Blog Feed: The Evolving Critic

The Evolving Critic will Go on Indefinite Hiatus

Published on 2012-03-01 07:28:30

As I ask myself whether there is a need for a blog like this one in this city, I’ve come to the conclusion that The Evolving Critic will have to go on indefinite hiatus starting this March 2012. I  have written one more review for Reach: The Architecture of the Freelon Group and a book review [...] > read more

Eso Eres / Marea

Published on 2012-02-25 23:00:58

My introduction to the work of Rafael Rondeau and Maria Rondeau occurred last summer in Close Distance—a terrific group exhibition highlighting six emerging Boston-area Latino artists. That summer at the Mills Gallery, we saw videos that explored architecture and its ability to frame our experience of place. Once again, this brother and sister duo have [...] > read more

A Twitter Response on Art Criticism – The Transcript

Published on 2012-02-19 19:53:24

The January 27th, 2012, Boston Globe review of the deCordova Biennial caused quite a stir in the Boston art scene– Critic Sebastian Smee’s first sentence tells us why: Horrible news to have to share (brace yourselves), but the second deCordova Biennial – the preeminent survey of contemporary art made by artists living and working in [...] > read more

A Conversation: William Cordova at the Boston Center for the Arts

Published on 2012-02-17 23:06:00

Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Miami, Florida, William Cordova is an internationally known artist practicing across multiple disciplines. Having earned his BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1996 and his MFA from Yale University in 2004, Mr. Cordova has exhibited at MoMA PS1, the 2008 Whitney Museum of [...] > read more

Grace and Glamour: 1930′s Fashion

Published on 2011-06-24 14:01:50

Grace and Glamour: 1930’s Fashion at the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, tells the story of the tumultuous Thirties through an exhibition of thirty-five dresses, accessories and sample fabric pattern books. The dresses are primarily draw > read more

It’s a Mad, Mad, World: Fashion Advertisements from the 1950′s

Published on 2011-06-20 06:00:16

In the last installment of this series, you saw liquor advertisements taken out of 1950′s New Yorker Magazines.  I went back to the Brattle Bookshop and bought 15 more 1950′s New Yorker Magazines (1953 through 1955, in the last post, t > read more

Laila Rahman: New Paintings and Etchings

Published on 2011-06-16 06:00:18

Laila Rahman: New Paintings and Etchings at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts’ BAG Gallery is the culmination of artist’s residency at the school. Rahman, born in Lahore, Pakistan is the first visiting Fulbright scholar at SMFA and explor > read more

It’s a Mad, Mad, World: Liquor Advertisements from the 1950′s

Published on 2011-06-11 23:00:57

Last week I stumbled upon a sale of vintage New Yorker magazines at the Brattle Book Shop on West Street in Downtown Crossing. Intrigued by the advertisements, I purchased 20 random issues from the 1950’s with the goal of scanning some of its pages > read more

New Project: Documenting Boston’s Murals

Published on 2011-05-29 08:00:30

Dear Subscriber, I would like to introduce you all to a project I have been quietly working on for a little over a year. I have been walking the streets of Boston exploring its colorful neighborhoods and photographing every mural in the city in h > read more

Summer 2011 – The Potential “Death” of Modernism

Published on 2011-05-28 19:49:01

This past March I blogged about the Phyllis Wheatley School in New Orleans which is under the threat of demolition. I feel compelled to share a wonderful short documentary by Evan Mather which highlights the architectural and cultural significance o > read more

“Susurrus”

Published on 2011-05-19 21:56:14

To close out its inaugural season of cutting edge programming, ArtsEmerson: The World on Stage invites everyone to remember, record, reminisce and recollect with David Leddy’s experimental play “Susurrus.” A play without actors or a stage, “ > read more

Black Boston: Freedom in the Empire and the Republic

Published on 2011-05-17 22:55:17

Last winter, I had a wonderful experience with Context Travel exploring the new Art of the Americas wing of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This Spring, I had another wonderful experience with Context on an in depth, three hour long walking tour of > read more

Andy Zimmermann “Where Am I?”

Published on 2011-05-13 21:56:47

When confronted with Andy Zimmermann’s current work at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, as a viewer, I cannot avoid but feel narcissistic and disconnected from the world. One cannot view Zimmermann’s sculptures without staring at our reflection in > read more

Where I Live

Published on 2011-05-07 22:08:29

Where I Live is an interactive sound installation featuring the voices of teens of The Urbano Project, a Boston based youth not-for profit arts organization.  Under the guidance of Alison Kotin, the aim of this installation is to “promote civic en > read more

River Street

Published on 2011-05-05 08:34:32

A site specific installation in Hyde Park by Daniel Phillips, River Street fosters an enriching cross-cultural and multi-generational dialogue between people whose memories are encapsulated in the built environment and “outsiders” like me who mi > read more

The City is My Inspiration

Published on 2011-04-26 06:00:15

Where do you get your ideas from? This is my first #LETSBLOGOFF  Topic! To say that one’s ideas are all original is a bit of an exaggeration. We cannot possibly deny the influence of others on our work and our creativity. I get my ideas from > read more

Riding the Urban Wave

Published on 2011-04-25 12:25:32

On March 23rd, 2011 as I was walking around the South End photographing murals for an upcoming “project,” I noticed this public art work. It is called LandWave and it is designed by Gillis-Smith/Kilkelly/Cormier led by landscape architect > read more

Francis Alÿs: The Moment Where Sculpture Happens

Published on 2011-04-21 10:48:16

Expecting to encounter sculpture in an exhibition titled Francis Alÿs: The Moment Where Sculpture Happens, is expecting to be disappointed. When hearing the word sculpture, it is safe to assume that most of us immediately become concern with the tec > read more

Untitled for Ai Weiwei

Published on 2011-04-11 02:30:06

Installed on the grounds of the Northwest Labs at Harvard University, Ai Weiwei’s Untitled is an extremely powerful, bone chilling reminder of life’s most excruciating moments. As one of China’s best known contemporary artists, the story of Ai > read more

#BCF2011* The Black Films of Aldo Tambellini

Published on 2011-04-07 21:58:21

During the sixties and much of the seventies, people lived in a world that changed rapidly in a short amount of time. The politically awkward climate of the era was heightened by the assassinations of Robert and John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, J > read more

Get Pumped! Introducing Metropolitan Boston’s Newest Museum

Published on 2011-04-04 06:15:16

A short walk from the Reservoir Stop on the Riverside Line or Cleveland Circle stop on the MBTA, and located inside a gorgeously restored and rehabilitated Richardsonian Romanesque Pumping Station building, is Metropolitan Boston’s newest museum, > read more

The Writings on the Walls

Published on 2011-03-28 07:00:20

I am fascinated with every aspect of a city. The fabric of a city, its many complex layers and patterns tell colorful and sometimes dark stories that deeply interest me. The city for me is my sanctuary for meditation, and because mediation is an inte > read more

Can We Save the Wheatley Elementary School in NOLA?

Published on 2011-03-24 22:05:23

“If you tear down my school, a part of me dies with it,” were the words of Phyllis Montana-Leblanc before the Historic District Landmarks Commission of New Orleans at a hearing concerning the historic modern Phillis Wheatley Elementary School in > read more

The Bucket List: Boston Edition

Published on 2011-03-22 23:13:30

Boston’s Channel 5 recently asked their “fans” on Facebook to come up with a bucket list of things and places every Bostonian must do and see before they die. Most of the things on the list are boring, overplayed and are for the mos > read more

One Thousand Paper Cranes for Japan

Published on 2011-03-14 15:42:44

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been deeply interested in the cultures of Asia, but more specifically Japanese culture. Since I have yet to travel to Asia, my interactions with Japanese culture have been through museum collections, Japanese art his > read more

Three Exhibitions Not to Be Missed in Boston

Published on 2011-02-28 22:10:10

There are three exhibitions I’d love for you to see and if you miss them, then you’re missing out on life.  The first one is at the Boston University Stone Art Gallery, 855 Commonwealth Avenue. Three Artists from The Caversham Press: Deborah Be > read more

Can Twitter Save this House?

Published on 2011-02-25 02:04:43

In the last few weeks and days, we’ve witnessed the power of Twitter and other social media outlets in spreading democracy in many parts of the world. I didn’t really believe much in Twitter because I didn’t understand how it worke > read more

Suffocating Boston’s Public Art

Published on 2011-02-18 02:52:14

The Boston Phoenix loves to frown upon EVERYTHING that is good. They blamed The Decemberists for the death of indie rock music and they referred the New England Holocaust Memorial as “a breathtaking banality.” Every year, the Phoenix publishes it > read more

Jennifer Steinkamp will make you smile

Published on 2011-02-16 08:15:28

Have you ever gone to a museum or gallery and seen a work that just made you smile? I recently went to see a show that did just that, in fact, I was even smiling at strangers on the subway….in Boston (this never happens, EVER)! Astatic|Feb > read more

Go See this: Women Pop Artists

Published on 2011-02-14 06:30:26

Seductive Subversion: Women Pop Artists 1958-1968 | Tufts University Art Gallery |January 27 – April 03, 2010 This is a much needed exhibition in the art world. One hears “Pop Art” and Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Hamilton a > read more

Get Pissed Off!

Published on 2011-02-11 01:00:42

Contemporary art is hard to swallow. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve seen many works that have managed to piss me off and I’ve loved it. I loved it because the work was successful in stirring some sort of emotion out of me and for making me think > read more

Go See This!

Published on 2011-02-05 16:13:49

Every once in a while, you see an exhibition that sticks with you long after seeing it. In spite of being sick, I ventured out to First Fridays and came across a few shows that are worthy of being seen, including a show by one of my favorite video > read more

How to Build an Igloo

Published on 2011-02-04 06:30:56

This winter we have more snow on the ground than we could possibly know what to do with it. The bad news is that it is only February, so I’m sure more snow is on the way. With all this snow, and more on the way, I think we can all prepare our > read more

Exploring the Museum of Fine Arts with Context Travel

Published on 2011-02-02 06:15:23

On Wednesday February 26th, I had the opportunity of attending a walking tour organized by Context Travel at the Museum of Fine Arts. For Context Travel, the walking tours are no larger than five or six people and are led by local experts in urban p > read more

Flowers and Festivals: Four Seasons in Japanese Prints

Published on 2011-01-26 19:45:05

The use of trees, flowers and festivals as subjects in Japanese prints of the Edo period (1615-1867) more than any other subject matter, reflected the realities, ambitions, aspirations, and tastes of the time. The pleasures of festivals, grand events > read more

In the Footprint

Published on 2011-01-21 00:03:03

On Wednesday night I had the opportunity of seeing “In the Footprint: The Battle over Atlantic Yards” presented by The Civilians and Arts Emerson at the Paramount Theatre in Boston. The show is a combination of theatre, dance and music and “dra > read more

ChildrensRightsPeaceStudiesFishFarming…

Published on 2011-01-10 07:00:39

This past weekend, I visited the Cambridge Public Library to admire the beautiful restoration of Van Brunt and Howe’s 1888 handsome Richardsonian Romanesque building executed by Ann Beha Architects, as well as the stunning addition by William R > read more

Scaasi: American Couturier

Published on 2011-01-06 12:53:26

I saw Scaasi: American Couturier for the second time at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and I’m still not blown away as much as I was with High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture exhibition at the American Textile History Museum > read more

My Blogging Year: 2010 in Review

Published on 2011-01-02 12:00:51

Just thought I’d share this very neat analysis with all of you! The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads > read more

A New Year, A New Boston

Published on 2010-12-31 21:36:29

Here’s to a new year, a new Boston! More than two decades in the making, the Paramount Theatre is breathing new life today thanks to dedicated organizations like the Boston Preservation Alliance, institutions like Emerson College, the  Boston > read more