This week, GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen joined the Morning Edition team to discuss a Harlem Renaissance musical, the great outdoors and a museum facelift.
Alpha 60
On view throughout the Emerald Necklace through September 30
Get outside and bring your phone with you. Boston Cyberarts and curator Michael Lewy have a new exhibit, Alpha 60, which brings augmented reality art from 19 different artists to the city's Emerald Necklace parks system.
"I would just advise people to spend time with it and look around," says Bowen. "It must also be hilarious for passersby to wonder what we're doing with our phones, because you've entered this other realm that they, of course, cannot see."
The exhibit is titled Alpha 60 becuase Michael Lewy was inspired by the science fiction central to the 1965 French film, "Alphaville." While "Alphaville" features a supercomputer taking over a town — outlawing all free thought, art and poetry — Bowen points out that Alpha 60 is doing the opposite. "Because of the democratic nature of this, I think it's going to be fascinating to see what artists do, taking their form and then adapting it for the augmented reality realm."
Downloading the Hoverlay app on your phone will give you access to an interactive map featuring the various artworks.
Georgia O'Keefe, Photographer
On view at the Addison Gallery of American Art through June 12
Georgia O'Keefe's paintings are well-known, but many don't know the artist was an avid photographer as well. O'Keefe took over 400 images from the 1950s through the 1970s. In addition to O'Keefe's photography, the exhibition also features her paintings and drawings.
"A couple of the images that stand out to me are of her courtyard in New Mexico, where you see this wide, very solid wall, one color, but then there's a ladder going up," says Bowen, "So you see her playing with line and light and shadow." These excercises would continue to shape her creative process and inspire future projects.
Past is Prologue: History in Contemporary Art
On view at the Addison Gallery of American Art through July 31
"This is a really profound show, especially this week," says Bowen. The recently unveiled exhibit invites artists to examine American history to explore issues of gender and identity. One particular artwork that stuck with Bowen was the work of Native American artist, Nicholas Galanin. Galanin takes the iconic 'Hollywood Land' sign, which represented white-only development, and reimagines it as 'Indian Land'. "This is why we always turn to the arts," explains Bowen.
Which art activities are you looking forward to? Tell Jared about it on Facebook or Twitter!
