Worcester Magazine February 4 - 10, 2011

FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2021 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CULTURE • ARTS • DINING • VOICES

FREE

Creativity and crisis

Worcester’s artists discuss making art during the pandemic

2

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

IN THIS ISSUE

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021 • V O L U M E 46 I S S U E 23 Find us on Facebook.com/worcestermag Twitter @worcestermag Instagram: Worcestermag

Note To Readers

100 Front St., Fifth Floor Worcester, MA 01608 worcestermag.com Editorial (508) 767.9535 WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com Sales (508) 767.9530 WMSales@gatehousemedia.com VP, Sales & Strategy Andrew Chernoff Executive Editor David Nordman Editor Nancy Campbell Content Editor Victor D. Infante Reporters Richard Duckett, Veer Mudambi

17

Contributing Writers Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Connell Sanders, Gari De Ramos, Robert Duguay, Liz Fay, Jason Greenough, Janice Harvey, Barbara Houle, Jim Keogh, Jim Perry, Craig S. Semon, Matthew Tota

Featured ......................................................................................4

Director of Creative Services Donald Cloutier

City Voices...................................................................................8

Multi Media Sales Executives Deirdre Baldwin, Debbie Bilodeau, Kate Carr, Diane Galipeau, Sammi Iacovone, Kathy Puffer, Jody Ryan, Regina Stillings

Cover Story ...............................................................................10

Sales Support Jackie Buck, Yanet Ramirez Senior Operations Manager Gary Barth Operations Manager John Cofske

Legals/Public Notices Please call 888-254-3466, email classifieds@gatehousemedia.com, or mail to Central Mass Classifieds, 100 Front St., 5th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608

Connell Sanders......................................................................16 Table Hoppin’...........................................................................17 Screen Time..............................................................................18 New on DVD..............................................................................18 Next Draft...................................................................19 Adoption Option ....................................................................20 Games .........................................................................................21 F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

WORCESTER MAGAZINE is a news weekly covering Central Massachusetts. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts.

The Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement.

Worcester Magazine has put its calendar section and event recommendations on hold for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other standing features may be put on hold or appear more sporadically. Also, considering the pace of news these days, some articles may be updated online as the situation changes. For the most up-to-date versions of articles, visit WorcesterMag.com or Telegram.com.

Classifieds .................................................................................22 Last Call .....................................................................................23

Distribution Worcester Magazine is inserted into the Telegram & Gazette on Thursdays and is also available for free at more than 400 locations in the Worcester area. Unauthorized bulk removal of Worcester Magazine from any public location, or any other tampering with Worcester Magazine’s distribution including unauthorized inserts, is a criminal offense and may be prosecuted under the law.

23

Advertising To place an order for display advertising or to inquire, please call (508) 767.9530.

Worcester Magazine (ISSN 0191-4960) is a weekly publication of Gannett. All contents copyright 2021 by Gannett. All rights reserved.

Worcester Magazine is not liable for typographical errors in advertisements.

the cover

16

Creativity and crisis Worcester’s artists discuss making art during the pandemic.

Story on page 10 Design by Donald Cloutier

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Subscriptions First class mail, $156 for one year.

Send orders and subscription correspondence to GateHouse Media, 100 Front St., Worcester, MA 01608.

3

FEATURED

Less is more: Robert Moylan Jr. Water Filtration plant lauded for low electricity use VEER MUDAMBI

4

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

E

ven before the Green Worcester Plan was implemented, the Water and Sewer Operations of the Department of Public Works was working on conservation efforts and ways to better use technology to improve the city’s drinking water.

Those efforts were recently rewarded with a 2020 Public Water System award for energy conservation from the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency.

The Robert Moylan Jr. Water Filtration plant was the recipient of the award for innovating practices, and data from the plant now shows 2020 electricity usage has been the lowest in the past six years.

“I think we jumped on this before the Green Worcester Plan,” said Philip Guerin, director of Water and Sewer Operations, “I don’t think it was a driver in this at all.”

Guerin is aware that the department “is often thought of as a dinosaur who can’t get out of its own way but nobody forced us to do this.” And he would like the public to know that “we have people who are bright and thinking and looking at what’s out there for better tech and try to implement it when it makes sense.”

The GWP has been cited as the driving force behind any green initiatives by other city institutions. While it’s true that GWP encompasses multiple sections of the city’s infrastructure, the perception that it’s dragging various departments kicking and screaming into the realm of green tech is not accurate.

Graph displaying electricity use by the plant over the last six years.

2020 is by far the lowest.

The plant uses an ozone treatment to disinfect drinking water and generated the needed ozone from oxygen drawn from the atmosphere — a process that requires heavy electricity usage.

The new ozone system uses liquid oxygen instead of atmospheric air

Filtration plant staff in front of the new ozone generators holding the Mass EPA award.

PHILIP GUERIN, WORCESTER DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

as a source of oxygen. This does not require the intensive use of compressors and dryers hence saves energy and is called the plate style ozone system.

It has even won kudos from 350 Central Mass, an environmental advocacy group, in the Worcester area. Paul Popinchalk, retired mechanical engineer and facilities manager, said he is “very impressed that the city is creating a culture of conservation” and called it an amazing system which reflects foresight, planning and application of technology.

Popinchalk believes it deserves more attention from city residents in order to further environmental goals. “Education of the public is

critical because the City cannot do this alone,” he explained. “We’re

the ones running the faucets and flushing the toilets — so the citi-

Graph displaying electricity use by the plant over the last six years. 2020 is by far the lowest.

WORCESTER DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

zens have to be involved.”

While the award recognized the cumulative improvement that the city has made to the system so far, Guerin is hopeful about the scalability aspect of the system and the fact that capacity can be readily increased. Ensuring there is scope for upgrades, Water and Sewer Operations is building with an eye toward the future.

Cutting energy use while allowing further improvements to the city’s drinking water quality may not be immediately visible to the larger Worcester community but is a clear achievement from an energy conservation standpoint.

FEATURED

Chronicling history in real time VEER MUDAMBI

up on that. “I read quite a bit of historiography and how you bring iving as we are during an that to life. The crucial difference unprecedented panis that in oral history, one is usudemic, Cynthia Hooper ally talking about something that wanted her students to happened years ago as opposed reflect on the making of histoto something that is happening ry. She suggested that during now or just a few months ago.” a crisis, we don’t usually have Semley explained how they the time and opportunity to “really tried to run it as a class consider the historical implicabut it had to have structure tions of what we are experiencand we had to drum up funding. But the associate professor ing by soliciting applications of history and director of the from students and funding from Russian and Eastern European different departments and the Studies program at the College administration, then funnel it of the Holy Cross knows, “history through the research program.” really matters and we are not Since Holy Cross is very open to usually attuned to consider the student work, that allowed them lessons or parallels that could be to access certain resources. extremely helpful.”

Hooper pointed out how Cynthia Hooper, associate despite the universal agreement professor of history and director that this is a historic time and of the Russian and Eastern Euthe need to save artifacts and ropean Studies program at Holy preserve experiences, it’s been Cross. difficult. “Because our entire People line up at a free COVID-19 testing site at Mercantile Center courtyard in downtown How does one document existence last year was COVIDhistory that one is living through? Worcester in December. Students at the College of the Holy Cross have been chronicling the based, it affected the very texture “By recording lived experiences of everyday life. So how do you history of the pandemic in real time and its impact on the community. through interviews, preservdecide what is worth chronicling MIKE ELFLAND ing material artifacts and even and worth sharing?” Even our uncollecting digital media such as derstanding of what the pandemInterdisciplinary Studies at Holy She noted that conversainterview persuaded him to focus ic event was about at the start, tweets/facebook posts.” Almost Cross. One of her students, John tions and debate happening in a on a similar group. Reaching out everything is an artifact at when the project was conceived, Larson, approached her with the disposable online forum through through the Holy present, she comments, from the has changed since idea of doing something withsocial media has Cross alumni sublime to the then. in the context of a class about “made artifact network, through ridiculous — face It was clear collection very dif- preserving oral histories. When family who spread masks, funeral that one archive Larsen heard about Hooper’s ferent than it was the word, and announcements was never going Facebook group, he suggested even 30 years ago. ” through social to computer GIFs. to be all encominterviewing people about their There are fewer media networks, Last spring, passing but they postcards, written pandemic experience in a similar he was able to find when campuses wanted it to be manner. letters or even individuals willing began to close an organized pro“Our world became so small photographs that to share their and students were cess. Semley and can be easily saved so fast,” remembers Larson, “and experiences as the suddenly sent Hooper explained they kept saying ‘you’re living and archived. pandemic raged home, different that there are Lorelle Semley, through history’ so I thought it on and the shutinstructors tried two main ways was important we document not downs continued. professor of histo address this to categorize an only student’s perspectives but “As an intersame sentiment in Cynthia Hooper, associate tory and director archive — before people in the community as well.” viewer,” said Larof the Center for varied ways. Acor after gathering Starting in the summer, each Interdisciplinary son, “you’re only cordingly, Hooper professor of history and Lorelle Semley, professor the material. The of the 12 students who joined this 50% of that interStudies at Holy asked students to director of the Russian former, called project, dubbed “COVID ChronCross. view and you don’t of history and director consider the larg- and Eastern European “pre-tagging,” beicles,” pursued a different topic “The reason it know how they are of the Center for er ramifications of Studies program at Holy comes more became this bigger but all focused around hearing going to respond.” Interdisciplinary Studies difficult as the the COVID crisis Cross. people’s stories and making sure thing is when Not knowing what at Holy Cross. for Worcester. “I storyline changes SUBMITTED PHOTO they were preserved.

Larson we realized that he might hear, he SUBMIT TED PHOTO started a FB group and the compaprimarily focused on interviews students needed learned to trust called ‘into the rable events grow with elderly people and those something to do and we had to his instincts on abyss’ to share content because and evolve. “Things that seemed living alone. The first person he give it more structure,” said Lotopics he was comfortable talking really important in the summer even jokes would become artispoke with was his aunt, who relle Semley, professor of history about because if he was not at facts which could be lost,” she might not be as relevant now, but lives entirely alone, and that and director of the Center for ease, his interviewees would pick said.

C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 7

L

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

5

FEATURED

Boylston’s Andrew Wilcox finding his jazz grooves and spaces RICHARD DUCKET T

6

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

F

or the youthful Andrew Wilcox Sextet, it was the first concert in a while It breezed along nicely from the start, as Wilcox, piano, introduced an initial theme, and then the wind instrumentalists (Elliot Bild, trumpet, Josh Walker, tenor saxophone, and Dakota Austin, alto saxophone) picked it up and started running with it. Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere, bass, and Jonathan Barber, drums, provided the underpinnings of support. It was a happy scenario.

The concert was recorded in January as part of the Hartford Public Library’s Baby Grand Jazz Series.

It can be seen on Hartford Public Library’s Facebook Page and YouTube channel.

“It went pretty well,” said Wilcox, who is from Boylston and graduated last year from the prestigious Hart School of Music in Hartford.

The concert was recorded in a room at the Hartford Public Library, Wilcox said. In the room it was just the sextet, the technical crew, and the series host.

The musicians were introduced wearing masks, and the distinguished series itself is virtual for the first time. Wilcox, Bell le Pere and Barber kept their masks on throughout the concert, but Bird, Walker and Austin removed theirs when they were playing, then covered their faces when they were not..

“It sounded pretty great. It looked pretty great. I got a lot of phone calls from people who watched who very much enjoyed it,” Wilcox said.

“It was great to play again.”

It was only the second time the Andrew Wilcox Sextet had performed a show since last March.

But the time may soon be coming when Wilcox will be seen and heard a lot as a jazz pianist and composer with hopefully many unfolding scenarios.

He is already off to an impressive start. He has his sextet, as well as a trio. He’s also performed as a side-

Jazz pianist and composer Andrew Wilcox sits at the piano in his Boylston home.

RICK CINCLAIR

man with a number of musicians including Leland Baker, Haneef Nelson, Ed Byrne, Rob Zappulla and Ed Fast, and played at venues such as the Newport Jazz Festival, The Iridium Jazz Club, Black-Eyed Sally’s, Symphony Hall and Mechanics Hall back in Worcester.

“Prior to the pandemic I was playing three to five nights a week,” Wilcox said.

He was also living in Hartford.

Wilcox graduated from the Hartt School of Music in May with a degree in jazz studies. He taught piano at Hartford’s Charter Oak Cultural Center.

Now he is studying for a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in jazz composition and arranging.

With the pandemic, almost all of his classes have been online so far.

Still, “it works out pretty well,” Wilcox said about studying alone at home. “Being a composer is solitary work.”

Given the circumstances, Wilcox has moved back home to Boylston where he lives with his parents and youngest brother.

“I’m just staying here in Boyl-

ston for a while and hopefully I’ll do some local performances as things open up and get outside again,” he said.

Wilcox started as a young classical pianist in Boylston, but when he was a seventh-grader at Tahanto Regional Middle School in Boylston he caught the ear of the high school band director Rick Cain.

Cain introduced Wilcox to jazz.

“He heard me playing piano and auditioned me for the high school jazz band,” Wilcox said. Through Cain’s guidance, Wilcox started to listen to artists such as Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, and Lee Morgan.

As Wilcox got deeper into the music, Cain directed him to the local legend jazz pianist Dick Odgren, and he also got to meet other wellknown musicians in the Worcester area including Rich Ardizzone and Tucker Antell. Before graduating from Tahanto Regional High School, Wilcox had been selected to the District and All-State Bands in Massachusetts.

“My piano background was classical, but by the time I reached middle school I knew I didn’t want

to do classical,” Wilcox said.

“Jazz had an energy and spirit I never really knew before, and personalities that were really unique and made them stand out from all the people around them.

And I liked the people I was playing with. It just felt good playing music together.”

At the Hartt School Wilcox studied with world-renowned musicians including pianists Rick Germanson, Chris Casey, Matt DeChamplain and Zaccai Curtis.

As for composing jazz music, Wilcox recalled that Odgren once gave him a blank piece of music paper and asked him to write a melody.

“That just really inspired me to write more and more music.”

Wilcox was still in high school, and he recalled that at independent study periods “I’d just sit at the piano and think of all the things people wouldn’t do.”

Then writing music “continued as a way to express what I was feeling in college. Also I love writing about nature. I take hikes all over the place and write about that.

Nature is extremely inspiring to me.

I grew up in a family that took a lot of ski trips and hikes.”

There were fondly remembered vacations to national parks in states including Utah, Wyoming and Washington.

“I just found a lot of inspiration being in the wild,” Wilcox said.

“These things are very inspiring to me and very dear to my heart.”

His music has been described as a combination of swinging grooves and wistful, spacey melodies.

Wilcox said his influences, besides nature and personal experiences, are pretty eclectic — classical music, jazz, R&B and hip-hop.

It is also “music that seeks to tell a story,” Wilcox said. “Every composition has a story behind why I was writing it, and I seek to tell the story through my music.”

One problem that some might have with jazz, especially modern jazz, is that it isn’t always audience friendly or accessible. Initial themes

may be dense, and the exploration of them even more obscure.

However, Wilcox said people have told him that his music is accessible. “I think it’s accessible, but there are a few things here and there that require some extra attention. I know I’ve had my share of music that is a little hard to take in. My music is not avant-garde. It’s somewhere in the middle.”

The Andrew Wilcox Sextet repertoire includes works by ‘70s and ‘80s jazz musicians and Andrew Wilcox’s originals. It was getting plenty of bookings pre-pandemic, and had performed at the Baby Grand Series before.

In September, “we were lucky to play at an outdoor concert in Hartford,” Wilcox said. There was a small, socially distanced audience but “it’s been nice to get out and play a bit.”

The members of the sextet met at the Litchfield Jazz camp in Connecticut over several summers.

“We hung out and played music together,” Wilcox said.

They have been able to stay together as a unit even though they come from places as diverse as New York City, Philadelphia and Boylston.

“I really like to call people up and we’ll talk about music and life and all sorts of things like that,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox intends to graduate from UMass with his master’s degree in 2022.

Asked if he would like to be a professional musician, or composer, or teacher, he said, “All of the above.

To do it all as much as I can.”

In the meantime, “I’m waiting to see how things pan out. Hopefully play a bit more in the Worcester area. I’m hoping to record a debut album in the next year as things settle down again …

“The nice thing about Boylston, it’s nice sometimes to have a lot of peace and quiet and be around the woods a little bit more,” he said.

“I’ve got to wait and see a little bit and plan for a bunch of scenarios.”

FEATURED

F E AT U R E D

ADMIRE THE LAKE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS Reservations required

SPECIALS LUNCH

TUESDAY-THURSDAY, NOON - 4PM $6.99 East Brookfield Burgers

DINNER

TUESDAY, 4PM - CLOSE $10.99 Meals (entree & salad) WEDNESDAY, 4PM-CLOSE Italian Night $10.99 Italian Specials with salad

Casual Waterfront Dining on Lake Lashaway

308 East Main Street, East BrookField 774-449-8333 308lakeside.com Free Valet Parking Friday & Saturday Nights

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

We are Closed on Monday’s for the winter & We now Open at Noon on Sunday, Tuesday thru Thursday, Friday & Saturday

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

worth documenting.

Hooper agreed that the perC O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 5 sonal narratives of their students were a way to understand the the change itself is part of the “radically different experiences process as well.� of COVID, in terms of privilege.�

The shift in perceptions is One of her students needed to a theme that Larson found as keep working to help support well, through his interviews. his family and could not afford In fact, he was able to see how to miss work, even for safety living through what seems like reasons. He contracted COVID an unending crisis inures people almost immediately, so his relaso they tend to lose sight of how tionship to the crisis would almany people have died and the ways be immenserising numbers ly separate from of cases. “There that of someone doesn’t seem to be who was able to that same sense of isolate and endure urgency as there the shutdown was at the start of without financial the pandemic,� he repercussions. observed.

As far as the However, mental aspect of preparing college lockdown, Larson students to conadmits that the vince strangers to project definitely share harrowing helped him stay experiences was engaged over the a task in itself.

John Larson, a student summer. “When When asking at Holy Cross who the initial shock interviewees to wore off, having worked on the “COVID open up, Hooper something to Chronicles� project. said that “you do and talking SUBMITTED PHOTO can’t just expect to people who I people to start wouldn’t normaltalking about memories that are ly talk to was something that I incredibly personal and painreally valued. It was nice to build ful� so the students had to get a community with my colleagues creative. “One student, whose and professors.� family owned a funeral home, The accumulated informaexplored their physical observation gathered by Larson and his tions of death during the early classmates will eventually be days of the pandemic and it was publicly available on a COVID profoundly moving.�

Chronicles website hosted by In fact, some of the most Holy Cross. Before that, a few important topics are painful technical difficulties need to be ones, and documenting times addressed. “We don’t have any like these is so much more comweb designers on our team,� plex. “Whether it’s emotional Hooper observed ruefully, “so it like death or controversial like will be available as soon as we immigration, so many of our get the website to work.� actions during this crisis have “It is important to get stubeen driven by the knowledge dents to analyze rather than naof our own mortality. We try to vel gaze too much,� said Semley, see death as something not part “instead of ‘how COVID is affectof everyday life but something ing me’ but think more broadly exceptional.� about how it’s affecting WorcesSemley felt that it might be ter, the country and the world.� difficult to emotionally relate It appears she was successful, to the crisis if one didn’t have in that the COVID Chronicles a personal connection to the project deepened Larson’s underpainful aspects of it, like losing a standing of the idea of a comfamily member or losing a job or mon cause, and his project was becoming seriously ill. But the guided by the question, what is intellectual understanding of the everyman’s story? implications of an event like this that touches millions of human beings is still profound and

WM-0000454741-01

7

CITY VOICES

FIRST PERSON

‘Tonight, We Dine in Hades’ POPE MARKUS

join Walter Disney and others in coming back to life once the living figure ore than 1 million “ decedents had gotten out how to reanimate frozen bodies. Read the a check by the end fine print on the monof April, worth a coleyback guarantee for lective $1.4 billion, according to the Government Accountability Office.” those who make it back to the world of light. N.B. — CNBC Deadzone Square has With $1.4 billion dollars of stimulus money With $1.4 billion dollars of stimfound that 22% of the finding its way into the once greedy hands ulus money finding its way into the stimulus funds are spent once greedy hands of the once living, of the once living, Deadzone Square has in attempts to come Deadzone Square has conducted a conducted a survey of how the dead are back to life. survey of how the dead are spending spending these days. The results might not Bone Orchard these days. The results might not surprise you.

Financial: Who knew surprise you. you could beat past JERONÝM PELIKOVSKÝ If you needed any further proof taxes once you’ve gone heaven where the choir is so perfectly everyone loves pizza, here it is: Many tuned spectators break out into sponof the previously alive forgo the elysian over the River Styx? Bone Orchard Financial includes an august list of taneous orgasm. As the economists offerings such as Adam, Eve and once living fraudsters, many alumni among our readers will note, our figOlives. Even where viruses are moot of the Bezeelbub Hedge Fund who ures add up to well above 100%. This points, 43.7% of the stimulus funds have been spent on take out. Afterlife were punished in real life but who are is attributable to the fact that many still dedicated to helping your heirs among the dead are overspending travel companies such as The Best beat the taxes on the paltry sums you their stimulus in anticipation of the Restaurants in Hell (Google it) are left behind. (In one surprise finding, FED sending more stimulus, as well as seeing an influx of clicks.

Deadzone Square discovered that more clowns.

Damned-a-zone: This service Bernie Madoff has become the first features the self-driving ride-hailing Pope Markus is a local musician service Charon and includes a full line board member to be named principle prior to perishing.) who has time to wonder how the dead of post-lifestyle products and accesNDE Resort and Spa: For the spend their money. sories. Trending is the full transfusion folks in the afterlife who thought Near lifeblood treatment, which promises Death Experiences meant they were to re-instill the lifeforce to any dead heaven bound, NDE Resort and Spa person with a moneyback guarantee has counselors and treatments for and comes with a re-entry fashion the eternally disappointed. 17% of kit complete with one size fits all stimulus funds have flowed into the underwear. (Self driving vehicles are post-death-stress syndrome field. A da bomb in Hades because everyone number commensurate with the 17% is dead already.)

Icetime: Icetime is a cytogenetics peak-death adventures tour outfitters. company offering services to refreeze Here, you can experience the hottest areas of hell, as well as the sections of your burning flesh in an attempt to

8

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

M

WORCESTER MAGAZINE’S LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY Letters to the editor are a great way to share your thoughts and opinions with thousands of readers and online viewers each week.

There is no word limit, but we reserve the right to edit for length, so brevity is your friend. If handwritten, write legibly - if we cannot read it, we are not running it. A full name and town or city of residence are required. Please include an email address or phone number for verification purposes only. That information will not be published. Make sure your letter makes it into Worcester Magazine in a timely fashion — send it in by the Monday of the next issue. Please note that letters will run as space allows. Send them to Worcester Magazine, 100 Front St., 5th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 or by email to WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com.

HARVEY

D.C. or bust JANICE HARVEY

claimed more than 440,000 lives.

Neither one of us has yet to be vaccinated. As a teacher he will ill we ever get soon be inoculated, fingers there? I wonder. crossed. As a not-quite-oldOnce upon a enough-yet-but-retired teacher, time — or a year ago — my friend Rick and I were I fall between the cracks. The virus is certainly a major obplanning a trip to Washington, stacle to travel, but the real wet D.C. Despite my addiction to all things political, I’ve never visited blanket for me is something else the nation’s capital. Our itinerary altogether: I don’t want to visit a walled-in fortress. was in Rick’s hands for two reaThanks to the gullible goon sons: his ability to plan is second squad that attacked the Capitol to none, and he’s “been there, on January 6, D.C. more closely done that” twice. My intention was to wander two steps behind resembles a scene from “The Shawshank Redemption” than him like I always do when we visit museums. We were booked a clip from “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.” Trump got his wall into a two-bedroom condo, and all right, but I think it was built our train tickets were paid for. slightly northeast of its intended Yes, train tickets — what better location. Everything the Capitol way to journey to D.C.? represents has been shattered It seemed so … American. by the fencing placed to protect Then came corona. We were our elected officials from dogs reimbursed for everything, who caught the car they were thankfully, but my disappointchasing. ment was impossible to quell.

The Capitol tour we’d booked “Next year,” Rick said. “We’ll with Congressman Jim McGovgo next year.” ern’s office was planned when Next year arrived, and the C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 9 COVID-19 virus has since

W

CITY VOICES

H A RV E Y

WORCESTERIA

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 8

Understand the rollout phases before calling foul VEER MUDAMBI

the building was a welcoming symbol of the people’s government. Will such tours even exist next year? I’ve read about the easy access to the Capitol grounds Washington residents once enjoyed. I’ve pictured kids sledding there, seen people on blankets enjoying concerts. I remember thinking how special it must be to live within walking distance of history in the making. How sad for those denizens of D.C., that their neighborhood should resemble a war zone. When we first discussed rescheduling our trip, the only obstacle we had to overcome was a mysterious virus with no known cure. There’s no pill or shot for the baffling illness infecting the insurrectionists. The irony of a mob of marauding suckers chanting “Freedom!” being the reason for installing barbed wire-topped fences seems lost on them.

I have a 50-year-old snapshot of my father, standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial. In it, he’s wearing a Columbo-style raincoat and holding an ever-present White Owl cigar. His smile is wide, as this WWII vet poses in front of the statue of his second-favorite president — after FDR, of course.

Planning and canceling and dreaming of our trip, I’ve looked at that photo, wondering If I will wear that same smile or if I will have the look of a worrywart, fearful that I’m in an unsafe place. Will I ever glimpse the fabled cherry blossoms? Will I someday wander the Smithsonian, mesmerized by historical memorabilia, lost until Rick finds me glued to a display of WWI cigarette ads? When will I have the opportunity to bow my head in reverence at the Holocaust Memorial Museum? I’d give my little brother’s eye teeth to visit a fumigated de-Trumped White House.

I’ll get there yet, I’ve decided. If I stay away, the goons win.

Let us feature your artwork in Worcester Magazine’s Artist Spotlight!

artists wanted

Email high res samples of your work and a brief bio to WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com

FILE PHOTO

Give your car a financial tune-up.

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

Low auto loan refinancing rates available!

1.99

%

APR*

If you’re making auto payments on a model year 2016–2021, now’s the time to refinance. At MCU, we’re offering rates as low as 1.99% APR.* *APR of 1.99% for 2016 – 2021 model years, up to 72 months financing.

Rate applicable with automatic loan payments from an MCU checking account. Refinance from another financial institution; new loans to MCU only.

Limited time offer, rate and term are subject to change without notice.

Your Community Credit Union! millburycu.com | 508-865-7600 | @#MCU Auburn | Millbury | South Grafton | Worcester

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Setting the record straight: When the Health and Human Services Commissioner puts out a statement clarifying that there were no violations of the Commonwealth guidelines for vaccinations, one has to wonder what prompted it. On the same day, within minutes, a Facebook Live video by an outraged Sarai Rivera was posted, decrying the rumor that she and fellow City Councilor At-large Khrystian King received their shots out of turn, jumping ahead of their elderly constituents.

This rumor also targeted Dr. Matilde Castiel, suggesting she gave Rivera and King preferential treatment. While it has been disproved, the fact this allegation was made at all is disturbing. Misinformation targeting those who receive vaccinations is rife, especially those who may happen to fall into a later category on the basis of age but receive it as part of an earlier priority group due to occupation. For instance, relatively younger individuals who would not be eligible until a later phase but qualify for Phase 1 as frontline workers. This, as well as racial animus, appears to have been the basis of the misconception of how Rivera and King, both POC, received their vaccinations. As social workers, they both qualify for the shots. Rivera, who has not been in the field since August due to health issues, is going back into service as bilingual social workers are much needed at this time. Rivera said that her primary reason for coming forward was on behalf of Dr. Castiel. In a post sharing the statement, Rivera explicitly stated that Dr. Castiel’s ethnicity as a Cuban woman was the reason that some were so ready to question her professional integrity. Rivera went on to say, “Shame on you for not having enough respect for our city staff to think that they would do something like this.” The damaging insinuation is lamentable. It serves to underscore how much is at stake around the vaccinations — they are limited in quantity, appointments are hard to find, and tensions are running high. But let’s not use this situation to settle scores in the court of public opinion.

9

COVER STORY

Creativity and the pandemic: How have Worcester’s artists weathered a brutal year?

VICTOR D. INFANTE

10

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

T

he bright neon signs of the the Jean McDonough Arts Center – home of the Worcester PopUp Gallery and the brand-new BrickBox Theatre – cut through the snowy Dec. 26 night, shining vividly in an otherwise darkened downtown. That night marked the first of four open houses to show off the theater, and while snow and COVID-19 kept most visitors away that evening, that didn’t diminish the energy inside, shimmering with the promise of something new on the city’s cultural landscape.

That sense of optimism is well-placed. The theater inside is impressive – bigger than one thought it might be, with seats for potentially 299 theatergoers, although it’s currently set up for just 65. Managing director Olivia Scanlon and stagehand Matt Chrostowsk delighted in pointing out the flexibility of the space, how it could be used for theatrical productions, or something more intimate such as stand-up comedy. Indeed, the theater has begun a series of stand-up shows online, working with a multiple camera setup. The place brims with possibilities, which is a feeling that’s been rare in the past year.

One can see it and the adjoining Worcester PopUp gallery – long a magnet for eclectic shows and exhibitions – as an attractive venue for area artists. Worcester is, after all, a creative city – a point used as a cornerstone for the city’s development and what some call the “Worcester Renaissance.”

But after a year of quarantine and an absence of concerts, performances, poetry readings, art exhibitions, festivals and more, what shape is Worcester’s creative

Olivia Scanlon, managing director of the Brickbox Theater.

STEVE LANAVA

posting musical clips ranging from originals such as the delicate “Deliverance” and “You Can’t Be Here Now,” to covers of Husker Du and Minutemen songs. He’s hardly alone in having a prolific output in this time. Worcester rapper Jessie Mckeiver, who performs as Ghost of the Machine, put out four albums last year, two with Southbridge rapper Shane Presutti, also known as Weapon E.S.P. Worcester rocker Penelope Alizarin Conley, performing as STEMS, released four albums this past year, and area psychedelic rockers Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys put out two, along with a highly acclaimed

community actually in?

Well … that depends on who you talk to. For some artists, this time has been something of a respite, a chance to work in peace free from demands of the outside worlds. For others, the past year has distracted their attentions and sapped their creativity.

KEEPING BUSY “It’s been the most creative time of my life,” says musician Daniel Gay. “Out of necessity I suppose, but the world’s current climate and culture creates a fertile environment for making music.”

In a lot of ways, that’s pretty much the embodiment of how artists are expected to respond to times of crisis. Most writers, for example, have been reminded ad nauseum that William Shakespeare wrote “King Lear” during a plague quarantine, which unlike most such anecdotes is probably actually true. (Although most of his time in quarantine was actually spent writing poetry, and not plays.)

Gay has definitely been busy,

out a monthly ezine (The Long Weekend Review). I did a good deal. But I miss the interactions.

The contact with other writers

sides, and while he confesses the solitariness of the lockdown hasn’t bothered him much as a writer, he has felt an artistic malnourishment from the lack of live poetry readings.

“The online open mics are NOT working for me,” says Brown “mostly because I feel like there’s an element of serendipity missing.

The random person who comes in to listen, the previously unseen poet who blows you away — it doesn’t happen in the Zoom setting. But it’s about that, not about the real-life contact so much.”

David Macpherson SAM FULLER

and artists. I am proud of the work I produced, but there are times it feels like I’m playing to an empty room.”

Ghost of the Machine, left, and Weapon E.S.P.

ALONE ONSTAGE In a lot of ways, it’s been easier on solitary artists than ones who work collaboratively. Worcester poet Tony Brown, who works both as a poet and as a member of the poetry-music fusion the Duende Project, has seen that from both

CHRISTINE PETERSON

livestreamed music series, “Bunker Buds.” Would they have done that much under normal conditions?

“Definitely not,” says McKeiver. Presutti concurs, saying, “I would not have created as much but now I am more motivated because of it too.”

Writer David Macpherson, who hosts the Listen poetry series out of Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, has likewise had a productive year. “I wrote a lot,” he says, “Put

Tony Brown CHRISTINE HOCHKEPPEL

Serena May KARA EMILY KRANTZ

He does say he felt some of that when he recently did a featured reading over Zoom for the California-based series, Two Idiots Peddling Poetry, mostly because he knew few in attendance.

“Open mics for me are about editing my work,” says Brown, “because I need to ‘feel (the words) in my mouth.’ I don’t get that as much in the Zoom setting.”

For local writer Jeff Campbell, who has been involved with the Zoom version of the Listen series, “Zoom is a place where a poet can transmit poetry to an audience.

It’s a place where you can have

COVER STORY

traction from doing art and learning the important lessons.”

Distractions and isolation have led many area artists to what local writer Dianne Berg calls, “feeling stalled. The enforced stasis of lockdown has arguably provided an ideal opportunity to hunker down and get ahead of things rather than scramble as deadlines loom, but it’s had the opposite effect.

I’ve found it very difficult to focus, but cooking has been one of the

my writer brain a bit of a nudge.”

Novelist Paul McMahon says he has “an increasingly hard time making the writing times work. Probably it has to do more with being at the beginning of the homestretch on this book, rather than COVID, though COVIS helps. Normally I would make writing dates with pals to get started and that’s no longer an option.”

Berg agrees, saying, “I’m very fortunate that my partner (and best friend) is in the same business and shares my tastes, interests, values, etc., so I have an in-house intellectual companion, but we

both miss our communities of colleagues and friends, and the opportunity to attend concerts, plays, talks, conferences, and other events that feed our brains and creative energies. Zoom is a woefully inadequate replacement for real-life contact, and I increasingly find that it leaves me feeling more strangely alienated than connected.”

Musician Shane Hall, who sometimes performs as MessiahCarey, says that the pandemic has made him realize, “how much of my creative output was tied to the tension that exists within the dayto-day activities I used to participate in. … One would think that, with most of my time at home free to pursue my own studies and interests, I would get closer to that but I’ve found that not having

access to watching people’s faces and body language … nobody having to participate in conversations with people they don’t want to have … these things have made it harder to see the tension in everyday life. In other words: pandemics – great for having the time to study philosophy, bad for C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 12

11

few things I’ve found consistent interest/pleasure in. I’ve also been reading a lot of recent fiction these past months, which is nice, albeit another means of procrastination. But an essay for an edited collection is now looking for a home because the volume isn’t going forward (COVID has hurt publishers, too), so I’ve just submitted it to a journal, and the necessary minor updates to the bibliography, style, etc. seem to have given

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CHRISTINE HOCHKEPPEL

‘Sit in your cell and it will teach you everything you need.’ I think he meant that when we get away from all of the flash and distraction of life, we are forced to face the things that really matter. So the pandemic, for me, has been a time where I could sit in my metaphorical cell and where it has taught me lots. And some of these lessons make for good art.

That said, the challenge … is that the whole ‘sitting in the cell’ thing is just an invitation. It can be turned down because I have discovered I am staggeringly good at distracting myself, so sometimes, rather than sitting in my cell and learning everything I need, I just find some new pointless dis-

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

out. Playing with others is where I improve my own playing, and songwriting.”

Brown also says he misses working directly with members of his band. Other bands have managed to use technology to continue working, but while some don’t mind it, few find it to be analogous to being in a room together.

“We tried launching a new band and recording an EP,” says Worcester musician Rich “Amazing Dick” Leufstedt, “then the Rich “Amazing Dick” Leufstedt COVID hit. We’ve been recording remotely and getting great results DAVID NILES but it’s been doubling and tripling poetry transmitted to you if you’re the time it takes … The positive is in the audience. But it’s almost it’s giving us a distraction from the like accessing a recording. There’s grind of work/home and there’s almost zero connection between music being created. A negative poet and audience. That’s a is the lack of personal interaction marked contrast to attending a of four like-minded people all in weekly reading, where you can go, and you can see and hear and most importantly feel what impact your words are having, and you can rewrite the sections that don’t work, and bring the poem back in a week or two and see if the revised bits land any better. the same There’s just no way to simulate room. That that online. It’s partially the stuff can lead to ‘sugthat is too subtle for the internet gestions’ or instant to catch, subtle little gasps or feedback, now we little nuances of expression. But submit a track and wait.” there’s also something almost As an artist who works psychic about it too, a sense you solo, Ari Charbonneau definiteget of connecting with a real audi- ly benefitted from the solitude that ence that isn’t rooted in anything came with the pandemic, but she you could ever put your finger on.” saw the other side of the current That’s a sentiment that muenvironment, too. sician Serena May — who often “Got a new record out of it,” performs as one half of the Ugly she says. “It was freeing to be able Girls — agrees with, saying, “Not to focus on it. Not be a slave to the being able to play out anywhere work mentality … I also finished has sapped me of a lot of my writing my book. Two books, actumotivation to practice and write. ally. I will mention, though, I tried I miss being able to attend open busking in Harvard Square one mic nights, blues jams and big day, and was really taken aback by lively home jam sessions with my how much of ghost town the once friends. This is where I found my thriving city had become, and inspiration and tested my material people looked at me like I was a threat, barely acknowledging my presence, zero applause, a few people came over to give me an ‘attaboy.’ Overall though, I knew we had entered a place where for now at least, there was no going back without a time machine. A sad day in Cambridge. And a sorrowful time for live arts in general.”

For Campbell, the isolation that’s come from the pandemic has been double-edged. “The good side,” he says, “is captured by the Ari Charbonneau words of an ancient monk. He said,

COVER STORY

COV E R S TO RY

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 11

Wine Sale WINTER

20% OFF

*

ONLY FEBRUARY 1ST-MARCH 14TH No further discount on sale items apply.

12

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

*750ML

Jim and Chrisoula, owners of O’Hara’s Wines & Liquors

“I taste & purchase only the finest wines. We are here to offer you expertise, selection & service.”

having the scenarios in which one could apply it.”

THE WORLD IS TOO MUCH WITH US Rocker Amber Tortorelli says that the pandemic “hasn’t starved me creatively. Nothing could ever do that. It HAS starved me physically though.” She’s far from alone in that sentiment. Political and economic conditions have exacerbated the pandemic’s effects, leaving many fraught with financial concerns and depression.

“I think the pandemic’s effect on my business and finances and the stress of it all are a bigger issue than anything else,” says Brown, discussDianne Berg ing his wrestling with depression.

“I really hate the myth of crisis being ‘material’ in the moment for artists.”

Local filmmaker Skip Shea says that he managed to work last spring into the summer, “But that was because I could bring my laptop on the deck or in the garden. I was still fairly consistent in writing screenplays, shooting and editing.

But as the darkness and coldness of the late fall arrived my creativity

fell into the same. The pandemic reaching horrific heights along with the election and insurrection has only made it worse. It’s a struggle worse than any writer’s block.

It’s turning into ‘what’s the point?

Anything I have to say as an artist just seems insufficient under these circumstances.’ I still try. But it’s approached with the energy like a person coming out of anesthesia.”

Likewise, musician Sean Ryder – who works as a scientist in his “day job” – says he’s “done nothing creative since the pandemic hit. I focused pretty hard on my day job,

BETTY JENEWIN

first figuring out what I could do to spread understanding about the virus outbreak and fight misinformation. Then I started working on emerging mutations in the virus genome and computationally predicting the consequences on virus structure. Then separation and divorce hit, I started looking for a new place to live, bought a new house, moved, and wrapped up the

OHARASWINES.COM jimmy@oharaswines.com

O’HARA’S

Wines & Liquors We have the finest wines available

Hours: Monday-Saturday 9:00am-11:00pm; Sunday 10:00am-8:00pm 402 West Boyston St. Worcester 508-853-1919 Curbside Service Available

867 Grafton St. Worcester (in the plaza) 508-792-1011

Rappers Rakahj, left, and MessiahCarey CRAIG S. SEMON

COVER STORY

year infected with the virus myself.

I am still dealing with long-term consequences of that, I continue to have no sense of smell. It’s been a hard year for me. Zero new songs.

A small handful of outdoor shows over the summer. No new recordings. Very low motivation to do anything creative, if I’m honest.”

It’s tempting to isolate aspects of the crisis – the disease, the political unrest, the economy, stress on people’s personal lives – but life doesn’t work like that. It all becomes bundled together into one giant knot of turmoil.

“My music work however has been starved,” says jazz musician Mauro DePasquale. “I lost over 100 gigs in 2020 and counting. A dynamic component of the art form relies on live audiences. The venue is the canvas for a musician to paint on. For me, It’s not as much fun doing virtual performances.

Music is communications. It’s not the same in a virtual scenario. The protocols are literally choking the oxygen out of joy of performing, sharing and communicating with others. It’s hard to be creative or motivated while being depressed.

I know of some musicians who

simply gave up. That is sad.”

That being said, DePasquale notes that he also has, “written tons of new material. But I’m finding the work more serious, and artistic in depth.”

Country musician Stan Matthews has seen both the ravages and unexpected blessings of the past year, beginning with being laid off when the pandemic began.

“However,” he says, “I had all the time in the world to play and practice guitar more than anytime in my life since I was a teenager. I was disappointed to lose the opportunity to play gigs. I don’t play many, however the income goes toward studio time. I do miss the singer/ songwriter events, especially the Songwriters’ Mind series at starlite gallery. Online performing on social media felt like driving into Boston during rush hour, I had to stop doing that before the summer.

When restrictions started lessening late in the spring, I was able to get into Wachusett Recording Studio with Michael Harmon and lay down tracks for some new songs. During the production of those songs, I was able to get musicians, both local and in Europe, to

play on one of the songs. I wouldn’t have had that experience otherwise.”

Matthews doesn’t believe that restrictions on live performances will open up much this year, but believes, “The combination of this virus and the political/ social atmosphere has created an environment where people need entertainment more than anytime in our country’s history since the Depression.”

Indeed, many artists have felt a mood shift of late. Musician J. Stuart Esty – also known as Dr. Gonzo – says that “the last year of 45’s tenure (with COVID isolation) has been stressful and seems to have put my will to create on ‘hold.’

Now that adults have returned, I’m hoping to wean myself from daily political ranting/rabbit holes/anxiety and get back to a productive regimen of creative writing.”

A TIME TO CHANGE There is no shortage of artists who feel they’re emerging from the darkness of the pandemic stronger. Rapper Jafet says, “It has allowed me to focus on creating more content/videos and writing/

Amber Tortorelli CHRISTINE PETERSON

recording more songs,” including working on a collaboration with local rappers Danny Fantom, Giankno and K’Nen and Jafet comprise Stanton Capitol Recordings.

Likewise, Presutti says “I’ve devel-

oped as a writer and an executive producer.” While many artists are wrestling with depression and exhaustion, just as many are optiC O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 14

SUBMITTED PHOTO

To view apartments 508-756-2147 or cathy@botanybayproperties.com

13

Worcester hip-hop artists, clockwise from top left, Danny Fantom, Giankno, K’Nen and Jafet comprise Stanton Capitol Recordings.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Worcester Center Hill Apts 503-505 Mill St. ...The Tatnuck area’s newest apartment homes. large 1 & 2 BR, W/D in each apt, storage, elevator, heat & hot water included. Nice walking area. No pets.

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

Worcester 31 Caroline Street Plantation Street area ... Brand new One-bedroom apartment...includes washer/dryer, storage, off-street parking, heat and h/w ... No smoking, no pets.

COVER STORY

GET YOUR SMILE BACK! DON’T SUFFER FROM BROKEN-DOWN OR MISSING TEETH! DENTAL IMPLANT* SPECIAL

INCLUDES CT SCAN, TITANIUM IMPLANT, CUSTOM ABUTMENT AND PORCELAIN CROWN

2,99999

$

* Exclusions Apply

FREE DENTAL IMPLANT CONSULT

Dale LePage

($200 VALUE)

SUBMIT TED PHOTO

COV E R S TO RY

Dr. Salman Khanani 1084 Main St., Holden | khananidental.com |

@khananidental

*Some exclusions may apply: patient must be a candidate for dental implants and some patients may require comprehensive treatment plans to meet their individual needs. Special does not include the fee for extractions, bone grafts, sinus augmentation or the need for a surgical guide

Call 508-829-4575 to book your appointment today!

14

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

Implant, Cosmetic and Family Dentistry

artists wanted

missions and two book covers for C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 13 Johan Michaels’ ‘Future Machine’ and ‘Warpaint: Future Machine mistic. There is no real consensus, Vol. 2.’ I also made small paintings and if there is one, it’s that success of Chickadees and sold them (on comes from a willingness and Facebook) and at CC Lowell. I had ability to change. a lot of free time to draw and paint “I think creativity is like water,” last year.” says crooner Dale LePage. “If it’s Singer-songwriter Amanda blocked in any way, it will always McCarthy says, “I originally had find a way out. That’s why I think plans for an album release SeptemI’ve started doing the makeup ber 202, and suddenly I couldn’t transformations.” afford that anymore. Most of my LePage’s drag transformations focus went into summer outdoor have been a hit online, as have gigs to keep my plans of moving to comedian/chanteuse Niki Luparel- Nashville and being able to afford li’s comedy shows on Twitch and it.

Facebook Live.

“That being said, that original “I’m like fully virtual now album has basically been scrapped with a 4-day-a-week streaming because the pandemic made me a schedule, and I learned how to better songwriter and those songs play a bunch of chords on piano,” feel outdated, personally and musays Luparelli. “I’m kicking myself sically. Even though I haven’t had a for not trying to put more on the lot of money to formally record any internet over the last 10 years.” of the new songs to a final release Likewise, visual artist Scott quality, I’ve been writing more Boilard says, “I probably made than ever and have been exploring and sold more art and took more my sound through a bunch of difcommissions than I ever have in ferent demos. So I think when I am the past 20 years. For 100 days, I able to bounce back into releasing posted a drawing a day under #iso- music, I’ll not only be a better lationart and I sold most of them. I songwriter but also a stronger and had a mural commission earlier in more-focused artist.” the year, I did a couple design com-

Let us feature your artwork in Worcester Magazine’s Artist Spotlight!

Email high res samples of your work and a brief bio to WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com

A screen shot of Niki Luparelli’s, bottom right, “Boozy News.”

PROMOTIONAL IMAGE

CITY LIFE

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

‘A Consumer’s Reflection’ — The work of Sam Aman ANNA- LI ST. MARTIN

W

“Math,” mixed media, 2013

“Low Men,” digital, 2019

tions is put on Asian Americans at a young age. Academic achievements and professional success are some of the characteristics of a model minority. These expectations are a part of the commercial realm that controls our identities, and our complacency in taking on these goals compels us to question our roles and identities in consumerism.

How are people supposed to live up to these expectations?

This collection of works expose the multiple ideologies that connect identity and consumer culture. The commercial realm sets up expectations about our identities that we willingly follow as consumers. Not only does Aman’s work show us an overview of his interests, but his use of commercial art toys with our perceptions of consumer culture. Aman asks us to engage in self-critical thought regarding our identity and

roles as consumers today. Identity is an important theme to recognize in each of these paintings because our identities are constructed by our ideologies and expectations.

They are shaped and controlled by society. By exposing our roles in consumerism, we question whether the notion of commercialism is worth our time and effort. How do we recognize our consumption to avoid letting it shape us?

“Art History 201: Art, the Public, and Worcester’s Cultural Institutions,” at Clark University gives students the opportunity to work closely with regional contemporary artists. With individual artists from ArtsWorcester’s gallery programs, the students hone their visual and critical skills by producing short essays positioning the artists’ work within contemporary art history. This year, the students also curated small selections of their artist’s work for these online spotlights. This collaboration was funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

15

“Model Minority,” digital, 2020

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

bright, neon-like colors highlight the aliens’ figures and faces, almost like something from a comic book.

The crowd of worker aliens suggests a professional class commuting to work every day to perform the same tasks over and over, similar to our own society. The only human figure, the boy, may be seeing his future as he matures and gives in to consumerism. People are expected to find a job after school and then have a family to provide for. The professional class is a symptom of mass production in consumerism.

To provide for consumers, workers must spend long hours on the job to make life easier for others. This depiction exposes the victims of compliance to commercialism. Why do people willingly give into the commercial realm?

In “Model Minority,” Aman focuses on the perpetual Asian American stereotype, while also dressing the young female in a salwar kameez and bindi, paying homage to his Bangladeshi heritage.

The rough, graphic checked boxes in the background assume a list of tasks fulfilled by the young, frustrated woman. The harsh, graphic, neon colors suggest an artificial aspect over this person. The form of her body and frustrated look in her eyes indicate something weighing on her. A mass production of expecta-

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

here does inspiration come from? For Sam Aman, inspiration comes from everyday objects. Every product we purchase comes from someone’s dedicated time and effort making life easier or entertaining. Through wide-ranging subject matter and materials, this Bangladeshi-born, Framingham-based artist’s work calls on us to look at ourselves and our participation in consumer culture. We take product availability for granted and never question the effects it has on others. Aman’s intriguing, diverse work critiques our sense of complacency about commercialism by exposing the ideologies of consumerism, suggesting audiences rethink how their roles and identities are shaped by consumer culture.

Aman’s graphic style is rooted in reading comic books and playing video games in his youth. He is drawn to subjects (both people and objects) that represent a kind of commercial meaning to society.

He usually makes several rough sketches before moving on to the final work. Assorted media are used individually or combined, including acrylic, oil, gouache paints, or digital programs. The various subjects and materials of this collection may make it difficult to identify a commonality between these works. A lot of Aman’s work contains aspects of his South Asian, Bangladeshi heritage; however, he does not let it define his work. In some of his pieces it is clear he was influenced by his heritage, while in others it is not as obvious. His work consists mainly of portraits, scenes of everyday life, and some urban landscapes. They are not, however, typical paintings.

There are modifications to these traditional works, such as in “Low Men,” where the urban scene of people in a train car are transformed into alien-like creatures.

In “Low Men,” a young boy sits on a subway car surrounded by many adult-sized, alien-like figures, almost all identically dressed. Aman uses a clear graphic style throughout the piece, choosing bold outlines and flat washes of color. The

CITY LIFE

CONNELL SANDERS

Sweet Jane’s and the case of the vanishing Instagram SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

16

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

S

weet Jane’s Designer Consignment was the first local shop to leverage Instagram as a means for driving the bulk of its sales. Sure, there were other small businesses posting clever and engaging content to build brand recognition and get customers through the door.

But, Sweet Jane’s owner Amanda Setaro was successfully hawking Louboutins and manufacturing a sense of urgency around luxury goods in our working-class city — a feat I might have called impossible five years ago.

Setaro possessed a real knack for building relationships with customers and consignors that could vacillate between her brick and mortar store and the virtual world.

A handful of her older customers had even joined Instagram for the sole purpose of keeping up with Sweet Jane’s latest inventory. By contrast, the platform lent a sense of aspiration and belonging for younger fans without them ever having to spend a dime. Setaro, a South High graduate, was building the couture culture in her hometown that she had cherished while attending college in New York City.

January 2021 was a big month for the @shopsweetjanes handle.

Setaro had just hired two new social-media-focused employees and earned Instagram’s coveted blue checkmark, indicating a “verified” account. Imagine her surprise when followers began reaching out to tell her that the same account had been deactivated last week. ”Are you closing?” they inquired.

And worse: “When can I come by to collect the balance on my consigned pieces?” The optics weren’t good.

Setaro was shocked. The store’s sales had remained remarkably steady throughout the pandemic and her online following had continued to grow. Why would Instagram suspend Sweet Jane’s account now?

Some digging revealed the post

Molly O’Connor, Amanda Setaro and Sarah Connell Sanders outside of Sweet Jane’s Designer Consignment on Main Street in Worcester. in question was a “memory” picturing a pair of Kate Spade gloves embossed with the words, “Call me.” Setaro had paired the photo with Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2012 standout pop tune ”Call Me Maybe.” The song played as a glove clad hand waggled its fingers to the beat. Setaro’s use of copyrighted audio was purportedly the problem, in violation of Instagram’s Terms of Use. This was not her first offense. Instagram’s algorithm had fed Setaro her own content from three years prior encouraging her to repost it, despite the fact that it had been flagged for copyright violation

back then, as well.

Setaro wrote an appeal but didn’t hear back. The damage was done and Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, was giving her trouble too. Her posts were disappearing left and right and her sales were suffering as a result.

Setaro’s customers rallied, turning out in record numbers for a Louis Vuitton giveaway on Venmo — PayPal’s mobile payment app.

Sweet Jane’s TikTok was still active as well, but followers on the video-sharing platform skewed younger and didn’t correlate directly with

online purchases. In the meantime, Setaro reserved the handle @saveshopsweetjanes and began the slow work of rebuilding her base.

The sheer size of Instagram prevents a personal approach to customer service, the very tenet by which Setaro grew her reputation as a small business owner. Sweet Jane’s abrupt erasure brought into focus the powerful grasp of big tech on industries of all sizes. (Consequently, it came during the same week a Reddit thread managed to upend Wall Street.) Setaro brought new users to the platform, showcased

MIKE HENDRICKSON

the app’s eCommerce capabilities, designed her business around social media, and demonstrated exemplary community building. That simply wasn’t enough.

It is possible to voice your concerns on behalf of any business that has lost their Instagram account.

Visit “Settings” on the app and report general feedback under the “Help” tab. Mr. Zuckerberg, I hope you’re ready for the other Jimmy Choo to drop. Don’t mess with Worcester.

CITY LIFE

TABLE HOPPIN’

Thai Corner opens at June Street site BARBARA M. HOULE

Covino, chefs and staff !

The Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield (www.salemcrossinn. com) was voted second in the Top Three Destinations category of the competition.

Shout out to Salem family members Nancy, Martha, Heather, Richard, John, David and Robert (Bo).

Five thousand voters took part in three rounds of the online competition. Visit Taste of Massachusetts, www.tasteofmass.com, or Facebook for other winners.

R

Wings giveaway for Super Bowl Sunday

Thai Corner owner Revadee (Ray) Chueawong holds her mango with sweet rice, left, and Pad Thai Woonsen at the restaurant.

RICK CINCLAIR

Valentine dinner to-go from Bocado

Feel the romance at Bocado, Salem Cross

Bocado Tapas Wine Bar in Worcester was voted third place in the Most Romantic Restaurants in Massachusetts category of the People’s Choice competition held by Taste of Massachusetts.

Congrats to Niche’s CEO Mike

If you have a tidbit for the column, all (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

17

Bocado Tapas Wine Tapas Bar in Worcester and Wellesley has “Valentine Wine Dinner To-Go” that can be preordered online (www. bocadotapasbar.com), or by calling the restaurants.

Orders must be placed by 8 p.m.

Feb. 12, with scheduled pickup times from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 14 at Niche Hospitality Group’s commissary next to Mezcal at 30 Major Taylor Blvd., Worcester.

The Valentine Wine Dinner package for two, $200, includes Sangria for two: one bottle of Spanish Cava and one bottle of “Tito Fino;” Cheese and Charcuterie; Ensalada De Madalena; Piquillo Rellenos (Chicken, quinoa and mahon cheese stuffed piquillo peppers, blistered poblano creama); Camarones Asados Y Noquis (Roasted jumbo shrimp, potato gnocchi, cherry tomato, grilled Spanish onion, tomato jam, basil mojo verde, manchego); Pecho Des Res Cocido ( five-hour braised beef brisket, BBQ braise sauce, Yukon mashed potatoes, Aleppo crème fraiche); Paella De Langosta Y Maiz (Lobster, grilled corn, cherry tomato, broccoli, creamy roasted red pepper broth, charred spring onions); Strawberry Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding (mixed berry puree, whipped cream, cocoa nibs).

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

we’ll be there.’

“I know the timing wasn’t so good to open a restaurant with the pandemic and all, but I’m so happy here, and I love the neighborhood,” said Chueawong. “I can’t wait until the restaurant opens to more seating and I can meet customers face to face. With my mask on, of course.”

“Food Trends We’re Seeing (and Eating) in 2021” posted on Martha Stewart’s website, www.marthastewart.com, reports the data science team at Yelp expects restaurants will continue to see a demand in “HomeCooked” takeout and the interest in Thai food is up 15% in that category.

Enjoy what Thai Corner and other local restaurants offer.

For one day only, Feb. 7, Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar nationwide will bring back its Wings Giveaway and Free Delivery offer.

The Super Bowl deal: For every order of $40 or more, customers using Applebee’s Delivery or To Go options will receive 40 free Classic Boneless Wings, tossed in guests’ choice of Hot Buffalo, Honey BBQ or Sweet Asian Chile Sauce and served with Bleu Cheese or House-Made Ranch Dressing and celery on the side. Plus, Applebee’s is offering free delivery all day on orders.

To claim the free order of boneless wings, visit www.applebees.com, or the Applebee’s mobile app (iOS, Google) on Feb. 7, using promo BIGGAME at checkout. It’s recommended that you order before halftime.

“Forty free Boneless Wings for free in time for the big game? That’s what we call a touchdown!” said Joel Yashinsky, chief marketing officer at Applebee’s. “After the huge response to our wings giveaway last year, we wanted to run the play again so our guests can enjoy our delicious, fan-favorite boneless wings with free delivery, or as an added option this year, through Applebee’s Carside To Go.” Visit the website for local Applebee’s restaurants that also offer dinein. Sign up for exclusive deals and specials and join Applebee’s E-Club to receive a welcome offer!

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

and even given her a few pointers.

“It meant the world to me when evadee (Ray) Chueawong he told me how proud he is,” said is among the city’s newest Chueawong. restaurateurs, opening Thai Corner, 120 June St., her first restaurant, Thai Worcester, currently is open 11 Corner, just before Thanksgiving a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It’s BYOB with 2020. Originally from Thailand, the limited seating right now, following friendly and enthusiastic 27-yearCOVID-19 regulations. Visit www. old breathes new life into the site thaicornerworcester.com for online at the corner of June and Chandler ordering; telephone (508) 459-2289 streets. or (508) 459-9016. Curbside and Thai Corner is the third restaudelivery services are available. Note: rant to open at this spot that housed The color scheme at the restaurant Dianna’s Neighborhood Bistro begin- is the same as Friends Café, and the ning in 2016 and Friends Café, which message on one of the walls, “Welopened in 2019 and closed last year. come, may all who comes as guests Chueawong of Whitinsville has leave as friends,” remains. The new been in the United States since she owner has added personal photos was 14 and for the past eight years and a buddha for good luck. has helped manage restaurants for Chueawong describes Thai Fawn Weydt, owner of Thai Time dishes on her menu as “incredibly and Rice Violet, both in Worcester, delicious with fragrant, bold flavors.” and Brown Rice Thai Cuisine in Thai cuisine is about fresh ingreWest Boylston. dients and spices, she said, adding “She’s (Weydt) like a sister,” said that the Thai food at her restaurant Chueawong. “When I told her last is made “fresh, to order.” year that I really wanted to open my Lunch and dinner options own restaurant, she said, ‘OK, let me include appetizers, noodle and help,’ and she was with me when I rice dishes, salads, soups, combo first looked at the June Street locadishes, curries, house specialties, tion. She’s very successful running side dishes, beverages and desserts. her own businesses, and I’m so lucky Many customers love ending a meal to have her as my friend. We talk on with mango and sticky rice, said the phone almost every day.”

Chueawong.

Chueawong said her father, The restaurant’s Pad Thai Praphan Kaewthong, is another of Woonsen (Woon Sen) is a traditional her supporters and a mentor. He has noodle dish from Thailand that is been in food service for 30 years and equally as delicious as other pad owner of Thai Paradise in BrunsThai options on the menu, accordwick, Maine. “When I came from ing to Chueawong. Smooth, silky Thailand and joined my dad and glass noodles stir-fried with fresh family in Maine I really didn’t know ingredients make the dish so special, how to cook,” said Chueawong. “I she said. was a teen and never really thought Don’t worry if you can’t tolerate about cooking. My dad’s a chef and spicy food, the restaurant adjusts the he prepared all the food, in and out spice level in meals upon request. of the restaurant.

The owner said she personally likes “I really learned to make classic a spicy edge to food and Drunken pad Thai when I signed up for an Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) is one of her hourlong cooking class in high favorites. school,” said Chueawong. “The The chef in the back of the house teacher was a little surprised that at Thai Corner is Chueawong’s I had no idea of how to make pad cousin, who has worked more than Thai, and I had a few mistakes 20 years in the food industry. Getting at first. I guess you could say I him to leave his job in California mastered the recipe when I got a wasn’t a problem, she said, explainthumb’s up from my dad.” ing that when she called him and Chueawong’s father has visited asked if he could help out he told her restaurant with family members her, ‘Give me a couple of weeks and

CITY LIFE

SCREEN TIME

‘The Dig’ leaves some details buried JIM KEOGH

will die before learning what lies beneath the mysterious mound. asil Brown is how I “The Dig,” streaming on Netflix, envision a proper British is based on the true story of Brown’s archaeologist. He shovels discovery of an 88-foot-long “burial dirt all day wearing tweed. ship” at Sutton Hoo, dating from the His face is dirty, but not filthy. He is 7th century and containing a chamspectacularly articulate about the ber filled with Anglo-Saxon treatreasures that lie below the earth’s sures that had somehow escaped surface, but mute about the secrets detection by grave robbers over the hidden within his own heart. He centuries. When word of the find’s rides a bike … everywhere. significance got out, a professional He’s also the perfect man for the archaeological team supported by job of excavating a massive mound the British Museum descended on of soil and grass at Sutton Hoo, the site, and elbowed Basil into an one of about a dozen dotting the assistant’s role. countryside estate owned by Edith Basil is played by Ralph Fiennes Pretty, a widow and single mother. as a taciturn codger with a kind Edith urges Basil to work quickly, streak for Edith’s curious son and, since time is the enemy. It’s 1939 perhaps (though who can tell beand storm clouds are gathering over neath all the wool and grit), a warm Great Britain. Soon, all resources spot for the kid’s mother. He and and manpower will be employed in the lonely Edith (Carey Mulligan) the battle against Germany. exchange loaded glances, though There’s personal urgency to her history doesn’t suggest the two dalrequest as well. Edith is in poor lied, and their British reserve (not health; bouts of “heartburn” stagger to mention a substantial age gap) her and leave her afraid that she won’t accommodate fictionalized

B

Ralph Fiennes as Basil Brown, excavator, in “The Dig.” NETFLIX, TNS

romance either.

The trailer for “The Dig” charmed me. The sight of the ship’s skeleton impressed in the dirt and the promise of a legal battle over who owns the prizes within left me anticipating a drama tinged with outrage.

Instead, this movie, while gorgeously filmed and touched

with rich performances, is a strangely unfocused thing. About halfway through, we’re introduced to a husband and wife, Stuart and Peggy Piggott (Ben Chaplin and Lily James), who are part of the new dig team. Their marriage is not heaven.

Stuart refuses to touch Peggy, even when she presents herself naked to him, yet he practically engages

in a giggly Greco-Roman wrestling match with a fellow male archaeologist. So the spurned Peggy begins casting longing looks at Edith’s dashing cousin, who lustfully gazes back. And so on …

This soapy subplot could have been its own movie, and I’d probably have watched it. But “The Dig” needs to be more about … the dig.

More dirt. More discovery. More Basil.

The aftermath is important, too.

The fate of the Sutton Hoo treasure was the subject of an inquest that ultimately determined Edith Pretty to be the rightful owner. We never hear any of the legal arguments; we only see her whisked to a waiting car after the verdict is reached.

Edith subsequently donated the objects to the British Museum, for which Winston Churchill was so grateful he offered her The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, one of the nation’s highest honors.

She declined. I hope somebody digs around that story as well.

NEW TO DVD

18

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

‘Let Him Go’ a thoughtful, slow-burn thriller KATIE FORAN - MCHALE

clan holding Lorna and Jimmy hostage through physical and couple’s fight to save emotional abuse. Lesley Manville their young grandson dazzles as the deranged Weboy tops the new DVD matriarch, Blanche, who belly releases for the week of laughs as she threatens the couple Feb. 2. and carries around a bag of deadly “Let Him Go”: Tragedy strikes weapons with nonchalance. early on in writer-director Thomas Michael Giacchino’s calming Bezucha’s Western neo-noir, based pastoral score and director of on the 2013 novel of the same photography Guy Godfree’s beauname by Larry Watson. Margaret tiful cinematography of the West and George Blackledge (Diane Lane both add to the weight of the film, and Kevin Costner), a happy couple which finds power in its quiet. The on a Montana ranch, are devastatcharacters move slowly, but the ed by the sudden, accidental death story moves quickly, with a clear of their grown son, James (Ryan subtext hanging in the air of grief, Diane Lane and Kevin Costner star in “Let Him Go.” Bruce), father to their newborn love and sacrifice.

FOCUS FEATURES, TNS grandson, Jimmy. His widow, Lorna “Sometimes that’s all life is, (Kayli Carter), remarries a few years (Will Brittain), hitting both Lorna Margaret, a list of what we’ve lost,” breaks. Lane gives a commanding later, a ceremony that Margaret says George at a particularly low and Jimmy, she’s shaken to her core. performance as the deeply pasand George graciously and awksionate Margaret, emphatically and point. But in Lane’s Margaret, the And after Lorna and Donnie skip wardly attend in support of Jimmy. town with her grandchild to be with quickly convincing her reluctant film shows one doesn’t have to lose When Margaret, a breaker of a sense of self in the process. retired sheriff husband to join her Donnie’s family, Margaret doesn’t wild horses and wholly loving and on her treacherous quest, and later think twice about setting off after fearless protector, sees Lorna’s brut- them on a road trip to the Dakotas. holding her own with the highly Also new on DVD Feb. 2 ish new husband, Donnie Weboy “Breach”: After fleeing a unpredictable, dangerous Weboy It’s not just wild horses she

A

plague on Earth, a mechanic aboard a spaceship (Bruce Willis) must protect the ship from a cosmic threat.

“Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror”: Documentary explores Black filmmakers and films in the popular genre.

“Host”: A group of friends unintentionally unleashes evil after performing an online seance. Stars Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore and Emma Louise Webb.

“JL Family Ranch: The Wedding Gift”: After Henry (Dylan Walsh) and Rebecca (Teri Polo) announce their engagement, the bride-to-be’s daughter hosts a disruptive guest. Also stars Jon Voigt, Bo Derek and James Caan.

“Love, Weddings & Other Disasters”: Rom-com follows the love lives of the people who make weddings happen. Stars Maggie Grace, Jeremy Irons and Diane Keaton.

CITY LIFE

NEXT DRAFT

The good and bad of Boston Beer’s ‘juicy’ Super Bowl ad MATTHEW TOTA

B

Wicked Hazy, the new New England IPA from Samuel Adams.

PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

fall in love with an unfiltered IPA over a mass-produced lager.

Wicked Hazy itself, while not remarkable, drinks like a fine light IPA. But the package size and price is tantalizing. As I get older and make more mortgage payments, my beer-buying habits have changed. I’m not as quick to spend $90 or more on a case of beer.

The appeal of larger craft beer brands like Sam Adams rolling out their own hazy IPAs has been in their availability and affordability. Wicked Hazy sells for around $14.99 a 12-pack, the price of most four-packs of IPAs. There’s never any real risk of Wicked Hazy selling out. It’ll always be on the shelf, in almost every liquor store across the state. You don’t have to order it in advance or drive miles to get it.

Part of me, of course, will always love traveling far and wide for beer. And while inexpensive IPAs produced at a larger scale are convenient and prudent at times, they will never taste better than those brewed in smaller numbers, with more hops and more care.

So when I see the Sam Adams ad Sunday, I’ll smile and chuckle and forget about it. The cousin from Boston will never come to mind when I think about the New England IPA. No, it will always be those many trips to Vermont, darting from coops to gas stations to find Heady Topper, or the pilgrimages to Tree House in Monson and the coolers people used to save their spot in line.

19

small breweries in the region have reached heights they never thought possible because they made world class New England IPAs. In turn, scores of people — including this columnist — were turned on to the notion of freshly brewed local beer. Nothing that impactful could ever be as fleeting as a fad.

But please don’t read this as another curmudgeon craft beer snob criticizing Sam Adams for its success.

It’s good for craft beer anytime the NE IPA garners national attention. Certainly the Alchemist’s John Kimmich never imagined such a meteoric rise for the style when he concocted Heady Topper in the basement of his Vermont pub, that America would one day

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Beer decided that simply calling the beer “New England IPA” was not enough. Now we have Wicked Hazy, which is more of a rebrand than a new release.

The problem is, when mega-breweries roll out NE IPAs, they usually aren’t subtle about it. The beauty of the style lies in its complexity, the interplay and intensity of the hops, the balance of bite and smoothness and hodgepodge of tropical fruits on the palate. With big brewers, though, we only see the buzz words up front. In bright, eye-catching font, we’re told we’re getting a “hazy” beer. It’s “juicy,” too. That’s about it.

Sam Adams dropping an NE IPA into the market makes the style feel more and more like a fad.

For more than a decade,

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

orn in the center of Waterbury, Vermont, and perfected along the Fort Point Channel in Boston and at a small Brimfield farm, the New England IPA has finally reached the big time.

A Boston Beer Co. Super Bowl ad touting the Samuel Adams New England IPA “Wicked Hazy” has gone viral.

The commercial shows those majestic Clydesdales so associated with Budweiser, which will sit out the Super Bowl ad blitz this year for the first time since 1983, rampaging through Beantown, apparently let loose by the annoying “cousin from Boston.” The ad will only air in Boston and New York on Sunday, but thanks to the internet most of America has already seen it.

Is this the peak of the New England IPA – a Super Bowl commercial from a billion-dollar beer company? I hope not.

Boston Beer did not release its first New England IPA until 2017.

It came across then as Sam Adams trying to capitalize on the popularity of a market it never expected to exist. To his credit, founder Jim Koch showed reverence to the style, acknowledging that Sam Adams was building on the important work of other breweries.

“I still think we’re in the beginning of the growth and the development of this style,” Koch said in a 2018 interview with HAAS, a North American hops supplier.

“We didn’t invent New England IPAs, and I hope we’re adding to the knowledge and interest in this style. And I hope people will come along in the future and contribute their own ideas and interpretations — it’s dynamic and I’m excited to see it continue to develop as more brewers join in.”

Four years later, Boston

CITY LIFE

ADOPTION OPTION

20

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes.

WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at (508) 853-0030.

This beauty is Isabella. Isabella came to the shelter back in February and it was discovered that she was pregnant. After giving birth to 8 healthy and happy puppies, caring for them and seeing them off to their new homes, now it’s her turn. From what we can tell about Isabella, she has not had an easy life. She is looking for a very experienced owner who will commit to training that WARL will be providing for her. Isabella seems to be more trustworthy of women and can be picky about the dogs she chooses to get along with. Her new owner will need to meet her multiple times and display strong handling skills. Isabella is special to both staff and volunteers and deserves a second chance at a loving life. She is an energetic dog who loves to play with toys. She would love to go home with someone who can provide structure and a lot of physical activity for her. Isabella is looking for an adult only home with no other animals. If you would like more information or you would like to set up a meet and greet with her, please contact our Dog program Coordinator at sara@worcesterarl.org.

WARL COVID-19 Procedures As of Novemeber 9, 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we want to share with you some changes we have implemented so that we can continue to serve the pets and people of our community while keeping our team protected.

more about our available animals then call us at (508) 853-0030 ext.0 or email us at info@worcesterarl.org to schedule an appointment.

• ADOPTIONS: At this time, adoptions are being held BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. If you are interested in adoption, please visit our website worcesterarl.org/adopt/ to learn

• ANIMAL SURRENDERS: Our business practice for surrendering a pet remains the same. All pet owners must contact WARL in advance

• Casual visits to the shelter are prohibited. We will strictly enforce this in order to keep our animal care team protected while still maintaining the most essential function of our operation...finding homes for animals in need.

of surrendering a pet. Please call (508) 853-0030.

• SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS: All scheduled appointments will be honored. If you have a scheduled appointment, we will be contacting you to discuss changes to our drop off/pick up procedures.

• DONATIONS ACCEPTED except for open bags of food.

• Pet food, cat litter, and other shelter supplies will be essential in continuing to provide for our animals and to assist community

members in need. To avoid unnecessary travel and exposure, items can be purchased online from our Amazon Wishlist - https://www. amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3AX342JIL73M0 • Weekly training classes are going on for adopters.

• The WARL Volunteer Program is temporarily suspended. All regular volunteer shifts are on hold.

We look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we can.

We have many animals in our care

who depend on us to stay healthy and well. The above measures help to protect our staff and community from the spread of COVID - 19 by minimizing face-to-face interactions while continuing to operate only core essential services. Please continue to follow our Facebook page for additional updates. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the shelter at (508) 853-0030 or info@worcesterarl.org.

Thank you for your continued FURiendship and support.

GAMES

J O N E S I N’

Call

66

-34 4 5 2 8 8 8

or email edia.com m e s u o h e t a g classifieds@

38 42 43 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 56 57 59 60 61

Happy fun Ball?

Code where B is -...

Some TVs Frayed Ecological community “Be My Yoko ___” (Barenaked Ladies song) “Wheel of Fortune” action Eight bits, computerwise One side of the Urals Address abbreviation Country star McEntire Former dictator Idi “Boardwalk Empire” actress Gretchen Battleship score That, in Madrid

Last week's solution

©2021 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #1026

21

Down 1 Pen parts 2 Period of quiet

Haunted house challenge Hearth leftover Brazilian beach city, briefly “It was ___ blur” “Feed me or I’ll knock your drink over” 8 “Splendor in the Grass” Oscar winner 9 Piglet’s home 10 High-end hotel amenity 11 Fiber-rich cereals 12 “Cheers” bartender Woody 15 Philosophies that regard reality as one organic whole 17 Lettuce variety 18 “___, With Love” (Sidney Poitier movie) 23 Golden State traffic org. (as seen in an Erik Estrada TV show) 24 Philbin’s onetime morning cohost 25 “It’s Shake ‘n Bake!”

“And ___!” (old ad tagline) 26 Pager noise 27 Persian Gulf country 29 Arctic floaters 30 Burning 31 B equivalent, in music 34 Contrite phrase 35 A few feet away 36 Greek consonant

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

R U O Y E C A PL AD HERE!

3 4 5 6 7

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

Enjoy Fun By The Numbers puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Across 1 Life force, to an acupuncturist 4 One of the Three Musketeers 10 Consumer protection gp.

13 “___ Wiedersehen!”

14 Like the opening letter of each of the four longest answers 15 “Dog Barking at the Moon” artist Joan 16 Magazine whose website has a “Find a Therapist” feature 19 “Away!”

20 Stunned state 21 How hair may stand 22 Maritime patrol org.

25 “The mind ___ own place ...”

(John Milton) 26 Offer on eBay 28 Japanese grills 32 “Common” chapter of history 33 Flavor on a German schnapps bottle 37 Rank between marquis and viscount 39 Bell or whistle?

40 “Peter Pan” henchman 41 Device that records respiration 44 Went nowhere 45 Tightly cinched 46 “How We Do” singer Rita 47 “Fun, Fun, Fun” car in a ‘60s hit 49 British mil. decorations 51 Breezes (through) 52 Scrooge’s comment 55 Filmmaker Ephron 58 Math conjecture regarding a quadrilateral inscribed in a circle 62 “I identify,” in online comments 63 Ear ailment 64 Baseball stat 65 “Bill ___ Saves the World” 66 Hastily arrive at, as a conclusion 67 Celebrity chef Martin

“Quiet Onset”--I can’t hear you.

By Matt Jones

CLASSIFIEDS SERVICE DIRECTORY

Need A Friend?

Call Dial-A-Friend

508-852-5242

Inspirational Messages Recorded Daily 24 Hours Everyday

Where can you ďŹ nd cool stuff and helpful services?

22

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

Look in the CLASSIFIEDS! Over 90,000 Readers!

Call 888-254-3466 or email classifieds@gatehousemedia.com

Sudoku Answers

LAST CALL

Maura Tansley and Elizabeth Halloran

Partners at Worcester’s premiere women-owned law firm

T

he law firm of Tansley | Halloran recently opened its doors at 11 Pleasant St. in Worcester. We sat down with Maura Tansley and Elizbeth Halloran to find out what it means to be compassionate local attorneys in 2021.

DYLAN AZARI

think about a lot when we’re preparing to represent people during trials, which unfortunately aren’t happening right now.

An attorney friend of mine was recently recounting a Fourth Amendment case in which Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the sole female on the court in a ruling about a 13-year-old girl who was strip-searched at school.

RBG’s perspective as a woman made a significant impact. What do you feel are some of the benefits of being a woman in your field?

MT: I mean, not to put it too bluntly, but having an actual vagina can really be valuable while trying to break down rape cases and interpreting what some of the medical evidence actually shows. There’s a

Are all clients appointed to you or are you seeking new clients for your firm?

MT: It’s a mix of both. We’re both qualified to take appointed cases from the district court and the superior court. I can take appointed murder cases. We also take private clients as well. We opened up three weeks ago, so I don’t know if we have a sense yet of what our actual business breakdown will be, but I think it’s important to both of us to still be able to have a practice where we can be financially viable with our private clients and serve the community of defendants that need appointed counsel. I think it’s pivotal to have talented attorneys representing indigent clients in need.

— Sarah Connell Sanders

23

do it on our own. And if we did it on our own, we could control exactly our business plan, our business philosophy, and the way we would For too long, in times of represent our clients. We realized we crisis, people have turned to could be financially responsible for white men simply because ourselves. Being in the middle of the they are in the position to pandemic, helped us to finally say, “If leverage the most power. not now, then when?” We do a lot of I feel like we are finally criminal defense and we’re certainly valuing diversity in a way mindful that there is an aspect of that can shift traditional racial injustice within the criminal power dynamics in America. and “quote-unquote” justice system.

How did the timing of social I don’t think that’s anything to take change factor into your for granted when we stand up for decision to join forces? clients. We’re both white women MT: I mean, in some respects, and we’re aware that our personal this has been in the works since we perspective and experience can first met in 2012. I tried one of my be quite different. We take the role first cases against Liz in the East Brookfield District Court. We’ve seen we play seriously in representing defendants that face a very different each other grow up as attorneys. experience in their interactions with We weathered COVID in a full police and how they’re viewed by lockdown while doing our work at another firm. We saw that we could potential jurors. It’s something we and do right by our clients in a way that is not overly aggressive.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

What inspired the two of you to start your own firm?

EH: We were both at the same firm. We started practicing on the exact same day. I was on one side and Maura was on the other. She left the CPCFS (Committee for Public Counsel Services) office and I left the DA’s office at the same time. I worked for a firm that she connected me with. I think we began to realize the impact that we as women can have in the field.

We also wanted to be a part of the Worcester community and go out on our own. That became clear over the last couple of years.

MT: Our approach to practicing is very similar. We subscribe to the philosophy that we can advocate zealously for our clients, without becoming combative. In spite of it being an adversarial process, we understand that we can do better

Elizabeth Halloran, left, and Maura Tansley

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

What sort of law do you practice and how long have you been in Worcester?

EH: I grew up here in Worcester.

I moved back to Worcester when I was hired in the District Attorney’s office in 2012 right after I graduated law school. My practice is primarily criminal defense as well as family and probate litigation.

MT: I grew up in Connecticut. I went to school in Boston at Simmons College. I worked at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum after graduation and then decided to go to law school. I ended up doing a criminal clinic there and then applying to the Public Defender’s office in Massachusetts, which sent me to Worcester. I was sent to the Worcester office in 2012, and I thought I would stay for a year or two. I’ve been here ever since. I do primarily criminal defense, both appointed cases and private cases.

real lack of understanding of biology in cases involving women. That’s pretty specific though.

EH: Some of the cases that we handle are particularly difficult in terms of the subject matter — a lot of sexual assault cases. Being a woman and being able to understand a woman’s perspective and experience is helpful. It’s also helpful on the converse side if we are representing the accused, who is a man. I think being women allows us to impart some perspective for our own clients. Our involvement in the case as female attorneys can also translate with the jury. We both acknowledge that we have benefited from our male mentors over the past 10 years, but it’s still very much a boys club. We are hoping to turn the corner here.

MT: I just became qualified to take murder cases, as appointed.

There aren’t many women that are doing that work. I find the women who are up there amazing. Even so, when you could walk into a superior courtroom on any given day, it would be a sea of older white men. I mean, there are talented attorneys.

Sure. But there’s still a representation issue and we want to try and fill that void by contributing to the group of talented attorneys practicing in Worcester.

AMERICA’S LARGEST EXTERIOR REMODELER windows • doors • siding • rooFing • gutters

Limited•time•Offer

NO Money Down NO Interest financing

options are available ***!

HOUSE FULL OF WINDOWS INSTALLED™ * $

4,579

FULL HOUSE OF SIDING INSTALLED AS LOW AS

$

189

PER MONTH**

FULL HOUSE OF ROOFING INSTALLED AS LOW AS

$

149

PER MONTH**

Quality. Value. Trust.

Window World windows, siding and entry doors are backed by the prestigious Good Housekeeping Seal.

For a full list of products with the Seal, go to goodhousekeeping.com.

Official Replacement Windows of the Boston Red Sox

508-690-4330 • WindowWorldOfBoston.com WOBURN

24

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

F E B R U A RY 4 - 10, 2021

15A Cummings Park

STOP THE EXPENSE, EFFORT & DANGER OF CLEANING GUTTERS.

SHREWSBURY

PEMBROKE

1000 Boston Turnpike

295 Old Oak Street

*10 Any Size 4000 Series White Vinyl Welded Double Hung Style Tilt-to-Clean up to 4’x6’ Insulated SolarZone™ w/Glass and Lifetime Limited Warranty, Glass Breakage & Labor Included. U-Value .27. ** Payment example is based on installation of 1600 sq. ft of series 2000 vinyl siding and or 1600 sq. ft of lifetime asphalt roofing shingles. Standard installation included. Some additional charges likely to apply. Offers expire 2/28/21. ***Credit approval required, restrictions apply. Ask associate for details | This Window World Franchise is independently owned and operated by L&P Boston Operating, Inc d/b/a Window World of Boston under license from Window World Inc. | Fully Licensed & Insured. | MA HIC Reg# 197574

Begin Your Bathroom Transformation TUB & SHOWER CONVERSIONS AND UPDATES INSTALLED

Easy to Clean Engineered to Resist Mold & Mildew *

Installed in as Little as a Day! Call TODAY for Your

FREE DESIGN CONSULTATION!

7,989

$

**

as low as

00

99/month $ down 0

or $

781.957.3257

OUT OF THIS WORLD SERVICEˇ DOWN TO EARTH PRICE.

WWW.BATHPLANET.COM

Before

After

LIFETIME WARRANTY

*Typical job completed in as little as a day. See associate for details. **Offer good upon approval of credit/Includes product and labor for standard white wall system installation. Some additional charges may apply. Offer not valid in combination with any other offer, discount or coupon or on prior or current sales. Each dealership independently owned and operated. ©2021 Bath Planet LLC. All rights reserved. Offer expires 2/28/21.