Boston Compass #133

AN INDEPENDENT ARTS & CULTURE GUIDE

Art By: Tori DelValle @thirteen.vic

Underground Flex: Dom Bruno Though this column usually highlights artists and producers in the city, I decided to switch it up this month. For March, I am highlighting videographer Dom Bruno, owner of ripe—tanjerines. He created the multimedia platform to “[build] a foundation for creative expression, from the underground up.” Established in 2018, Bruno recently picked back up his YouTube channel, TANJTV, which features interviews and videos about artists around the city. His popular series, The Orange Room (which coincides with his brand ripe --- tanjerines) mimics COLOURSXSTUDIOS, the popular visual series that showcases live performance from artists around the world.

The Orange Room features local artists including Rosewood Bape, Dutchy DoBad, Celly Bucks, and Cincinnati Rose, just to name a few. Bruno has also recorded concerts for mainstream artists like Ski Mask The Slump God, Dave East, BIA and MILLYZ. As he continues to the authentic artistry of these individuals, Bruno’s website explains that his goal is to “unite as artists and celebrate each other.”

—Tahisha Charles (@miixtapechiick)

Zine Showcase Wharf Gallery Big Brother and Knockiins Watching g Your DoorDown A proposed course on the merits of policing strategy based on US military tactics at Harvard University was cancelled late January amid public backlash. The course was set to be led by an engineering professor who previously led counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan. It was meant to evaluate counterinsurgency tactics to police Black and brown neighborhoods. Police in North Springfield started implementing a featured tactic called Counter Criminal Continuum or “C3” policing in 2013 to control criminal street gangs. Police intentionally targeted a majority Hispanic and Black community and hunted down gangs by manipulating residents to trust police. They turned a community into a war zone with late-night SWAT raids often authorized under false pretenses, similar to the no-knock warrant that resulted in the murder of Breonna Taylor. Ultimately, law enforcement officials are just doing what they have always done—beginning with their loose origin as slave catchers. They are winning over people who can be the eyes and ears for police by going door-to-door and urging residents to give sources and tips so that they can gain access and control of the community. Police paint C3 policing as something that is good for the community, manipulating residents through fabricated trust to lead them to persons of interest. Police say broadly defined crime went down and the tactics made a difference for the community. But imprisonment is never the answer. Drugs and gangs are not the root problem—poverty and systemic racism are. Police only care about their image in quotas and stats, and Harvard profits from its existing prison relationships, ultimately aiding in the spread of pro-police propaganda.

—Dayanara Mendez, WHBoston

THIS PAPER IS AN ONGOING PROJECT OF BRAIN ARTS ORGANIZATION, INC., A 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT. PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO, VOLUNTEERING OR OTHERWISE SUPPORTING US: BRAIN-ARTS.ORG

Zines were made for times like these. For almost a year, creatives have mourned the cancellation of many events that brought together misfits and counterculture communities.

The folks that normally converge through open studios, gigs, parades, and zine festivals pivoted to build community across distance. Lots of communities bridged their distance by creating zines and correspondence art, and by adopting low-fi methods like mailing photocopied drawings. Artists, music lovers, and punks, took a renewed interest in the accessible, resourceful, and low-fi qualities of zines. People also became increasingly disenchanted by social media and its relation to mental health and mass media.

New generations were ushered into the punk tradition of DIY publishing. These people used the zine as a tool for healing and connectivity.

Thus, I am curating an exhibition called We Zine in collaboration with Fort Point Open Studio to bring all of us together. As a zine artist, I really felt the loss of Brain Market, Boston Book Arts, and New Zineland being canceled. This show will include youth artists becoming radicalized by this moment, old school zinesters, and everything in between.

“We Zine” will feature zine artists in Fort Point Artist Community’s Atlantic Wharf Gallery near the Boston Children’s Museum and a parallel online exhibition run by FPAC. The show will run from May 25th to July 23rd. Artists can submit art by March 25th via https://tinyurl.com/wezinerfplink. I will accept a wide range of submissions related to zines and community building.

— Abbey Neale 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

NOTES FROM THE CREW

Dorchester Art Project is proud to offer new promo packages for featured vendors and artists which will cast a spotlight on new, exciting products! We have already begun our first featured vendor/artist promotion which will give readers firsthand knowledge about their brand, history, and some fun facts. In addition, we are launching new DAP store commercials centered on DAP merch, vendors, and artists! Our marketing team is happy to work with volunteers like Megh and Mars who have been super excited to share their social media and web developing talents!

Last year Covid stopped the world and impacted every industry imaginable. Some industries were hit harder than others and caused many independent businesses to seek innovative opportunities to support their work. In response to Governor Baker reducing restrictions for the state of Massachusetts, DAP is providing limited store space rental

to approved vendors for pop-up shops. Our most recent pop-up included vendors such as 2 Fruits Wellness, Sea Moss life, Brat Life Clothing, Shop DejaB, and more! Vendors who would like to participate can visit the DAP website and fill out the interest form!

-------- NANCIA

BLUE HILL

When it comes to police brutality, I come forward speaking in the perspective of someone who has spent most of their life growing up in the projects - the streets are filled with brothers and sisters who are trying to find a way to make it happen -- looking to make their dreams and aspirations come to fruition no matter what the cost is. When you absorb the atmosphere of these various lower income environments, you begin to realize that the struggle brings the motive of having to make sacrifices in order to fill up the fridge in your house, in order to pay the rent, in order to build your image. Coming from nothing, you see the light at the end of the tunnel, but you’re surrounded by darkness until you get to the end of it-- that light is a representation of dreams and nightmares. The tunnel that produces warriors, the tunnel that puts you to the test to see if you’re willing to go all the way through the realistic obstacles that mold you into the character chosen by God itself.

There is no final boss -- the final boss appears every single time you make a chess move to determine your income. The police hate a brother, and have no choice but to abuse the law and manipulate the rights of our people.

Having no choice is built through the mind manipulation of racism, white supremacy and the thrill of beating the black and blue out of people of color.

The bittersweet truth is acknowledging the fact that all odds are against us coming out of the project. The bittersweet truth is facing the stereotypes and constructing a mindset that will allow our spirits to maintain the strength it needs to power through the lower frequencies that linger around the bottles of Hennessy and weed smoke in which is produced to intoxicate and numb the emotions of our brother’s and sisters. To not feel is to remember that we are living in hell on earth, to remember our fallen soldiers that we’ve lost to the politics of the hood - the streets. To feel completely nothing but the materialistic possessions purchased through taking risk and to end up parked in a car at midnight smoking trees. The image

isn’t suspicious, it’s how my brothers got there - it’s their story - it’s their expression within time to appear in certain places of the night to remember that they’ve still got a chance at success. Minding their own business, planning the next move before the sun comes up again. As a witness of this truthful imagery, the police will always be there to interfere and to harass our people due to their lawful instincts and motive to trespass privacy.

To the world, the image and appearance of any black and brown person will strike a good amount of curiosity and tilt and turn your head. Filled with questions, filled lust, filled with hatred, filled with love (perhaps) -and that is what we see -- that is what I see.

Waiting for the moment for one of us to slip and show our vulnerability is always on the bulletin board of society - of the government.

Since image is supposed to be someone’s impressionable identity, the labels fly around in a bowl -- just as the time comes to get ready to pick a card out of this bowl, this black or brown person has already shown you through their words and mannerisms who they are. It’s completely different from what you already picked out in your mind and then the guilt trip begins, the narrative changes.

This person has a story of their own to share and their willingness to do it through how they dress in order to be allowed in certain social environments. How come police don’t profile a black man in a suit? But they will profile a black man in a black hoodie. They will profile a young boy who is 6’3ft tall with a hoodie as he’s coming from the gym in the city and has to make his way back to the hood.

Sometimes when a beautiful object is spotted, it either attracts its own reflection -- or it attracts something that chooses to be the same way but hasn’t gotten to the point of self evaluation to build those deep internal feelings. The police are one of the biggest gangs in America because they have no love in their hearts for the idea of living as a black human being. It’ll all end when the dreamers release fear from their path.

----------------------- QADIR SHABAZZ

WOMEN IN ARTS CARD VOL.2

Artist Neil Horsky Channels Nostalgic Novelty with Women in Community Arts Trading Cards In many ways, trading cards beautifully represent the concept of community art. As units of cultural ephemera, the value they hold is dependent on the messages they convey-- or more specifically, the people they showcase, celebrate and represent.

They’re generally accessible, affordable, and serve to foster dialogue within and across communities. It’s fitting that artist Neil Horsky chose the trading card to showcase and celebrate the work of Boston women and femmes in community arts.

The “Samantha Sadd 2020 Women in Community Arts Trading Cards” serve to honor ten women and femmes in community arts working across a diverse range of mediums in and around the Greater Boston community. This is Horsky’s second set of Women in Community Arts Trading Cards.

The artists and 2020 Samantha Sadd honorees include: muralist and healing artist Silvia Lopez Chavez, musician and educator Ashleigh Gordon, public artist and educator Carolyn Lewenberg, visual artist and performer Lilly E. Manycolors, producer Fallon Leigh O’Brien, poet and author Zenaida Peterson, musician and comedian Angela Sawyer, visual artist and educator Chanel Thervil, artist and publisher Crystal Bi Wegner, and actor and director D. Farai Williams. An eleventh card commemorates community organizer and Boston Community Arts legend, Samantha Sadd.

Both underappreciated and women-led, Horksy recognizes the integral role that women and femmes play in community arts and wanted to honor their essential leadership and work in a novel way. “Not only is [community art] an under-appreciated field, but women have a leadership role in the field,” explained Horsky. “It’s always more than just being talented. These women, they’re organizers, they’re leaders. They’re actually doing on-the-ground work that has a huge impact.”

Vibrant and reminiscent of old comic strips, the cards were designed and produced by Horsky, with artist bios written by Bostonbased arts journalist and musician, Rachel Flood Page. “This year, the style was more inspired by superheroes, by a comic book superhero kind of aesthetic. You get the idea that they’re doing this incredible work to help the city which is in a way what superheroes do, right? Just metaphorically,” explained Horsky.

When we think of community art, often the first things that come to mind are murals or external sculptures—art in public spaces that can be viewed and consumed by anyone walking by. But Horsky stresses that community art is hardly restricted to one medium or category of presentation. Rather, any practice that serves or positively engages with a community can be community art. It’s

about organizing, advocating, connecting, and any number of mediums and practices can be the vehicle.

“You might not associate some of the things that these women are doing as necessarily community art,” said Horsky. “Angela Sawyer, who is also a musician and storyteller-- I qualify her comedy as community art because she organizes open mics, for example. So, she’s creating a platform for people to express themselves.”

Today, the notion of trading cards as a means of artmaking and communication brings with it both novelty and an air of nostalgia. But key for Horsky is the sense of community trading cards foster in that the physical objects become a token of exchange and dialogue.

“The idea of producing something tangible nowadays where there’s so much digital content is kind of a nice, refreshing, nostalgic project and sentiment,” explained Horsky. “I’m a proponent of cheap art. I have an ideological stance related to art and accessibility. I feel like this project is another example of community art and trying to think expansively about media and format, like how can community art manifest in these different forms? So having something that is 7 bucks and that you can hold in your hand and that you can share with people easily and that’s celebrating peers—all of those things ideologically are really in line with my vision for what community arts is all about.”

Sadd, the longtime director of Hawthorne Youth and Community Center in Roxbury, was one of the community’s strongest advocates for youth, teens and elders. She encouraged young people to be creative and recognize their excellence while keeping generations of families strong and connected through her community organizing work. Sadd also didn’t like having her photo taken, so the image representing her in the set is one of her community.

“The idea of having a posthumous award and it being named after somebody every year who’s dead is kind of getting at that this is not some new thing. It’s a long standing field. Community arts or artists applying their creativity and gumption, energy to helping the people around them—supporting the people around them—that’s age old,” said Horsky. “There’s this foundation that has been going on for a long time that women have always been leaders in this field. So that was the idea there of having a posthumous card or honorary legend—to place it in a larger historical context of community art.”

Cards can be purchased at the DAP store and at horskyprojects.com. Above all, however, I encourage you to check out the remarkable work of the artists featured!

-------------------------- TARANEH AZAR

ADVICE FOR LOVERS Q: I’m in a LDR and my gf takes a long time to text back sometimes and makes me feel insecure. What do I do?

A: Long-distance is hard! Communication is harder when you aren’t often seeing each other face-to-face. There are a lot of nonverbal cues that give us comfort and security when talking to a partner. Texting frequency, lulls in conversation, being left on read, etc., can drive us a bit mad. The bottom line is, people have different text styles! Some people aren’t on their phones a bunch and have few checkpoints during the day. Some people check their phones whenever they get a message; sometimes these opposites attract! One of the first things I discuss with someone I am seeing is what their virtual communication is like. It sounds a bit neurotic, but I think it can save us from a lot of unnecessary anxiety. After talking about your texting styles and understanding their situation you could set up regular facetime dates to create the face-to-face moments you need. Ideally this would bring you some solid reassurance that things are fine. Last on the to-do list is to find something to be busy with. xoxo- @heart.soaked

----------------------- DANIELA THOMAS

FINDING IDENTITY WITHIN LITERATURE An Interview with Autumn Allen, Author in Residence at the Boston Public Library

How did you become a writer, and how did you end up in the BPL residence program?

What does the position entail?

My mom would always tell me to find what you love doing and find a way to make money doing it, and I always loved to read and write. But my mom was a struggling artist, and she had a friend who was a doctor, and rich, which was always more enticing to me *laughs*. I did go to Yale for pre-med but ended up not enjoying the coursework, so in junior year I looked through all the majors that would work with my remaining courses, and I went for literature. Later I ended up with a master’s in education, worked in public health for a few years, and started homeschooling and working in community education when I became a mother. It was actually just five years ago that I heard about the children’s literature program at Simmons University, and I said, “wait, you can study children’s literature in graduate school?” So I got my MFA and began writing. I was looking for grants when I found the Boston Public Library program.

You’re given a stipend of 20,000 so you can focus on your book, and an office at the BPLbut of course, I didn’t get my office this year.

As an educator, what tangible impact have you seen literature have on children regarding their identity?

Well I’ve seen the most positive effects of literature from books that reflect the identities of children I’m working with. When my daughter first read “Little House in the Big Woods”, she closed the book, crying, “I wanna be blonde, Christian, and white”, which shocked me. I thought by blocking a lot of visual media like movies and TV, I was protecting her confidence- but you can’t block what’s broadly perceived as “normal”.

I once had a long conversation with my middle schoolers regarding a white-authored book about enslaved people which I felt had some inaccuracies, and we asked questions like, is black person is in a better place to tell this story? Do you think it doesn’t matter?

Different books have different effects. My kids personally? Their favorite books are those

where people of color are the protagonists, but the story is not about them being black.

They want a story that’s about adventure with a character who just happens to be a person of color.

Do you think the role of literature in racial justice has changed in the past few decades? How do you see it continuing to change?

Black writers in the past have had to decide whether they want to create “race literature” or more general literature. We still do that, but more are aspiring to not have to think about that, and let what we write stand for itself. Our responsibility is to create what we mean, and hope it resonates. I believe as we write what we want to write, we can develop a narrative over which we have greater control.

What can you tell us about your upcoming novel?

My novel is called All You Have To Do. It’s a historical novel split between two characters.

One is a student during the Black Power Movement in 1968, and the other is a student at private school during the Million Man March in 1995. Both are sort of struggling to be heard in these environments which are not valuing their experiences. I started in 2018, and I’m trying to pull it together into a coherent narrative. I’ve been reading it to my sister and another friend, and they’re feeling something!

For more information on Autumn’s work, you can visit her website at autumnallenbooks.com.

Object G-42/71-0014 | timestamped origin year: -84 B.C.1 (Before Cataclysm 1) solar years.

General Description: A glass tablet or prism of Preservationist make. Rounded corners.

When exposed to sunlight (which is hard to come by these days) it emits a soft hum and displays a touchable interface. Characters and grammar are unclear.

Notes: Retrieved from within a well-preserved vault that conforms to Preservationist standards exhibited in other vaults. Found nearby the remnants of a cloister called, over the course of its existence: Boss Tone (archaic), Bay Village (archaic), or Mouth-ofPorts (archaic). In line with Preservationist values, painstaking efforts were made to “future-proof” the information stored within the tablet. Some, such as durability and storage, were successful, as indicated by the easy discovery and working condition of the object. Other future-proofing efforts, such as language accessibility and information architecture, were less successful. Attempts to decode the contents of the tablet continue to be futile. If it contains valuable blueprints or saucy romance novels, we will never know.

The Localized Significance of New New England Artifacts

By Jethro We all know classic artifacts like Lego and GI Joe. With examples still being unearthed to this day, they were clearly popular preCataclysm, and they are certainly popular today. Their rich narratives have been passed across generations via stories and games, and through them we can begin to understand our predecessors lives and aspirations. That

brings me to the artifacts in question today.

These sculptures are unique because they do not share the same polished quality or comprehensive oral history behind them.

Cross a certain threshold, some amount of distance away from Mouth-of-Ports, and no one will have ever heard of Jay Walker or W.E.B Boi. But within that radius, there is a magical network of similarity. A loose community. On the lucky few opportunities I’ve had to travel out-of-cloister, I’m always struck by similarities between my fellow New New Englanders... and the fundamental difference of farther flung cloisters. We have a connection. A shared value set. I think that’s pretty rad. With everyone all podded up, it’s rare to find that sense of broader community. Sure, exchange between cloisters is so costly, but I think there are some things worth sharing.

Object G-42/71-0014 Report Update: Exciting news! A recent donation (P-41/717812) from the Island of Roads cloister has shed new light on the mystery of the indecipherable glass tablet. The donation - a palm-sized, human-ish figurine - has characters on its shirt and hanging from its ears that match certain parts of the tablet’s interface. Even more amazingly, the donor knew how to decipher the characters and even provided some context: “Oh ya that was a LEGENDARY slimecore band preCatalcysm.” Whatever that means. Based on initial translations, we believe the tablet is a repository of “academic papers.” Beyond that, the contains remain unintelligible. Our work continues.

----------------------------- MICAH EPSTEIN

SUBVERT & DESTROY

--------- RORY LAMBERT-WRIGHT

CLUTCH-POP! SQUITCH

In Boston, we have no shortage of indie music. The city’s DIY scene has defined the music that’s come out of it for decades, and every once in a while a band will stick out from the pack just a little more than usual. For me, that band is Squitch. I was fortunate enough to speak over the phone with frontperson Emery Spooner, the band’s singer, guitarist, and co-lead songwriter.

Squitch released their third and most recent album, “Learn to Be Alone” on New Year’s Eve, 2020, through local label Disposable America. Recorded with Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios in western Mass, “Learn” is Squitch’s tightest and most cohesive project to date.

“We went in wanting to capture our live sound, ‘cause we had been practicing so much and playing a lot of shows,” commented Spooner. “We wanted to capture how the three of us played together, and we bounced off each other in an interesting way, and we wrote it all together.”

Long-time bassist Emma Unterseher has since left Squitch, having moved to Chicago last summer. “I think you can hear our friendship in there, there’s some silly moments, some sad moments, but lyrically a lot of it is about very specific struggles in

Cloister Museum of Pre-Cataclasmic History Object Intake Report

personal relationships,” Spooner said. “Some of it is dealing with thinking about harm in my community and how to talk about it and think about it, which has been on my mind lately as well.”

Currently, Squitch consists solely of Spooner and drummer Denzil Leach. According to Spooner, they’re working on a new record that’s already almost done. “None of the songs fit together super well, but it’ll definitely be a record. It’s around 12 songs, a lot of it’s quiet, some of it’s really goofy. It’s definitely different.”

When asked about the direction of the band, Spooner spoke on the possibility of expanding into a four-piece: “We have some people we want to talk to about that, but our new songs that we’re working on are layered a little more, with some more leads and stuff.”

One of Squitch’s strengths since their inception has been their versatility, and though they’ve worked on other side projects like Night Moth, Spooner expressed excitement about the music’s evolution, and concluded that Squitch will be their main focus for the time being.

FFO: Arthur Russell, Adrianne Lenker, Dear Nora, Julie Doiron, and Ultra Chapelle.

------------------- JAMES AMMIRATO

While facial recognition technology and predictive analytics tools are new developments, their utility extends from the roots of policing - a system designed to uphold and maintain white supremacy. In her book, Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness, author Simone Browne writes, “A critical biometric consciousness must acknowledge the connections between contemporary biometric information technologies and their historical antecedents.” Browne points out the inherent bias critique of surveillance tech is incomplete without a reckoning of the racial motivations that inform all means of policing, old and new.

“From lantern laws to drones, seeing the ‘other’ has always been rooted in antiblack racism and the othering of colonized peoples,” says Leah Horgan of Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, a collective that mobilizes against police spying through abolitionist resources and grassroots campaigns to sustain an intersectional, long term movement to dismantle government surveillance. Horgan states that efforts to reform police monitoring gives cops, “...language or tools that allow them to say they’re doing it in an unbiased way, when truly the model of policing comes from racist beginnings.” One of the Coalition’s resources called The Algorithmic Ecology is a mode of resistance that maps out power relations surrounding algorithmic technologies, a visualization of power and its harms created to highlight where, “the community has opportunities to resist, dismantle, and abolish systems of oppression altogether.”

Like the LA collective, there are many other grassroots organizations working hard to oppose and abolish these surveillance apparatuses rooted in racism. The Western Regional Advocacy Project, or WRAP, uses a Street Watch program as a method of

subverting police power. Their technique could be categorized as “sousveillance”, or “observing and recording by an entity not in a position of power or authority,” a term developed as a way of naming an active inversion to the power relations that surveillance entails. WRAP utilizes street outreach and videotaping police with combined media coverage and pro-bono legal defense as a means to effect change for poor and houseless people who face the brunt of police harassment and abuse.

Our Data Our Bodies is a BIPOC team that raises consciousness in their communities surrounding how data is collected, stored and shared by corporations and governments.

In recent years the group has fought against Project Green Light, a public-private surveillance network program that has placed cameras in over 1,500 locations in Detroit.

Green Chairs, Not Green Lights is their counter-campaign that calls on neighbors to reinhabit front porches in order to establish community safety over security devices. In coalition with other Black-led activist groups around Detroit, they have worked to impose restrictions on Green Light including a ban on the use of facial recognition technology on any live feeds.

Transparency efforts, ordinances and oversight bodies, “...[give] these technologies the ability to keep refining and experimenting while we’ve already proven the harm,” states Horgan. Whether or not inaccuracies and bias are “corrected” by reform, BIPOC communities will continue to be pushed further into the grips of the carceral state.

Rather than invest further into the racist, imperialist violence of the police industrial complex we must support those who work to subvert and destroy it, imagining new paths for safety all together.

------------------------------------ GRACE RAIH

!

T E A S.ORG T MOR R N-A RAI

Somerville Media Center Virtual Workshop: “Audio Editing with Audacity” 3/10 @6pm “Learn how to use Audacity, a free audio editor, to edit your podcast content, add intro music, and learn about special effects like EQ and compression” More info and sign up at: somervillemedia.org

B

ADVOCACY Organized by the Freedom Fighters Coalition, Justice for George Floyd action on March 6, 2021 4 PM Government Center.

“George Floyd’s murderer goes on trial March 8th… what side of history do you want to be on?

(If you would like to volunteer to marshal, be a medic, or volunteer to pass out snacks and PPE please contact @ ffcof2020 or @newenglandfrontagainstfascism on IG).”

Build Greater Boston: “BUILD’s mission is to use entrepreneurship to ignite the potential of youth from underresourced communities and propel them to high school, college & career success” More info: buildinboston.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. www.newenglandjfon.org/advocacy Mass Action Against Police Brutality A campaign to prosecute the police and jail those who are guilty; open all past cases of police brutality; end the harassment of victims and witnesses. Visit www.maapb.org for info on actions/protests in the Boston area.

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.”

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 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 ONCE Virtual Venue Presents: Linnea’s Garden “Nowhere Friday Nights” EP Release Show Live on Youtube on Friday 3/5 @8pm.

ONCE Virtual Venue Presents: SATURNIIDS “Duplicate Tapes” Album Release Show Live on Youtube on Saturday 3/6 @8pm.

Boston Stream Party March Lineup! Follow @BostonStreamParty on IG for the streams! All shows at 8pm on the following dates: 3/6 - Melodious Zach 3/13 - Stephanie James 3/20 - The Only Humans 3/27 - Lady Lupine Check out “Uncharted Waters” a new project by Uncle Sam MC of LFOD Radio which sees the artist soundtracking The Outlaw Ocean — a recent book by author and journalist Ian Urbina lnk.to/UnchartedWaters Somerville Media Center Virtual Workshop: “Recording Audio at Home” 3/3 @6pm “Learn best practices on how to record your podcast from home! We will cover equipment (mics and mixers) and software like Zoom and Discord” More info and sign up at: somervillemedia.org

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 at www.sonorium.net Follow Bummer City Historical Society to sign up for their monthly online open mics, 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” Thursday 3/4 - Open mic featuring Aznjujube!

More info at bummercityhistoricalsociety.com 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!” 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 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 Did you miss Weird Local Virtual Film Festival #4 back in February? Fear not! They’ve added the content to their Youtube page for you to stream!

Check it out and follow them on IG @weirdlocalfilmfestival

VISUAL ART

Creatives of Color Boston Open call for poetry, music, visual art, dance and more!

Now accepting submissions through 3/27!

“CCB is planning our next virtual popup exhibit, “Krik? Krak!” and we want you! All visual and performative artists are welcome to apply. Applications are due by March 27th, with all chosen artists to be notified by April 1st.”

More info at: creativesofcolorboston.com/news Kingston Gallery Exhibition: “Unraveling” by Susan Greer Emmerson 3/3 - 3/28 “My work considers this emotional and physical devastation created by the loss of home. Home is where our most basic human needs - nourishment, rest and safety - are supposed to be met.

When these are lost we are set adrift, grieving for security and permanence” - Emmerson Social distanced opening reception: 3/5 5-8pm Kingston Gallery Exhibition: “15,000 Days” by Krystle Brown 3/3 - 3/28 “This work started with a poem that I wrote in 2017 titled “15,000 Days.” My father’s life was fading before my eyes, and my instincts were telling me that he was not long for this world.

I began reflecting upon this strange passage of time. We can perceive time as elastic, how slow our lives unfold, but a day can escape us.” - Brown Social distanced opening reception: 3/5 5-8pm Kingston Gallery Exhibition: “Efflorescence” by Stacey Cushner 3/3 - 3/28 “Some of the oil paintings of flowers in this show are based on old paintings, rearranged a bit with new flowers or imaginary ones. Tulips are a sincere favorite – I borrow from photos of online tulip varieties since the unusual ones are too hard to find locally, especially in a pandemic. Parrot tulips are remarkably colorful and radiant. Tulips symbolize love and rebirth. They are one of the first to bloom in the spring.

Victorians associated tulips with charity. Attributes in these difficult times.” - Cushner Social distanced opening reception: 3/5 5-8pm New Exhibition: “Memento Mori” by Yuri Shimojo @ Praise Shadows Art Gallery Opening Program 3/11 @7pm “Join us for an exclusive virtual preview of Yuri Shimojo’s “Memento Mori,” a monumental painting series premiering in

the US on the tenth anniversary of the Japanese Tōhoku earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear crisis. Meet Yng-Ru Chen ’01, owner of the Boston-based Praise Shadows Art Gallery; Yuri Shimojo, the artist; and Gennifer Weisenfeld, professor of art, art history & visual studies at Duke University, as they discuss Shimojo’s exhibition, and Chen’s journey from Duke University to the international art world, including Sotheby’s and MoMA.” More info and registration: praiseshadows.com S.O.M. Vibes Studio Come check out the new storefront in Attleboro! “S.O.M Vibes Art Studio is an expressive visual arts center that focuses on creating a positive mind frame by self reflection through art and music.” More info at: somvibesstudiollc.com CALL FOR WORK: Aviary Gallery is currently seeking work for our weekly online exhibition features on a rolling basis. All mediums are accepted, so long as the work can be represented by high quality images. More info at aviarygallery.com Boston CyberArts presents: In the Future Everything Will be Perfect by Anne Spalter.

“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.”

Mi Casa, Your Casa 2.0 interactive art installation by Esrawe + Cadena at the Seaport Common through 3/14/21 @seaportbos will make a donation to Habitat for Humanity for every tag 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”. 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! www.facebook.com/bostonabg Take-a-Zine, Leave-aZine Project looks to plant community-run book stands in Boston to foster the trade of zines, art books, and printed matter. Follow on IG @takeazine or email takeazine@gmail.com to find a stand or get involved!

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”. Online opportunities and performances can 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 March 5 at 7:30 p.m. 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.

Every Monday night!

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. thecomedystudio.com The Black Comedy Explosion: Wednesday nights at Slades Bar and Grill starting at 7pm.

Join us as we bring you some of today’s funniest comedians from BET Comic View, HBO DEF Comedy Jam, and more, with both national and local acts. sladesbarandgrill.com @slades.boston

COMMUNITY M.O.B. Melanin Owned Business Market! At Dorchester Art Project Every Saturday in March from 12-5pm at 1490 Dorchester Ave come support an amazing selection of Melanin Owned Businesses curated by Shakenna Appleberry of @2fruitswellness!

Boston Ujima Project Presents: Agbo Ile/The Poetics & Potentialities of Community Centered Art & Design

- facilitated by Mobolaji Otuyelu These sessions will be a mixture of history, practice & healing ritual. More information, links to join, and a video of the first session from February 3rd on Facebook and Youtube.

Check out the brand new page on MassCult617 that tells the story of the infamous Hoodoo BBQ restaurant above the Rathskellar in Boston! Cool photos, an awesome history, and commentary from the owner James Ryan himself. Also consider purchasing a T-shirt to support local restaurants and restaurant workers with all the funds going to Project Restore Us.

https://www.masscult617.com/hoodoo

Check out a new non-profit grocery story Daily Table at 684 Mass. Ave in Central Square!

Affordable, sustainable food for all. Open from 9AM - 8PM on Monday - Friday, and 11AM 7PM on Sunday.

Somerville Media Center Virtual Workshop: “Build a User-Friendly Website with Wix” 3/16 @11am “During this two hour workshop you will learn how to create your own website in Wix. Learn to navigate; make pages and posts; add photos; and customize the appearance of your website. Students will also explore how to create contact forms, custom menus, photo galleries, how to add additional users and integrate social media on your website. This class is in collaboration with the Somerville Public Library and will be taught by Tim Devin, Technician Librarian & Dave Ortega, Somerville Media Center” More info and sign up at: somervillemedia.org

The theatre scene has a flurry of new and ongoing projects hitting your computer screens this Spring before the warmer weather allows for some outdoor programming. In fact, now is the time to reserve your tickets before certain shows sell out, including New Rep’s one-woman show Unveiled and the A.R.T. streaming Company One’s production of Hype Man: A Break Beat Play.

Lots of local shows and conversations to tune into this March. Here are some highlights below but check our full listings for the month at brain-arts.org/blog Suggestions? Tips? Email TheatrescapeBoston@gmail.com —CEEK 3/19 C1’s Better Future Series 2.0: Fighting for Black Trans Rights Company One continues this ongoing series of important community conversations.

This time with a panel of Black trans leaders and artists to discuss how we can work to create more equity and safety for the community. Catch up on the series with episodes available via the C1 website.

WHERE: CompanyOne.org/ better-future-series/ 3/9-3/22 A Brimful of Asha This show starring Canadian mother-son duo, Asha and Ravi Jain, hits Boston’s virtual stage thanks to Arts Emerson. A comedy that navigates familial and cultural expectations in conflict with the freedom to determine one’s own future. Check out the trailer and reserve a ticket to stream.

WHERE: pay-what-you-can tickets at ArtsEmerson.org

WEEKLY MUTUAL AID (FFC) around Atkinson street and Topeka Street, Boston every Friday at 6 PM. Food, clothing, cold weather supplies.

Donations always welcome (funds and gloves, hand warmers, socks, hats, snacks/ sandwiches). All volunteers are welcome. Love to cook?

Bring a hot meal to serve.

Boston Democratic Socialists of America: Chill With Comrades in person and online!

Find events on FB and on their website including February meetings that tackle discussions and actions surrounding rent control, prison abolition, immigration, mutual aid, community building, and more.

Email mentalhealth@bostondsa.org with any questions.

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 nonprofit 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!”

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 and also

provides 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. 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 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

3/5-3/18 The Pink Unicorn A conservative mother in Texas comes to terms with her own ignorance when her teenager comes out as queergender.

This one woman show pits fear, prejudice and public pressure against unconditional love.

This virtual play isn’t cheap, but neither is making theatre.

WHERE: $30 at SpeakEasyStage.com 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

Every Tues The Lunch Room This is a FREE weekly online show the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) has been producing every Tuesday at noon, where important topics and some incredible creative minds come together for a curated conversation. Check out the past shows and register for the next online.

WHERE: AmericanRepertoryTheater.org

Alright y’all, we’re one year into the pani and we have all gone houseplant crazy. I get it, you’re looking to go to the next level and add some “spice” if you will. But please, for the love of the green man, don’t do these things.

They A) don’t work the way you want them to, and B) may actually harm your plant friends.

First: MAYO ON PLANT LEAVES No. Why? For what? According to the internet you want to wipe it on your leaves to “dust and shine” them. The claim is that it breaks down sap and any other substance stopping your leaves from looking fresh. You know what’s NOT FRESH? Mayonnaise clumps on your plants! Nah. Just use water and a cloth. Your leaves shouldn’t need anything else to look well-dusted and happy. Hot tip for cacti: try a little paint brush for getting between the pokey bits.

Second: COFFEE GROUNDS

Third: ICE CUBES

dead set on using your grounds, friend.

Naaaahhhhh. Sure, some plants like gardenias and ferns don’t mind a little acidity in their soil but straight dumping your coffee grounds into their dirt is NOT the way to get it. Your coffee grounds need to be composted to break down into a form that is good for your plants. There’s such a thing as soil that is too acidic! I recommend checking out ways to start an indoor compost bin with worms if you’re

Just…don’t? Most houseplants and orchids we commonly see around are from tropical regions. They don’t want or need frozen temps anywhere near them! In fact, tepid or warm water is what they crave. Keep them warm and make sure they’re living in well-draining soil.

Water with filtered or distilled water and make sure they never sit in water. They’ll be happier

by Keeva B. Angstadt, age 11 t our Ar See Y !

Here?

for it!!

CHERYL RAFUSE

sen adri d your an@ w brai ork to n-ar ts.o rg

Do you know of other weird plant hacks?!

Share them with me on @plantmagicshop!

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! -

By Tori DelValle

------------------------------------------------------------------

@thirteen.vic

STATING THE STATE OF THE STATE OF THE ART ARTS

^

An

interview with

DAnielle lAuretAno • DtAno.xyz

N

“I mostly make illustrations, but also do video art and animation. I’ve done a lot of food illustrations like cheese and oysters but I pretty much like to draw anything....I’ve made a bunch of weird fun videos with my friends....I’m really drawn to editing found footage and hope to do more of that...”

V

“I don’t know what I would do with my life if I couldn’t make art, I think I would voluntarily die.”

I

“I’ve done a bunch of freelance work and have been getting a decent amount of commissions lately....I don’t make enough money off my art to quit my job, and I don’t know if I ever will, but it’s honestly cool because I’m lucky, I actually like my job.”

p

“I’m working at a really great [picture framing] shop in the South End....[I]t gives me a great work/life balance. It’s also a great skill to know....Being able to understand how to frame and preserve work is something that all artists should know...”

45

“I’m lucky that my parents are supportive of my art-making and my choice to pursue art as a career....I’m grateful that my art teachers were not overloaded with students so they could be invested in their classes and be able to assist students with things like building a portfolio and applying to art school.”

; p O

“Stop accepting shitty commissions just because they are offered. Only do work for free if it’s for something really cool.

90% of the time you should never do work for free.”

“Figure out how to structure your life to put art-making in the forefront while also being able to take care of yourself.”

neil horsky • horskyProjects.com

Viscous Verses.

THE SPINDLE I saw that nightfall as was going awry, How blazed in havens the fringe of the sky.

Clouds’ tapestry reddened ready to move, Somewhere rather pinky, somewhere mauve.

And I saw a glow of passions that night In myriads threads flowed down alight.

Toward that incandesce ascended а sward With the hallow smile, as always ill-starred.

T

here’s a phrase you may be familiar with if you or someone you know practices witchcraft: “An’ it harm none, so mote it be.” To local artist and green witch Rachel Mars, following the path means a recognition of magick and one’s own accountability for the effect they have on their surrounding world.

“Basically, my work is art. Sometimes it’s focused on scent, sometimes it’s visual, sometimes it’s the creation of a mood,” she tells me via email after her recent appearance at ONCE Virtual Venue My Synesthesia Valentine event.

Despite closing its physical doors on Highland Avenue for good due to the pandemic, ONCE Somerville has remained a local mainstay of creativity and performance with their virtual venue and efforts to support artists. Held on Zoom with both live and pre-recorded elements, this sensually focused variety show included a quirky and inspired collection of music, puppetry, video, lecture and discussion about all things synesthesia.

Synesthesia is when different senses are activated by seemingly unrelated sensory input. Someone who experiences this may see music, hear sights, assign gender or personality to numbers or letters etc. There’s some evidence that there may be a strong correlation between synesthesia and ASMR-a calming, tingling sensation brought on by soft sounds and other stimuli.

Like many of my own experiences, synesthesia is something more than a few males have told me wasn’t real and that I made it up for attention. They were the same boys who pried the guitar from my fingers in high school as I was trying to learn. Girls hands are too small for guitar, why don’t you just stick to singing, they’d say. Fuck those guys (but also do yourself a favor and DON’T fuck those guys).

Mars’ personal experience with synesthesia is more related to something smelling so good she can taste it, or hearing music that gives her chills. Her advice for engaging our senses as a way to nurture our souls and help us survive psychologically the rest of this covid winter is to get intentional about our environments and day-to-day routines.

“Light candles, drink tea made from locally sourced ingredients, make your own fire cider, take the dog for a walk, look, listen, breathe,” she suggests. “There is magick in everyday moments and all those little things for those who would see it.”

Mars says she hates making the videos and misses speaking to a live audience. Still, her set was a flawless winter warmer of red satin and evergreen as she taught us how to create our own olfactory wonders with things easily found outside or in our own pantries.

Her business, The Green Witch, gradually came together a few years ago, around the same time she connected with the folks at ONCE Somerville.

“In the beginning I was seeking out womxn-owned venues to let my all femxle artist group host pop-up events in their spaces,” says Mars. She was brought into the ONCE community by events manager and booker, Bridget Duggan. “She introduced me to the amazing, creative, eccentric crew at ONCE and it’s been an absolute delight to work with them over the last few years.”

To learn more about Mars’ work and check out ONCE Virtual venue, you can visit https://greenwitchhome.com and https:// www.oncesomerville.com/virtual-venue.

JENN STANLEY

Thus arundinaceous yarn of the lake Wove in an arras cherubic at stake.

And there the lettering ornament’s scent To a vastness seraphic fluttering went.

The spindle inspired me again and again That immortality has been regained.

And leas, fraternized with cerulean blest Chording swelter and spell afore the tempest.

Hence a plot evangelical, eternal at last Was praised by the evening‘s unthinkable lustre.

— Gregory Margovsky Translated by Alex Sitnitsky Gregory Margovsky was born in 1963 in Minsk. He graduated from Moscow Literary Institute (where he was at school with Philip Nikolayev). His works were published in a number of newspapers and magazines. He worked as a journalist, an editor, a translator of Polish, Bulgarian, Latvian poetry, and taught literature in schools. In 1993 he repatriated to Israel.

He was a security guard, a phone operator, an archivist, and worked in the Tel Aviv Municipal Library. There he published four collections of verse: The Moth of Ashes (1997, Euterpe, Tel-Aviv) The Draft of Centuries (1998, Euterpe, Tel-Aviv), Game of Games (2008, Tranzit-X, Vladimir, Russia), and The Casket of Rhumes (2017, Rusience, Moscow). He became a member of the Israel Federation of Writers’ Union, and was accepted into the postgraduate Slavic Philology program at the Jerusalem University. He has lived in the US since 2001. This is his first appearance in a US periodical.

Viscous Verses is edited by Raquel Balboni & Ben Mazer: https://artandlettersmagazine.squarespace.com

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