I have an old large painting that has been taken off it's stretchers and rolled up.  I'd like to get it put back on stretchers (is this what they are called? you know, the wooden bits that make a canvas into a painting) but not framed.  I have NO IDEA where to get something like this done.  Help?

N.B. I checked the art tags already.

Umm... Unless the earth descends into eternal darkness... There will be an art opening at Magpie tonight!

We have a fantastic new art show up by local artist Dave Kiersh, cartoonist extraordinaire, called "Teenage Dilemma." We have long admired Dave's dense, loopy comix and are delighted to host his work.

The Opening Party for Teenage Dilemma is:
Wednesday, July 23rd at 7pm
with snacks, music, party hats, drinks...
and we're having a special 20% sale off all wall artwork.

More about Dave Kiersh:
http://www.davekcomics.com


( Picture behind the cut )

The Somerville Arts Council's annual ArtBeat festival takes place tomorrow evening in Seven Hills Park and Saturday all over Davis Square. This year's theme is "Green".

For more information, including complete schedules in a variety of formats, visit the ArtBeat '08 website.

I'll be staffing the T-shirt table tomorrow night next to the Seven Hills Park stage, from 7:30 pm onwards. Stop by and say hello!

And if you attend any part of ArtBeat, please buy a dogtag for $3. That helps fund this and future Somerville Arts Council festivals.

 Hello fellow residents of Davis Square! 

This event is technically in Union Sqaure, but it involves a Davis Square artist and several models from the area.   

"Tattooed Lady: A Photographic Exploration"  will have an opening reception this Saturday from 6:00-9:00pm.
There will be wine, cheese, and lots of photos of tattooed ladies.  There may even be some of the models walking around.  Galley 321 is located at the Washington Street Art Center, 321 Washington Street, Somerville MA, 02143.  There is free parking available.  I hope to see you there.

Press Release and details below the cut.  

We've been looking for someone who sounds like Burt Reynolds for a while now (for a voice part in our upcoming puppet show). Believe it or not, the voice of Burt Reynolds is hard to find.

So, the next time you are listening to a friend tell you the same story for the 12th time, close your eyes and ask yourself "Does he sound like Burt Reynolds?" If the answer is "yes", your friend could make $35 and some beer for letting us record his voice.

Send the Burt Reynolds sound-alikes to:
Willoughby and Baltic
195g Elm Street
Davis Square


www.willoughbybaltic.com
info AT willoughbybaltic DOT com

Graffiti Stencil Workshop at Willoughby and Baltic in Davis Square, Somerville.

July 9th, 6:30-9:30pm

Annelies Kamen will be holding a graffiti stencil art class at Willoughby and Baltic a week from Wednesday. This is a low cost class and perfect for beginners. Please sign-up by July 7th so we can make sure we have enough supplies on hand.

( More info after the cut.. )

I'm taking the liberty of posting this since the artist recruited models from the Davis Square Area.... if the moderators feel it isn't appropriate, please let me know, and I'll delete it.

this is the Tattooed Lady art show that the artist posted about back sometime in February or March. It goes up July 5th....

( Read more... )

On Thursday, June 5th, Tufts Art Gallery has a reception for their latest show. 

Here are the details on the exhibit: 

http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gallery/shows/summer-08.html

The reception runs from 5:30 to 8:30 pm and there will be beer and wine available (for free -- just tip the server, please).  It also looks like there will be live music.  With not many students around, you won't have to fight off a massive crowd and there should be plenty of food.  They even ration the catering so it's not gone all to the first people who show up.  

Get some culture and connect with your neighborhood university. 

Since the MBTA changed the photo last year I've always wanted to shoot a composite/panorama of the big artwork display in the Davis Square T station. Not that it ever happened :D

But at least I took some photos of the newly installed artwork yesterday and created lj icons. If anyone wants to grab any of these feel free to do so. Larger versions can be found here.

( 4 icons under the cut )

Hipsters, artists, students, LJ'ers citywide: Share your Somerville love - design a t-shirt for the city!

The winning design will be produced for sale citywide, with any proceeds benefiting Somerville Homeless Coalition. The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 16, 2008.

Contest flyer with details (large picture)

( Read more )

This is unexpectedly cool. I'd seen this weird contraption up on the top of Tuft's Tisch library, partially assembled, and wondered what it was.

It's an interactive sound installation using the noises of the city to make music.

Have you seen the new panels of artwork by 8 local artists that were installed at Davis T stop yesterday?

Museum of Bad Art will open second branch at the Somerville Theatre:

Somerville - The folks who run the infamous Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) simply couldn't leave well enough alone. Not content to have curious people from around the world visit their basement space just outside the men's room at the Dedham Community Theatre, they're opening a second spot — MOBA 2 — in the Somerville Theatre, again in the basement, but now nearby both male and female bathrooms.

For those not aware of this wonderful institution, it's a collection of artworks that likely didn't turn out exactly as planned. MOBA's Permanent Acting Interim Executive Director Louise Sacco says that, for a piece to hang there, "It has to really be art. It has to be original, sincere, it has communicate something to people, and it has to be interesting."

As a fan of MOBA, this makes me absurdly happy. :)

At open studios yesterday, one of the folks I remember was a photographer in the 6 Vernon St. building who had an automatic photo booth as part of the studio. You walked in, pressed a button, and it took your picture. There was a sign outside the booth saying the pics would be up on Flickr Sunday night, but I can't at all remember which artist this was to go and look for them. I've checked the Open Studios website and the Vernon St. website, but there's nothing to make me connect the photo booth with the samples from photographers on either. I'm pretty sure the artist was a guy, and that his studio was on the 2nd or 3rd floor of 6 Vernon St. Anyone remember more?

PS, this was the first year I had time to see more than a few studios, and I'm so glad I did! I even bought my first ever original (not too expensive, by a local artist, AWESOME) painting!

Are there open studios this weekend? If there are, and you only have time for one or two, what are the best ones to see?

-TIA

Update, looks like they are this weekend. http://www.somervilleopenstudios.org/

My other question still stands, What are the best ones to see? Or what were the most popular ones last year?

Hipsters, artists, students, LJ'ers citywide: Share your Somerville love - design a t-shirt for the city!

The winning design will be produced for sale citywide, with any proceeds benefitting Somerville Homeless Coalition. The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 16, 2008.

Contest flyer with details (large picture)

( Read more )

I am a member of East Somerville Main Streets (ESMS).  I got an email from them about the Art Walk:

Come meet participating artists, enjoy appetizers, and be the first to receive the Colors of the Americas Broadway Walking Map!

When:  Sat. April 19th, 2:00-3:30pm
Where: Casey's, 173 Broadway 

 http://eastsomervilleartwalk.blogspot.com/


Running from April 19 - May 18, 2008, The Colors of the Americas: East Somerville Art Walk will transform the storefronts and windows of Lower Broadway into a mile-long art gallery by showcasing the original works of up to 25 area artists specifically representing the different nations from Canada to Chile. This unprecedented public exhibition will celebrate and reflect the diverse cultures of East Somerville by intertwining bold contemporary works of art among the daily social and commercial life of the neighborhood. By anticipating the 21st Century as the century of the Americas, The East Somerville Art Walk will feature and explore the many interpretations of our identity, the connections we have to one another and our community, and what it means to be an American.

 

By now you've likely heard that Somerville Open Studios is coming up in just a couple short weeks, on Sat. and Sun., May 3 + 4.

If you're a fan of SOS and enjoy visiting studios each year, perhaps you might like to lend a hand to its running, too? Every year thousands of visitors see hundreds of artists in their studios, and the event to pulled off by the efforts of scores of volunteers. But the artists who help run the event are all in their studios the whole time! We could use a few dozen supporters who are not opening their studios, and who could help out for an hour or so during the hours of SOS.

If this might be you, please drop me a line for more information.

Hundreds of Somerville Artists thank you!

Have Fun,

Rachel Mello
Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator,
Somerville Open Studios
volunteer @ somervilleopenstudios . org

It’s a slow, tiresome Monday, so as I approach my 9th year as a Davis Square resident I have some confessions. These are "confessions" because these things make me feel like the bitch I am! My list goes to 11.

Do you have any confessions? Perhaps later in the week I’ll feel perky and refreshed and post my top 11 loves -though it will be hard to think of only 11.

1. I’ve been secretly rooting for Kick Ass Cupcakes to fail, and I’m boggled that they still survive.
2. While I like McIntyre and Moore in theory, I never use them and won’t miss them.
3. I hate Mike’s, its terrible – even with the cheap beer, I don't get the popularity of this institution - I liked it better when they were crappier inside with the old signs.
4. Chipotle has won my burrito bowl dollars, I never would have seen that coming Anna’s! Anna Anna, please forgive me!
5. While I love Deisel, I’m going less and less now that the same 5 crazy people rotate ownership of the good chairs/couches and NEVER leave.
6. I don’t miss Someday Cafe, I liked it in theory, but it was a dirty filth hole.
7. I don’t miss the junkies in front of share group on Dover St (not that all of them were junkies), but I do miss the times they would interact with the Mormons.
8. I really don’t want to see Sacco’s close, but yet I never give them any business, and I was opposed to the Community Connections Center for no other reason than I thought it was a dumb name.
9. As fiercly opposed as I was to CVS opening, I now shop there all the time.
10. I want all bars except Joshua Tree to get a 2am permit!
11. Even though it’s a lame joke I still find it funny that Store 24 is not open 24 hours, and that Bread and Butter Konvience is, but has  a weird name.

ARTSomerville and The Nave Gallery present

Mystic Folk in Concert

at The Nave Gallery, Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, 155 Powderhouse Blvd., Somerville, MA.
Sunday, April 27th, 2008, 3pm.
Admission:  $10.

Information: Randy Winchester, RWinchester@ARTSomerville.org, 617-593-3744
or Mystic Folk at 978-525-0219.
[high res digital images & access to sound bytes available]



Mystic Folk is a unique, talented group of singer-songwriters known for their powerful blend of intricate harmonies accompanied by acoustic guitars, bass, mandolin and percussion.  The group consists of local recording artists Becky Williams, Joy Cuming, Mark Francis and newest member Robin Hoffman, an award winning songwriter and Berklee grad.  Enjoy a heart-opening afternoon of their original contemporary folk, pop and R&B influenced songs. You will be genuinely inspired by their soaring melodies and poetic lyrics infused with hope, humor and universal spiritual insights.  Mystic Folk is the real deal!

ARTSomerville and The Nave Gallery present
The Divorced, Jason Anderson and the Best, Math the Band, Hello Shark

at The Nave Gallery, Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, 155 Powderhouse Blvd., Somerville, MA.
Saturday, April 26th, 2008
All-ages / 7pm / $5

Information: Randy Winchester, RWinchester@ARTSomerville.org, 617-593-3744
[high res digital images & access to sound bytes available]

ARTSomerville and The Nave Gallery present three evenings of jazz at The Nave Gallery, Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, 155 Powderhouse Blvd., Somerville, MA.

Information: Randy Winchester, RWinchester@ARTSomerville.org, 617-593-3744
[high res digital images & access to sound bytes available]

On Friday, May 2 at 8pm ARTSomerville presents an evening of jazz song with artists Celia Slattery, Allyssa Jones and Sandi Hammond.  $10 suggested donation.

I don't entirely understand what this is, but it sounds interesting:

EVENT HORIZON: A Public Art Project Featuring Print Ephemera, Broadsides, & Performative Happenings
http://www.event---horizon.com

Sunday, April 13, Davis Square, 10 am - 2 pm
(postponed from Saturday due to forecast rain, which didn't actually happen)

“Event Horizon” is a public art project that seeks to create a site for inquiry into the nature of current events and history through the use of print media, performance, and individual interpretation. (Read more...)

The event will repeat on Wednesday, April 16: 10am-1pm in Davis Square, then 3-6pm in Union Square.

Tuesday, April 8th @7:00-Dorkbot Meeting-Guest Speaker:Pat Keck. Note:This meeting will be held at the Nave gallery "Sanctuary" space. $5 at the door.

Pinhole Camera Workshop with Richard Koolish(and B&W darkroom setup)- April 12, 2:30-5:30 $40

Cheap and Dirty Screenprinting with Tracy Rolling- April 26th 4-6, with open print session 6-8pm $35

Open Studios, May 3 and 4th-Paintings by Francisco de la Barra and Meredith Garniss

Robotics for Artists- May 7, 14, 21 and 28, - $270 including materials and microcontroller.

For more info see www.willoughbybaltic.com or email info@willoughbybaltic.com

Willoughby and Baltic
195g Elm Street
Davis square.

Please spread the word!

what:
flea market
multiple vendors
this Saturday
April 5th 10-1


where:
basement
Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church
155 Powderhouse blvd
proceeds benefit the Nave Gallery
www.ARTSomerville.org

questions: info@artsomerville.org
directions: http://www.artsomerville.org/nave/2008/rites.html (scroll to
bottom of the page)

thanks:
to everyone who has so generously donated items for this sale.

about the Nave:
Located in the Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church near Tufts University,
the Nave Gallery is an important partner in Somerville’s vibrant arts
community. A project of ARTSomerville run in collaboration with the CHPC,
the gallery provides space for artistic exchange and exploration.  In
addition to exhibits, the Nave continues to present music and other
events.


more info:
http://www.artsomerville.org/nave/exhibits.html
http://www.artsomerville.org/upcoming.html
http://www.artsomerville.org/event/podcast.html

Does anyone have a listing or suggestions for places in Somerville to publish writing? Especially essays and poetry?

And I'd love to have literature or publishing tags for the journal, as "art" was the only related tag I could find.

Thank you!

Does anyone know of places in the immediate Davis area that would host open life drawing sessions -ie. have a space and facilitate the hiring of models?   Willoughby and Baltic used to, but I believe they've stopped at this point.  Any other suggestions? 

Call for Work:  "Turn On A Dime"

Your mother always told you to "never put money in your mouth, you don't
know where that's been." Well, what if we did know where that spare
change, that lint-encrusted jingling at the bottom of your pocket, had
been?  The Nave Gallery would like to ask artists to help us ponder the
adventures of Lincoln, Washington and Roosevelt.

We seek installation and 2D artists whose work includes and/or addresses
the matter of pocket change. In 2000, the U.S. Mint produced approximately
28 billion coins for general circulation. A large number of these end up
in jars and drawers in people's homes. For this fundraising exhibit to
celebrate its 4th birthday, The Nave Gallery is hosting a show built
around these out-of-circulation coins and the adventures they inspire.

If a dime can be in your pocket today and in California tomorrow, who can
imagine where else it has been, what it has seen, and what adventures it
has had? The life of a penny, the biography of a nickel, may contain many
untold chapters. Artists are invited to help us explore these day-to-day
mysteries.  If you can think from the perspective of your pocket change,
please share it with us.

We especially seek installation artists to create environments to interact
with a conveyor belt being constructed on which gallery visitors will be
asked to deposit their spare change.  We ask that the work of each artist
take the change through their imagined travels, each piece creatively
built around, interacting, or relating to the experience of the loose
money. The use of mechanical and or/interactive pieces  is encouraged;
however, all media are accepted, including video and animation.

Please submit a sketch of the environment you envision, proposed
dimensions, and 150 words describing the work and why it fits into the
"Turn On A Dime" theme. Also include: a resume, statement, and up to 5
images (slides or JPEGs on CD with accompanying image list), and an SASE
if you would like your materials returned to:
The Nave Gallery, Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, 155 Powderhouse
Blvd, Somerville, MA 02144

The exhibition will be held at the Nave Gallery, in Somerville, MA, from
May 2-25, 2008 and will be up during Somerville Open Studios.
Deadline: 1 April 2008.

No submission fee

On Saturday 3/15 Magpie is starting a new art show featuring the works of Somerville artist Elisa Archer.

More info over on our LiveJournal:
http://community.livejournal.com/magpie_store/17177.html

Hope you'll come and check it out!

The DorkbotBoston group meets tomorrow evening, March 11th at 7:00pm. Keith Hopper will be presenting a rundown of his work with XBee wireless modules.

Dorkbot meetings are free and open to the public. BYOB.

To stay up to date on Dorkbot happenings, join the google group at: http://groups.google.com/group/DorkbotBoston

Meetings take place at:
Willoughby and Baltic
195g Elm Street
Davis Square
www.willoughbybaltic.com

Between Subway Sandwiches and Joey's "Happy In, Happy Out"-psst. down the alley.

As always, BYOB.

What are you doing on Worldwide Pinhole Camera Day?

No longer just a great pickup line, pinhole camera day has become an international phenomenon. April 27th is pinhole camera day, so we'll be making our pinhole cameras on March 27th--enough time to practice and work out the bugs. Then we can all go out and photograph the beauty of Davis Square.

Pinhole Camera Workshop:March 27th, 6:30-8:30pm $40 (all materials included).

Willoughby and Baltic
195g Elm Street
Davis Square
(Pssst....down the alley.)

www.willoughbybaltic.com

Haven't you always wanted to slip cast using Neoprene? You have? That's great, because I'm holding a slip casting workshop tomorrow night (2/26) at Willoughby and Baltic. 3 hours for $40, all materials included.

Email me for more information at info at willoughbybaltic dot com.

Neoprene- A latex material.
Slip-Casting-The art of making a hollow skin of an object.

Willoughby and Baltic-195g Elm Street, Davis Square, MA.

We want you, the artist, to be included in this our 10th celebration of art in Somerville and thought we'd sum up some of the questions you've had so far to encourage you to register in time.

Q: When does registration end?
A: Registration will close this Friday on February 15th. Seriously.

Q: What happens when registration ends?
A: First, it identifies who will participate in the SOS Weekend Event in May. Then, it allows us to add the SOS Weekend Event related information to the publishable materials. On the 16th we lock down the Artist's Public name and studio location information to keep it consistent with the publications until the SOS Event Weekend. The information will be editable again on May 4th.

Q: What are my choices for membership?
A: This year we've tried to simplify things as much as possible. Your membership options are:
1. Basic Web Presence Membership: includes membership to our site to publicize your art throughout the year ($25)
- OR -
2. Event Participation Membership: includes membership to our site (the Basic Web Presence) AND to the SOS Weekend Event on May 3rd &4th ($55)
In addition, you can add to your website presence with an expansion which allows you more artwork and an opportunity to share more details about yourself and your art. ($25).

Q. What does our collective money get us?
A: Lights, trolleys and action!
If we get 220 people, we can have trolleys again.
If we get 250 people, we can have a kickoff event.
If we get 280 people, we can have a radio spot on NPR.
If we get 310 people, we can have 8 light-pole banners in Union Square.
If we get 330 people, we can have 16 light-pole banners.
If we get 360 people, we can have the trolleys run every 20 minutes instead of every 30.

Q. So when in May are we talking?
A: May 3rd and 4th from Noon to 6pm

Q: Ok, ok, I really do want to register, where should I go?
A: http://www.somervilleopenstudios.org

Q: I still have questions!?
A: Comment here or write me at membership @ SomervilleOpenStudios.org and let me know what they are and I'll do my best to answer them.

Looking forward to having you with us!

A friend of mine is hosting a Paper and Chocolate event at her studio this weekend. Details:

It's time for our second annual Valentine's Day celebration of Paper & Chocolate! Antique presses, stone ground chocolate, printers, book binders, artists, chocolatiers, Valentine's cards, hot chocolate, demonstrations, factory tours and more. Don't miss this celebration and open studio hosted by Albertine Press (that's us) and Taza Chocolate (our neighbors).

Saturday, Feb 9 - from 1 to 6
Albertine Press & Taza Chocolate
561 Windsor Street, Somerville

* x-posted to b0st0n

 

This year's SOS (Somerville Open Studios) Weekend, May 3rd & 4th, will be celebrating 10 Years of Artists in our community. If you are an artist living in Somerville or whose studio is in Somerville, we'd love to have you as a member of our tour.

Being a member gives you a chance to promote yourself and your art in a community of artists. If you choose to join the SOS Weekend Event, it will bring you people interested in celebrating art to you.

Please visit our website for more information at www.SomervilleOpenStudios.org

Sign up ends Friday, February 15th.

So I go past the old armory on Highland all the time and used to see regular activity but it seems to be sleeping of late. If I recall the opening projected date was last Fall. Anyone know what is up with the space/place. Seemed like a cool idea/use of the space (art/performance center).

I wish to learn how to draw. Not in the spaghetti-western-pistoles-at-high-noon style, but more in the making cool shapes with a charcoal pencil and paper style. I am a total beginner.

Any suggestions on where I could learn to do such a thing around here? Or alternately, any of you fine people make a habit of teaching drawing?

The Aidekman Gallery at Tufts is having  a public opening reception on Thursday, January 17th from 5:30 to 8:30 pm.  The gallery is on the Somerville side of the campus, right across from the entrance to the football stadium. 

Enjoy the free food and drink and some artwork as well.

See http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gallery/shows/branded.html for a description of the show.