Tag: Essex National Heritage Association

September 20 BLOCK PARTY HarborWalk – Trails and Sails – Harbortown – Committee for the Arts

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Cat Ryan submits-

Thanks to Ringo, MBT Electricians, Parsons Street was ready and lit as darkness fell.

Downtown Block Party overlapped with the first weekend of Essex National Heritage annual Trails and Sails (Sept 19-21 and 26-28). James Owen Calderwood, the artist who created FISH NET, was here to experience both events, help set up and answer questions.

There were hours of great LIVE and local music by the stage in front of Bank Gloucester. I’ll add the entertainer names and sponsors for that stage into the comments below. Parents dining al fresco at Ohana watched their kids engage at the YMCA kid town area. 4Square dominates, effectively trapping all kids. The YMCA staff is excellent!

We enjoyed working with Don and Francis of FABOLA and the guys from Surfside Subs. Throughout the Block Party, happy customers lined up for Surfside Subs pizza (the biggest slices ever!) and it was non-stop at Markouk’s booth with City Hall rising beyond. (The next morning, Markouk would be up and at it again for Appleton Farms.) 

FABOLA enlivened the sidewalk and parking space with mid-century modern “parklet” seating areas. A cozy chair and ottoman upholstered with a touch of Provence did not sell, but a trio of friends paused on FISH NET with their new modern lamp purchase.

I didn’t get to Smokin Jim’s Barbecue in the back garden by Dog Bar, nor Cape Ann Community Cinema to see Charade with Cary Grant, or the cheese tasting, or…well, there’s no way to get it all in. I did see the King, Fred Bodin! Congratulations to Judith Brackley, Valerie Markley, Lucinda, and others for their professionalism and attention to detail for these top notch street festivals.

CREATIVE AWARENESS: PUBLIC ART INSTALLATIONS ON UTILITARIAN SURFACES New York Water Towers- Vancouver Silos- Gloucester Streets

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Cat Ryan submits-

SELECTION OF TEMPORARY PUBLIC ART ON EXHIBIT NOW

See just a few of many artist’s ideas through temporary public art installations on utilitarian surfaces. Different purpose, message and style.

Os Gemeos, artists and brothers, monumental silos in Vancouver.

The Water Tank Project in New York City; overtime 100 will be wrapped.

Justin Desilva’s crosswalks and James Owen Calderwood’s FISH NET in Gloucester.

UPDATE: James Owen Calderwood

James Owen Calderwood’s FISH NET was recognized as an example of one of MA extraordinary public spaces. This summer Calderwood has re-painted and expanded the mural, completing his award. Professional photographer Linimberg Oliveira of Medford was in downtown Gloucester August for a photo shoot on Parsons Street. He described being inspired by Gloucester: the heady mix of historic buildings and architecture juxtaposed with modern art, specifically James Calderwood’s public street mural, FISH NET. You can see more of Calderwood’s work on view at the group show Sting! 18 Landscapes: Between Tradition & Imagination, at the Beehive in Boston. Calderwood works with lines in a variety of media. His welded aluminum sculpture Star was selected for the 2014 SculptureNow. The historic estate of Edith Wharton, the Mount, in Lenox, MA, is the current site for SculptureNow exhibition of large outdoor sculpture, which continues through October 31, 2014. REMINDER: The sculpture exhibit is a quick 5 minute drive to the Berkshire Museum’s Butterfly exhibit featuring work by Gloucester’s multi-talented artist, Kim Smith. 

UPDATE: Justin Desilva

Justin lives and works North of Boston. People have asked: Yes. Portuguese background. (Desilva’s grandfather emigrated from the Azores. He immigrated to the US, eventually working for a plastic injection mold company. An Uncle was a fisherman). His creative crosswalks make vivid connections based on Gloucester and stories from the HarborWalk. This installation is temporary and in progress. One of the next crosswalks will be on Harbor Loop and another on the east end of Main Street. He’ll reverse the crosswalks when the installation closes.  For a walking tour of the crosswalks Click for Google map for Justin Desilva crosswalk locations . Justin’s art is inspired by Jane Jacobs and her book the Death and Life of Great American Cities: “I was moved by her attention to detail of human interaction, and the idea that neighborhoods and cities are safest when they’re walkable.”

Justin Desilva’s art installation, With Every Street there’s a Story, is the second of three new works of art commissioned by the Committee for the Arts on behalf of the City of Gloucester for the 2013 HarborWalk Public Art Challenge, with funding from the Seaport Advisory Council. Calderwood’s was the first.

block party logo

Here in Gloucester, both installations are on view during the not-to-miss 2014 Essex National Heritage Trails and Sails weekends (Sept 19-21 and 26-28), which overlap with the September 20 Gloucester Block Party Saturday. MEET THE ARTISTS: they’ll be in town September 20th for these events.  Stop by the block party for special coloring page activity sheets!trails