Tag Archives: SOWA

One of the things I enjoy about working from home is that I feel like I am more aware of my neighborhood. This afternoon is a perfect example of what I mean. Around lunchtime I heard a huge crash outside my window so I immediately stopped what I was doing to look outside. What I saw on Harrison Avenue was a line of cars and up the street one block in front of Ars Libri was a large SUV (Hummer?) that had rammed itself into another vehicle with people were running around and shouting. All of this seemed very strange but even more wierd was the fact that I noticed Harrison Ave. was blockaded and there was a cop in front of my building just watching everything.

Apparently this was a film shoot. Since Gov. Patrick signed into law tax incentives for the movie industry, the SouthEnd has been awash with filming crews. However, I’ve never really seen live action shots during the day. Usually, I just see crowds of people standing around and trailers lining side streets.

I checked out the LoadedGunBoston blog, which often reports filming activity in the area but did not see any mention of what this might have been for. However, Sam Baltrusis’ entry from Wednesday this week, “Boston ranks No. 6 on list for indie films” made me wonder if it was an independent crew filming. Either way, it was a fun distraction to watch from the comfort of my apartment window for a few minutes today.

One of the things that I really like about my neighborhood is that there is always something just a little bit curious happening. When I woke this morning I was surprised to see a dozen or so people across the street from my home huddled around several tables snapping pictures and engaging in some sort of silk screening process.

After watching pedestrians walk-up and talk to the industrious crew, I decided to walk over to see first hand what was happening. As it turns out this is a group of urban artists who are creating limited edition prints steamrolled onto tar paper to commemorate a forthcoming publication that “promotes the urgency for greater creativity in the design of asphalt spaces.”

At first blush this might sound a bit crazy, but as Paula Meijerink – Asst. Professor of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University (the woman in the lower right corner of the photos below) explained, this is an affordable, 100% recyclable material that is cheap and readily available. The publication these prints are being developed for is intended to “inspire change by exploring the properties of asphalt and asphalt spaces” and to spur new and creative uses for this material.

Kudos to Paula Meijerink, Boston-based illustrator and designer James Kraus of Art Guy Studios, and the small team of helpers who dedicated their Saturday to this project. If you would like to learn more check out their cool website at http://www.onasphalt.com.

Every neighborhood in Boston has its own unique identity and despite years of significant redevelopment and gentrification, the South End remains home for many resident artists. I hope that the strong ties and history this neighborhood shares as a place that welcomes and encourages such creative self-expression is something that stays as long as I call this place home.

Throughout the year, the first Friday of every month, many artist studios and art galleries in the South End open their doors to the public. The event is aptly named, “First Fridays”, and when the weather is agreeable the streets fill with people of all ages looking for an alternate way to spend a few hours on a Friday evening. However, twice a year, First Fridays are forsaken for a much larger art extravaganza called the SoWa Art Walk that runs all day Saturday and Sunday.

According to the SoWa Art Walk website the event this September will involve more than 300 artists. I always talk this event up to friends and encourage people from other neighborhoods to come and visit.