Thursday, April 10, 2014

4/10/14 thru VACATION: ARTY FUN OF NOTE

Hi from The Cambridgeport School Arts Committee. It's that random time of the week where I attempt to inspire you to add some arty fun to your life. Please pass it on. I'm including two weeks this round so you can think about your arty vacation planning.

Family Dance Party

April 12 from 10AM -1PM get your moves on with DJ Frank White at Good Life at 28 Kingston St. in Boston at the Garden Nursery School Family Dance Party fundraiser. $10 adults, $5 kids.

Films…Not Just for Kids

The Brattle has some fantastic children's films coming up that you will also love. Check out their schedule from April 18-23. And really, if you haven't shown your kid My Neighbor Totoro, shame on you. Put that on your calendar.


Because Science is Beautiful

Just because there is a lot of other arty fun, don't miss the artfully engineered Cambridge Science Festival. It is the first of its kind in the country and is filled with stellar activities that make science accessible, interactive, and fun.

Free Venezuelan Trumpet Ensemble

Sunday, the 13th  at Berkelee, and Friday the 18th at the Strand,  experience the passion and intensity of Venezuelan El Sistema's classical, jazz, latin, and pop "musical fireworks." This is their Boston debut, and it is free. See the Boston Philharmonic site.
Colonial Fun

Patriots' Day, Monday morning, April 21st (before the marathon) get thee to Foss Park for a Colonial Day celebration. Volunteers dress in Colonial costumes, make Colonial fare for eating and drinking, and guide children in playing colonial era games. At the end, the children who finish all of the games, gets a prize. And of course, everyone gets to greet Paul Revere on his horse as he rides through Somerville on his way to Lexington and Concord.

To Boston with Love, the MFA

On Saturday, April 19, The Museum of Fine Arts opens its doors for a free day welcoming families, spectators and runners from Boston and beyond to enjoy a day of art and fellowship at the Museum. Sign and decorate a special panel of the America 4 Boston Prayer Canvas, a national art project that will be unveiled at the Red Sox game on April 20.
In commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon tragedy, the exhibition "To BostonWith Love" is on view in the Shapiro Family Courtyard through April 30, featuring more than 1,700 hand-sewn flags created and sent to Boston from quilters around the world last spring.


Also during vacation week at the MFA, Tuesday-Friday from 10-4 (to 8 on Wednesday), you can enjoy A Splash of Color. Stories, music, dance and art activities (mini monet landscapes, foil weavings, stained glass designs…) that are inspired by color. Recommended for ages 4 to 13, check the website for the locations and times of different fun. An adult must accompany children, and the museum is free for kids all week (kids under 6 are always free, and kids 7 to 17 are free during non-school hours).


3D Printing!

There is a 3D Printing workshop at the Maud Morgan Art Center over by the Baldwin School from April 21-24 for grades 5-8. Design your own gidgit-gadget, or even something useful like a keychain or a candlestick! This four-session crash course in 3D printing will kids through the initial phases of sketching and modeling their own creations. $150 for the week, open to kids age 10-13. 


Saturday, April 12 from 1-3, there is a 3D printing workshop using Minecraft to make models at Parts and Crafts in Somerville. Along the way you'll learn how 3D printing works, how objects get sent to the printer, and what the rules are for this way of making things. $10-20 suggested sliding scale


And hey, if you're an adult who wants to join me at the 3D printing for jewelry design program at Danger!Awesome, sign up for May 19. 

Fun at the ICA

Kids are always free at the ICA, and some very special programs await them during vacation week. 2D, 3D, and performance art projects are in the line up.


BPL Concerts in the Courtyard


Are you home with wee ones? One of Boston’s most beautiful spaces is about to be filled with music during free, lunchtime concerts in the McKim courtyard at the Central Library in Copley Square. All concerts begin at 12:30 p.m.
               Monday, April 14 - Amaryllis Chamber Ensemble
               Tuesday, April 15 - Lindsay Straw
               Wednesday, April 16 - Daniel Acsadi
               Thursday, April 17 - Gabrielle Diaz with American Century Music
               Friday, April 18 - New England Conservatory
               Saturday, April 19 - New England Conservatory
In case of inclement weather, concerts will be held in Rabb Lecture Hall. 

[Sense]ation Day, Family Free Afternoon at the Fuller

Thursday, April 24 from 1-4pm come to Fuller Craft Museum for [Sense]ation Day, an afternoon filled with hands-on activities, craft demos, new exhibitions, and fun.
Admission is free all day. Past activities have included weaving, pottery, wood turning demos, storytelling and face painting.


Thursday, April 3, 2014

4/03/14 ARTY FUN OF NOTE


Hi from The Cambridgeport School Arts Committee. It's that random time of the week where I attempt to inspire you to add some arty fun to your life. Please pass it on.

THIS AFTERNOON (PARENTS ONLY): Breaking Bad Creator Vince Gilligan in Conversation with Drew Faust

In 2008, scriptwriter, producer, and director Vince Gilligan introduced TV audiences to the character Walter White – a mild-mannered HS chemistry teacher turned meth-cooking kingpin in the AMC series "Breaking Bad." He will discuss the show's evolution and impact during a conversation moderated by Harvard's President Faust today at 4pm in Farkas Hall (10-12 Holyoke St.). It's free, but get there early. Doors open at 3:30. I can't make it, but tell me how it was, because I watched all five seasons of the show this past week while with the stomach flu.
http://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/cal/details.php?ID=44575

The Hills are Alive

If you've got a Sound of Music lover in your house, there is a performance at the Footlight Club in JP this weekend, with matinees. The Sound of Music, runs Fridays and Saturdays, March 29, April 5, 11 & 12 @ 8:00pm and March 30, April 5, 6, & 12 @ 2:00pm.


Home Depot is for the Birds

April 5th is the first Saturday of the month, and that means kids can build projects for free at Home Depot. This week it is a simple bird (squirrel?) feeder. Often other projects are also offered. Sign up ahead.


CraftBoston

Friday through Sunday, CraftBoston is at the Cyclorama (Boston Center for the Arts 539 Tremont St., Boston) 
This is perhaps Boston's finest craft show. It is a juried, high end wonderland of jewelry, clothing, furniture, and home décor. A good place for a Mother's Day, wedding, or graduation present, or a present for yourself for making it through the winter. The CraftBoston website usually offers a couple of dollars off of admission, the code FULLER from the Fuller Craft Museum gives you a few dollars off, and Living Social generally has a deal for two tickets. The best deal is to go in with friends you will pass your ticket along to for a separate day, as CraftBoston tickets are generally good for the entire weekend. I may go Friday. Let me know if you want in on mine. 
Friday, April 4, 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Saturday, April 5, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday, April 6, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Jazz at The Green Room

Also on Saturday, for your older piano players, at 8pm at the Green Room on Bow St. in Union Square, you can see pianist Harvey Diamond, one of our true local greats. He will be with Jon Dreyer, a bassist and cellist. I don't believe there is an age restriction for the Green Room, but it is a very small space. Advance tickets are encouraged, affordable, and available here.

Free Symphony at the NEC

April 9, at 8pm, you can attend a free concert at the New England Conservatory'sJordan Hall. Paul Biss conducts the NEC Symphony in a program that features the American premiere of a work by composer Jonas Tarm '16 (in photo), a student of John Mallia.
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture, Opus 62Jonas Tarm:Headline Hues: Concerto for StringsSibelius:Symphony No. 2 in D major, Opus 43  NEC's FREE concerts do not require a ticket, unless stated in concert listing. 
Unreserved seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. 
Doors open 30 minutes prior to the concert's start time.

Artventurous?

ARTSBOSTON and MassMutual are offering "Artventurous" half price tickets for a number of April activities and shows.