Joy

Solo Show by Jennifer Jean Okumura

Jennifer Jean Okumura's solo exhibition invites people to celebrate the beauty and resilience of the human spirit. Drawing inspiration from the diverse landscape and rich cultural heritage of Boston, Okumura's artwork explores themes of immigration, identity, and the power of creativity. Through her gestural marks, Okumura captures the essence of the joie de vivre and the enduring joy of human connection. 

“My work is centered around the main idea of being nowhere and everywhere, waltzing around cultural boundaries with beliefs and traveling through form and energy, attempting to incorporate conflict, balance, and harmony to shape the work's influences, thoughts, and hope for the same thing and shared moment.”

To learn more about this exhibition please email jenniferoku25@gmail.com or visit her website.

Tactile Echoes

Olivia Leigh Curtis, Claire Pellegrini, Charlene Tsai, Cheyenne Yu

This exhibition showcases the work of four emerging ceramicists whose practices explore the intersection of materials, memory, and personal narratives. Through their abstract forms and tactile surfaces, Olivia Leigh Curtis, Claire Pellegrini, Charlene Tsai, and Cheyenne Yu invite viewers to engage with the materiality of their work and contemplate the interplay between the physical and the emotional.

Olivia Leigh Curtis (she/her) is an emerging glass and ceramic artist. She holds a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in glass. Her process-based work is composed of glass, ceramics, and metal, and is driven by experimenting with phenomena across media. She has shown work in MassArt’s 6th Alumni Biennial, the 2023 MassArt Auction and the Glass Art Society's 2023 Member Exhibition. She was a recipient of the Stephen D. Paine Scholarship and her work has been recently published in Corning’s New Glass Review 42.

Claire Pellegrini (they/she) is a mixed-media artist and botanist from New England. They seek to highlight the small, overlooked, and impermanent details of the natural world in a permanent medium. Their practice includes slip cast ceramics, often imitating the form of bones they have found themselves (such as a seal vertebrae or an opossum skull). All of their work is treated as collage, meshing and remixing natural and human-made forms. They are interested in exploring the distance and divide that humans place between themselves and the natural world.

Charlene Tsai (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary artist, working with acrylic paint, fibers, and ceramics. She draws inspiration from the textures of both manmade and natural materials and is fascinated by the interplay between hard, unyielding surfaces and soft, pliable forms. Through her work, she explores various relationships, with a particular focus on the connection between the mind and body, the physical manifestation of stress. Her works invite active engagement from the viewers, evoking familiarity of everyday objects while remaining ambiguous. Charlene was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, and currently lives in Boston, MA.

Cheyenne Yu (she/her) is a San Francisco born, Boston based artist who recently graduated from a BFA in Studio Art from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Her work is a tapestry of diverse influences, deeply rooted in the power of touch and sensory experiences, while harboring a profound desire to explore and reflect on family relationships, memory and Asian American identity.

The final event in this year’s Un-monument public conversation series is titled “The Future of American Democracy," and brings together two of the nation’s most renowned thinkers—Danielle S. Allen and Michael Sandel—for a discussion that will challenge and inspire.

Join us for a compelling and timely public conversation at The Embrace, the renowned monument on Boston Common honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, where Sandel and Allen will reflect on the pressing challenges facing America’s democratic institutions and traditions today.

Danielle S. Allen, is one of Harvard’s esteemed “University Professors,” and a prolific political theorist and classicist who has devoted her career in academia and beyond to exploring the foundations of democracy and the question of justice. Her work, including Justice By Means of Democracy and Our Declaration, reimagines key democratic texts and ideals in ways meant to confront our contemporary struggles. A former gubernatorial candidate in Massachusetts, Allen is a tireless advocate for civic engagement and participation. Michael Sandel, a Harvard political philosopher celebrated for his accessible and thought-provoking explorations of justice, ethics, and democracy, is the author of influential works like Democracy’s Discontent and The Tyranny of Merit. His work encourages us to reflect on the moral dimensions of political and civic life, asking fundamental questions about fairness, equality, and the common good.

This conversation comes at a pivotal moment when many Americans feel that the country’s democratic institutions and traditions are under threat. From growing political polarization to rising concerns about voter rights, civic trust, fairness, and governmental accountability, the future of American democracy appears uncertain. Together, these two scholars will bring clarity, urgency, and hope to a conversation that couldn’t be more timely or essential.

Join us to celebrate the annual Hyde Park Art Association Members Exhibition. Awards juried by Mariana Rey, Julia Ryan and Alexandra Paul Zotov will be announced. Light refreshments will be provided.

35th Hyde Park Art Association Members Exhibition

The Menino Arts Center proudly announces their 35th Annual Scollay Square Members Exhibition. The show features work from over 40 different Hyde Park Art Association members across different mediums and is curated by Sasja Lucas.

To learn more about this exhibition please visit Current Exhibits – Menino Arts Center.

Cuerpo, amores y saberes; Afro-Colombian Art and Representation

Organized by the Consulate of Colombia, curated by PhD. Carlos Correa Angulo

The exhibition ‘Cuerpo, amores y saberes; arte y representación  afrocolombianas’ (Body, love and knowledge; Afro-Colombian art and representation) brings together the work of 4 artists whose aesthetic languages comprise photography, animation, illustration and portrait intervention. The show aims to highlight healing practices and knowledge about the body, forms of collective care, amatory arts and communion with ancestors, preserved in traditional and ancestral medicine practices among Afro-Colombian communities. These expressions of knowledge also comprise ways of carrying the body and contesting notions of privilege and distinctions created in colonial times, to question them and affirm other ways of being and exist in the world. 

These types of care, the treatment of ailments and illnesses of the body and spirit, and the relationship with ancestors are manifestations of each culture's capacity to produce and preserve the knowledge that guarantees its survival. Although these modes of knowledge have often been dismissed by hegemonic knowledge, they have long proven their effectiveness in weaving community and reproducing other ways of being and living in community.

This exhibition includes artworks by Joyce Rivas Medina, Jeison Riascos (El Murcy), Wilson Borja Marroquín y Margarita Ariza Aguilar.

To learn more about this exhibition please visit Exposición | Consulado de Colombia.

Cuerpo, amores y saberes; arte y representación afrocolombianos

Organizada por Consulado de Colombia en Boston , curaduría por el PhD. Carlos Correa Angulo

La exposición “Cuerpo, amores y saberes; arte y representación afrocolombianos" reúne el trabajo de 4 artistas cuyos lenguajes estéticos comprenden la fotografía, la animación, la ilustración y la intervención del retrato. Tiene como objetivo resaltar las prácticas de curación y los conocimientos sobre el cuerpo, las formas de cuidado colectivo, las artes amatorias y la comunión con los ancestros que se conservan en forma de prácticas de medicina tradicional y ancestral entre las comunidades afrocolombianas. Estas expresiones de conocimiento también comprenden formas de llevar el cuerpo y de disputar las nociones de privilegios y distinciones que tienen una matriz colonial, para cuestionarlas y afirmar otras formas de ser y estar en el mundo.

Esta exposición muestra que, como cada pueblo, cultural y grupo social, las y los afrocolombianos han preservado conocimientos que se transmiten de forma oral, a través de la escucha y la observación y por otras formas menos institucionales de aprendizaje. Estas formas del cuidado, el tratamiento de padecimientos y enfermedades del cuerpo y del espíritu y la relación con los ancestros son una manifestación de la capacidad que tiene cada cultura para producir y preservar los conocimientos que garantizan su sobrevivencia. Aunque estos modos de conocimiento han sido muchas veces desestimados por los saberes hegemónicos, han probado, durante mucho tiempo, su efectividad para tejer comunidad y para reproducir otras formas de ser y vivir en colectivo. 

La exposición incluye obras de Joyce Rivas Medina, Jeison Riascos (El Murcy), Wilson Borja Marroquín y Margarita Ariza Aguilar.

Cuerpo, amores y saberes; Afro-Colombian Art and Representation

Organized by the Consulate of Colombia, curated by PhD. Carlos Correa Angulo

The exhibition ‘Cuerpo, amores y saberes; arte y representación  afrocolombianas’ (Body, love and knowledge; Afro-Colombian art and representation) brings together the work of 4 artists whose aesthetic languages comprise photography, animation, illustration and portrait intervention. The show aims to highlight healing practices and knowledge about the body, forms of collective care, amatory arts and communion with ancestors, preserved in traditional and ancestral medicine practices among Afro-Colombian communities. These expressions of knowledge also comprise ways of carrying the body and contesting notions of privilege and distinctions created in colonial times, to question them and affirm other ways of being and exist in the world. 

These types of care, the treatment of ailments and illnesses of the body and spirit, and the relationship with ancestors are manifestations of each culture's capacity to produce and preserve the knowledge that guarantees its survival. Although these modes of knowledge have often been dismissed by hegemonic knowledge, they have long proven their effectiveness in weaving community and reproducing other ways of being and living in community.

This exhibition includes artworks by Joyce Rivas Medina, Jeison Riascos (El Murcy), Wilson Borja Marroquín y Margarita Ariza Aguilar.

To learn more about this exhibition please visit Exposición | Consulado de Colombia.

Cuerpo, amores y saberes; arte y representación afrocolombianos

Organizada por Consulado de Colombia en Boston , curaduría por el PhD. Carlos Correa Angulo

La exposición “Cuerpo, amores y saberes; arte y representación afrocolombianos" reúne el trabajo de 4 artistas cuyos lenguajes estéticos comprenden la fotografía, la animación, la ilustración y la intervención del retrato. Tiene como objetivo resaltar las prácticas de curación y los conocimientos sobre el cuerpo, las formas de cuidado colectivo, las artes amatorias y la comunión con los ancestros que se conservan en forma de prácticas de medicina tradicional y ancestral entre las comunidades afrocolombianas. Estas expresiones de conocimiento también comprenden formas de llevar el cuerpo y de disputar las nociones de privilegios y distinciones que tienen una matriz colonial, para cuestionarlas y afirmar otras formas de ser y estar en el mundo.

Esta exposición muestra que, como cada pueblo, cultural y grupo social, las y los afrocolombianos han preservado conocimientos que se transmiten de forma oral, a través de la escucha y la observación y por otras formas menos institucionales de aprendizaje. Estas formas del cuidado, el tratamiento de padecimientos y enfermedades del cuerpo y del espíritu y la relación con los ancestros son una manifestación de la capacidad que tiene cada cultura para producir y preservar los conocimientos que garantizan su sobrevivencia. Aunque estos modos de conocimiento han sido muchas veces desestimados por los saberes hegemónicos, han probado, durante mucho tiempo, su efectividad para tejer comunidad y para reproducir otras formas de ser y vivir en colectivo.

La exposición incluye obras de Joyce Rivas Medina, Jeison Riascos (El Murcy), Wilson Borja Marroquín y Margarita Ariza Aguilar.

On September 18 at 5 p.m., join us to celebrate the artists along with Colombia’s Consulate and learn more about the exhibition. We will screen the short film Reparaciones by Wilson Borja, winner of the 2022 Annecy Festival in the ‘Perspectives’ category. Light refreshments will be provided.

The East Boston Latin Music and Dance Festival will take place on September 21 at East Boston Memorial Park!

This event brings together local musicians, dancers, and businesses to highlight the strength of our community and celebrate the beauty of Latin American cultures. Join us for a joyful day of community celebration featuring Latin American music and dance, delicious food, kids’ activities, local arts and crafts vendors, and more!

State Senator Lydia Edwards presents the 3rd East Boston Latin Music and Dance Festival “Sonidos de la Gente”, in partnership with ZUMIX, VROCC, East Boston Main Streets, and the City of Boston. This is a community effort to provide a free concert where families and friends can enjoy a summer afternoon full of music, dancing, and Latin American food!

Celebrate Latinx Heritage Month at Fiesta en la Plaza! Enjoy performances by award-winning Puerto Rican saxophonist Edmar Colón and pianist Alain Mallet, the charming Fabiola Méndez Trio, the dynamic Meta Movements dance group, and the versatile Colombian artist Manuela Sánchez Goubert and her band. Let’s celebrate Latin talent!

Register

The Live Like a Local Tour Boston: Community Arts Showcase (CAS) aims to create a vibrant, inclusive event that brings together a diverse array of local arts organizations to perform for the public. This event will celebrate Boston's rich cultural heritage and artistic talent, providing a unique platform for artists to showcase their work, engage with the community, and support local businesses.

Join us on Thursday, September 19 from 6 - 8 p.m. at in Dewey Square for a free, all-ages evening of performance, drag, dance, music and art-making as we mark the opening of Jeffrey Gibson's new mural, your spirit whispering in my ear, on The Greenway in partnership with MASS MoCA!

Gibson's mural ushers in the 10th installation of The Greenway's rotating mural program on Dewey Square. Bring your friends and come ready to dance and celebrate!

The event will feature Greenway food trucks offering both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals for purchase, including Zaaki, Vaz & Mac, Jamaica Mi Hungry, and Cookie Monster.

Night Shift Brewing will offer beer, wine, and alcoholic beverages for purchase for visitors 21+.