Brookline Commission for the Arts

Black Lives Matter | Statement of Solidarity (click)

‘Changing of the Bard’
Brookline’s Poet Laureate in-person, October 18

Jennifer Barber, Brookline’s newly appointed Poet Laureate, will be appearing at her first in-person event, Changing of the Bard, at Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St, on Monday, October 18, at 7pm. Jennifer will be joined by Brookline’s three former laureates, Judith Steinbergh, Jan Schreiber, and Zvi A Sesling, for a fun evening of poetry readings!

Masks must be worn at this indoor event.

Brookline Porchfest returns in 2021 with live music on Brookline’s porches! Saturday, September 18, 12-6pm (raindate September 19)

Brookline Porchfest is back in 2021 with live music once again, on porches and front yards around town.

We are working with Town officials to bring you the safest possible Brookline Porchfest 2021. We will list health & safety guidelines on our website as we get closer to the festival date.

go to brooklineporchfest.org for full schedule and map

Brookline Open Studios will return in person for 2021!
Saturday, October 2 (raindate October 3) at two locations: the Brookline Arts Center at Monmouth Park and Station Street in Brookline Village.

Both sites will feature art and activities during the event, and on-site direction and support.

brooklineartscenter.com for info

Studios Without Walls site specific exhibit ‘The Light Gets In’ closes on Riverway Park, Brookline, September 6

Studios Without Walls’ outdoor installation ‘The Light Gets In’ is only on display through September 6 in Riverway Park, behind Longwood T station, Brookline. Have a late summer walk and take it in.

Flowers & Opera | Free live opera in Coolidge Corner!

There will be free live opera in Coolidge Corner, Brookline, each last Thursday of the month, May through September!

Opera will ring out in the walkway between Simons Shoes and Paris Creperie, from 5pm, plus togetherness and flowers.

These events will be free to attend. If you so desire please bring something for the food drive.

Bring community together after an isolated past year!

Coming Together | May 27 and 30 | a virtual storytelling project

The meaning of Jewish community, how it's built and how it was transformed during COVID-19.

Click here for the Zoom registration page.
Click here for the FaceBook page.

to reserve your free tickets visit here.

Abilities Dance Boston | Firebird Ballet

Abilities Dance Boston is thrilled to premiere a new Firebird ballet livestreamed from the Wimberly Theatre at the Calderwood Pavillion on May 14 + 15 at 8:00 pm EST. This production features a completely new score by director of music Andrew Choe and new choreography by Founder/Executive & Artistic Director Ellice Patterson (in collaboration with the dancers). The same production will premiere both nights.

For tickets: click here

There are free tickets available to any who need it. General admission is $35/ticket for one showing. VIP tickets are $50 and include a general admission showing and a private pre-show conversation with the founder, director of music, and other artists to discuss the process, see a sneak peek of the rehearsals, and ask any questions before the production on May 2nd at 2 pm.

A Glance at Chinese Language and Culture

The Brookline Commission for the Arts is please to have awarded a grant for this event.

The Chinese Culture Workshop Series are designed to share and advocate the traditional Chinese Culture to the Brookline Community and beyond. Each month, a topic will be presented from Chinese Calligraphy/ Painting/Paper-cutting/Cooking/Poem/Dance, Chinese Instruments Guzheng, Peking Opera, and Art of Flour Figurines. The virtual workshops will be on the first weekend of each month through Zoom Meeting/Webinars, and the recordings will be made available to the general broad public through Brookline Chinese School's Youtube channel.

Time : Saturday, May 8, 2021 at 7pm

Zoom ID: 916 1309 0254
Passcode: joinus

Dance Caliente - virtual dancing through the decades from your home!

Dance Caliente was awarded a 2020 BCA grant and was scheduled to perform at the Brookline Senior Center this fall. Due to COVID19 restrictions they have worked hard to produce an amazing video. The event will be broadcast by Brookline Interactive Group on the following dates: (check local listings for additional broadcasts in November)

Sunday 11/01/2020 8:00:00 PM on BIG's Community Channel (Comcast 3/RCN 3)
Sunday 11/01/2020 1:00:00 AM on BIG's Community Channel (Comcast 3/RCN 3)
Thursday 10/29/2020 4:59:50 PM on BIG's Community Channel (Comcast 3/RCN 3)
Wednesday 10/28/2020 3:00:00 PM on BIG's Community Channel (Comcast 3/RCN 3)
Wednesday 10/28/2020 2:01:00 AM on BIG's Community Channel (Comcast 3/RCN 3)

Raul Nieves and Eileen Herman-Haase, performers/creators of 'Dancing Through the Decades with Dance Caliente' will entertain you with 5 romantic and energetic period ballroom dances from the comfort of your own home. Throughout the show they will engage you with participatory lessons so, you too, can experience the flavor of each dance, using your chair as your partner. Their aim is to stir your heart, bring joy to your day and exercise your muscles.

CONTINUUM DANCE PROJECT IS VIRTUAL!

This is a BCA 2020 grantee

PAIRING V: Forage in the Park
A free event by Zoom (donations encouraged)
Thursday, October 8 at 7pm

The event will be available to stream until December 31, 2020 at this link: https://continuumdance.org/pairing-v-collection/

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 FROM 5-7PM

Stop and smell the roses for a moment in the heart of Coolidge Corner!

Flowers & Opera is a free socially-distanced pop-up event. Soprano Kelley Hollis, accompanied on piano by Leah Kosch, will perform opera and musical theater standards - including selections from Puccini's La Boheme, Lerner and Lowe's My Fair Lady, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita - alongside selections from the Great American Songbook.

Crepes and drinks for sale at Paris Creperie and free flowers provided by Trader Joe's, Coolidge Corner.

The event will be in the S.S. Pierce Alley between the Paris Creperie and Simons Shoes, Brookline.

Brought to you by Simons Shoes, Brookline Commission for the Arts, Trader Joes, and the Paris Creperie.

Social distancing guidelines will be followed - come enjoy with a mask please :)

Brookline Open Studios & Marketplace virtual!

View the work of local artists through September 30, 2021

This unique and engaging event will include a number of opportunities to experience a diverse range of creative works and interact with artists from Brookline and beyond.

In this virtual setting, explore a number of works from over 55 artists throughout the entire year. Additional event features include live virtual artist talks, demonstrations and studio tours, opportunities to purchase art and more.
Visual artists of all artistic mediums from Brookline and beyond will be participating.

This event is free for the public to attend and will be accessible through the website beginning October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021. Click here

The current exhibit, "Among the Trees", by artist Rebecca Arnoldi has been closed to the public due to COVID19 concerns. At this time it is not clear when town hall will reopen to the public, so until it does please enjoy Rebecca's work through this slideshow.

Artist Bio:
Rebecca Arnoldi
Rebecca Arnoldi's art explores biological forms and ecological connections. She received an MFA in painting and an MS in environmental education, published Life in the Tides and appeared on National Geographic. Her art has been exhibited in galleries and museums in Boston, New York City, Provincetown and Israel. Rebecca leads art, nature and yoga adventures.
rebeccaarnoldi.earth
rebeccaarnoldi@yahoo.com

Artist Statement:
Among the Trees
I am still fascinated by the plants and animals I grew up watching in my
backyard and in the green spaces in Brookline.

This exhibit is a tribute to those plants and animals, and to the green
spaces that are crucial to their existence and to the health and
wellbeing of us all.

BROOKLINE PORCHFEST 2020 BECAME #StayHomeFest! Enjoy from the comfort of your home...

Brookline Porchfest is a celebration of community and music. This year, as a community, we need to think and act differently than normal. The impact of the COVD-19 has affected all of us, and to help fight the spread of this virus, Brookline Porchfest 2020 will be celebrated virtually.

Rather than gathering together on the sidewalks, driveways, and porches around town to listen and share music together, this year Porchfest, with the help of the enthusiastic Brookline community, has created a single piece of music with voices, instruments and smiling faces.

VIEW THE VIDEO BELOW

SHIMMER | Brookline Arts Center presents a new public art installation in Monmouth Park. Brookline Commission for the Arts is proud to be a partial sponsor.

The Brookline Arts Center (BAC) is thrilled to present their 2020 public art installation, Shimmer, on view in Monmouth Park May 1-October 31. Shimmer was created by artist Meagan Hepp, who has worked at the BAC since June 2017. For this installation, Hepp created a site-specific sculptural replication of the BAC’s historic building. The sculpture itself is a silhouette structure built from wood and painted wire mesh. Plastic ribbon, recycled by hand from plastic water bottles, are woven through the mesh, filling in the walls of the building. During the day, the bottles reflect the sunlight out into the community and at night, the structure is lit from inside, creating a dramatic pattern on the park’s floor.

Shimmer Press Release.pdf
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BAC artist, Meagan Hepp, puts the finishing touches to public art installation, Shimmer, now on view in Monmouth Park, Brookline.

Spend time among virtual arts & culture...

NUMEROUS ARTS & CULTURAL EVENTS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED IN BROOKLINE AND BEYOND DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK. HOWEVER IN THIS TECHNOLOGICAL AGE THERE ARE SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE VIRTUALLY: THE ARTS & CULTURE ARE A POWERFUL SOURCE OF HEALING IN THESE TIMES OF HIGH STRESS AND ANXIETY. THIS IS ALSO A WAY TO HELP SUPPORT THE MANY TALENTED ARTISTS OF ALL DISCIPLINES THAT ARE CURRENTLY WITHOUT WORK - CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR ARTS & CULTURE VIRTUAL PAGE - tour art museums and galleries, take local online classes, watch a puppet show, listen to music, watch opera and movies, tour the inside of an Egyptian pyramid, and so much more...

Postponed until Fall 2020

Due to Covid19 concerns this fundraising concert at the Booth Theatre, Boston University, has been postponed until Fall 2020. Stay tuned for the rescheduled date.

The Brookline Commission for the Arts is looking forward to presenting its first council initiated program: an exciting and high energy world-wide music concert to benefit the Brookline Fund for Public Art.

If you are an artist seeking more exposure for your work, why not consider exhibiting on Town Hall Walls? Check here for application details.

2020 Grant Recipients

Congratulations to the following 2020 LCC grant recipients:

Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW)
Brookline Arts Center
Brookline Commission for the Arts
Brookline Interactive Group (BIG)
Brookline Music School
Brookline Open Studios
Brookline Symphony Orchestra
Continuum Dance Project
Dance Caliente
Deborah Leipziger
Grasshopper
Gregory Maichack
Hubert Ho
John Root
Kristin Wagner
Liz Linder & Rich Griswold
Mark Chester
Metropolitan Chorale
New England Chamber Players
Original Gravity
Puppet Showplace Theater
Rehearsal for Life
Studios Without Walls

The grant recipient showcase originally planned for Wednesday, May 20, 2020 has been cancelled.

Gillian Chadwick Jackson is presented the 2019 Cultural Contributor Award by BCA Chair, Daniel Gostin.

On Wednesday, May 15, 2019 in Hunneman Hall, Brookline Village Library, the BCA celebrated the arts and culture in Brookline, with an annual showcase to honor the 2019 grant recipients. Through performance and presentations the artists were able to show how vibrant the cultural fabric of Brookline has become!

In addition the 6th Annual Cultural Contributor Award was presented to Gillian Chadwick Jackson in recognition of her generous time and effort, and thoughtful guidance on cultural affairs in support of the Town, the Brookline Commission for the Arts, Brookline's arts organizations, and individual artists throughout the Town of Brookline.

Delicious refreshments were provided courtesy of: Anna's Taqueria, Party Favors, Trader Joes, Starbucks, and Whole Foods, all of Brookline

Grantee Events

What the Duck with Susan Linn & Audrey Duck
Friday & Saturday, November 8 & 9

WHAT THE DUCK?!?
with Susan Linn and Audrey Duck
TWO NIGHTS ONLY!
November 8 & 9 (Friday & Saturday) | 8:00 pm
Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445
Tickets: $16 / $12 Members

A night of stand up comedy, ventriloquism, and deeply edifying entertainment.

Go to puppetshowplace.org for tickets

Harvest Pairing - An Interactive Dance & Food Event
Saturday, September 28

OPERATIC BEER EXPERIENCE
April 12, 2019 at 7:30PM

In a world that seems to remain divided, Kate Soper's "Ipsa Dixit" – a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize – explores the ways that we communicate. Language is complex and words are more than what they mean on the surface. Experience this semi-staged interactive opera that will leave you surprised, engaged, and hopefully more aware of the power of words.

Hosted by Original Gravity Concert Series, this performance by Equilibrium is in collaboration with seven local brewers who will pair beers to be served throughout the piece. Specially selected beers by Allagash Brewing Company, True North Ale Company, Exhibit 'A' Brewing Company, Jack's Abby Craft Lagers, Redemption Rock Brewing, Cambridge Brewing Company, and Bone Up Brewing Company help tell the story alongside the music creating an interactive, multi-sensory event like no other.

Equilibrium Ensemble
Stephanie Lamprea, soprano
Nicole Parks, violin & acting music director
Orlando Cela, flute
Mike Williams, percussion

Inner Space
17 Station Street, Brookline
Tickets $25 ($15/students with valid ID)
+ $10 for the beer pairing flight

WORKS OF HAND
Photographs of Local Brookline Businesses
By Lynn Osborn
April 25, 2019 through June 7, 2019

The Gallery in Hunneman Hall at the Public Library of Brookline
361 Washington St.
Brookline, MA 02445

Opening reception: Thursday, April 25, 5-7 p.m.

The Gallery in Hunneman Hall — located on the second floor
The Gallery in Hunneman Hall is open up to 30 minutes
before closing as long as the hall is not is use.

For hours go to: brooklinelibrary.org/about/hours
For scheduled programs and events, go to:
brooklinelibrary.org/events

Other news....

The Committee to Commemorate Brookline artist John Wilson is pleased to announce that, with the help of the greater Brookline community and John’s many admirers, it has raised the $100,000 necessary to purchase and install his inspirational bronze sculpture, Martin Luther King, Jr., in the lobby of Brookline Town Hall.

A celebration of John Wilson and dedication of his inspirational bronze sculpture took place on Sunday, January 27th, 2019, at Brookline Town Hall.

NATHAN KLIMA FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
From left to right: Jaclyn, Maya, Erica, Julia, Roy, and Zachary Wilson posed for a portrait in front of the bronze sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. after an unveiling ceremony at Brookline Town Hall Sunday evening.

John W. Wilson, who was born in Roxbury in 1922 and died in Brookline in 2015, was a primary contributor to the development of the artist language and recognition of Afro-American art in the 20th century. more

POETRY - save the date for these upcoming evenings of poetry with Brookline laureate, Zvi A Sesling:

Thursday, March 28, 7-8:30pm in Hunneman Hall, Brookline Village Library - The Bagel Bards
Wednesday, April 24, 7-8:30pm in Hunneman Hall, Brookline Village Library - Poetry in Translation

2019 Jewish Poetry Festival - Sunday, February 3
Featured Poet: Zvi A Sesling, Brookline Poet Laureate

2018 Grant recipients honored at a reception on Monday, May 7

The 2018 grant recipients showcased their awarded projects and events at a public reception on Monday, May 7. Thanks to all who attended this enjoyable event.

In addition, the 5th annual BCA Cultural Contributor Award was presented to Joe Zina, for his commitment, dedication, and passion while serving as executive director of the Coolidge Corner Theatre as the driving forces behind the Theatre's renaissance that continue to have an impact on the Town today.

Thanks to his thoughtful ingenuity, Brookline residents gained access to unique programs that broadened their understanding of the arts and culture.

Poetry in Translation - a Brookline Poet Laureate event held on April 25, 2018

Twelve readers presented poetry at the Poetry in Translation event, on April 25 at Brookline Village Library. Poems were read in their original languages followed by the English translation.

This event was hosted by Zvi A Sesling, Brookline Poet Laureate.

Zvi A Sesling was named Brookline's third Poet Laureate for the term 2017-20.

Zvi A. Sesling was appointed as Brookline's third poet laureate and will serve a term of three years from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020. The BCA would like to thank Brookline Booksmith for their support.

Click here for the full press release

Zvi has plenty of community events planned to make poetry part of Brookline life!

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