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Dorchester Art Project is hosting its
Inaugural Artist-in-Residence ExhibiDorchester tion featuring the work of Allison MaArt Project
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nce upon a time, Lowell, MA chose the tried & true tactic of increasingly inviting big name acts to their annual folk festival, in an attempt to draw larger crowds. A tipping point came when local musicians, seeing the word “folk” used so generously, realized that Where the term no longer applied to anyone actually from Lowell. Dorchester In 2007, Walter Wright of 119 Gallery opened his doors Art Project to the folks he knew represented the local scene; welcomWhen ing other musics and underage can’t-play-in-bars types to 2/23-2/25 play in the Chelmsford street venue while the safe stuff Cost contented the masses. The next February, XFest began. $uggested Walter has always appreciated the challenge of spontaneity, Donation and created XFest to mingle disparate performers together outside of their individual traditions. By some crazed alchemy, musicians were matched in separate groups, meeting their temporary bandmates during setup in a dense, steamy room. The cacophony was enlightening, enriching, hilarious; drone following noise following jazz. It was like seeing class clowns compete, or realizing you’ve just heard the most beautiful composition unimaginable. This year, it’s at Dorchester Art Project, where we’re eager to fill the space and take advantage of these separate areas. The layout of the venue provides space to talk between or during sets without disruption; having a green room for costume changes is a remarkable luxury; and a space to set up food and swag without having to walk between the audience and the performers? O yass. --> www.xfestma.com --> Youtube search: xfest zebu
XFEST 2018
ria Rodriguez. The grand prize winner of the Human Impact Institute’s 2017 Sat 2/3 Creative Climate Awards and a 2018 Cost Earthwatch Fellow, Rodriguez’s work Free touches on the limitations of language and offers experiential methods for reconnecting with other species and our planet. “Quickening the Dust: Rekindling our Living Link,” a solo exhibition of work developed during the residency and featuring work on species extinction, climate change and political agency, will run from February 3 through February 23, with an opening reception held on Saturday, February 3, from 6-9pm. The evening will feature a live improvisational performance by OFF LAND. An interdisciplinary artist who works predominantly in video installation and new media, Allison makes digital spaces that have a deep sense of humanity. She talks about nature, loss and hope in her work, while tackling hard topics, like extinction and war. Everything she does is saturated with patience and love. The new body of work Allison will be creating during her residency is bound to be bountiful, real and replenishing, providing fantastic visions while asking the most difficult questions. A Panel Discussion, “Rekindling our Living Link: —DEI XHRIST Art & Environmentalism in a Contemporary Context,” will be held in conjunction with the exhibition on February 15 from 6-8:30pm. This panel will include a series of presentations by artists from the greater Boston area focusing on environmental issues in their work. Read more about Allison and her work at allisonmariarodriguez.com
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ound, navigating you to above gr underground, and all around awesome happenings in the greater boston area
#quickeningthedust Allison Maria Rodriguez
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notes from the
—ANYA SMOLNIKOVA
N O T E S F R O M T H E CREW WITH HASSLE ART EDITOR CHLOE DUBOIS
What a time for an artist to be involved with Boston Has-
sle! We just partnered with Dorchester Art Project and headquartered ourselves there, giving us two whole rooms with white walls, you know, galleries. There is so much potential! Our calendar is stacked. I want you to pick up an issue of The Compass, or check our site, and instantly be able to make your art show itinerary for the month. By the way, I am constantly combing the web for more diverse events, so please reach out to us at Hassle if you want your event promoted! The key part of maintaining a life as an artist is actively surrounding yourself with creative people. For me, the crew at Hassle is just that. It’s not often that you enter a room and have your crazy artist ideas taken so seriously. Furthermore, I am challenged to reach outside the realm of making my own work, to promote and cover art throughout the city. The task itself is a craft, and volunteering for Hassle and The Compass have become an integral part of my “practice.” Like keeping up with a sketchbook, or material testing, being an editor for Hassle has been highly rewarding work. I am constantly looking for first-class-art-appreciators to join me in this pursuit of art promotion—please reach out to us if you want to help out!
Are you interested in meeting people in your area who are making the world a better place? Do you have a lot of feelings about the future of this country and how we’re getting there? Come join MuckRock and Boston Hassle for our first ever Public Interest Potluck! We—like you, no doubt—are excited to move into 2018 with a renewed sense of purpose, optimism and community. To kick that off, we’re bringing together a diverse host of nonprofits, activists and engaged civic participants to share what they’re working on and what they envision for the future of their communities. In order to ensure progress on pressing issues, we must engage in conversations that are inclusive and call on collaborative action from our community at large. That is why we are calling on you to come share your cause with other dedicated individuals who fight for public interest issues throughout Greater Boston. Our night of dialogue will include music, drinks, light eats and opportunities to get involved in matters that matter to you! The event will be emceed by MuckRock founder Michael Morisy and include short speeches from Kade Crockford of ACLU Massachusetts, queer activist Evan Greer and State Rep Mike Connolly. The night will be catered by Food Not Bombs and held at the Garment District on Thursday, February 8th between 6pm to 9pm. Come out and discover the buffet of ways people in our neighborhoods are exchanging and using information for the betterment of us all! —GRACE RAIH
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 OR BOSTONHASSLE@GMAIL.COM
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f there’s one positive side effect of living in a world where science is dismissed as fiction and fiction increasingly embraced as fact, it’s When how science fiction has once again become 2/9-2/19 a vital medium for public discourse. As press Cost time, there are at least two serious Best Picture $75 marathon contenders with solid sci-fi cores (either would $130 festival be the first in history to win), and hard sci-fi TV shows like The Handmaid’s Tale and Black MIrror feel more accurate and relevant than any 24-hour news channel. In implausible times, one must rely on the fantastic. Fortunately, Boston is ahead of the game. This month marks the 43rd annual Boston Science Fiction Film Festival, the longest running genre festival in the country. Across its many decades, Boston SciFi has become one of the most revered institutions of its kind, presenting eleven days of exciting new voices, curated classics, and a dazzling array of shorts from around the world, all culminating in a 24-hour marathon guaranteed to get your President’s Day off on the right foot. Highlights of this year’s lineup include Antonio Llapur’s mind-bending animated feature SPACE DETECTIVE, and the harrowing Spanish cyber-slasher FRAMED. What’s more, we are thrilled to announce that Boston Hassle is once again hosting this year’s night of locally grown sci-fi cinephilia! Keep watching the site for the Film Flam team’s ongoing coverage of the festival-- and, as always, keep watching the skies. —Oscar Goff Somerville Theatre
P L A C E S Y O U C A N H A N G
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BToomerang
here aren’t too many places left in Boston where you can get a pair of overalls, a midcentury dresser, vintage records, a working XBox, a crockpot, a few paperbacks, and a new set of wine glasses all in the same trip. With four locations around the city, Boomerangs is a one-stop shop for everything. Each store is a deep-rooted part of its neighborhood and a regular destination for locals, and each one’s got a different vibe. Hit up the JP location and redo your entire apartment with their huge (and cheap) furniture and art selection. Treasure-hunt the racks for vintage outfits in Central Square. Browse for vinyl, books, and antique jewelry over in West Roxbury. And for the super fashion-minded, check out their boutique in the South End for a thoughtfully curated, always changing selection of designer clothes. At Boomerangs, they’re constantly restocking. You can go three different times in a week and find completely new items. Tons of regulars stop by every day so they don’t miss out on any of the cheap treasures. They also have some of the most creative window displays in town, filled with one-of-a-kind curiosities that you can bid on. The best part? All of the money goes to run services for those living with HIV/AIDS. Under AIDS Action Committee and Fenway Health, shopping at Boomerangs supports live-saving programs as state and federal funding for HIV/AIDS declines. The community knows how important this is, too, so they’re more than eager to give back—you’d be amazed at some of the high-quality stuff folks donate. Bring them your gently-used clothes, books, and other knick-knacks and know that they’ll find a good home and support a much-needed local cause. The Boston Hassle and Boomerangs have supported each other for a long time, and you can find the Compass at all of their stores. Stop by to pick up your next issue, and you’ll probably leave with something else you can’t live without. Check out shopboomerangs.org for Boomerangs locations and hours in Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, Central Square, and the South End. —COMPASS STAFF