The best defense system I have found for surviving these dark times is twofold: hold on to what gives you joy, and make community whenever possible. That’s Heather Cox Richardson’s homemade remedy for how to fight against fascism. It’s the best kind of recipe because anyone can make it, and the ingredients are all at […]
Faithful to Here
Detail from a painting by Caspar David Friedrich, on view at the Metropolitan Museum “Our opponents know full well that we are entering an age of emergency…Our task is to build a wide and deep movement, as spiritual as it is political, strong enough to stop these unhinged traitors. A movement rooted in a steadfast […]
It Matters What Matters
At the Huntington Theater: Vincent Randazzo, Avanthika Srinivasan in The Triumph of Love; directed by Loretta Greco; photo by Liza Voll It seems like the right thing to do during times like these is to start every communication with an acknowledgement that what is happening in our world is terrible, wrongheaded and soul crushing. So yes, […]
Fully on Board
One of the unexpected privileges of being an older artist is the tacit permission to be unapologetically clear about what you love and what you don’t. Strong opinions come from decades of looking at art—carefully, closely, and with deep engagement. Like many of my friends who have also put in the time, we know what […]
Tina Feingold
Tina Feingold’s exhibit, Wishful Thinking, is now on view at the Danforth Museum in Framingham MA. The show runs through June 8, so there is plenty of time to bring your real physical body and your real seeing eyes into a room filled with luminous works. I’ve been a passionate fan of Tina’s paintings for […]
Pick Your Pals
Pick your pals and your communities because we are going to really need each other over the next few years. Picking your pals also means choosing who you listen to, read and admire. A myriad of versions of what’s going on right now are flourishing, so you need to find the narrative threads you can […]
Crumbs and Bones
Lynn Nottage, playwright (Photograph: Bryan Derballa) Hollywood gossip isn’t typically my thing. But the controversy that has erupted between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni touches into so many “in this moment” memes, trends and themes that it has taken up residence in the public square. Some of this reminds me of the “blue/black” or “white/gold” […]
Convergencies
Diary of a Tap Dancer (Photo: Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall) Looking for travel lanes in the current cultural landscape—one that has become increasingly complex, narrowbanded, detoured and unpredictable—has become a fraught undertaking. Maybe it’s just me and my navigational tools that are outdated or arcane. But I can’t seem to find the currents […]
Breaking the Story
“You write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can’t, but also knowing that literature is indispensable to the world… The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even but a millimeter the way people look at reality, then you can change it.” –James […]
Slant Dazzle: Pell Lucy at Grimshaw-Gudewicz Gallery
Pell Lucy artists come together again for a new exhibit at the Grimshaw-Gudewicz Gallery at Bristol Community College in Fall River Massachusetts, from October 31 through December 13, 2024. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, November 7 from 6-8pm. Information about the show can be found on the gallery website. (Also included, an […]