Happy New Year 2023: Totoya Hokkei
Mekari Shinji at the Mekari Shrine in Japan is an annual ritual of cutting wakame seaweed—symbolizing wealth and good fortune—from the ocean at low tide on New Year’s day of the old ...
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Curator’s Corner
Sleigh Rides and Christmas Carols: Hattie Brunner
Some artists have a knack for setting a mood in a genre scene (scene of everyday life). Such is the case with Visionary artist Hattie Brunner, the so-called “Pennsylvania-German Grandma Moses.&r ...
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Curator’s Corner
Looking Ahead to Winter: Wayne Higby Ceramics
It just snowed where I live and winter is fast approaching. I personally love winter, snow and all, but I know many New Englanders dread it. That’s why there are a lot of “snowbirds” ...
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Curator’s Corner
Gems of the Month: Robert Motherwell's Lyric Suite
In order to beat the holiday rush, I think it’s a good time for some early presents in the form of gorgeous works of art. Unfortunately, I can’t gift the real artworks to you, but just see ...
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Curator’s Corner
Native American Heritage Month: Zia Pueblo
Today I present a work that reflects the abundance of rich indigenous cultures that populated the U.S. long before European settlement. The Anasazi of the western and southwestern U.S. were an amazing ...
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Curator’s Corner
Thanksgiving Week 2022: John F. Francis Still Life
I don’t usually attend a large buffet-style Thanksgiving dinner, but I always observe the underlying reason for Thanksgiving: being grateful. Among the many things I am grateful for—a ...
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Curator’s Corner
Autumn Color: Chung Hae-Cho
There have been some gorgeous arrays of color in Massachusetts foliage this autumn. I am particularly amazed at the palette of reds, especially when contrasted with any leaves that are still green. Th ...
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Curator’s Corner
Native American Heritage Month: The Powhatan Confederacy
Indigenous peoples lived in every region of present-day United States when the first Europeans arrived in the 1500s. The Spanish came via Mexico during expeditions in 1539 to 1543, 1540 to 1542, and 1 ...
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Curator’s Corner
Ghosts for Halloween
Ghosts, a big part of Halloween, are elements of mystery and curiosity in many cultures. There are great differences in the ways ghosts are perceived around the world, from abject terror to sympa ...
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Curator’s Corner
Gems of the Month: Aizuri-e
This month, I’m celebrating aizuri-e, or “blue prints,” from Japan’s ukiyo-e style that flourished during the Edo Period (ca. 1615–1868). The color Prussian blue was intr ...
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