a moisture meter or Soil Sleuth for like $12 so you can always know what’s up with the dirt in your pot! The “dry to the first knuckle” trick can get dicey in the winter months so these tools are a huge help. Now get out there and confidently water your plant babes!
Are you an overwaterer or underwaterer? If you really soak the bejeezus out of your plants then you might be able to water them less frequently.
5. Do your pots have drainage? This is the Most Important piece to your watering puzzle. Without drainage if you ever overwater your plant the water will sit in the bottom and grow bacteria that causes root rot!
2.
Is your heat on full blast? Plants nearest to the heater may dry out faster so it’s important to check their soil more frequently.
3.
It depends on a few factors in your home...
CHERYL RAFUSE
1.
4. Do you have a humidifier going? This can help even out the moisture in the air not just for your plants but for you as well!!
"Ready to Fight" Liyue Sally Wang Age, 9
r Art u o Y e Se ! Here?
sen adri d your an@ w brai ork to n-ar ts.o rg
Rainbow Crayons
by Abigail Neale @lavender_ menace_press
Poetry Comix by Ryan M Valentine @poetry_comix
ke The Boston s ma u 0% p l He Compass is 10 ing! n h ru t ree s nt i lu vo th
Amplify new vo ices!
>>
Email to learn how
kevin@brain-arts.org
tear this poster out and put it on a wall! -
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By Cameron Teleau @cameronteleau
STATING THE STATE OF THE STATE OF THE ART ARTS
^
W 7
Z
An
interview with
Jennifer DeAngelis • @JenverCerAmiCs
“I am a ceramacist....I make both functional work and sculptural objects. In addition to clay work, I enjoy making small-scale paintings and illustrations....Making [art] is about turning a concept, or even a whim, into a tangible object, bridging the gap between a thought and a thing.” “Being creative or artistic are natural human processes. Art is, in its most basic form, troubleshooting and problem solving.” “I believe everyone should have something handmade in their possession, to own a piece of art, and it should not be unattainable to anyone because of socioeconomic reasons.”
6
“I consider myself lucky to have a job that doesn’t feel like work [Assistant Technical Director at Mudflat Studio in Somerville].”
_
“I am very thankful to Mudflat not only for the space to work and the access to kilns and glaze mixing materials, but for the creative community that buzzes about.”
$ Y
“I live a fairly low maintenance life, and always have. Having grown up in a family of five, sharing everything...was a given. We made fun where fun was to be made.”
~ O
“I am lucky to live the life I live, filling it with people whom I love and admire, and expressing myself creatively.” “...[H]aving ideas and a passion for art-making is being an artist. These concepts that float around in your head are art. Finding the time, the space, the means to create are all for not without an idea.”
neil horsky • horskyProJeCts.Com
Danish, Age 11
Viscous Verses. TWO POEMS BY SUSMIT PANDA Sundown How the cloudscape changes, yellowing infinitely. Clumped as suds on my disjunct lashes, the scene deepens with thoughts of rain. The wind is a clot of doom among trees, quivering like a possessed finger. Love’s another thought, enslaved to another face, like an image enchained to another time. It is I who choose whether to love or not, holding the rose as the suicide’s blade–it rains, no more sudden than the breezes this way. The mind once again complete in its knowing. Her indifferent eyes see through the mist where images permanent drift through dust– for whatever happens if not even this? O how the cloudscape changes beyond my seeing eye. Death shall come despite our waiting to die.
A fool's journey through the subculture Miranda Serra G. doesn’t seek permission or legitimization from others. She refers to obstacles as “insightful challenges,” and is uncomfortable with accolades. All this makes it that much cooler that Boston Music Awards named her studio producer of the year, the first woman ever to hold that title. “Working through the confusion of being a woman in this field used to mean taking risks and sometimes being treated unfairly, now it means being seen for my totality,” says Serra G., who started as an intern at Zippah Recording a decade ago. Zippah’s Brian Charles says that her natural talent and enthusiasm made her an invaluable asset from the very beginning.
The Man who would be Thunder There was one Remulus who lingered upon a hill, watching the self-swording lightning bolts, standing still and poised in the barbed poise of a dangerous will. He lifted a stiff arm and–blinking deep, dropped. Where his final seeking caught light, something eloped, as it winked before it swung round and eloped.
“One person has offered me truly unsolicited mentorship, Brian Charles,” says Serra G.“I’ve only ever felt truly seen by a few people, he’s one of them.”
Hearing the rip-rap of rain, the cinder bird arose flailing her wings towards wonder. Conscious of a pose, the counter-pose–convinced of a sultrier clause,
Charles says it was all in his best interest because she’s made Zippah a better environment for everyone. “I’m proud of the producer and engineer that she’s become, and I’m grateful for the time and work that she’s put in to make the studio better.”
she halloos the transparent rivers with a screech, her black wings which zest another zenith, and beseech the white of the waves that break upon the beach.
Born in 1996, Susmit Panda is a poet living in Kolkata.
She’s recorded and mixed some of the most dynamically dark and brain buzzing albums to come out of the local scene in the last few years, like Kal Marks’ 2018 Universal Care, and Kira McSpice’s latest album, Attack.
Viscous Verses is edited by Raquel Balboni and Ben Mazer artandlettersmagazine.squarespace.com
There is an endless well of creativity open to those who view limitations as a portal to new infinities. Logistical challenges of covid-19 restrictions have Serra G. leaning into unconventional capture, a move that has set her apart this year. “The prospect of exciting and unfamiliar space serves my creative process. Some of the most ear-bending work I’ve done has utilized apparent obstacles as resources,” says Serra G. Obstacles like social distancing and shuttered studio space that led Serra G. to record with McSpice and her band in a warehouse over three nights in August. The depth of sound on the album drags listeners into the mental and physical anguish of a migraine’s third and most intense phase. McSpice’s searing cries reach us as clearly as her more delicate harmonies, weaving between sonically sculpted claustrophobia and expansiveness that defies oppressive tropes equating female pain with frailty. Her refusal to equate her self worth with her work allows her to follow her impulses freely, and whether on purpose or not, toward success. Her studio producer of the year win opens doors, giving other women in the industry a reference point. The recognition has been encouraging, she says, and she’s grateful if it represents a collective willingness to change. “Boston subculture is super transgressive, and I’m excited for that to be seen and heard to scale.”
JENN STANLEY
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