Around Town

April Vacation Irish Dance Open House Taking Place in Watertown

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The following announcement came from O’Shea Chaplin Academy of Irish Dance:

Boys and girls ages 4 & up are invited to spend part of April break trying Irish dance with O’Shea Chaplin! Our school, celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2024, offers performance, competitive, and recreational opportunities. Come see why dancers join our family in preschool and choose to stay with us through high school, college, and beyond. This event is FREE to attend and all open house guests will be entered into a raffle for $50 off tuition. Monday April 15th – NewtonBalera Studio105 Rumford Ave5:00-5:45 PM

Tuesday April 16th – WatertownAOH Hibernian Hall151 Watertown Street5:15-6:00 PM

Thursday April 18th – ReadingKnights of Columbus11 Sanborn Street5:00-5:45 PM

Saturday April 20th – NewtonBalera Studio105 Rumford Ave12:30-1:30 PM

Questions?

Entertainment

Turtle Studios Open House Features Several Watertown Artists

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The following announcement was provided by Turtle Studios:

Join us for a weekend filled with art, creativity, and inspiration! Explore the works of talented artists and immerse yourself in the vibrant art community. Turtle Open Studios Spring 2024 is coming to 213 California St. in Newton April 27 & 28 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, fiber arts, photography, mixed media & SO MUCH MORE! Light refreshments and homemade baked goods.

Entertainment

Gandzaran/Treasury Exhibition Spotlights Armenian Museum of America’s Art Collection

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Courtesy of Armenian Museum of AmericaMartin Barooshian (1929-2022), “Gomidas Vartabed 4/50,” c. 1970-1979, signed color intaglio etching, 24×22, donated by Haig Der Manuelian. The following announcement was provided by the Armenian Museum of America:

The Armenian Museum of America in Watertown has recently opened its latest exhibition in the Adele and Haig Der Manuelian Galleries, “Gandzaran! Notable Selections from Our Collection.” The show is curated by Ryann Casey, and co-curated by Gary Lind-Sinanian and Elias Trout.  “Gandzaran!” showcases 39 works by 24 artists from around the world. It is scheduled to run through August 4, 2024. In recent centuries, Armenian fine art often focused on illuminations, reliquaries, and other pious objects, the most significant of which were secured and hidden in the gandzaran (գանձարան), or treasury, of a monastery. These treasure vaults were designed to protect religious works, which would be displayed periodically for the faithful, then returned to the vaults to be preserved for the ages.

Entertainment

Celebrate YardArt at Reception at a Watertown Art Gallery

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The following announcement was provided by Storefront Art Projects:

It’s the 4th Annual YardArt, a spring celebration of creativity and fun in front yards, porches and windows all over Watertown!! Throughout April, www.storefrontartprojects.com will show collages by Cat Bennett, Marieju Dawe, Xavier Haurie and Ellen Wineberg. And we’ll again have Dianne Jenkins’ dolls made with recycled fabric and funky do-dads, colorful kids’ clothes by Helen McMullen and whimsical creations in clay and cloth by Maggie Stern. Paul Angiolillo brings back his giant pencils, and there’s multimedia art by six children and an impactful quilt by Adrienne Sloane calling out gun violence. A reception will be held at Storefront Art Projects, 83 Spring St., Watertown, on Saturday, April 6, 1-4 p.m.                       

We hope you plan a visit, find an interactive YarArt website and map at www.mosesianarts.org

Around Town

Novelist Celeste Ng discusses Writing & Democracy at Event Hosted by Watertown Library

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Author Celeste Ng spoke about her book, “Our Missing Hearts,” at the Watertown Free Public Library. The novel is the library’s 2024 selection for its One Book, One Watertown program. (Courtesy of the Watertown Library)

Bestselling author Celeste Ng, whose most recent novel explored dystopian fears increasingly echoed by real-life headlines, told library patrons in Watertown on March 21 that she holds hope for the future and a belief in the possibilities of art. Ng, who lives in Cambridge, came to Watertown Free Public Library to discuss her novel “Our Missing Hearts,” the library’s 2024 selection for its One Book, One Watertown program. Each year, the library suggests a book for city residents to read, and hosts programs to foster a community-wide discussion around the book’s themes.

Around Town

Art Exhibit and Performances to Celebrate Women’s Voices at Mosesian Center for the Arts

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“Woman’s Work” by Stephanie Todhunter is part of an exhibition at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. (Contributed Photo)

The following announcement was provided by the Mosesian Center for the Arts:

The Mosesian Center for the Arts at the Arsenal in Watertown has programmed a collection of events celebrating the talents and voices of women in both visual and performing arts. Feminist Art: Contemporary Perspectives opens as a gallery exhibition on March 22 and runs through May 3. SheGrooves: Using Our Voices for Positive Change (March 27), Lil Bit of (Almost) Everything Comedy Showcase (April 12), and Melodies of Ukraine with the Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America (April 14) are three related events taking the Mosesian Arts stages during the exhibition dates. Feminist Art: Contemporary Perspectives

There is a long line of artists who have created feminist art — Judy Chicago, Faith Wildling, Ana Mendieta, Louise Bourgeois, Barbara Kruger, Betye Saar, Lorna Simpson, and many more. Their work continues to be relevant today as women and other marginalized genders are facing the same issues of oppressive body politics. 

Restriction and lack of reproductive rights were some of the issues addressed by feminist artists in the 1970’s, and reproductive justice issues have had a particularly devastating impact on Black and Indigenous communities. Artists in this exhibition are grappling with the same issues and injustices because of conservative and oppressive polices created in recent years. 

The present-day resurgence in feminist art, as well as an interest in its history and connection to current intersectional feminist political and art activism, has opened a re-examination of themes of the body, particularly the bodies of women and trans individuals, and how it is viewed.

Entertainment

Armenian Museum Showcasing Pieces From Its Collection in New Exhibit

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Kevork Mourad, The Age of the Word (2002, Acrylic on canvas). (Courtesy of Armenian Museum of America)

The Armenian Museum of America will be hosting Gandzaran, an exhibit of notable selections from the Watertown-based museum’s collection. An opening reception will be held on March 22. The following information was provided by the Armenian Museum of America:

Armenian fine art historically focused on illuminations, miniatures, and other pious objects, the most significant of which were secured and hidden in the gandzaran (գանձարան), or treasury, of a monastery. Drawing from the Museum’s vaults — our own gandzaran — this exhibit (click here) showcases the development of Armenian art in the 20th and 21st centuries, from its origins in religious motifs to the Soviet period and its continuous reinterpretation among contemporary artists around the world.

Around Town

Mosesian Center Hosting Visual and Performing Arts Classes, Seeks Pieces for Exhibit

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The following information was provided by the Mosesian Center for the Arts:

Registration has opened for spring classes for youth and adults in visual and performing arts at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown, and registration continues for summer youth programs. A call for art for a spring exhibition is also open. Visual and Performing Arts Classes

Mosesian Arts offers over thirty performing and visual arts classes for children, teens, and adults. Visual arts classes include painting, drawing, printmaking, and mixed media for adults, and fiber arts, comics, and introductory classes for young artists. Classes in the performing arts include acting, voice, improv, and technical theater. The low-cost Visual Narratives program has also begun a new session in the Aging Creatively Initiative for adults age 55 and older, funded in part by the Marshall Home Fund.