Lexington Arts and Crafts Society

Exploring Artistic Masterpieces

Art comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Acting, animation, dancing, music, movies, photography, pottery, painting, video game design, writing, and even Lego building can all be considered art forms. However, even though most people will experience a number of these art forms during their lifetimes, many people are never really exposed to the works of true masters. In fact, when most people think of artistic masters, they think of dusty paintings hanging in museums and/or long-since-dead guys that must have been dull and boring. But, this is really pretty unfortunate because there are a number of works, both old and new, that are truly amazing. Fortunately, if you are interested in exploring some really impressive artwork or even trying your hand at getting involved in making your own, there are several events this weekend that you will definitely want to check out.

First, if you’d really like to see the works of true masters and/or you would like to see all of the work that goes into preserving an artistic masterpiece, the Davis Museum at Wellesley College has the exhibit for you. This is because the Davis Museum has a special exhibit from now until June 7, 2015 entitled “Hanging with Old Masters: The Reinstallation of the Davis Museum.” This exhibit will allow you to see the artistic works of famous Italian painters and see how the museum actually preserves each painting, chooses which paintings are displayed, and determines how each painting should be displayed in the museum. For more information on Hanging with Old Masters: The Reinstallation of the Davis Museum, please visit the Davis Museum at Wellesley College website.

Secondly, if you’re really into painting and pottery but you prefer artwork that was made this century, you may want to check out the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society. This is because the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society is presenting their 2015 Paints & Pots exhibit from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. today and tomorrow (March 6th and 7th, 2015) and from 12:00 to 4:00 on Sunday (March 8, 2015.) This exhibit features a wide range of cards, paintings (on both canvas and paper), prints, pots, sculptures, vases, and more. For more information on the Paints & Pots exhibit, which is free and open to the public, please visit the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society website.

Finally, if you’re looking for a way to take a more active role in an artistic masterpiece, you may want to consider creating something for the Fair Verona Festivals presented by the Shakespeare Commonwealth Company. The Shakespeare Commonwealth Company is hosting three outdoor art festivals this year in Boston as part of their Shakespeare OFF the Common series. These three festivals will each feature a performance of Romeo and Juliet and a series of artistic works and activities that explore a specific theme from the play. As a result, if you’re looking for a way to make your own masterpiece and be part of an incredible artistic endeavor, you may want to consider submitting a proposal for a creative work or activity that you can showcase at one of the festivals this summer. In order to find out more information about the Fair Verona Festivals and/or to submit your proposal by the submission deadline of March 15, 2015, please visit the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company website.

Photo credit: Trev Grant / Foter / CC BY

Unique Holiday Gifts

With 21 days until Kwanzaa, 20 days until Christmas, 16 days until the Winter Solstice, 11 days until the beginning of Chanukah, and less than 30 days for whatever other December holiday that you celebrate, you may be trying to find the perfect gift before time runs out. In fact, you may already be tearing your hair out trying to figure out what to get your loved ones this year because you want to get something uniquely awesome, but you have no idea what that is. Fortunately, if you are looking for a unique gift idea, there are several events this weekend that are devoted to one-of-a-kind gifts that your family is sure to love (and if they don’t, they’ll learn to love them because some of these gifts are awfully hard to return.)

First, if you’re looking for a gift that would be considered part of the apparel, accessories, and/or food family (and don’t worry, the food isn’t actually part of the clothing until you wear it for the first time and spill it all over yourself at dinner), you should definitely check out Boston’s Downtown Holiday Market. The Downtown Holiday Market, which is located at 459 Washington Street in Boston, will feature a different set of local vendors each week from now until January 10, 2015. Some of the vendors that you can expect to see this week include Alex’s Ugly Sauce, Epoca Amber Jewelry, Golden Rule Honey, Karol Peralta Jewelry, Mao Sim Silk, and Recycled Glass Jewelry. For more information on the Downtown Holiday Market, which is open from 11:00 A.M. to 7:00 PM Monday through Saturday and 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sunday, please visit the Downtown Boston website.

Secondly, if you’re looking for a hand-crafted gift or a gift that is truly one-of-a-kind, you may want to head over to the Hynes Convention Center this weekend. This is because the Hynes Convention Center is hosting the CraftBoston Holiday 2014 show, which will feature 175 artists and crafters that are planning to exhibit and/or sell their carefully crafted apparel, baskets, ceramics, furniture, glassware, jewelry, leather, metal art, wood crafts, and more. For more information on the event, including a complete program guide with all of the artists and crafters that will be exhibiting their work, please visit the Society of Arts and Crafts CraftBoston Holiday page.

Finally, if you’re looking for a truly unique gift that you can get without making the trek into Boston, you may want to check out the Lexington Arts and Crafts Holiday Marketplace. The Lexington Arts and Crafts Holiday Marketplace, which is located at 130 Waltham Street in Lexington, MA, is a large arts and crafts fair that runs from now until Christmas Eve (December 24, 2014.) This fair will feature dozens and dozens of artists and crafters who will be more than happy to sell you baskets, beads, cards, ceramics, decorations, jewelry, metal art, needle art, paintings, photographs and prints, and more. For more information on the Holiday Marketplace, which is open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Saturday and 12:00 to 6:00 PM on Sunday, please visit the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society website.

Photo credit: John Drake Flickr / Foter / CC BY-ND

Are You Ready for the Spring Yet?

I don’t know about you, but I think we’ve had enough snow for one year. I mean 65 inches of snow should really be enough for just about anyone. Unfortunately, there’s a certain groundhog (who will remain nameless) that insists we are going to have another 6 weeks of winter, so what’s an exhausted snow shoveler to do? Well, there really are only two things you can do. You can try to get your mind off of the snow or you can move south. If the first choice sounds more practical, that’s probably because it is. As a result, you may want to know some of the things that you can do this weekend to get your mind off of the snow and to focus on the lovely season that makes all of the white stuff go away (eventually at least.)

First, if you’re looking for a way to get you mind off the snow or you’re looking for a safer way to satisfy your fascination with fire than taking a blowtorch to the ice in your driveway, you may want to check out Fire & Ice: A Winter Festival. This festival, which is sponsored by the Somerville Arts Council, is a celebration of all things hot and cold, and it’s a great way to celebrate the fact that it won’t be this cold forever. In fact, you, your friends, your family, and anyone else you feel like dragging along with you will have the opportunity to warm themselves up with a hot cup of coffee or freeze themselves to the bone with some ice cream while they watch fire spinners perform amazing feats and ice sculptures take shape right in front of their eyes. For more information on Fire & Ice: A Winter Festival, which is scheduled to take place in Union Square Plaza tomorrow from 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M., please visit the Somerville Arts Council website.

Secondly, if fire isn’t really your thing (“Fire bad!”) or the very mention of the word ice makes you cringe (“Ice worse!”), you may want to check out the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society’s Polymer and Beading Show entitled “Spring Starts Here!” This show, which begins tomorrow and runs every day from Tuesday through Sunday until the 16th, is a collection of artistic works that have a garden or spring-related theme. However, what really makes the show impressive is the fact that each of the works in the show are constructed completely out of polymer clay and/or beads, which means that each flower, wreath, and/or other spring-related piece of artwork took weeks, if not months, to complete. For more information on the Spring Starts Here Polymer and Beading Show, please visit the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society website.

Photo credit: *~Dawn~* / Foter / CC BY