GILLIAN

I installed Winding Walk in Newburyport, MA yesterday.  People were friendly and visited with me as I installed the piece.  I checked out the Harborwalk and Rail Trail with permanent sculpture, and  shopped in the town center.  It didn’t take me long to get into the holiday spirit in Newburyport! Happy Holidays!!

Winding Walk will be on view at Somerby’s Landing Sculpture Park through October 2012. 

The Boston Sculptors Gallery Holiday Party was yesterday at our home.  It was nice to get together with the sculptors outside of the gallery and enjoy some holiday cheer! We are all looking forward to an exciting 2012 as we plan celebrations and events for the 20th Anniversary of the Gallery.

The Civic Space/ Public Art lecture at Northeastern last night was a look into completed projects on the Greenway in Boston.  Tim Love and Dina Dietsch spoke on public processes that were implemented for creating the Harbor Islands Ferry Pavilion while Nick Capasso forged a pilot program for introducing public art on the Greenway. 

Having just moved to Boston, this was a good introduction to how public art has been incorporated into the Greenway.  The lecture also offered good insight to the general dour attitudes expressed about how Boston commonly integrates ‘dumbed down’ public art into the cityscape.  It was refreshing to hear Capasso say, ” There is an expectation [from the public] that a 21st Century park has public art.”  If the public expects public art but we live in a process dependent city, how can we get the public art that is engaging but also edgy, daring or maybe controversial?

John Bisbee lead a tour at the MFA speaking about how he views art, and comments on works in the collection of the new Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art.  He spoke about how he liked work that showed the “obsessiveness of the hand” and used the term “High craft, Low tech.” This phrase is evident in Louise Nevelson’s work (as seen behind Bisbee), but also Mona Hatoums’ 2002 piece “Grater Divide”.

Afterwards, Christina Godfrey, Niho Kozuru and I enjoyed a nice lunch with the Assistant Curator of contemporary art, Al Miner at the New American Cafe and learned about how works get acquired for the contemporary wing.

Looking west around 5:20 yesterday, outside my studio.