Category Archives: Art & Film

Photo from instagram.com/gardnermuseum

Boston’s weather forecast for this coming week (and likely the next many weeks) is bone chilling cold. However, that doesn’t mean you cannot get out and forget about the crazy cold gripping the city. It just means you have to be a bit more creative about choosing what you do.

One of my favorite museums in Boston is the Isabella Stewart Gardner, located in the Fenway (about a 5-minute walk from the MFA). Once the home of the wealthy arts patron, Mrs. Isabella Stewart Gardner, it was transformed into one of the nation’s more quirky museum which has objects of art dating from Roman antiquity to 20th century American artists like John Singer Sargent.

The home, which looks fairly plain from the Fenway, is actually modeled after a Venetian Palazzo and was designed by Willard Sears, a prominent architect at the time who also went on to build the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown. The home was built to house Gardner’s growing art collection and was modeled after the architecture in Venice (one of the Gardner’s favorite cities).

The centerpiece of the palace is the courtyard where the stonework arches, columns, and walls create an unforgettable impression. And for those looking to forget about winter, no place in the city is more comforting. Surrounded by a world class art collection you can smell the flowers in bloom, see the tiny grassy patch and hear water cascading from a Roman fountain. Its the best therapy you can get for chasing away the winter blues and far cheaper than a therapy session.

If you’ve never been or if you need to forget about this ridiculous cold, plan on visiting the Gardner Museum.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed explicit hope that his legacy would act as a call to action in his sermon The Drum Major Instinct delivered on February 4, 1968. In keeping with his wishes, the non-profit organization MLK Boston, in partnership with the Boston Art Commission and the City of Boston, has announced a competition for a permanent installation commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s and Coretta Scott King’s legacy in Boston.

This memorial seeks to create a compelling call to action and is intended to inspire visitors to reflect on Dr. King’s life and the values he espoused. The memorial will also honor the contributions of Coretta Scott King, a civil rights icon in her own right, thus recognizing the crucial contributions she and other women made to the civil rights movement.

For more information about eligibility, selection criteria and the process read the full Request for Qualification. For more information about the non-profit MLK Boston visit their website at  mlkboston.org.

The critically acclaimed biopic, Tom of Finland, which opened earlier this year in select cities in the United States finally opens in Boston today. I was able to see the film last week at Emerson College through their Bright Lights series, and I really enjoyed it.

The film which opens near the conclusion of WWII in Finland runs for nearly two hours and chronicles the life of Touko Laaksonen, the artist who created Tom of Finland.  The movie was directed by award-winning filmmaker Dome Karukoski. He does an excellent job sharing the life and work of Laaksonen.

A “Boston Release” page has been created on Facebook to make it easier to get tickets to one of the screenings for the opening weekend at the Kendall Cinema.

Tom of Finland Boston Release

Call Me By Your Name opens in Boston, Dec. 22nd

A gay-themed movie that I’ve been raving about lately (read my movie review here) will finally open in Boston on Friday, December 22nd at The Kendall and Loews Theater. The film has been picking up accolades nearly everywhere and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Oscar nominations.

Boston Gay Men’s Movie Group has arranged for a meet up event at the Kendall Cinema to see a matinee showing on Saturday, December 23rd. If you want to learn more visit the meetup page here: Boston Gay Men’s Movie Group.

The story is based on a book by the same name written by by Andre Aciman. If interested you can read my book review here.

Kendall Cinema (Cambridge)
AMC Loews Theater (Boston)
The Coolidge (Brookline)