Last month spoken word poetess Abena Koomson performed as part of our Alt Cab series for an audience that was awestruck by her talent and her presence. A group of Summer Seminar students from MCLA attended the performance and were lucky enough to meet Abena after the show and have their photo taken with her (see below). One of the organizers of the program wrote, “There a number of students in this year’s Summer Seminar who enjoy writing poetry, so this event was perfect for them (and for all of us!)” the students also shared their enthusiasm for the event adding “I’ve never attended anything like this before” and “she really moved me.” One student even ranked the performance as her favorite event of the summer.

In the photo: (from left to right) Kim Harris, MCLA ‘08, academic tutor counselor in writing, (Burlington); Tanya Germain (Sharon); Monique Symes, academic tutor counselor in writing (Boston); Jarred Jeter (Boston); Ms. Koomson; Tyeson Bell (Roxbury); Marlene Romero (Boston), and Georgiana Swaray (Dorchester).

We are glad these students were able to join us for the show and hope we will see them all again.

Cheers,

Brittany

PS. Check out our next installment of the Alt Cab series with Dark Dark Dark this coming Saturday, August 9.

Summer holds a very special place in my heart. Below are the top five things I love about summer.

1. Having the opportunity to soak up the sun as much as I can.

2. Flip flops. Now that I have moved into mine I’m not likely to abandon them until there is snow on the ground.

3. Summer foods like cold salads and watermelon, that somehow taste so much better on a warm day.

4. Summer rains. There is something so refreshing about the intense humidity just before these rains and the cool that follows.

5. Outdoor shows at the drive-in, in the middle of town, at an institution, it doesn’t really matter to me as long as I am outside enjoying a movie or a live performance.

At MASS MoCA we try to host as many outdoor performances as we can during the summer, although sometimes the weather does not always cooperate with us which is why we have rain calls. Although the process is extremely necessary, sometimes it can seem downright funny when it is pouring down rain or the sun is shining brightly. A few weeks ago I took this photo of my friend Sarah, who works in the performing arts department, right after the rain call on a beautiful day. Of course this is a spoof on the actual process, but you get the idea!

Cheers,

Brittany

Have you looked at the MASS MoCA Flickr Group lately? Today we are celebrating our sixth month anniversary on Flickr AND the addition of our 500th photo! Thanks to you and your cameras we are on our way to compiling an excellent collection of photographs capturing nearly everything MASS MoCA related… even our bathrooms!

I have two challenges for you faithful blog readers….

1. Let’s get some discussion going over on our Flickr Group board. To get you started I have posted a topic asking whether photography should be allowed in art galleries or not.

2. Let’s expand the group to 1000 photos by January 1st of 2009. That’s only 6 months, but I know you are up to the challenge.

Wishing you insightful discussions and happy photo posting,

Brittany

Over the past few months a team of us have been developing the new children’s scavenger hunt that will take place in the galleries the fourth Saturday of June, July and August this summer. The hunt will focus on the two newest exhibitions in the galleries Badlands: New Horizons in Landscape and Being Here is Better Than Wishing We’d Stayed by Miss Rockaway Armada. Not only have we been having great discussions about how to pull themes from both exhibitions, including recycling and conservation, into the hunt but we have also been making prototypes for art projects. Today we had our first prototype meeting and I thought you might be interested in seeing what we have been working up.

Upside down plants prototype 1.

Upside down plants prototype 2 + 3.

And our Education Coordinator Alison showing off her plant prototype and a camouflage crown she created.

Cheers,

Brittany