Things to do in the Boston area, 4/28 - 5/03
All week 🖌️ Qi Baishi: Inspiration in Ink – Museum of Fine Arts – ongoing
Explore the 160th anniversary of Qi Baishi's birth with nearly 40 exquisite works on display.
Thursday, May 1 📚 Shubha Sunder – Harvard Book Store – 7pm
Award-winning author Shubha Sunder discusses her debut novel "Optional Practical Training" in conversation with Michelle Min Sterling.
Sunday, May 4 🎤 Ed Helms: SNAFU Live – WBUR CitySpace – 6:30pm
Actor and comedian Ed Helms presents his new book "SNAFU," exploring history's greatest blunders, inspired by his hit podcast.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
30-05-2025
- CBS News
Boston artist John Wilson's work now the subject of Museum of Fine Arts exhibit celebrating humanity
A late Boston artist that got his start in the Roxbury neighborhood now has his work gracing the walls of the Museum of Fine Arts as part of a new exhibition. Welcome to Roxbury: the geographic center of the city, the heart of Black Boston, and the birthplace of artist John Wilson. "His life came out of that community very deeply, and it produced this—at least for me—this magnificent representation of human beings," said Roy Wilson, John's son. Importance of family John Wilson was born in 1922, to immigrants from British Guyana. Although his career took him to many places, Including Europe and Mexico, family was always important to him. He went on to marry his wife Julie and they had three kids: Erica, Rebecca and Roy. Roy Wilson invited WBZ-TV into his childhood home in Brookline. "I just have this vision of him doing anything to protect us. And I always knew that about him - that he'd be there in the end for you - whatever it took," said Wilson. John Wilson passed away in 2015 at the age of 92, but the memories that Wilson made with his father are still very much alive. "Well - one thing is - he was upstairs working a lot. When I went to the show, it was kind of impressive… seeing all the stuff that he had been working on in his studio for so many years—to see it all in one place!" said Wilson. New MFA exhibit That place? The walls of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. One hundred and ten of his works grace the walls; paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and illustrated books—all on display in the exhibition "Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson." "The self-portrait was an incredibly important part of John Wilson's work and throughout his six-decade career, so much of his work is focused around portraits of himself, his family, and his friends," said co-curator Edward Saywell. "And a lot of that has to do with his reclaiming, the dignity and the gravitas of the portrait for Black Americans." Saywell, one of the four co-curators of the John Wilson exhibit, told WBZ-TV that as an art student, Wilson never got to see himself in art history books or exhibitions. "And when he did see representations of Black Americans, all too often he described them as caricature-like or dehumanized. And one of the threads that you see throughout the entire exhibition is incredible humanity and empathy that he imbues in all his portraits—whether it's a portrait of himself or a portrait of a family member or a friend," Saywell explained. John Wilson spent more than six decades creating artwork that challenged viewers to not just see. "The works speak to, not only key political and civil rights moments over those six decades, but they speak to what life was like in Roxbury growing up in the 1940s," Saywell said. Works displayed in Roxbury Long before Wilson's works were in the MFA, they were on display in the neighborhood that helped shape him. One of those works sits on the campus of Roxbury Community College, called: "Father and Child Reading." A 7-foot tall bronze sculpture that honors the fond memories John Wilson had of his father reading to him. "Father and Child Reading," a sculpture by John Wilson. CBS Boston "I know that he was very dedicated to the idea of being a father, in acculture, that in some ways, made it difficult to be an upstanding man," said Wilson. The other work, a very well-known piece called "The Eternal Presence", more affectionately known as "The Big Head." The monument, described by the artist himself as, "an image of universal dignity." "For him, putting it in Roxbury was as important as the piece itself. And attaching it to the ground, no pedestal, in his home community—was as important as anything else about the piece. And the fact that people come once a year to polish it and to refinish it, was completely moving to the man. It was the highest compliment he could imagine being paid," said Saywell. That piece sits on the campus of the museum of The National Center of Afro-American Arts. "My sincerest hope is that any visitor is going to see an extraordinary Boston artist who should be on the national stage and are going to come away, hopefully seeing work that speaks to them in one way or another," Saywell shared. "That we are as magical, as strong, as thoughtful, as human, as any other people on the planet," Wilson said when asked about what he wants visitors to feel leaving his father's exhibit. John Wilson's impact is also still felt by students and staff alike at Boston University, where his inspiration and instruction as a professor continues to reverberate. The exhibition at The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will be on display through June 22 – and then it will travel to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in September.
Hypebeast
27-05-2025
- Hypebeast
Frist Art Museum Unpacks the Fabric of American Identity in New Quilt Show
Summary The humble quilt has long been a major player in folk art museums around the country, though in recent years it's made its way into the more mainstream spotlight. Following this path,Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories, a forthcoming exhibition at Nashville's Frist Art Museum, will present a nearly 50-piece quilt and coverlet showcase hailing from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, each its own immaculate patchwork of the personal and the political. Spanning more than 300 years of U.S. history, the exhibit traces quilting's evolution and threads this timeless art form into the broader story of American identity, stitch by stitch. From 18th-century heirlooms to works made as recently as 2021, the exhibition celebrates stories behind these textile relics alongside the medium's unsung heroes and the voices too often left out of traditional art histories. 'Today, quilters have expanded the medium to encompass a wide range of techniques, materials and imagery,' says senior curator Katie Delmez. Once just a means of warmth, utility and craft, in the mid-19th century, quilting flourished into an art form of its own as makers began to identify more with textile art. Now a powerful form of artistic and cultural expression, contemporary quiltmakers from all walks of life turn the the medium to reckon with today's ideas and issues, such as racism and gun violence to immigration and Indigenous sovereignty. In this space, fabric becomes a soft but unflinching testimony to the complex visual, cultural and racial fabric of American life, and the myriad of stories that emerge. Head to the Frist'swebsitefor more information. Frist Art Museum919 Broadway,Nashville, TN 37203
Boston Globe
25-05-2025
- Boston Globe
Free things to do Memorial Day week: Self-defense, museum admission, and burgers
CULTURE, COMPED This Memorial Day, tickets to enter multiple local cultural favorites will be free. The Museum of Fine Arts invites all Mass. residents to join guides, curators, speakers, and artists for a day of tunes, connections, and interactive activities, including the opportunity to make your own embossed metal sculpture. The Institute of Contemporary Art in the Seaport will also grant free entry for guests who want to explore innovative art with a view. May 26. MFA, 465 Huntington Ave. ; ICA, 25 Harbor Shore Drive. Get Love Letters: The Newsletter A weekly dispatch with all the best relationship content and commentary – plus exclusive content for fans of Love Letters, Dinner With Cupid, weddings, therapy talk, and more. Enter Email Sign Up LIFE IS A CABARET If you're not a fan of the large, rowdy crowds at concerts or festivals, the cabaret may be the musical immersion you've been waiting for. At the Club Café, these live music experiences are a common occurrence, and next Tuesday, the bistro will feature Crystin Gilmore, who also performs in SpeakEasy Stage's play 'Jaja's African Hair Braiding.' The triple-threat actress, singer, and dancer will perform from a repertoire of soulful classics, including tunes by James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Billie Holiday. May 27, 6:30-7:30 p.m. 209 Columbus Ave. Advertisement SUNSHINE BEATS If you missed out on tickets to this year's high-demand (and costly) music festivals, no need to fret. The Esplanade Association is teaming up with the Department of Conservation and Recreation once again to host the GroundBeat Concert Series. Local musicians and artists will take the stage at the Hatch Memorial Shell for concerts across three more weeks, including this Wednesday's lineup of world sounds including reggae and Caribbean jazz. May 28, 6-8 p.m. Charles River Esplanade, Hatch Memorial Shell, Beacon Street and Beaver Place. Advertisement BOP TO THE TOP Whether you're graduating this year, in the future, or passed the milestone long ago, there's nothing like watching Disney's 'High School Musical' to evoke toe-tapping nostalgia. At Trident Booksellers & Café, attendees can reminisce on the angst and elation of their school days at the bookstore's free screening night while singing along to those classic hits. May 29, 7-9 p.m. 338 Newbury St. Downtown Boston burger joint Big Grin will be giving out free burgers to the first 100 customers this Saturday for National Hamburger Day. Handout T ASTEFUL HOLIDAY This week, the country celebrates another important holiday: National Hamburger Day. At The Lineup, a downtown restaurant collection, Big Grin, the location's burger joint, will be serving up free burgers to the first 100 customers. Even those who miss the limited giveaway won't walk away hungry — vouchers for free crinkle-cut fries are a welcome concession. May 31, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. 115 Federal St. EN GARDE Knowing self-defense techniques can make a difference in a dangerous situation, and the City of Boston and the NAAAP are teaming up to provide a free defensive action and de-escalation workshop. Verbal, nonverbal, and physical skills will be taught by Nic Emmons, owner of Waltham's On Point Krav Maga martial arts school. May 31, noon-2 p.m. 161 Harvard Ave #13b, Allston. Advertisement LOVELY MEETINGS Cambridge's romance bookstore, Lovestruck Books, will be hosting an event with five writers, giving local bookworms the chance to meet their favorite authors — or maybe fall in love with new ones. In attendance will be Aashna Avachat, YA author and Harvard alum; indie writer Caroline Frank; purveyor of gothic stories Cat Scully; Elle Thrasher, a romantasy writer; and self-proclaimed 'Kitchen Witch' Dawn Aurora Hunt. May 31, 3-5 p.m. 44 Brattle St., Cambridge. The annual Beacon Hill Art Walk will fill the historic neighborhood with art this Sunday, June 1. Handout ART WALK The first day of June means more than just the steady approach of summer. Next Sunday, the Beacon Hill neighborhood will inaugurate the new month with free art demonstrations, including outdoor galleries, live music ranging from folk to classical, and displays of various styles and mediums. These displays will be scattered across the Hill, with starting points at 135½ Charles St. and the corner of Cambridge and West Cedar streets. June 1, noon-6 p.m. Beacon Hill. Send info on free events and special offers at least 10 days in advance to . Marianna Orozco can be reached at
