Convergence: Boston Sculptors Gallery Exhibits on the Christian Science Plaza


The Boston Sculptors
The Boston Sculptors Gallery and The First Church of Christ, Scientist organized an outdoor exhibition of monumental, site-specific artworks. In a convergence of imagination and civic pride, over two dozen art installations from Boston Sculptors Gallery members were displayed on The Christian Science Plaza May 1, 2013 through Oct 31, 2013. For more information and a full video recap with artist interviews, click here.

The Space Within, Buds by Gillian Christy

Jen Mergel Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the MFA contributed an essay to the catalog.

Bag Lunch by Laura Evans

From the press release, "Each sculpture will speak to its architectural surroundings, activate the site that inspired it, and create a unique destination for the Boston community to see contemporary art. Following on the heels of the newly renovated Contemporary Wing at the Museum of Fine Arts and as a celebration of the newly designated statewide Fenway Cultural District, this exhibition carries forth the vision to draw attention to visual art of the moment and promote its prominent place in the life of the city.

Nave by Rosalyn Driscoll

We invite the public to enter, look, think, hope, dream, and be a part of the experience. Participating artists include: Gillian Christy, Murray Dewart, Donna Dodson, Rosalyn Driscoll,Laura Evans, Sally S. Fine, Chris Frost, Peter DeCamp Haines, Jim Henderson, Michelle Lougee,Nancy Winship Milliken, Andy Moerlein, Eric Sealine, George Sherwood, Margaret Swan, Marilu Swett, Leslie Wilcox, Joseph Wheelwright, and Andy Zimmermann.

Minoan Reflection by Sally Fine

Boston Sculptors Gallery was founded in 1992 by 18 prominent Boston-area artists to present and promote innovative, challenging sculpture and installations. It is the only sculptors’ organization in the country that maintains its own exhibition space. In twenty years the cooperative has held over 227 art shows and supported the work of 58 sculptors with work in 48 U.S. states and 36 foreign countries.

Grotto by Christopher Frost

Gallery members have received numerous honors including 81 residencies, 315 awards or fellowships, and 134 grants. Members have taught in 70 settings, generated 169 permanent public art works and 308 temporary public artworks, and are included in 1,100 private and public collections. Boston Sculptors Gallery articulates, challenges, and promotes the role of sculpture in the public sphere, in communities, and in the lives of individuals.

Inner Eagle by Peter DeCamp Haines

The Christian Science Plaza is a 14-acre pedestrian refuge amid the busy traffic patterns of Boston’s urban environment and attracts thousands of visitors each year from all over the world.

Three Bronze Trees by Jim Henderson

In the heart of the Plaza sits The Original Mother Church, built in 1894, and its domed extension, built in 1906.

Christian Science Coral by Michelle Lougee

The Plaza also includes an arboretum of linden, oak, and honey locust trees, a 686-foot-long reflecting pool, the children’s fountain, and the world-famous Mapparium™, the most popular exhibit at The Mary Baker Eddy Library. 

Arabesque by Eric Sealine

The Plaza has been influenced over the past two centuries by several architects, including Chester Lindsay Churchill in the 1930s and the firm of I.M. Pei & Partners and Araldo A. Cossutta, Associated Architects, in the 1970s and is a designated Boston Landmarks Property.

The Lighthouse by Nancy Winship Milliken

The Fenway Cultural District, the first Boston-based Massachusetts-wide Cultural District, is comprised of more than 40 cultural and academic institutions, community organizations and private residents and is managed by the Fenway Alliance, a consortium of 22 institutions.

Templum by Margaret Swan

The owner of the Christian Science Plaza, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, has always been active within the Boston community and was a founding member of The Fenway Alliance, the group responsible for the creation and organization of this cultural district.

Water form by Marilu Swett

VISITOR INFORMATION: The Christian Science Plaza is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Huntington Avenue, in Boston, MA.

Loving Stones by Joseph Wheelwright

Admission to this outdoor exhibition is free, and open to the public through October 31, 2013.

Sentinel by Leslie Wilcox

Exhibition catalogs will be available for purchase after June 6, 2013, from the shops at The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston and The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston.

Liminal Bloom by Andy Zimmermann

Save the following dates for more Convergence events in June:

Wave Cloud by George Sherwood

 Saturday June 15th 11am "Kinetic and Monumental" Murray Dewart, Founding member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery, and George Sherwood, notable public artist, will lead a conversation on the plaza about the 20th anniversary of the Boston Sculptors Gallery, the changing landscape of public art in Boston and their role in shaping the future.

One Bright Morning by Murray Dewart

Friday June 21st 8pm "An Arty Night Out! A Solstice Event"Join Artists Andy Moerlein and Donna Dodson for a guided tour of Convergence on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, under a nearly full moon. 

Tiger Mother by Donna Dodson
New Hampshire sculptor, Andy Moerlein will be joined by Boston artist, Donna Dodson for a romantic stroll in one of Boston's architectural treasures. Plan an early dinner in the city and join us for our walk.

Poised by The Myth Makers: Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein
Saturday, June 29th 11am "Art, Architecture and the Landscape- a Conversation" Judith Tolnick Champa, Editor in Chief of Art New England and Wyona Lynch-McWhite, Director of the Fruitlands Museum of Art in Harvard, Mass. will discuss the challenges of curating in an urban environment."

Impossible by Andy Moerlein

Thank you to everyone who made Convergence possible!

As the last and final post on this blog, we want to say our heartfelt thank you to all the people who made this show possible...

Thank you to Murray Dewart who had the idea and vision to lead the members of the Boston Sculptors Gallery on an epic voyage in celebration of our 20th anniversary and to Jean Mineo for her consultation with us on every aspect of this show. This exhibition has provided Boston with some amazing temporary public art that will not be forgotten!

Thank you to Lyle Young and the First Church of Christ Scientist Board of Directors for saying yes to this show, and to the phenomenal staff at the church: especially Toni Gaspard, Robert Herlinger, Alina Bayer, Sarah Nichols, Taryn McNichol, and many, many others for navigating through this project with us and for the countless hours they contributed to this project to make it great!

This show would not have been possible without the generous contributions of our donors and patrons who wish to remain anonymous. Thank you all so much for your support! Additional thanks goes out to Megan Low at the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston and The Volunteer Lawyers for the arts for their fiscal sponsorship of Convergence.

Thank you to all of our VIP and grand opening speakers: Helena Fruscio, Tito Jackson, Linda Nathan, and Byron Rushing. With the support of the exhibiting artists and the following arts community leaders, we provided  23 free guided tours and public art talks of the show: Judith Tolnick Champa, Wyona Lynch-McWhite, Ron Mallis, Dan Sternof Beyer, Deborah Disston, Kelly Brilliant, Liz Keithline, Brian Goslow, Michael Volmar, Jean Maginnis, Wes La Fountain, Jean Mineo, Nick Capasso, Katelyn Littlejohn Kirnie and Terrry Catchpole. Thank you for the time and energy you put into the dialogue you contributed to the show!

Thank you to the New England Foundation for the Arts for sponsoring our panel discussion, and to our very thoughtful panelists- Megan Low, Kelly Brilliant, Toni Gaspard, Robert Herlinger, Dharmena Downey and exhibiting artists Nancy Winship Milliken and Donna Dodson.

Thank you to Jen Mergel for her very well written catalog essay! Your contribution really made a difference!

Thank you to the following reporters and bloggers for your press coverage of the show: Sebastian Smee, Cate McQuaid, Jared Bowen, Meghna Chakrabarti and Anthony Brooks, Dennis Kois, Suzanne Volmer, Liz Keithline, Coryn Doncaster, Eddie Small, Tom Vellner, Erin Halvey, John Carroll,  Margaret Weigel, Fred Langa and Penny Cherubino.

Thanks to Outside the Box Festival and Opening our Doors for including us in your programming, advertising and public events. Special Thanks to Rita Fucillo for promoting this event in Panorama Magazine! Thank also to Sculpture Magazine, the Cambridge Art Association, Art Scope and Art New England for supporting this show! 

Thanks to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, The Fruitlands Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts Bookstore, The Mary Baker Eddy Library Bookstore and The Boston Sculptors Gallery for selling our catalogs!

Thanks to all the people who made the trip to see the show!


The show is up for two more weeks, if you have not seen it yet, do not miss it! 

Oct 19, 2013: New Visions & Fresh Perspectives - the future of public art in Boston

Saturday Oct 19th 11am   Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.



Katelyn Littlejohn Kirnie
Katelyn Littlejohn Kirnie, Visual Arts Manager, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy GreenwayConservancy.


Terry Catchpole, Member, Board of Directors, Arts & Business Council of Boston; and Member, Advisory Board, Downtown Boston Business Improvement District (BID).

Programming private public sites as well as publicly owned sites in Boston requires funding, community partnerships, politics and poetics. This dynamic team will discuss Convergence in the context of the past, present and the future strategies of making public art in Boston happen as they stroll through the Plaza project.

Oct 14, 2013: Sculpture- a Professional Opinion

Monday, October 14, 2013 @ 3pm. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.

Nick Capasso
Nick Capasso New Director of the Fitchburg Art Museum and former Chief Curator at the DeCordova Museumand Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Mass will lead a tour of the exhibition on the plaza, commenting on the role of contemporary art, monumentality and siting sculpture in a public setting. 

This talk takes place during The Fenway Alliance’s 12th Annual Opening Our Doors on Monday, October 14, 2013—Greater Boston’s largest day of free cultural experiences.

Oct 5, 2013: Poetic Gestures and Material Surprises

Saturday Oct 5th 11am "Poetic Gestures and Material Surprises

Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.


Eric Sealine & Michelle Lougee will lead a guided tour of Convergence sculptures in a morning conversation about adapting their materials and practices to the scale of the plaza. Eric's first language is architecture and responding to the site came naturally. Michelle incorporates plastic bags, such as the wrappers on the New York Times, into woven biomorphic shapes. Come and explore the exhibition with these two Boston Sculptors.


Arabesque by Eric Sealine
Christian Science Coral by Michelle Lougee

Sept 21, 2013. Site Insights: Peter Haines and Margaret Swan

Saturday Sept 21st 11am. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.

Peter Haines and Margaret Swan. 


Founding members of the Boston Sculptors Gallery, Peter Haines and Margaret Swan will discuss the site specificity of each piece on the plaza in relation to the surrounding architecture and the other works in the exhibition. 


Inner Eagle, Peter DeCamp Haines

Templum, Margaret Swan

Sept 7, 2013: Play Date, A Family Outing- Bring the entire family!

Saturday Sept 7th  11am. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.




Explore the Plaza art with Jean Mineo, a mother and the Director of the Boston SculptorsGallery in a guided tour to engage the senses for all ages. Ever wonder how the artist MADE it? We'll look at the artworks, touch the materials, explore construction techniques, and learn about the sculptors living in our community and how they work together to run a gallery.

Aug 24, 2013. The Big Picture: Public Art and Creative Communities

Saturday Aug 24th 11am. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.


Wes La Fountain
Jean Maginnis
Jean Maginnis, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Maine Center for Creativity and Wes La Fountain Interim Associate Director of Development UNH, and Co-Founder of the Maine Center for Creativity will discuss the works of art in Convergence in the context of place making, building an audience in the community for contemporary art and activating a popular urban landmark.

Aug 10, 2013: The Contemporary Figure in Public Art

Saturday Aug 10th 11am. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.

Leslie Wilcox & Sally Fine both draw on the tradition of using the human form in their monumental outdoor works of art. Wilcox's figures animate the arbor of trees on Mass Ave and Fine's figure will catch the viewer by surprise by hiding in the portals of the Colonnade Building. Come and discover other works of art that seem to blend into their surroundings yet stand out with their vivid presence. 


Leslie Wilcox, Sentinel Stand




Sally S. Fine, Minoan Reflection

Aug 3, 2013: A Critical Evaluation of Site and Idea

Saturday Aug 3rd 11am. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.

Brian Goslow

Two notable arts personalities, Brian Goslow, managing editor of ArtScope Magazine; reporter, Fifty Plus Advocate newspapers; and a freelance reporter for Worcester Magazine, and Dr. Michael Volmar, Chief Curator, Fruitlands Museum and curator of Art in Nature will provide a guided tour of the art on the Christian Science Plaza. Their combined experiences with installation challenges and creative results in a public setting will initiate a free ranging discussion of the work on view. This is sure to be a lively and intelligent consideration of the work and the merits of presenting sculpture in a busy urban setting. 

Dr. Michael Volmar

July 27, 2013: Playfulness

Saturday July 27th 11am. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.

Artists Laura Evans, Andy Zimmermann and Marilu Swett will lead a guided tour of Convergence, the sculptures sited by the Boston Sculptors Gallery on the Christian Science Plaza. Come and engage in an informal conversation about the role play can take in creating sculpture, from an artist's perspective.  

Laura Evans, Bag Lunch
Andy Zimmermann, Liminal Bloom
Marilu Swett, Water Forms

July 20, 2013: Administrator and Maker

Saturday July 20th 11am. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.


Liz Keithline, Director of Public Art programs, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts will lead a thought provoking and engaging walk through of Convergence. Well versed in the complexities and challenges of administering public art projects, and a sculptor herself, Liz will engage the audience in a conversation from both points of view.  This talk will take place during the Outside the Box Festival in Boston.
 

July 14, 2013: The Fenway Cultural District Opens the Avenue!

Sunday July 14th 11am. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.


Kelly Brilliant, Executive Director of the Fenway Alliance will lead a tour of Convergence during The Fenway Cultural District Opens the Avenue! – A partnership of the Fenway Alliance, Outside the Box Summer Arts Festival, and the Emerald NecklaceConservancy’s Circle the City— 'The Fenway Cultural District Opens the Avenue!" celebration takes place All-day, Sunday, July 14, 2013

July 13, 2013: The Meaning of Materials

Saturday July 13th 11am. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.

Nancy Winship Milliken and Rosalyn Driscoll both work with natural materials--Nancy with wool and Rosalyn with rawhide. They will explore the meanings of the materials used in the sculptures of the exhibit, Convergence, as well as in the plaza itself. This talk will take place during the Outside the Box Festival in Boston, outsidetheboxboston.org.



Nancy Winship MillikenThe Lighthouse, raw wool from New England farms, scaffolding, steel, fishing net, silk, rope, 70x8x6 feet, 2013  


Rosalyn Driscoll, Nave, Wood, plaster, aluminum, rawhide, copper, steel, 8' x 5' x 2.5', 2013

July 9, 2013. A Panel Discussion on Convergence: A Case study in building community partnerships

Tuesday July 9th 6pm The New England Foundation for the arts will sponsor a Panel discussion. Arrive at 5 and take a guided tour of the Convergence exhibit with Ron Mallis, AICP, Urban Planner and the Head of BostonAPP/Lab, Dan Sternof Beyer, Artist and Arts Activist, Deborah Disston, Director McIninch Art Gallery & SNHU Sculpture Park & Andy Moerlein, Convergence Artist. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.



Moderator: Donna Dodson, Member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery and Co-organizer of Convergence

Panelists:
Kelly Brilliant, Executive Director, Fenway Alliance
Dharmena Downey, Executive Director at Fenway Community Development Corporation
Toni Gaspard, Community Relations Liaison, The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Robert Herlinger, 
Chief Architect & Strategist, The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Megan Low, Director of Services, Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston
Nancy Winship Milliken, Member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery

The panel discussion at 6pm will be followed by a reception.  Location: Sheraton Boston, Commonwealth Room. 39 Dalton St, 3rd Fl, Boston

June 29, 2013: Art, Architecture and the Landscape- a Conversation

Sat June 29th 11am Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.

Judith Tolnick Champa, Editor in Chief of ArtNew England and Wyona Lynch-McWhite, Director of the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Mass. will discuss the challenges of curating in an urban environment.



Judith Tolnick Champa

Wyona Lynch-McWhite 

June 21, 2013: An Arty Night Out! A Solstice Event

Friday June 21st  8pm. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.

Join artists Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein for a guided tour of Convergence on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, under a nearly full moon. New Hampshire sculptor, Andy Moerlein will be joined by Boston artist, Donna Dodson for a romantic stroll in one of Boston's architectural treasures. Plan an early dinner in the city and join us for our walk. 



 Tiger Mother by  Donna Dodson


 Impossible by Andy Moerlein


Poised by The Myth Makers: Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein

Update: Sarah Nichols, Senior Graphic Designer for Local Mother Church Activities and Church Services at The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, Massachusetts took some great event images, see them on flickr.


June 15, 2013: Kinetic and Monumental

Sat June 15th 11am. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.  

Murray Dewart, Founding member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery, and George Sherwood, notable public artist, will lead a conversation on the plaza about the 20th anniversary of the Boston Sculptors Gallery, the changing landscape of public art in Boston and their role in shaping the future. 



Murray Dewart, Byzantium Gates


George Sherwood, Wave Cloud

June 6, 2013: Catalog Launch

Thursday, June 6th 2p-5p Tours at 2:15 and 4:15p with the artists. Meet at the entrance to The Mary Baker Eddy Library, 200 Mass Ave and walk around the sculptures that are installed on the plaza and end at the bookstore, where the participants can purchase the catalog. The tour is free and open to the public.

Jen Mergel Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the MFA will make remarks at 3pm. Location: Mary Baker Eddy Library Bookstore.


Photo credit: Emily Mergel

Update: Robert Herlinger, Doodle-ologist, Chief Architect and Strategist with The First Church of Christ Scientist, wrote a very moving tribute to all the artists who participated in Convergence. Read it here- page 1 and page 2.