Monumental new street art adorns the Cabot’s historic theater walls above and beside exterior murals painted in the 1990s by owner + staff from Le Grand David Own Spectacular Magic Company. Then and now the exterior murals offered opportunities for Montserrat students to assist in some capacity.
After a competitive mural call with some 70 submissions, Alex Senna, a muralist based in Sao Paulo Brazil was selected to paint the wall at Cabot and Dane streets (this post). Helen Bur of London was chosen for the side wall along Judson at Cabot Street (here), with Abington artist Felipe Ortiz assisting.
A portion of the cost for these 2019 public art works included about $40,000 raised by the Cabot and a grant award ($16,500) from the Essex Creative Community Foundation. The dedication is Tuesday, August 6, 2019 from 5:30-8:30PM at the Cabot (286 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA). Food trucks and brew will be part of the celebration event.
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Summer reading, new books, ongoing weekly programs, and special summer events: Sawyer Free children’s department is impressive! Families time regular visits to check out and return books with an array of fun plans. Rick Roth and crew engendered smiles and gasps with snakes from New England and the world on July 27, 2019.
Ssssecurity!
Captures from Assistant librarian and wonderful photographer Linda Bosselman
With the crowds at capacity year round, the children’s library is ideal on this level.
Imagine using stairs and the elevator to access the crush of ongoing and popular children’s programs on a proposed top floor of a proposed new building (review plans here). Sawyer Free has appropriated $935,000 from the endowment for a fundraising firm to assist with the capital campaign to raise 20 million of a 26 million plus project. Preliminary plans displayed at the annual meeting can be seen here
The childen’s department needs renovation and expansion, and access to its outdoor space again. The future planned terracing limits the public outdoor space and will impact the rich flexibility of so many outdoor options, running around and programs this department made use of since the Monell build.
Reminder – Pop UP Planetarium at City Hall tomorrow July 29,2019 summer 2019 a Universe of Stories (separate reminder post coming)
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Sawyer Free Library (SFL) Children’s Services shares photographs from Curious Creatures program (July 25, 2019), one of many special summer 2019 events amidst regular weekly busy & fabulous children’s programs. Photo credit: Linda Bosselman. Christy Russo is the children’s services director.
Scroll below to see photographs from the teen program held later that day, Galaxy Tie Dye.
Snakes of New England with Rick Roth scheduled tomorrow! Mark your calendar for more summer fun.
Snakes of New England Coming Saturday July 27, 2019Not to miss ongoing weekly programs PLUS Summer Reading 2019 A Universe of Stories special events
Scenes from Sawyer Free Library teen program yesterday, Galaxy Tie-Dye, programming inspired by the 2019 summer reading theme “A Universe of Stories”.
Now that security help is squared away, let’s open that side door back up to its open space and make it easy on these outdoor programs (and patrons) to set up and go.
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Selections from Amy Kerr’s I Am More series on view in beautiful Matz Gallery, Sawyer Free Public Library July 2019. Learn more here
The ongoing series has grown and been displayed in different configurations and groupings at numerous venues, encouraging repeat visits and consideration. Here is an installation view from the iteration at Cape Ann Savings Bank May 2019.
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Colleen Hogan-Lopez of the Friends of the Sawyer Free Library group thanks GMG and shares a reminder about one way they fundraise to bring such great programming.
Did you know?
The Friends of Sawyer Free Library offer gently used books at their year round book sale. Look for the Friends Book Shop sign by the front desk and check out our adult, teen and children‘s selections and save on paperback, hard cover and audio books, most priced from 50 cents to $2. Best sellers are $5.
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Ray Cahill, Trustee, Awesome Rockport, thanks Joey Good Morning Gloucester for all its community help, and shares this opportunity:
PUBLIC CALL TO ARTISTS
Awesome Rockport is seeking proposals from local artists to create a permanent mural on a wall downtown in Rockport’s Cultural District. A $1500 grant will be given to the winner to help complete the work. We’re partnering with Rockport Music (the owner of the wall), the Rockport Art Association and the Rockport Public Library to bring this project to life. Spread the word! One sheet printable PDF here: Awesome Rockport Mural RFP
July 31: Deadline approaching for Scholarship Opportunity
Do you live on Cape Ann? Do you have a child in Grade 4 or above who struggles with reading and spelling? Would you like to see that child gain two or three grade levels in his or her reading ability in the next school year? The Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage Committee is offering two full $6000 scholarships for 1:1 instruction for the 2019-2020 school year. For more information or for an application, contact Robin Carlo here Applications will be accepted through July 31.
August 4th Ice Cream Social and Children’s Program
Reading some wonderful excerpts from Virginia Lee Bruton’s book, Life Story, followed by arts and crafts project
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The Gloucester Sea Serpent is like a Massachusetts Loch Ness monster though an ocean rather than freshwater creature. Alleged sightings date back to 1638; see excellent research by Lise Breen for the HarborWalk marker #19 “The Sea Serpent”.
In 2017, the Cape Ann Museum (CAM) celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Sea Serpent’s peak folklore moment when hundreds of accounts were published in newspapers. (In comparison, the first written record of a monster in Loch Ness dates way back to 565, picks up popular speed by 1802, and on to global recognition by 1933). Swampscott and North Shore sightings surged as competition with Newport and other summer tourism hotspots increased. Sea serpent inspired art across media continued into the 20th and 21st centuries.
photo caption: Cape Ann Museum – street banners heralding Sea Serpent Exhibition 2017
Below: A Sea Serpent at Cressy Beach Stage Fort Park in Gloucester was originally painted by fine artist Robert Stephenson circa 1960 and is kept fresh by adoring community. Many moons ago, a free standing climber serpent was a favorite element at the Stage Fort Park playground. My photos in this post span years/seasons, roughly 2011-2019. Hover for descriptive details or double click & enlarge.
July 20, 2019
The new sculpture commission, Gloucester Sea Serpent, by Chris Williams at Cape Ann Museum was dedicated July 20, 2019, to honor Ronda Faloon, distinguished Cape Ann Museum Director (2006-2019) who retired in 2019.
Before
Look for the serpent’s nocturne visage: the Williams sculpture is the first one on museum grounds to incorporate light amidst its mixed media.
The Gloucester Sea Serpent at the entrance joins other sculptures on view in the Cape Ann Museum Courtyard and Sculpture Garden, a special public space dedicated to the memory of Harold Bell, President of Cape Ann Museum (1979-2003).
ALBERT HENRY ATKINS (1880-1951) Spirt of the Sea 1915 bronze [fun fact courtesy Alex Monell: architect (Cape Ann Museum & CAM board) Don Monell held this sculpture on his property until the best re-siting]
ROBERT AMORY, Reflection, 1970 gift of the artist
KEN HRUBYUneasy Crown, Uneasy Chair, Uneasy Piece, 1986 (cast 2008) Gift of Judith McCulloch in memory of Harold Bell
And dappled today, GEORGE DEMETRIOS bronze fountain, Spring
Across the street, the Cape Ann Museum sculpture park and gardens designed by Clara Batchelor, CBA Landscape Architect Principal, opened in 2011. Its centerpiece features
JOHN RAIMONDI sculpture, Dance of the Cranes
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Today is the anniversary of the first moon landing on July 20, 1969. When I think about this momentous day, I mostly remember the artist Robert Rauschenberg, one of the established artists paid a tiny honorarium to travel to see space launches first hand. NASA gave artists total freedom to create any visual response if so awed. They were. Decades later, Rauschenberg agreed to loan rare works of art inspired by the space program for a solo exhibit that I co-curated. It was a big surprise when he scheduled a visit. He spent a morning at the show with me, closely observing each and every piece, some he hadn’t seen since he made them. Many were created long after his residency. He was flooded; it’s very emotional.
Where were you on this day? I was in Plymouth, MA.
As i’m in a wishing and reflective mode, may I add that I look forward to the day when all Massachusetts newspapers are scanned and searchable. In the meantime, the Gloucester Daily Times coverage of that inspiring moon walk is on microfilm at the Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Library. Enjoy the headlines and some local quotes from 1969.
“Older folks take moon in stride–They’ve seen a lot, but this one…” by Henry Meyer, Gloucester Daily Times
article excerpts including quotes from Arthur Jones, Mrs. Bertha Silva, and John Bordreau (91)
This moon shot business: Can you dig it? Arthur W. Jones, 67, who lives at the Huntress Public Medical Institution can. Jones and some of his fellow residents on Emerson Avenue have seen the entire panorama of the development of aircraft… “This is one of the greatest things that has happened to our country.” The moon shot had helped to “unite people together,” he said…“When this country gets together, they do things right. No matter what they start, they finish it.”
Mrs. Bertha Silva said that Lindbergh’s flight was exciting back then. However she agreed with Jones that the landing of the first man on the moon really outdid all other flying feats…
John Bordreau, 91, also a resident of the institution was delighted by the whole affair. Boudreau predicted that astronauts soon will be flying all over the solar system…”We’ll just have to wait and see where they’re headed.” Both Jones and Boudreau said they had heard there was oil and gas on the moon. Boudreau remarked, “That’s kind of a long drive for just a couple of gallons of gas. Jones predicted that within 10 years men will be living on the moon. Some scientists said over the radio that there were eaves on the moon where people might live. He said there was oil up there and that they might be able to extract water from rocks.”…One person said that at her age she tended to be leery of these things…Others expressed confusion at the speed at which this generation seems to be moving…
excerpts from Our men on the moon: ‘A long day’…a hazardous return, by Edward K. Delong, Space Center, Houston, UPI article ran in the Gloucester Daily Times.
Mrs. Stephen Armstrong, Neil’s mother who watched her son on television from her home in Wapakoneta, Ohio, noticed this: “I could tell he was pleased and tickled and thrilled,” she said.
“Magnificent desolation,” commented Aldrin. “It has a stark beauty all of its own. It’s much like the desert of the United States.”
“It’s different, but it’s very pretty out here,” said Armstrong, who lived in California’s Mojave Desert when he was flying the X15 rocket plane. Armstrong and Aldrin, both about 5’11” cast 35 foot shadows…Zint said he was surprised by the emotion in Armstrong’s voice when he stepped onto the moon. “That was more emotion than I’ve ever heard him express before. Even when he talked about things he was excited about like space travel he always had a calm voice.”
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Alive Still: Nell Blaine, American Painter | A Talk with Author Cathy Curtis
The Cape Ann Museum, is pleased to present an illustrated talk by author Cathy Curtis about beloved Cape Ann artist Nell Blaine on Thursday, July 25 at 7:00 p.m. This program is free for Museum members or $10 nonmembers. Reservations are required. For more information visit capeannmuseum.org or call 978-283-0455 x10.
Alive Still: Nell Blaine, America Painter (Oxford University Press, 2019) is the biography of an artist who believed she was at the top of her game in 1959, when she traveled to Greece to paint. She had a great time . . . until she contracted the most severe form of polio and had to be airlifted to New York. A paraplegic at age thirty-seven, she was determined to regain her skills. Her coloristically brilliant, rhythmically vibrant style illuminated landscapes and still lifes that reflect her passion for the natural world. During the next three decades she would become a notable painter and one of America’s great watercolorists. In 1974, she purchased a cottage on Ledge Road, where she and her partner, painter Carolyn Harris, made the most of the splendid views available on Cape Ann.
Cathy Curtis is the author of two previous biographies of women artists, RESTLESS AMBITION: GRACE HARTIGAN, PAINTER (Oxford University Press, 2015) and A GENEROUS VISION: THE CREATIVE LIFE OF ELAINE DE KOONING (Oxford University Press, 2017). She earned a master’s degree in the history of art from the University of California, Berkeley, and wrote art criticism for many years. In 2018, she was elected to a two-year term as president of Biographers International Organization in 2018. Her website is www.cathycurtis.net
Who Was Ben Butler? A series of presentations at the Cape Ann Museum
The Cape Ann Museum and Gloucester Stage Company are pleased to present Who Was Ben Butler? a special arrangement of speakers and performers on Saturday, July 27 at 2:00 p.m. This program will take place at 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester and is free for Gloucester Stage Company & Museum members or $10 nonmembers(includes Museum admission). Reservations are required. For more information visit capeannmuseum.org or call 978-283-0455 x10.
Benjamin Franklin Butler of Gloucester had many admirers and detractors as he helped shape the course of mid-19th century America. He won a seat in Congress while camping in Bay View, started the Cape Ann Granite Company, owned the yacht “America,” championed women’s suffrage, and changed the course of the Civil War, not through military skill but legal acumen. These accomplishments are among many achieved in a life spent in business, law, and the military.
In 21st century Gloucester, however, Butler remains a cypher.
The Gloucester Stage Company and the Cape Ann Museum are pleased to re-introduce Ben Butler to his adopted city.
Gloucester Stage will present the play BEN BUTLER August 2-25, and in anticipation of that, the Cape Ann Museum and Gloucester Stage will offer an opportunity to acquaint themselves with one of Gloucester’s most accomplished citizens. Professor Robert Forrant (U. Mass Lowell), a noted Butler historian, will join some of Butler’s Bay View descendants for a lively discussion, and actors from the play BEN BUTLER will make an appearance to give a hint at this fascinating and witty play.
Image credit: Alfred James Wiggin, Benjamin F. Butler. Collection of the Cape Ann Museum.
On July 18, 2019 the architectural firm, Dore & Whittier, was slated to reveal associated rough costs on new school(s) buildings– such as construction costs, swing space costs, and eligible reimbursables– with the School Building Committee. (See summary of City Council requests July 9, 2019 here.) The meetings are public. Associated costs were not transparent for the public. Instead a dollar sign rating system was illlustrated pictorially, like so:
Why were rough estimate details cut from the presentation? A few reasons were provided, namely “MSBA does not look kindly” on public disclosure because
The MSBA aims to have the best possible build based on educational needs and goals rather than cost. Publishing amounts can taint the bidding or decision making.
The public may be too attached to numbers they hear and/or be confused because of the (lengthy) timeline. By the time shovels hit the dirt the final bids will be different.
Other districts post all associated costs, why not Gloucester? Why are the design/build firms awarded these contracts charged with bidding out the cost evaluations on projects, especially ones greater than 5 million? Why assume this process is the only way to go about it?
Michele Rogers with Dore & Whittier announced that there were “no surprises” following review of the cost estimate comparisons. “Eliminations were easy; the most expensive were eliminated.” She concluded that this presentation was the second and final per their contract for services related to this Feasibility Study Phase. [This one feasibility study phase contract total cost is: $569,075 ($284,296 for the feasibility study and $275,704 for the future schematic design. One environmental study add on is $9075). Requests for a breakdown of all studies and plans related to new schools–at least since 2012– have gone unanswered by the school committee and architectural firm.]
The next step is to compile and deliver submission to the MSBA, the state agency tasked with reviewing Gloucester’s application for new schools.
Q. Next steps? “Submittal allows us to do geotechnical site evaluation and other necessary investigations (like traffic and environmental studies), and more design. Submittal helps us narrow down and leave behind areas we won’t bother with as we know…We’ll need to tighten the building design and handle specialized pieces. We’ll proceed from 9 options to 6 very quickly. ”
Q. What is the submission? “It’s a thick binder, maybe 10- inches thick, with all our reports to date, the educational program narrative, the space summaries approved earlier, etc.” Will the MSBA require a presentation? “No. The MSBA will review the binders within a two week turn around; then we have a two week turn around to respond.” Dunn commented to make sure the City see that. The MSBA will decide on November 13th or November 20th whether to make a recommendation to allow this proposal to proceed to the next phase: schematic design. “Or they’ll push back and request more information.” The MSBA “will not require more work on many options as the scoring was so low. They’ll be concentrating on the top 3 or 4 options.”
Tom Ellis was present related to a staff change; Roger who managed the design phase is moving out of state so the team for Gloucester will need to be reorganized. They met with MSBA July 17, 2019 to discuss this change. (Was someone from the city at the meeting?) Chris Tremblay will be assisting. “MSBA doesn’t like surprises,” Ellis remarked.
Who does?
The costs and application should be public before it’s forwarded to the state. Chairman Jonathan Pope said he’d forward the pricing.
Presentation
Double click on pictures to enlarge the slides for the “East Gloucester Elementary School Building Committee 7.18.19″. Color coding continues as in yellow = East Gloucester; Blue = Vets; and Green = Green Street area.
Slide 1 title slide East Gloucester consolidation costs prepared by Dore & Whittier and School Committee building committee
Slide 2 agenda
Slide 3 EGS options A1,A2
Slide 4 EGS options B1,B2,B3
Slide 5 EGS options C1, D1
Slide 6 EGS options E1, E2, E3 all new all all 440 students
Slide 7 Vets options F1, F2 both NEW 440 students
slide 8 Green Street options G1, G2 NEW and 440 students
Slide 9 – pricing on 15 options in pictorial dollar signs
Slide 10- pricing on final 9 in pictorial dollar signs
Slide 11 – Scoring on 14 options
Slide 12- scoring criteria note solar emphasis new dded
slide 13- scoring on final 9 for state
slide 14 REMINDER from Dore & Whittier- this is their final presentation
slide 15 end slide
And the winner (high scoring) is…
one location at Vets and both at Green
slide 13- scoring on final 9 for state
REVISED SCHEDULE
“By October we’ll be back on schedule. Yes, MSBA has seen the schedule and is pleased.”
Upcoming special event at Cape Ann Museum
