The Belmont Books story goes like this: Belmont, Mass. needed a bookstore, and Chris Abouzeid and Kathy Crowley opened one. That alone - the happy tale of the new independent bookstore - gives us reason to read on. But the plot thickens: the owners are both past Mass Cultural Council Fellows. Chris won in 2004 and Kathy won fellowships in 2006 and 2012. We asked Kathy, who … [Read more...]
Nano-interviews
Myrna Balk: 50 Year Retrospective at Piano Craft Gallery
Mixed media artist Myrna Balk is exhibiting at Boston's Piano Craft Gallery (5/5-5/28, opening reception 5/7, 3-6 PM, artist discussion 5/21, 3 PM) in Connecting the Dots, encompassing 50 years of her artistic output. Here, she discusses the exhibition, how a life of social work affected her art, and highlights and surprises from 50 years of working in clay, steel, wood, … [Read more...]
Dance Artist James Morrow: Sweaty Epiphany
Dance artist James Morrow (Choreography Fellow '14) has launched a crowdfunding campaign for his upcoming event Sweaty Epiphany, October 23-24, 2015 at the Dance Complex in Cambridge. The event, Morrow's Boston-area introduction, explores performance and ability, patriarchal culture, and the convergence of public and private reality, and will include work by Morrow as well as … [Read more...]
Merli V. Guerra on the Movement and Light of Luminarium Dance
Luminarium Dance received funding from the Arlington Cultural Council for "Night at the Tower," which transformed the Arlington's Park Circle water tower through film projections and live dance. That project subsequently received a prestigious Gold Star Award from MCC's Local Cultural Council Program. Luminarium will be presented with the award at the 5th Annual Gala and … [Read more...]
Tracy Slater, The Good Shufu
Tracy Slater, founder of the Four Stories literary series (and past ArtSake contributor), is about to publish her memoir The Good Shufu. We asked her about the book, her trailblazing work in the local literary community, and the surprise twist in her life story. Why The Good Shufu (the title)? "Shufu" in Japanese means "housewife," and it's a title that is both … [Read more...]