Worcester Magazine August 13 - 19, 2021

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | CULTURE § ARTS § DINING § VOICES

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Mural artists set their sights on Main South

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IN THIS ISSUE

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Worcester Magazine 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 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 Multi Media Sales Executives Deirdre Baldwin, Debbie Bilodeau, Kate Carr, Diane Galipeau, Sammi Iacovone, Kathy Puffer, Jody Ryan, Regina Stillings Sales Support Jackie Buck, Yanet Ramirez Senior Operations Manager Gary Barth Operations Manager John Cofske 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.

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Featured ..............................................................................4 City Voices ........................................................................10 Cover Story.......................................................................13 Artist Spotlight................................................................19 City Living.........................................................................20 Five Things .......................................................................24 Adoption Option.............................................................28 Classifieds ........................................................................29 Last Call .............................................................................31

On the cover About 20 artists will paint 20 or so murals in the Main South Community.

ILLUSTRATION BY MARY ANN LAWRENCE/USA TODAY NETWORK; AND GETTY IMAGES

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FEATURED

Student-curated exhibit enters its last month at Worcester Art Museum Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Group projects were the bane of many college experiences: From choosing a topic to collaborating and dividing labor, the stress and tension usually boils over rapidly. And that’s just when the audience consisted of one professor, let alone the general public.

Imagine, then, if you and a group of five fellow students in partnership with the Worcester Art Museum were to design an entire museum exhibit, complete with new wall labels and a trifold brochure. John Garton, associate professor of art history in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Clark University, said the “students were essentially deputized as curators and in some ways, it was more difficult because they had to essentially make decisions by committee — every idea was vetted by the group.”

Patrons of the Worcester Art Museum may be familiar with the exhibition, “Women of WAM: Depictions of Femininity in Early Modern Europe,” which will be on display until Sept. 5. With a focus on art depicting women, dating between 1400 and 1700, the exhibit comprises 12 artworks in multiple mediums. The students use the exhibit to show the representation of women across different media in this period. Most of the 12 pieces were paintings but also included a hope chest (wedding chest for a bride) with carved women representing virtues, and a ter-

Clark Professor John Garton, near art the students helped curate, at right, “Venus Disarming Cupid,” painted about 1555, and “Saint Catherine,” early 17th century.

Clark students helped curate an exhibit this summer at WAM, focusing on depictions of femininity in early modern European art (1400-1700) using only artwork owned by the museum. The assignment included making title cards for the exhibit.

CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE PHOTOS

racotta statue of the Virgin Mary and child. They undertook an analysis with a view to understanding the double bind of femininity — saint or sinner.

The group of six students selected artworks spread across six galleries so museum-goers can move from room to room.

Special wall labels were created to demarcate the work, explore the depictions, and assist viewers in picking up the sense of the conflicting expectations that women faced in the chosen time period.

The Clark course called Art,

the Public and Worcester Cultural Institutions is offered annually and is aimed at sophomores and juniors. The requirement is to set up a public facing project and often includes a partnership with a city group such as ArtsWorcester or a museum. Garton believes it helps students get a better understanding of the field and associated careers paths. “It is a great course in terms of showcasing professionals and letting the students ask them direct questions about their vocations and how they use their

knowledge.”

The idea for the exhibit came from the students in the course who wanted to collaborate with WAM. It was feasible because of the “bigger envelope of Clark collaboration with the museum — previously, we had worked with them around the communities of color and photography,” Garton said.

The goal was to work with WAM’s present art, in this case putting together a show with artwork that the museum already owned, especially since the class was on a tight sched-

ule and budget. Garton said the students were surprised at the level of forward planning required for a museum exhibit — that some of the major shows are five to six years in the making before they are announced to the public — but those include loans from other museums, and no new work was incoming. “We asked, how can we present this current artwork in a coherent and unified form?” said Garton.

Each of the six students was responsible for the analysis and creation of two wall labels for a total of 12, and each contributed text to the trifold bro-

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 5

chure explaining the concept and the purpose of the exhibit.

Sam Weiner, Class of ‘22 and student curator, was responsible for the terracotta sculpture called “Virgin and Child,” (late 1400s and attributed to Domenico di Paris). She admits that it “took a lot of deliberation to choose a project and it was definitely a lot more difficult than I thought it would be.”

Weiner is used to writing longer essays and being able to go into detail so she found it challenging to pick and choose what information to have on the labels. “For a museum label to reach a varied audience, whether it’s a 10-year-old kid or someone who has a lot of art background, language has to be accessible and entertaining at the same time.”

The students wanted to get really specific with the content of the labels and looked through the museum collections to choose the art pieces

The only female artist included in the Women of WAM project is Dutch artist Judith Leyster. The name of the piece is “A Game of Tric-Trac,” and it was painted about 1631. CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

that they would work with, using the criteria of femininity as well as what could be interesting to look at.

“We focused on analyzing the art and its history through

our eyes as young adults,” Weiner explained. “For me, that meant looking at the ‘Virgin Mary’ through a different lens, and focusing on her role as a woman and a mother, and I thought a lot about how the Virgin Mary has affected how we view femininity.”

In another piece, called “An Old Woman Praying” (1655, by Nicholaes Maes), “I thought about how the idea of femininity was changing when the painting was created, and how the old woman may have reflected on these changes.” The religious imagery in the pieces that Weiner analyzed connect directly to the exhibit’s overarching themes of how women were perceived as either saintly or sinful in art, with no middle ground.

In the course of their research into the art works, Garton said, the students came to have a deeper appreciation for how difficult it could be for a

woman to make her own way in early modern Europe. For instance, despite being focused on artistic portrayal of women, due to the time period of the art, the exhibit only includes art by a single female artist, Judith Leyster of Holland (16091660). One student, said Garton, discovered that even a literal queen was still little more than a political pawn, when researching the subject of the piece, “Portrait of Queen Eleanor of Austria” (about 1516, by Jan Gossaert). All of them though, he said, were shocked by the large age disparities that were common in arranged marriages, with women from the upper levels of society deemed to be of marriageable age by 14 or 15. Men, on the other hand, were able to wait until 26 or 27.

On a more uplifting note, Weiner came away from the experience having learned something about herself and her future career. Working with mu-

seum staff, she grew more familiar with specific roles and gained a better understanding where she fit in. Originally interested in curation, by the end of the project she knew she wanted to pursue a more educational direction. At the end of the project, the group did a virtual presentation discussing the exhibit, “Picturing European Women in the Age of the ‘Old Masters’” as part of the Clark After Dark series. “I enjoyed that the most,” said Weiner, “the public speaking and getting to answer people’s questions.”

Conceptualization and implementation of the project was clearly helpful to one of the students. So the next time, a group project seems daunting — remember, it may point you in a new career direction.

Women of WAM: Depictions of Femininity in Early Modern Europe is on display until Sept.

5.

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6 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

FEATURED

s y h rp

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excited to play live

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Jason Greenough Special to Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK

Whether it be in film or music, it’s been the long-held belief that a sequel is rarely, if ever, better than the original. But in the case of Dropkick Murphys, running it back for a fresh batch of tour dates with Rancid this summer, that couldn’t be further from the truth. h Bringing their Boston to Berkeley II tour to the Palladium’s outdoor digs on Aug. 21, the hometown punk heroes have been hard at work to shake the rust of the last 18 months off and deliver the same top-shelf rock show they’ve become known for over the years.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 7

As drummer Matt Kelly points out, it may be a workout getting prepared for the crosscountry trek, but getting out on the road with Tim Armstrong and the rest of the Rancid gang — a friendship that began some 25 years ago — will offer up a certain amount of comfort and familiar territory as both bands return to the touring grind.

In addition to continuing the legacy of a tour that was a wildly successful outing the first time around in 2017, Kelly, a Leominster native, is excited to return to the Commonwealth and play in front of what he’s expecting to be “a throng of Kelly family members,” in addition to the loyal fan base the band has cultivated over the years.

“We’re psyched to get back on the road with anybody, really, but to be on the road with those guys, it’s really just getting back in the saddle since we already have such comfort with them,” says Kelly. “It’s going to be cool to play in Worcester too.

I’ve never been to the Palladium’s outdoor venue, but I’m psyched to see it, and play for friends and family.”

With the decades-long camaraderie between the two groups, fans can look forward to a unique experience that may or may not include some crossband collaboration on stage, but when it comes down to it, Kelly is just excited to get back in front of fans in general to celebrate their latest album, “Turn Up That Dial,” which hasn’t reached a live audience since its release back in April.

“People can probably expect a bunch of smiling buffoons up on stage playing our instruments, because we’re really just so psyched to play,” says Kelly.

“Our last show in front of human beings was February 19 of last year, and we thought it would be our last show until March, but the world had different plans, so we’re just friggin’ psyched to be playing in front of fans again.”

While the new album has had a bit of time to cement its legacy in the 10-album history of the band, and was received

WANT TO GO?

Dropkick Murphys Boston to Berkeley II When: Saturday, August 21.

Where: The Palladium, 261 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608 Tickets: thepalladium.net/ dropkick-murphys-andrancid-boston-to-berkeley-ii/

The Dropkick Murphys will perform with Rancid at the Palladium Aug. 21. FILE PHOTO

with critical acclaim from longtime fans and newcomers alike, Kelly is excited to play the new songs live for the first time.

Sure, they’ve played “Smash S**t Up” and “Mick Jones Nicked My Pudding” in front of a pre-pandemic live crowd, but being able to expand on the tunes that haven’t had the opportunity to be included on a setlist in front of other human beings, Kelly is excited to see the reaction from fans.

“You can’t predict how people are going to react to certain songs at a show, but sometimes you get that feeling of how much people really like something by testing the waters a bit and playing them for people all over the country, but we haven’t been able to do that yet with this record,” says Kelly. “We’ve been practicing and drilling these songs so much that we can play them backwards and forward, and within doing that, I feel like they’ve each taken on a life of their own, whereas it doesn’t sound exactly like it does on the record. I think people who haven’t checked out the record, but are making their way to these shows are going to be pleasantly surprised, and not to toot our own horn, but hopefully blown away too.”

The city of Worcester, and

more specifically the Palladium, holds a special place in the heart of the band, and that doesn’t change in the specific case of Kelly. Whether it be the

time he broke his nose during a Sam Black Church set, or when a fellow mosher opened a gash on his head during a Danzig show, Kelly has been through

the ringer on the other side of the barricade. So, it should go without saying that he and his bandmates are pumped to play outside for the first time — just hopefully with a little less bloodshed this time around.

“It’s going to be great to see family and friends, and we’re just grateful to be back out on the road. We’re happy that 25 years in, people still like us, and we’re happy that people haven’t forgotten us after a year and a half of dormancy.”

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8 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

FEATURED

Tower of Power will perform at Indian Ranch Aug. 15. HAZE PHOTOGRAPHY

Tower of Power gets funky at Indian Ranch in Webster Robert Duguay Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

When funk music was burgeoning in the late ‘60s into the stellar art form people know and love, the members of Tower Of Power were fine tuning the style. Coming out of Oakland, California, with bombastic horns and righteous grooves, these guys are the pioneers of

turning funk into a complete sonic arsenal. “What Is Hip?” will forever be their biggest hit but tracks like “So Very Hard To Go,” “Willing To Learn” and “We Came To Play” are each gems in their own right. On Aug. 15, Tower Of Power will be performing at Indian Ranch on 200 Gore Road in Webster. It’s an early afternoon show with the doors opening at 11:30 a.m. and the show starting at 1 p.m.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 9

The legendary James Brown and his band had an influence on Tower Of Power, much like they did and continue to have on a ton of other acts spanning various genres.

Another act that had an influence on the Bay Area funk act was another band from the same region.

“I think everybody when we were growing up was influenced

by James Brown, bar none,” says Tower Of Power saxophonist and founder Emilio Castillo.

“Every band, even rock n’ roll bands that weren’t really into soul music, were influenced by him. For me, James Brown and Howard Tate, who was a great singer produced by Jerry Ragovoy, were big influences. We also used to go watch Sly & The Family Stone before they ever put a record out, every weekend at this place called Frenchy’s in Hayward, California. His creativity, his energy and what he brought to the live show was something that I wanted in Tower Of Power.

“It wasn’t like I wanted to have this sound, I wanted it to have a similar energy in our band,” he adds. “There are tons of other soul music stars, we were influenced by Curtis Mayfield and The Impression along with the Philadelphia sound, the Memphis sound, the Motown sound and all those cities with soul that are known for it, places like Muscle Shoals. We’re influenced by all of that.”

The evolution of funk since it became popular during the ‘70s is a very fluid one. Numerous styles have been incorporated into it but these days it seems to be returning to its roots with a new crop of bands reviving the classic sound. With this going on, Castillo and the band tend to ignore the trends and stick to what they do best.

“I very seldom think about trends,” he says. “I remember in the late ‘80s a trend came through during that time when the word ‘retro’ became very popular. Artists like Robert Cray and Bonnie Raitt were becoming popular and had big hits and I used to get asked about it all the time how I feel about my

WANT TO GO?

Tower Of Power When: Sunday, Aug. 15. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and the show starts at 1 p.m.

Where: Indian Ranch on 200 Gore Road in Webster Tickets: indianranch.com.

More Information: towerofpower.com.

sound becoming ‘relevant’ again, and I’ll tell them the same thing, I don’t think about it. I just make Tower Of Power music, I don’t care if my sound is ‘retro’ or ‘old’ when I make music, it’s current to me and we do it in the way that we do it. I think it’s one of the reasons why our music has this timeless value because we’re not chasing any trends.”

Tower Of Power is planning on being on tour for a while to make up dates in various parts of the globe that were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Castillo, while remaining cautious, would also like to get a couple of albums done, with each one having a different theme.

“We just started hitting the road on August 8th and we plan on going pretty hard,” he said.

“I’ve currently been in ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ mode because with the pandemic I’m a little concerned on whether we’re going to see crowds. I don’t know what to expect. Until I do, I’m just planning on showing up to the next gig, and we have a lot of shows to make up and a lot of places to see.

We’re overdue in Japan, we’re overdue in Europe, we’re overdue in Australia and New Zealand, and we want to get down to South America, so I would think that we’re going to do a lot of touring for a while. Eventually, I’d like to get in and do two more albums, one secular and one Christian gospel praise type of record. Whether or not we can do that, I don’t know, but that’s what we’re shooting for and we’ll see how that all plays out.”

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10 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CITY VOICES LANDGREN

WORCESTERIA

FIRST PERSON

Free speech doesn’t equal free expression Joseph Gustafson Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Want to know something?

I’m getting tired of politicians and athletes who leave their brains at home when they go to work. I speak, of course, of their diatribes equating free speech with flag desecration.

These two issues are not the same, nor should they be construed as the same. The latter is nothing more than a profane act on a national treasure. No high principles or constitutional violations are involved, as some lawyers would have you believe.

The Founding Fathers were careful with each word in the Bill of Rights. They agonized and fought over the use of a single word. That is especially

true of “free speech.” It does not say “free expression.” It says “free speech.” Free speech is limited to the spoken and written word. That’s it. Nothing more.

Free expression would allow any crackpot to commit criminal acts on our national treasures. Really, do we want to construe the spray-painting of the Statue of Liberty as free speech? We don’t construe it that way when any punk with a spray can vandalizes public walls and statues, though some politicians and athletes would undoubtedly call it free speech.

Our flag deserves to be protected by a constitutional amendment. It would make attacks on the flag punishable crimes. It would jail any vandal See SPEECH, Page 12

The view from the Greater Worcester Land Trust’s new facility at Patch Reservoir.

VICTOR D. INFANTE/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Three vignettes at Ralph’s Rock Diner, the Canal District and Patch Reservoir Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Three vignettes from life in a changing city: UNREADY TO ROCK: Heading to Ralph’s Rock Diner on Friday, July 30, was good for my soul, not so good for my anxieties. Gene Dante and the Future Starlets played a raucous and brilliantly executed set to one of the most-full crowds I’ve seen indoors in recent memory. Still, as exhilarating as it is to be vaccinated and out to hear some great rock ‘n’ roll, it’s hard to get past the

news about the the COVID-19 Delta variant which erupted out of Provincetown recently.

It drives your brain to constantly stay in risk-assessment mode, which gets in the way of a good time. Still, it was easier to at least somewhat social distance toward the back of the club, which is where I’m most comfortable, anyway, sipping a ‘Gansett and watching the show. I can see a day when this sort of thing feels natural again, but I’m not there quite yet. Still, Dante and company were worth a few frayed nerves to hear.

BALLPARK PARKING

BLUES: The following Saturday afternoon, I was reminded by my wife that it was the last day to pick up our Community Supported Bookstore subscription from Bedlam Books.

As I knew the store was closing soon, I headed straight down to the Canal District, intent on picking up a few books and a latte. What I had also forgotten was that Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale was playing with the Woo Sox at Polar Park, and everyone else was out to see that.

Not that I blame them – it’s pretty exciting to see a player See VIGNETTES, Page 12

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 11

POETRY TOWN

‘The Apartment (Kelley Square)’ Ron Carlson

Special to Worcester Magazine

presents

| USA TODAY NETWORK

I got my first apartment it stood in Kelley Square With Bart and Ray, on Millbury street we took our pleasures there Walking back to the little flat we shared with Irish Mike The world seemed full of promise in the dying evening light Let’s go back When to the apartment Bart, they’re closing down this bar And hello Mike, now might we share the whiskey in your jar?

Oh at the Hotel Vernon, we spent some coin in there Or Paulinas, or the Emerald with laughter in the air From Uncle Tom’s where Marion stood tall behind the bar We walked back homeward singing underneath the evening stars.

Come along now, Marie Ann, they’re closing down this bar It’s time to go, we’ve drunk up all the whiskey in our jar.

But time moves forward, never back, old friends and sweethearts part The apartment is gone, there’s a Hess gas station standing on that spot.

But my smile is all the wider when by chance I sometimes meet An old friend or acquaintance from my time on Millbury street.

And though we all have scattered now like dry leaves wide and far We reminisce and talk about the whiskey in the jar.

Now the hair is brown upon my head that once was chestnut brown And my kids grew in the suburbs here, outside of Worcester town We gather at the passing of old friends from Kelley Square And sing their praises sadly, with our glasses in the air.

Fred, down along old Millbury street they’ve closed down half those bars It’s time to go. We’ve pissed away the whiskey in our jars.

August MMXXI On the Worcester Common Oval August 12-13, 17-19, 22, 24-26 & 28

Free and open to the public.

Scan to reserve free seats.

Ron Carlson is a singer-songwriter who lives and performs in the Worcester area.

Visit TheHanoverTheatre.org/juliuscaesar The view from 1 Kelley Square on Tuesday, Aug. 3.

CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Worcester Center for Performing Arts, a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, owns and operates The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

12 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

The flag is a national treasure. It defines what Americans are. And, yes, it is a symbol, a symbol that at the very least, deserves respect, respect for all the men and women who served and died protecting this country. GETTY IMAGES

Speech Continued from Page 10D

or malcontent who declares war on the flag. In essence, it would allow the flag to declare war on them.

Vignettes Continued from Page 10D

that good in such a relatively intimate venue – but a packed ballpark means the parking situation is a little rough for anyone just trying to drive out to a Canal District store for 15 minutes. First pass by the lot right behind the Crompton

For most Americans, the flag is not a piece of cloth to be dragged in the streets, torn in shreds, burned by rioting mobs or malicious individuals.

The flag is a national treasure. It defines what Americans are. And, yes, it is a symbol, a symbol that at the very least, deserves respect, respect for all the men

and women who served and died protecting this country, respect for every famine-stricken legal immigrant who fought for a better life, respect for the enslaved who believed one vote could break the chains of tyranny, and respect for the kid who dreamed of being a hero and then became one.

Free speech, yes. Free expression, no.

Can the haters out there get that simple idea?

You can fight back! Vote every Marxist politician out of office and boycott every un-American athlete.

Joseph Gusatafson is a published poet and English teacher.

Collective and then up Green Street didn’t go so well, but there were spots in the lot on the second swing through.

There’s always a sort of solipsism when you complain about Polar Park’s impact on parking: The reply is always, “There’s plenty of parking for people going to the stadium,” which ignores the fact that people who are just bopping into one or two local shops for something have to either drive in circles until they find

something (eating time), pay $20 for a lot (not happening), or just do it another day (not great for local businesses). But, hey, I found a regular space in about 15 minutes on the busiest day Polar Park’s had yet, so maybe there’s hope after all.

A LITTLE PATCH OF PEACE: On Aug. 1, I attended the annual members meeting of the Greater Worcester Land Trust, which was held on the organization’s most heralded new acqui-

sition, a small house on property on the shore of Patch Reservoir. Not only is it just a beautiful, peaceful spot, a deal with Worcester State University will allow the school to use the space for research and classes. But really, on a weekend that had nerves rattled by the effects of pandemic and gentrification, it’s nice to be reminded that there are places right here in the city that remain havens of tranquility.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 13

POW! WOW! Worcester returns Richard Duckett

Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK

When POW! WOW! Worcester, the city’s unique international mural and arts festival, put its focus on Great Brook Valley in 2019, the effects could be seen not just on the walls of buildings in the housing project and nearby schools. h “We love getting people emotional about these murals,” said POW! WOW! Worcester board member and artist Travis Duda. He recalled that at a newly painted mural at Great Brook Valley depicting the late baseball legend Roberto Clemente, there was a man who got “really emotional. He wasn’t making a show of it or anything, but it was just very special,” Duda said.

A completed mural by Jason Naylor at Great Brook Valley during the 2019 Pow! Wow! Worcester mural festival.

ASHLEY GREEN/T&G STAFF

14 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Khalil Guzman, Ivy Orth, Travis Duda, Ryan Gardell and Grhimm Xavier pose near a mural that is being painted at the Youth Grow Garden Aug. 5. POW! WOW! Worcester kicks off Aug. 13. RICK CINCLAIR/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Similarly, POW! WOW! Worcester co-director Jessica Walsh said a mother came up to her at Great Brook Valley and told her that the festival had just changed something for her youngest daughter. After the daughter said to someone while she was elsewhere in Worcester that she was from Great Brook Valley, the response of the person was, “Oh, where they just did the murals.

That’s great.” The mother and daughter felt pride about living in a neighborhood with that

kind of reputation rather than some lingering negative associations from times past.

“That’s pretty significant,” Walsh said. “I don’t know, I think that’s a big deal.”

There was no POW! WOW! Worcester last year because of the pandemic (although some mural projects were completed on a one-off basis), but what will be the fifth festival returns Aug. 13-22 and the concentration of activities this time moves to Worcester’s Main South neighborhood and “am-

About 20 artists will paint 20 or so murals in an area that includes the block at Jacob Hiatt Magnet School and the Central Community Branch Massachusetts YMCA of Central Massachusetts, 766 Main St. as well as on Beacon Street, the Regional Environmental Council’s YouthGrow Main South Farm, 63 Oread Street, at the Main South Community Development Corporation, 875 Main St., and other nearby locations.

plifying youth voices.”

“Now it’s Main South’s time to shine just like it was other parts of the city,” said Worcester artist Grhimm Xavier, who will be painting a wall at the entrance to the Jacob Hiatt Magnet School, 772 Main St. Xavier doesn’t have his head in the clouds, but he knows what he wants to create. “My style is more illustrative. I wanted the kids to feel that as they were coming to school they were walking into clouds, so I have a few characters sit-

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 15

Lillipore continues work on her mural at Great Brook Valley during the 2019 Pow! Wow! Worcester mural festival. ASHLEY GREEN/T&G STAFF

ting in the clouds,” Xavier said.

The characters are “Other children. I wanted the kids to feel it was something they would see in a children’s book or something like that. And they’re all of different races, so everyone feels welcome.”

About 20 artists will paint 20 or so murals in an area that includes the block at Jacob Hiatt Magnet School and the Central Community Branch Massachusetts YMCA of Central Massachusetts, 766 Main St. as well as on Beacon Street, the Regional Environmental Council’s YouthGrow Main South Farm, 63 Oread Street, at the Main South Community Development Corporation, 875 Main St., and other nearby locations.

“We’ve put a couple of things down there (in the past) but we’ve never concentrated on Main South and we’re really excited to be there,” Walsh said.

“People there are working to make it the best community it can be, and we’re really excited to add to the momentum that’s

already going.”

“It’s a part of our community that we all really like,” said Duda. “This just really puts the sprinkles on the work they’re doing.”

POW! WOW! Worcester officially gets underway Aug. 13 as artists arrive and get their murals started. Redemption Rock Brewing Co., 333 Shrewsbury St., one of the festival’s sponsors, will hold a block party as a “Kick-off to POW! WOW! Worcester 2021” from 2 to 9 p.m. Aug. 14. The party will be outside Redemption Rock on Putnam Lane off Shrewsbury Street and include live music, food, art “and the debut of the official beer of POW! WOW! Worcester 2021.” Music performers will include Giuliano D’Orazio, Weege & The Wonder Twins, Zack Slik, Sophia Laura and Anthem Noise. There will also be musical acts curated by African Community Education and the Worcester Hip Hop Congress.

Redemption Rock will also host a discussion from 6 to 7

           

                                                                               

   

 

          

       

16 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Since its debut in 2016, POW! WOW! Worcester has curated more 160 pieces of public art, consisting of 130 murals and several seasonal and permanent installations, and now maintains the largest collection of murals in the Northeast.

Marka27 works on a mural on the Federal Square garage in 2016, the first year POW! WOW! Worcester was held. Since then, Worcester has curated more 160 pieces of public art.

CHRISTINE PETERSON/T&G STAFF

p.m. Aug. 18 about the importance of public art and the need to keep pushing the platform.

Participants will include artists associated with the BLINK Festival, a huge laser light, art and projection mapping event that is held in downtown Cincinnati.

BLINK artists will be illuminating murals from 8 to 9 p.m.

Aug. 19 outside at the parking lot of the Palladium, 261 Main St., and from 8 to 9 p.m. Aug. 20 and 21 at the Jacob Hiatt Magnet School.

The light shows are “an event that could very easily be safe and socially distanced,” Walsh said. People can “choose how far you want to be from people.”

The light shows have also been described as unforgettable.

All the events are free, and more may be added. Visit www.powwowworcester.com for information.

The main emphasis, however, will be painting the murals.

POW! WOW! Worcester has previously brought in national and international artists, and while there will be some of those on hand, including artists from BLINK, Portugal and Canada, the majority this year will be from Massachusetts.

“It’s a lot of Massachusetts artists this year, which is fun,” Duda said.

In the 1970s, Main South was known as an “impact” area, but the law enforcement term was not a flattering one.

POW! WOW! Worcester is hoping for a different kind of impact with the artists that will be there starting Aug. 13.

“I think people underestimate how much it changes the community,” Walsh said of art-

ists going into a community and painting murals on walls.

Walsh has noticed a pattern.

“At the beginning people are skeptical, they don’t understand it. By the end there’s a sense of pride and they own it. I see more pride and hope at the end of the week just from, quote-unquote, ‘paint on walls.’”

When school children see the walls on their school painted for the first time, “They flip out. It’s awesome,” Walsh said.

“It’s that special feeling where we hope to inspire the next generation of artists,” said Duda.

For people passing through the neighborhood, the murals send their own message.

“When you go into a neighborhood, you don’t have to know anything about the neighborhood. It’s hope and joy,” Walsh said.

“Public art creates lasting and positive change in a community, and our goal is to inspire and provide opportunities for the next generation of Main South kids,” she said.

The news that POW! WOW! Worcester would both be coming back for 2021 and coming to Main South generated excitement when the announcement was made in May. Casey Starr, director of community initiatives at Main South Community Development Corporation, said, “The Main South CDC is very excited to welcome POW! WOW! Worcester into the Main South neighborhood this summer. We can’t wait to see what will be created and look forward to celebrating public art and the Main South neighborhood together in August.”

Meanwhile, POW! WOW!

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 17

youths hands-on at the farm as he and Xavier painted the mural last year, but it has been a different story this time around.

So far the wall has been cleared, power washed, “and we’re starting to put the images together,” Duda said. “They’re having fun with it. Granted most of them don’t consider themselves artists, but it’s kind of fun to see them getting into the process.”

All the more so as Walsh and Duda said it was touch and go whether POW! WOW! Worcester would return in 2021 for its fifth year or be postponed like 2020.

“We’re trying to be thoughtful for the state of the world. We want to make it as as safe as possible for everybody,” Walsh

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Artist Hank “Xile” Vonhellion works on his Winnie the Pooh mural on Worcester Arts Magnet School on Saint Nicholas Avenue in 2018. CHRISTINE PETERSON/T&G STAFF

WOW! Worldwide, a Hawaiibased producer of international mural festivals founded

by Jasper Wong, in 2015. Wong committed to helping provide artists to a Worcester festival, but POW! WOW! Worcester is local and autonomous. All its board and committee members are volunteers. Walsh is the owner of Worcester Wares, and Duda owns Hunchback Graphics.

In 2016, the first festival concentrated largely on downtown Worcester, but has expanded its reach in subsequent years.

“It brings people together,” Walsh said. “Even if they don’t like the mural, it still brings them together in conversation.”

“Our mission is to bring art to the people,” said Duda. “Easy access to art and building these

“Our mission is to bring art to the people.”

Travis Duda, POW! WOW! Worcester board member and artist

community moments. 2019 had these fantastic moments in Great Brook Valley.”

Duda and Xavier were able to work on a mural last year at the REC’s YouthGROW Main South Farm on Oread Street.

REC had a grant from the Barr Foundation for the mural in conjunction with working with POW! Wow! Worcester.

This year Duda and artist Khalil Guzman have started painting a second mural at YouthGROW a few days ahead of the festival funded through a

Worcester Arts Council Grant.

“POW! WOW! Worcester supported us to apply for the funds, introduced us to the artists, and has supported this project from concept to execution,” said Grace Sliwoski, director of programs for REC. “POW! WOW! Worcester found artists really excited about the space and the people.

They’re really interested in talking with the youth and telling the story of the farm and the young people,” Sliwoski said.

Last year’s mural includes the logo “Keep It Going Keep It Growing,” which has special meaning for what YouthGROW is about, she said. “We’re thrilled to be able to work together.”

Duda wasn’t able to work with the teenage high school

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Worcester will be partnering with the Worcester Public Schools for a fourth time.

Jyoti Datta, principal of the Jacob Hiatt Magnet School, said, “As an integral part of the Main South Community, our school will showcase public art on its exterior for all to enjoy — students, our wider school community and our neighborhood.”

Since its debut in 2016, POW! WOW! Worcester has curated more 160 pieces of public art, consisting of 130 murals and several seasonal and permanent installations, and now maintains the largest collection of murals in the Northeast.

In response to the trend of murals being painted on buildings in cities, a local group made contact with POW!

18 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

said.

Everyone involved with the festival is vaccinated, but “even now we’re worried about the (Delta) variant. We’re taking it day by day,” Walsh said.

“We did a year’s worth of planning in six months. We were sad not to do our normal summer celebration last year so we felt that if we could do it safely, we should,” Duda said.

However, “If some major news were to happen, we would have to reflect and react.”

There are fewer events than some previous years because of the effects of the pandemic on aspects such as planning and artist availability, but “we planned as best we could,” Walsh said.

“We encourage people to do tours of past murals.” The POW! WOW! Worcester web site has maps that people can follow, she noted.

“It’s been a real challenge this year. It (the festival) has al-

Jeks works on a Roberto Clemente mural at Great Brook Valley during the 2019 Pow! Wow! Worcester mural festival.

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ways a beast to tackle. This year was an even bigger one,” Walsh said.

Issues ranged from artists abroad in quarantine to spray paint shortages, Walsh noted.

But it has come together.

“We have an amazing committee of volunteers. We want great things for our city,” Walsh said.

“We did the best given the circumstances. We’re very excited for year five,” Duda said.

Another encouraging sign of community support for POW! WOW! Worcester was a successful crowdfunding campaign through MassDevelopment’s Commonwealth Places program. The goal was to raise $50,000 by June 30, which would be matched for $50,000

by MassDevelopment. POW WOW! Worcester raised $55,804.

“We’re nonprofit. Every dollar puts paint on the walls,” Walsh said.

In the first couple of years of POW! WOW! Worcester, Xavier watched intently as other art-

ists worked with their paint on walls and created murals.

“I actually used POW! WOW! to learn and emerge into the artist I am now,” he said.

The Jacob Hiatt Magnet School mural will be his first as a solo artist for POW! WOW! Worcester.

“Being part of the cast, it’s really special to me. POW! WOW! definitely made being a muralist more feasible. It gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of profound artists,” Xavier said.

Now people can meet Xavier and the other POW! WOW! Worcester 2021 artists. “We want people to come down and watch the artists work and feel free to talk to them,” Duda said.

“Most of the artists are friendly,” he added jokingly.

“If anybody wants to come and check it out, I’m a very welcoming guy so it will be a fun time,” said Xaxvier.

“I think it’s really great for the kids all over the city to see such a path is possible,” he said.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 19

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Jennessa Burks Jennessa Burks Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Jennessa Burks is a selftaught artist based in Central Massachusetts. Art is a passion she uses to express her emotion and amplify not only her voice, but the unheard voices of her communities. While her works include mixed mediums, she works primarily in acrylic to create art pieces intended to capture the beauty, strength and resilience of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). Too often Black and brown folx are missing from art spaces; their stories and truths selectively muted throughout history. With her creations Jennessa aspires to bring joy to others who may experience the void of being unseen while bringing awareness to those who hold the privilege and fulfillment of being seen.

Her work can be found at www.jennessaart.com.

This Artist Spotlight is presented by Worcester Magazine in partnership with ArtsWorcester.

Since 1979, ArtsWorcester has exhibited and advanced the work of this region’s contemporary artists. Its exhibitions and educational events are open and free to all. Learn more at www.artsworcester.org.

“Radiate,” acrylic on canvas JENNESSA BURKS/ARTSWORCESTER

20 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CITY LIVING TABLE HOPPIN’

Myles Barber takes helm at Flying Rhino kitchen Barbara M. Houle Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

A love of cooking came early to executive chef Myles Barber, son of Paul Barber and Melina (Capsalis) Barber, owners of the Flying Rhino Café & Watering Hole in Worcester.

Barber started in the Rhino’s kitchen as a teen washing dishes. “I knew I really wanted to be a chef when I moved to helping on the line,” said Barber. After graduating from St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Barber entered the International Culinary Institute in New York and later became kitchen manager at Mighty Quinn’s BBQ in Manhattan.

The restaurant’s franchise locations outside of New York include Florida, Maryland, New Jersey and Dubai.

One important thing Barber learned in his early years working with his parents is how dedicated they are to the business. They both have a creative work ethic, he said, crediting his father as a person who loves the business and has kept it running successfully for 21 years. His mother is a fantastic cook and also the artist responsible for the Rhino’s décor, which she designed and hand-painted, he said. The day of this interview, Melina Barber was at the restaurant food prepping. One former Rhino chef described the couple as “owners who think outside the box.”

For his part as new executive chef, Barber several months ago “tweaked” the lunch and dinner menus and made dinner selections for participation in Worcester

Myles Barber, the new executive chef at Flying Rhino & Watering Hole, with his father, Paul Barber, who started the business with his wife more than 20 years ago.

CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Barber has “tweaked” the lunch and dinner menus and made dinner selections for participation in Worcester Restaurant Week 2021, which runs through Aug. 14. Visit www.worcesterrestaurantweek.com for restaurants offering three-course meals for $25.21.

Restaurant Week 2021, which runs through Aug. 14. Visit www.worcesterrestaurantweek.com for restaurants offering three-course meals for $25.21. The chef said Worcester Restaurant Week is “going very well” and that he looks forward to the return of Taste of Shrewsbury Street Aug. 24 after it was canceled last year due to COVID-19. The event, 5 to 9 p.m., will feature food tastings from participating eateries, in addition to live enter-

tainment. More info about tickets, $25 each, at http://tasteshrewsburystreet.com.

The Rhino is among city restaurants that recently reported a rebound in business. Barber is hopeful the fall season will bring in more diners with the anticipated return of football games, college students and other local activities. The Rhino’s outdoor tent provides additional seating, he said, and is a safe and comfortable dining area. The restaurant has plans

to extend outdoor dining through October or early November. Expect chef-driven barbecue from Barber, who has a smoker on premise.

Visit www.flyingrhinocafe.com for lunch and dinner hours Wednesday through Saturday. The business is closed Monday and Tuesday.

Sunday Brunch (a la carte menu) is from 11 a.m. to last seating at 7:30 p.m. The restaurant offers valet service on Friday and Saturday. Additional park-

ing in nearby lots. Connect on social media; telephone: (508) 7571450.

This family-run business is where Myles Barber met his wife, Shannon, a bartender at the restaurant. The couple have a 3year-old daughter, Mila Barber.

Paul and Melina Barber’s daughter, Victoria Barber, is the restaurant’s bookkeeper, having been mentored by her late grandmother Katherine Capsalis. The couple’s other daughter, Madeline Blumberg, manages a boutique winery in Napa Valley. “We’re extremely proud of all our children,” said Paul Barber.

The Flying Rhino Café & Watering Hole has won its fair share of local awards. Before COVID-19, Barber was sous chef at the Rhino, working with executive chef Drew Day, winner of the 2020 Iron Chef award at Worcester’s Best Chef competition. Chris O’Harra, a former executive chef at the restaurant, won a first place WBC Judges’ Award. He’s now a chef/instructor at Worcester Technical High School.

Paul Barber has served as president of the Shrewsbury Street Area Merchants Association and continues to be an active member of the nonprofit volunteer-staffed SSAMA, working with other owners to help promote businesses on Worcester’s Restaurant Row. Before the pandemic, I wrote a Q&A column, Meet the Chef, for the Worcester Sunday Telegram.

I asked Barber a few questions from the column.

Q. What’s your favorite cheap eat?

A. Vincent’s (Suffolk Street, Worcester) for meatball and sausage sandwich. I may have raised a glass or two there with my dad.

Q. Who were your biggest in-

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 21

Myles Barber says his mom has been a big influence on his cooking. CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

fluences?

A. Mom, for food; Dad, business. Also, Alex Smith, an executive chef and consultant in New York who taught me good barbecue, and Mark Hawley, a former executive chef at the Rhino. I was young when Mark worked at the restaurant, but I remember watching him on the job. I guess you could say I was in awe of what he did.

Note: Mark Hawley is Director of Culinary Operations and Corporate Executive Chef with Worcester Restaurant Group.

Q. What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef?

A. I’ve always been interested in sea animals. Marine biology or something like it? I haven’t given it much thought since I’ve been in the food service industry most of my life.

Q. What’s your favorite meal to make at home?

A. Simple stuff, really. Like a marinara sauce. I made shrimp fried rice the other night. I’ve become sort of the designated cook for family holiday get-togethers. Beef Wellington was the last thing I made. Dad’s the bartender at the parties.

According to Barber, the Rhino joins other city restaurants in the struggle to find workers. “The challenge for us is to find people to help in the kitchen,” said Barber. “For chefs and cooks, the work is both hard and rewarding. It’s a team thing, both in back and front of the house. Looking back, I’m glad I was groomed as a teenager to work in the

family business. I sometimes joke about how ‘Dad’s the one who made me do this.’”

Evviva Trattoria offers 4-course special evening Evviva Trattoria Marlboro will host a “4-course Regional Italian Food and Wine Tasting” beginning at 6 p.m. Aug. 17 at 142 Apex Drive, Marlboro.

Tickets, $54.99 per person, can be reserved with a $25 deposit at www.evvivatrattoria.com/marlborough.

On the menu: Pioggio Di Antipasti (Emilia-Romagna region); Tagliatelle Al Fruitti di Mare Fra Diavolo (Campania region); Porchetta Alla Romana (Lazio region); Tiramisu (Veneto region). Check it out!

Whiskey tasting at Julio’s Julio’s Liquors in Westboro has scheduled an in-store tasting at Whisk(e)y Wednesday scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 18.

Purchase a “3x200ml kit,” $39.99 ($50 value), to reserve a spot. Kits will be available the night of the event. Kobie Ali of Heaven’s Door will lead the tasting. Visit www.juliosliquors.com or call (508) 366-1942 for more information. The tasting will be on Facebook Live (Julio’s Liquors page) for folks at home.

If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282.

Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

22 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

NEXT DRAFT

Wormtown Brewery names its new president, general manager Matthew Tota Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

WORCESTER – If not for craft beer, Kimberly Golinski may have had a long, fulfilling career in car sales.

Six years ago, Golinski was well on her way to climbing the ladder at Patrick Subaru, a car dealership in Shrewsbury. Then she saw an opening at a brewery in Monson. Selling beer would be her calling, not Subarus.

Things worked out, though: She is an indispensable piece of one of the most popular breweries in the world.

And now, after five years as Tree House Brewing Co.’s office manager, Golinski will become Wormtown Brewery’s next president and general manager.

“I’m going from one great brewery to another great brewery,” Golinski said in a recent phone interview. “I couldn’t get here without Tree House.

They’ve given me the opportunity to expand my wings in the beer world and allowed me to take their dreams, run with them and build with them. Now it’s time to take that and apply it elsewhere.”

Golinski starts on Shrewsbury Street Aug. 16, replacing former GM Scott Metzger, who will become Maui Brewing Co.’s chief operating officer.

Let’s get this out of the way early: Golinski was not hired because Wormtown needs a woman in a leadership position to burnish its image while dealing with allegations of misogyny and a “boy’s club” culture.

That line of thinking, flawed as it is, overlooks her impressive rise in the brewing industry, highlighted by her time with

Kimberly Golinski, Wormtown Brewery’s new president and general manager, at the Worcester brewery Friday. She will assume full control of operations Aug. 16.

CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Tree House, where she had a hand in just about every part of the brewery.

“It’s nice to be a female in a leadership position and maybe inspire other women; I want my daughter to say, ‘That’s my mom and I can do that too.’ It’s a great feeling,” she said. “But I got the job because I’m the right candidate. I’m proud to represent the female work force in the beer world. I started at the bottom. Did I think I would be here at some point? No. But here I am, and I’m going to embrace it.”

Golinski said she had no reservations seeking the job at Wormtown, because she trusts its core. The brewery reacted swiftly to the outcry against sexism in the beer industry even before learning of the allegations against it, she said.

“They made changes immediately. They didn’t wait,” she said. “If there are more changes that need to be made, I’m the

right person to do it. I’m going to get in there with a fresh view. I can see other issues if they exist. It doesn’t scare me.”

The general manager at Wormtown acts as the brewery’s quarterback, planning and executing new marketing and expansion projects and overseeing employees in Worcester and Foxborough. In the week before she starts, Golinski will meet with Metzger to learn about his 23 months in the job.

“My management style is to sit back, listen and learn, then troubleshoot and go from there,” she said. “I have to spend some time with Scott and pick his brain. Right now, I’m an outsider looking in. I can’t make and changes without knowing what’s happening internally. I did that with Tree House, as well.”

She’s eager to experience a side of the beer business she rarely dealt with at Tree House:

distribution.

“I want to learn how to grow a brand in a different footprint.

I’m excited to learn that side of it. I’m coming from a place where 100% of our customers bought beer by walking through the door,” she said.

Wormtown’s newly named CEO, David Fields, said it was Metzger who suggested Golinski as his replacement. After Metzger informed Fields in May about the Maui opportunity, they began drafting a transition plan.

“I remember Scott telling me, ‘You do know you already have my replacement, right?’” Fields said.

Fields and Golinski have met before several times at different beer festivals, and Golinski previously interviewed for a different position at Wormtown.

There are many reasons why Wormtown chose Golinski as its GM, Fields said, but, surprisingly, her time with Tree House is not at the top of the list.

“It’s more my understanding of Kim as a person, more so than what she may or may not have done at another brewery,” he said. “When you meet her, she brings integrity. She brings passion, knowledge and experience. She could have worked at a car dealership, and she still would have been a great fit for us. The fact she has experience at an amazing brewery is just a plus.”

Golinski entered the brewing industry in 2007 as a beer ambassador for Berkshire Brewing Co. She worked for a few other breweries after Berkshire before joining Patrick Subaru, a job she thought would lead her out of the beer business.

Tree House posted an open-

ing for an office manager in 2015. Golinski’s friends in the beer industry urged her to apply. Patrick Subaru tried to keep her. She recalls one of the dealership owners saying, “Unless we open a brewery, she’s not staying.”

Tree House hired Golinski in 2016, selecting her out of some 1,000 applicants. She spent her first day working on plans for Tree House’s brewery in Charlton.

Over the years, Golinski has worn many hats at Tree House — everything from construction planning to bookkeeping to parking cars to pouring beers.

Most recently she has focused on Tree House’s search for and acquisition of new property, including its expansions in Cape Cod, Connecticut and Deerfield. When Tree House needs to go before a town board for licensing or permitting, it’s often Golinski representing it.

Employee 15 at Tree House, Golinski leaves the brewery on the best of terms. She tried to tell as many of her fellow coworkers of her plans face-toface, including Tree House’s three founders. Their well wishes and goodbyes have brought her to tears.

“I was overwhelmed,” she said. “Everyone is proud of me.

And so many people told me how I impacted their careers at Tree House. I didn’t understand how many until they started telling me what I did for them. I have some text messages that I couldn’t get through; I just started crying. It’s been a roller coaster. I’m happy one moment, then sad. But you cannot take the emotion out of it. Beer is an intimate thing. The beer world is tight-knit and humungous at the same time.”

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 23

LISTEN UP

Sapling eyes end of the world in new ‘Apocalypse Musical’ Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Perhaps it’s odd, but it feels like Sapling’s new album, “The Apocalypse Musical,” really unveils its soul in the penultimate song, the instrumental, “Detuning an Orchestra in an Aviary at Night.” It’s an unearthly, discordant piece of music, Amber Tortorelli’s Theremin prominent in a sound that can only be construed as “string section set to alien abduction.” There is a buzz in the background, and it’s hard to say exactly what’s making it, but it does indeed sound like bees swarming while everything else falls apart.

Everything falling apart is pretty much the center of this album, and as W.B. Yeats once said, the center cannot hold.

“The Apocalypse Musical,” then, is in some ways an exercise in surfing the apocalypse, Francis Ford Coppola-style. It’s an exercise in over-the-top absurdity, until it suddenly very much isn’t. Perhaps it’s the garage-rock style surf guitar that underscores the opening track, “Antisemantic,” that puts “Apocalypse Now” in mind. On its own, the song itself is a blistering blast of punk rock and exhaustion, one that rides forward driven by Tortorelli’s guitar, Jonathan Cordaro’s drums and, most prominently, Rainy Stanford’s vocals and bass. “I’m tired of your social lost causes,” sings Stanford, “I’m tired of your pregnant pauses/I’m tired ... oh I’m so (expletive) tired.” The world is exhausting, and as the song rises to a bonfire pitch, that exhaustion turns into kindling. When Tortorelli takes the lead vocals in “Hatchet Dutiful,”

From left, Amber Tortorelli, Rainy Stanford, and Jonathan Cordaro comprise Sapling.

CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

the effect is almost a manic identity crisis – “When I grow up I want to be a steam shovel,” then “a preach farmer,” then a drug dealer” and so on – with the last line, “I want a job that makes me happy” lost beneath a caterwaul and grungy bass.

Things decelerate to a simmer with “Age of Icarus,” where Stanford sings, “You fly too close to the sun/You wage a war can’t be won/Should I hate what I’ve become?/The end’s already begun.” The whole tone of the song is a slow burn that’s so tightly restrained it almost feels dangerous, and why shouldn’t it? The identity crisis is still here, and the apocalypse is looming in the distance. The apocalypse is always looming in

the distance. The song refrains the word “perihelion,” which is the point in an elliptical orbit where a planet is closest to the sun. The refrain feels like melting wax. Perhaps it’s that sense of dissolution that lends a sense of offness to the subsequent song, “Jackson Pollock, Cartographer,” a tiny explosion of pop rock, with a sense of some dissolution lurking underneath.

The wax hasn’t turned to bubble gum, it’s still wax, and now we’re trying to make maps of splotches of random paint.

The album moves on into an instrumental that’s equal parts warm and foreboding, “The Lion, The Witch, and The Kabbalist,” it’s a great title, evoking thoughts of childhood fantasy

laden with Christian symbolism on one hand, and esoteric Jewish mysticism on the other. An album that began in a fairly concrete place has, by this point, floated somewhere else entirely, embracing a sort of surreal abandon of the snippet of music, “Modern Man Intro” and then the frenetic machine gun bullet vocals of “A Sound of Victory”: “I hear a sound of abundance of rain/I hear a sound of victory.” The song is discordant, really more spoken word set to noise than anything, but it captures a sort of absurdity of violence and war, like surfing to “The Flight of the Valkyrie” while explosions crash. Fittingly, the song is followed by the blistering “Cacti Galacti,” a

thrash of punk rock, sex and fear. The song flies by quickly, but thankfully, we have some time to linger with the next one, “Define the Duel.”

“I’m stirring my instant coffee with a chopstick,” sings Stanford. “I’m thinking about the apocalypse more than usual today/You’re carefree and smiling cuz you don’t know better (you’re breaking all the rules)/ My patience is fading but still I am waiting for you to define the duel.”

The song has a touch of whimsy in it, and a flash of danger. Its tone grows grows darker as it goes, its sound more enveloping. It’s easy to believe that the end of the world is actually nigh, especially as the cacophony gives way to the complete dissolution of “I Know You Are Blues,” with Tortorelli refraining the playground taunt, “I know you are but what am I?” It’s here that we come to the aforementioned “Detuning an Orchestra in an Aviary at Night.” It’s a space where everything is broken, out of tune. But still there’s an insistent, almost-menacing buzz of life that tells us we’re not quite done yet, that the listener isn’t going to be left in that formless void.

Of course, the album also is quick to remind the listener that the real world’s dangers and hypocrisy are what brought us to the apocalypse in the first place, concluding the album with the straight-up rocker, “Wake Up America,” with its jump-rope rhyme chorus, “Complicit, complacent, the body’s in your basement.” The apocalypse is not someone else’s problem, nor is someone else to blame for it: It’s right beneath your feet, waiting to consume everything.

24 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CONNELL SANDERS

Worcester’s seniors get WISE to virtual learning Sarah Connell Sanders Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

The Worcester Institute for Senior Education (WISE) hosted by Assumption University relies on the curiosity and drive of our community’s lifelong learners. Monica Gow is the current director of WISE, which began offering programming nearly 30 years ago. She accepted the position in June of 2020, a precarious time on many college campuses.

Gow’s mother had previously enrolled in WISE courses and she Monica herself had atGow is the tended Assumpdirector of tion for her unWorcester dergraduate deInstitute gree, so the opfor Senior portunity felt Education fitting from the (WISE). start. There was one catch. While previous WISE members had enjoyed participating in guest lectures, band performances and theater productions of the university, virtual learning brought change. Gow was determined to foster a welcoming online environment for seniors, but she knew it would be a challenge.

Zoom classes turned out to have their perks. Self-defined seniors could work remotely from wherever they might be quarantining across the country and beyond. She was pleased to see that enrollment didn’t suffer. Moving forward, Gow even hopes to maintain a hybrid option in order to make classes more accessible to everyone.

WISE members show off their original “Six-Word Memoir.” SUBMITTED PHOTO

Benjamin Railton can relate.

Railton is a professor of English and American Studies at Fitchburg State University and the author of six books. He has taught adult learning courses for close to a decade, but the prospect of adding another Zoom to his busy schedule dur-

ing the pandemic made him weary. To his surprise, the online environment renewed and reinvigorated his love of teaching. “Suffice to say that everything great about WISE translated to that setting,” remarked Railton, “It felt even more inspiring and vital during such

times.” This semester, Railton will teach a popular class titled “Echos of the 1920s.”

Fellow instructor Martha Gach has also taught WISE courses for many years. Gach is the education manager and conservation coordinator for Mass Audubon at Broad Mead-

ow Brook. She shares Railton’s sentiments about the adult learning environment, stating, “It’s an easy lift because everyone in the class wants to be there, all of them bring experiences, and some have a great deal of expertise to contribute.”

Gach misses the field trips and walks of the “before times.”

She recalls one class on New England wildlife that paid particular attention to opossums.

“As it happened, one student had been a wildlife rehabilitator and lived with an opossum for quite some time,” remembers Gach. “I learned, among other things, that opossums can be quite affectionate — it was evident she’d been quite attached!”

Gach will lead a class on climate change this fall.

The new semester begins Sept. 9, with 32 offerings ranging from classes like “How Magazines Shaped a Young Nation” to “Competitiveness in the International Business Arena.”

Each course meets once a week for 90 minutes over five weeks.

Best of all, there are no tests or homework assignments, and registration is already open (https://assump tionwise.org/).

The $150 membership fee allows participants to take as many classes as they wish over the course of 10 weeks during the fall semester. The same is true of the spring semester in 2022.

Visit the Fall Course Catalog at https://assumptionwise.org to see if there’s a class that piques your interest. Remember, the term “senior” is selfidentifying and non-discriminatory. Lifelong learners take every shape and form.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 25

NEW ON DVD

‘Queen Bees,’ ‘Black Widow’ set for release A comedy about a woman’s reluctant move to a retirement community tops the DVD releases for the week of Aug. 10.

“Queen Bees”: Ellen Burstyn stars as Helen, a widower living alone who is sent by her daughter to a senior’s home after a kitchen fire incident.

Though not wild about the move initially, friendship with a group of women known as the Queen Bees and romance with a new suitor quickly follow for Helen.

“Maybe the old folks home isn’t so bad after all,” writes Detroit News critic Adam Graham in his review. “That’s the message of ‘Queen Bees,’ a middling comedy that plays like it was underwritten by the Retirement Community Association of America, if there were such a thing.”

ALSO NEW ON DVD AUG. 10 “Finding You”: A young woman beginning her semester abroad in Ireland encounters unexpected romance when she meets a handsome movie star.

“The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2”: Carl Black and his family are back in this horror comedy sequel, this time moving into his old childhood home. Carl and his neighbors take on a pimp who may possibly be a real vampire.

“American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally”: In this World War II-set drama based on a true story, Al Pacino stars as the lawyer representing an American singer accused of treason for broadcasting Nazi propaganda.

“Are You Afraid of the Dark? Curse of the Shadows“: The second installment of the revival of Nickelodeon’s horror anthology series finds a group of children investigating the disappearance of their friend.

“My Heart Can’t Beat Un-

less You Tell It To”: Two brothers feud over how to care for their sickly younger brother in this horror drama.

“Occupation: Rainfall”: In this sequel to the Australian sci-fi film “Occupation,” survivors in Sydney continue to fight against the invading alien forces.

“Profile”: A female British journalist goes undercover to try and get recruited by the Islamic State, creating a false online identity.

“Victim of Love”: A man’s search for his missing girlfriend leads him to a nightmarish underworld in this Danish horror thriller.

“A Place In the Sun” (Bluray): The 1951 classic starring Liz Taylor and Montgomery Clift has been remastered from a 4K film transfer for its 70th anniversary. Includes new bonus content with Leonard Maltin talking about director George Stevens and the innovative film techniques he used on the film.

“Nashville” (Blu-ray): Director Robert Altman’s satirical opus that examines the U.S. at the time of its bicentennial was remastered from a 4K scan of original elements. The Blu-ray also comes with a new featurette entitled “24 Tracks: Robert Altman’s Nashville.”

“Friday the 13th 8-Movie Collection” (Blu-ray): Ahead of Aug. 13, the only Friday the 13th on the calendar this year, the horror franchise gets a box set release that includes newly remastered versions of the first four “Friday the 13th” films.

“Batman: Long Halloween, Part Two” (Blu-ray): This animated feature continues the story inspired by the ‘90s comic book series in which the Caped Cruasder must find and stop a serial killer.

SUMMER IS BACK NOW – SEPT 5TH MORE MONEY

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Every Thursday, just play your favorite games and you could be randomly picked to win prizes and experiences.

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FRIDAYS Get a free Hot Summer Fun t-shirt* then catch the best live tribute bands for free at Party on the Patio.

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*To the first 1,000 Momentum members. Rules and restrictions apply. Proper I.D. required.

Must be 21 or older. Visit a Player’s Club booth for details.

26 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

FIVE THINGS

‘ABBA the Concert,’ Leather Lung and more ....

Richard Duckett, Victor D. Infante and Veer Mudambi

Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK

PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

‘Take a Chance ...’

In 1974, ABBA stunningly burst onto the scene by winning the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo.”

The Swedish group of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid went on to be a Top of the Pops phenomenon for all time. They also made headlines as, respectively, Agnetha and Björn and Anni-Frid and Benny were married couples. Until their breakups, mirrored in “Knowing Me, Knowing You.” ABBA The Concert — A Tribute to ABBA has picked up the music, and the ABBA look, and is billed as “the closest to ABBA you’ll ever get.” The group “presents a visually and musically stunning tribute to Sweden’s pop superstars” taking people back to joyous hits such as “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “SOS,” “Fernando,” “Take a Chance on Me,” and more. (RD)

What: ABBA The Concert — A Tribute to ABBA. Opener: DJ Dave O’Gara When: 7 p.m. Aug. 13 (doors 5 p.m.)

Where: Indian Ranch, 200 Gore Road, Webster How much: $32.50 general admission, and up. www.indianranch.com

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 27

All that Jazz The final “Pop-Up” performance of the Central Mass Jazz Fest will feature Jazzed Up Trio and special guest Bill Fanning from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 19 at Chashu Ramen + Izakaya, 38 Franklin Bill Fanning will perform Aug. 19 as part of the St., Worcester. TrumCentral Mass. Jazz Festival at Chashu Ramen + peter, composer and Izakaya, 38 Franklin St., Worcester. teacher Bill Fanning PROMOTIONAL PHOTO performs concerts and conducts clinics both in the U.S. and internationally and has performed with the Artie Shaw Band, the Benny Goodman Tribute Band, Max Carl and the Big Dance Horns featuring Glenn Frey, and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. The Jazzed Up Trio has won a number of local awards. That won’t be the end of the music for this year’s “hybrid” festival. On June 14 several well-known artists came in to the studios of WCCA TV to record sets for the Central Mass Jazz Fest “Main Event” that will be broadcast on WCAA TV channels Sept.

6 through 10. (RD) What: Jazzed Up Trio with special guest Bill Fanning — Central Mass Jazz Fest When: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 19 Where: Chashu Ramen + Izakaya, 38 Franklin St. , Worcester How much: Free. www.centralmassjazzfest.com

Leather Lung will perform Aug. 20 at Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester.

PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

Beyond the Sludge Boston rockers Leather Lung occupy a pretty interesting musical space, one which is quickly apparent when you listen to the band’s 2019 album, “Lonesome, On’ry and Evil.” The sludge-metal sound is there, with its heavy guitars and dragging basslines, all of which create a sort of sonic sinkhole that draws in the listener. But there are other things happening there, too. Throughout the album, Leather Lung delivers force and fury, but also surprises, such as the display of countrified musicianship on “Whiskey Barrel Blues” or the melodic oasis in the early vocals on “Skeleton Key.” It’s indicative of a talented band that’s willing to push the edges of genres, and that’s pretty cool. (VDI)

Sing Along

21+ Hawaiian Luau at Davis Farmland DAVIS FARMLAND DISCOVERY FARM

Barnyard Luau Looking to cool down this weekend with some real party animals? Tomorrow Davis Farmland will be hosting a tropical luau for guests 21 and over.

Treat yourself to frozen tropical style drinks, craft beers and an All-You-Can-Eat Hawaiian BBQ. Music will be provided by Jason Roseman and the Tropical Gems. Dress up island-style and come over to mingle with the barnyard residents made up of the largest collection of endangered farmyard animals in North America. (VM)

What: Davis Farmland 21+ Night When: 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 14 Where: Davis Farmland, 145 Redstone Hill, Sterling How much: $45 per ticket, reserve online at davisfarmland.com/calendarof-events/

You can let your voice be heard as The Assabet Valley Mastersingers has its first ever “Summer Sing” with an informal performance of Mozart’s choral masterpiece, Requiem, at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westboro. People are welcome to sing the choruses with members of the AVM chorus while professional soloists sing the solos. Bring your music score or borrow one at the door. Or you can just sit and enjoy listening to the forever-compelling music. The soloists are Andrea Ehrenreich, soprano, Jessica Tasucu, alto, Killian Mooney, tenor,

and John Salvi, bass. The accompanist is Mark Bartlett. AVM artistic director Robert Eaton conducts.

(RD) What: Assabet Valley Mastersingers - “Summer Sing,” Mozart’s Requiem When: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17 Where: Congregation B’nai Shalom, 117 East Main St., Westboro How much: $10 suggested donation. As per current CDC and state guidelines, masks are optional for those fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Unvaccinated individuals are expected to wear a mask. Patron parties will be asked to socially distance by at least three feet. www.avmsingers.org.

What: Leather Lung with Conclave, Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean and Doctored Ray When: 8 p.m.

Aug. 20 Where: Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove St., Worcester How much: $12

The Assabet Valley Mastersingers held their 40th anniversary concert in 2018 at St. John's High School. ALLAN JUNG/T&G FILE

28 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

WARL ADOPTION OPTION

Meet Maggie 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.

Meet Maggie! Maggie was surrendered to the shelter after her owners had a change in their personal life and weren’t able to provide Maggie with a stable home any longer. Shelter life has been stressful for Maggie and the fact that she does not like other animals makes it harder for her. Maggie is a young, smart and energetic dog looking for an active and dogexperienced owner who wants to have fun but also understands Maggie needs rules and routine to succeed. Maggie knows her basic commands like sit, paw and down. She is a strong girl who weighs about 55 pounds and wears a harness and gentle leader when she walks to help with pulling and help control her reactiveness to other dogs she may see when walking. We highly suggest finding Maggie a trainer who practices positive training methods who can help her and her new owner adjust to becoming a family and help set up rules and boundaries right away. Maggie loves toys and is very playful. She will walk, hike or run with you for as long as you would like. If you’re feeling like lounging around one day, she is also up for that, as long as you’re sharing the pillows and covers. Maggie really likes treats and if she has a high value treat or bone, she will guard it. For this reason, she would do best in a home with teens and up. This cutie has a lot to offer

Maggie is available through WARL's Foster to Adopt program. PHOTO COURTESY SARA MCCLURE

and has been waiting for the right family to come along since November! If you would like more information about Maggie or you would like to set up an appointment to meet her, please contact the shelter today. Maggie is a part of WARL’ s Foster to Adopt Program.

WARL COVID-19 Procedures

As of Nov. 9, 2020 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.

• 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 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.

• 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.

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

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      

    down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row,     figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already 

             



        

           

                                                              S r n s     

“Exchanging Letters”--a different kind of letter-change puzzle.

by Matt Jones

      10 rc eolo c l n                           1 ne o t e e senses   



stwoo l      

Last week's solution

  

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | 31

LAST CALL

Jon Cybulski, Nat Geo Explorer, ecologist and competitive weight lifter Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Dr. Jonathan Cybulski wears many hats — ecologist, coral researcher, National Geographic Explorer, diver, TED Talk speaker and competitive weightlifter, to name a few.

While many people juggle divergent passions, not everyone is able to draw such a clear connection among them. In his TEDX talk, “How to Build Your Climate Fitness,” Cybulski discussed how environmentalists could learn something from athletes in how they approach problems and frame them to themselves.

He was named a National Geographic Explorer in 2017 for his work on studying coral in Sri Lanka and received his PhD from the University of Hong Kong earlier this year. While in Holden visiting his family, Cybulski sat down to talk with Last Call about both his own journey and how the gym and the laboratory aren’t all that different.

Competitive weight lifting and ecology — how did you juggle that?

I’ve played competitive sports my entire life. Throughout my career, I always had two different lives — my gym life and science life, with friends and acquaintances I’ve made through each. Always thought they were scratching different itches but realized during my PhD that I love them both because they’re so similar. At the gym, like in the lab, you have a goal and question you want answered — you follow a method to a T and afterward assess if it worked or not. The difference is, one worked my body and the other worked my brain.

John Cybulski gives a lecture NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

I noticed that people in the gym had a better attitude towards problems and achieving goals than environmentalists.

At the gym, whether your goal is to build this or that muscle or lose 15 pounds, every day going in was a win, and you build on those small gains. Whereas as environmentalists, if your goal is to protect the coral — and by extension, the ocean — it’s all viewed as a failure and focusing on what we haven’t done and how much of the coral we haven’t protected.

So … a glass half full versus glass half empty approach would help?

My biggest issue with the environmental movement is framing it negatively and with very few wins. Humans don’t do well with the mentality of no successes. This idea of small, everyday gains would help. It’s not enough but you can build on that. Everyone understands

that just walking around the block won’t make you lose 15 pounds on its own but it helps make a difference. I want the environmentalist mental space to make that leap. Just like recycling or developing sustainable practices alone won’t be enough to counter climate change, it’s still needed.

Small progress is better than no progress and major progress always has to start with small progress.

So how did you get into ocean science — what set you on this path?

I went to Northeastern University for my undergrad and originally started in behavioral neuroscience and realized I didn’t want to go to med school.

Sat down with an advisor and they asked why aren’t you in Earth Science? I said, you can study rocks and be outside for a living? Awesome. I love nature and science.

From earth science to coral?

Corals are what I fell into and then fell in love with, so that’s how I became a diver. Really wanted to go into research science — I wanted to focus on human impacts on ecosystems and I’ve always been drawn to oceans. I knew I had to get a master’s before a PhD so I went to American University and interviewed with a coral reef biologist who wanted someone with a geologic background. I wanted to get into field ecology so it was a perfect fit. Corals are a fascinating and important animal and extremely sensitive to environmental change.

Two things I loved and succeeded in — being in the field and science communication. I really loved giving talks and the outreach side of science, encouraging people to get into science, since the world can benefit from more people interested in science, even if they’re not scientists.

So from American University to the University of Hong Kong?

My supervisor’s former student had a job at the University of Hong Kong studying coral reefs, so I went there in 2016 for my PhD in Ecology and Biodiversity and now I’m officially a doctor as of March. Picture Manhattan, but if Manhattan had over 90 species of coral.

Fun fact, Hong Kong has more species of hard coral than the entire Caribbean Sea. What’s it mean to be a National Geographic Explorer?

I became an explorer for Nat Geo in 2017. Their model is you pitch a project on their website, and I proposed an idea looking at coral through time in Sri Lanka. They anonymously and blindly review them before

choosing and I got picked! You get a little bit of money but the big deal is the title of Nat Geo Explorer — it’s a great brand and great network. My project took place in 2018 to 2019.

And you mentioned it was around then that you started thinking about the connection between the gym and scientific study. Your TED talk was in 2020. Why do you think you came to this conclusion during your PhD? Because as a scientist, there is never a time you are more embedded in the scientific process than during your PhD. An extremely personal and individual time in your life when you’re literally just being paid to think. Research, the gym, research, the gym were the two biggest things in my life, so I started connecting them.

When I started to break down why I thought society’s outlook had failed during the environmental revolution, I realized we had a poor framing of the problem.

So I started thinking hard about this and when I was brought in to give a climate talk at TEDX, I said “yeah, I’m going to talk about the gym!” They were a little surprised [laughs].

I still remember that phone call.

What do you think is the most personally meaningful result of your work?

When I come home and meet friends and family, people say how they heard about my work and how it got them interested in science. And that’s humbling, to know that I had that effect. It’s nice to know that someone like me from a small town can change a few minds — that’s amazing. It all helps — it’s about the small wins.

32 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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