Around Town

New Public Art Opens in Area of Watertown Facing Years of Road Construction

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“Transitions” by MASARY Studios, one of the new art installations in Coolidge Square. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Coolidge Square, the heart of East Watertown, will be a construction zone for the next few years, but the area has a pair of new public art pieces to bring a little joy to the area that will endure the chaos of road and sidewalk replacement. https://youtu.be/Yud2pRsSWrU

The project, called “Open for Business,” includes “Transitional,” which incorporates materials you might find in construction — sheets of aluminum and the white and yellow reflective tags used on roads — to create a piece that changes as you look at it from different angles. The piece was created by MASARY Studios, which also produced the Solstice light show at Mount Auburn Cemetery. “Transitional” is on the wall on the side of Coolidge Hardware, on Kimball Road at the corner of Mt.

Entertainment

Boston Dance Theater Presenting First Performance at Mosesian Center for the Arts

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The Boston Dance Theater, which recently moved to the Mosesian Center for the Arts, will host its first production in its new home on June 20 and 21. See more information in the announcement from the Mosesian Center from the Arts, below. Fresh off a captivating performance at our Spring Soirée, we’re excited to present Boston Dance Theater for Crosscurrents, June 20–21, their debut production in the Charles Mosesian Theater. With pieces by internationally recognized choreographers, new works for their Trainee Program, and performances by local guest artists, Boston Dance Theater offers a layered and immersive audience experience. The program features works with music by Johann Sebastian Bach and Maurice Ravel.

Entertainment

Come Join the Very First Creative Chats Conference

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Matt Hanna has hosted Creative Chats since 2025 to talk about creativity with a variety of guests from Watertown. On Thursday, June 4, from 12-4 p.m. Hanna will host the first Creative Chats Conference at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. See more information in the announcement below. Since January 2025, we’ve had over a dozen Creative Chats gatherings to get creative people face-to-face to mingle, hear a featured conversation on the topic of creativity and the creative life, and engage in the conversation themselves. Now it’s time to end the second season with something a little bigger!

Entertainment

Watertown Dancer Performing in Boston Ballet’s “The Sleeping Beauty”

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Simone Zupka

A Hosmer School student will be performing with in the final production of Boston Ballet’s 2025-26 season, “The Sleeping Beauty.” See more information provided by Boston Ballet, below. Simone Zupka of Watertown will perform in Boston Ballet’s production of Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty in the role of Fairy Page. Simone has been a student at Boston Ballet School for four years, and this marks her second production with Boston Ballet. Performances of Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty will take place at the Citizens Opera House in Boston, where audiences will experience this beloved classical masterpiece brought to life by Boston Ballet’s dancers.

Entertainment

MIT Immersive Documentary Pop Up Coming to Watertown

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The following announcement was provided by MIT Open Documentary Lab:

The MIT Open Documentary Lab and IXRDC are bringing Immersive Documentary Pop-Ups to Watertown Library on Thursday, May 28, from 4–7 PM. Visitors can drop in to experience a curated collection of virtual reality works by artists exploring climate change, identity, immigration, indigeneity, racial injustice, disability, memory, and civic life. This is part of Libraries as Immersive Storytelling Hubs, a civic research initiative by the MIT Open Documentary Lab exploring how public libraries can become spaces for immersive storytelling, community engagement, and new ways of knowing. Featured projects include:

• Ice Sailors• Less Than Five Grams of Saffron• Travelling While Black• You Destroy. We Create.

Around Town

Third Watertown Porchfest is Bigger Than Ever With 200+ Performances

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Porchfest returns to Watertown for the third year on May 16. (Photo from Watertown Porchfest)

The third year of Watertown Porchfest is the biggest yet, with in excess of 200 performances at more than 80 locations around the City on Saturday, May 16 from noon to 6 p.m.

Organizers have published a map with the performance locations and the list of bands on the Watertown Cultural District at watertownmaculture.com/watertown-porchfest. Homes around town will turn their porch, driveways or front yards into stages this year. Joining them are the Watertown Free Public Library, First Parish Church, Gigi’s Pizza, Branch Line, and Gore Place. In addition there will be five block parties where the street will be blocked to traffic.

Entertainment

Celebrate New Public Art, Meet the Artists at Community Sculpture Walk Opening Reception

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The 2026 additions to the Community Sculpture Walk, clockwise from top left: Bent by David Skora, Structural Misinformation by Jeremy Entwistle, Tangent II by Carlos Davila, and Respite (Out Straight) by Roe Osborn. The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City of Watertown is proud to announce the installation of four new contemporary sculptures as part of the ongoing Community Sculpture Walk. To celebrate these new additions to the city’s landscape, a public opening reception will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., hosted by the Public Arts & Culture Committee. The event will begin where the Community Path starts at Saltonstall Park, located next to the Thaxter Street municipal parking lot behind the Watertown Free Public Library. The reception offers a unique opportunity for residents and visitors to meet the artists behind the work.

Entertainment

Exhibit “The Jane Gang: Drawing Meets Painting” Opens at Watertown Art Gallery

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The following information was provided by Storefront Art Projects:

Storefront Art Projects presents: “The Jane Gang: Drawing Meets Painting” featuring Jane Goldman and Friends. The exhibit runs May 2-30, 2026. A reception will be held on Saturday, May 2, 1-4 p.m.

With art by: Jane Goldman, Sharon Adams, Diana Bailey, Barbara Berke, Mike Claflin, Henrietta Davis, Sarah Hickler, Fran Hiller, Barbara Hoppin,Sally Lebwohl, Melinda Mesmer, Joan Savitsky, Sandy Shaw, Betsy Tuttle, Betsy Zeldin

Since the pandemic, well known artist Jane Goldman has been teaching Zoom classes in drawing and watercolor. The participants have become supportive friends who inspire Jane and each other. 

Jane’s students say: “Jane Goldman combines professional rigor with playful creativity, offering mentorship in watercolor that is personal, challenging, and inspiring.” 

“I learned to love watercolor painting in Jane’s class. Each time I pick up a paint brush I’m challenged to capture the magic of light on paper!” 

“Drawing with Jane on Mondays has been a highlight of my week for the past couple of years.