Arts and Culture

Somerville Climate Action Film Series Presents:
“URBAN ROOTS: When Everything Collapses Plant Your Field Of Dreams,” at the Armory facility, 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville. Discussion of urban farming will follow.

Somerville Climate Action and Rep. Denise Provost present a free film,

Empowered: Power From the People

Tompkins County, NY is one of the cloudiest, least windy places in the country, and yet its residents…

Somerville Community Access Television launched a new website that streams Channel 3 over the Internet to the world. WWW.scatvsomerville.org allows users to watch the live stream and select individual programs for on-demand viewing

Somerville Library as a digital laboratory, community service, and creative resource to both city and national users.

Somerville Climate Action, Rep. Denise Provost and The Growing Center present a free film:

MOTHER NATURE’S CHILD

Mother Nature’s Child explores nature’s powerful role in children’s health and
development through the experience of…

Are you a teen who likes to write stories about aliens, blogs, flash fiction, or poems? Are you interested in becoming a novelist, short story writer or poet?

This is not your grandmother’s literary event.

On Wednesday March 6, from 6 to 8pm, nonfiction writers Ethan Gilsdorf and Steve Macone and poets Janet Wondra and Ava Leavell Haymon perform their work and deliver a heathy dose of “bad attitude” — from the playful, irreverent, and transgressive to just plain bad-tempered work.…

When my membership renewal came due  I sent WGBH a letter explaining the dilemma I faced deciding whether to continue to support Boston’s non-commercial public television station. I had recently seen a promotional piece- a…

The “Raising The Nave Porch Roof” fundraiser is being presented by several local area PorchFest bands (www.somervilleartscouncil.org/porchfest) who are fans of the Nave Gallery and thrilled about the opening of the Gallery’s new Nave Gallery Annex, a non-profit community space located right next door to Redbones at 53 Chester St. in Davis Sq.

DisAbility Reframed presents a showing of Children of A Lesser God at the Cambridge Citywide Senior Center on January 12, 2012. All welcome!

Please join us for the New England Premier of “Shift  Change”,

What: An inspirational new documentary by veteran filmmakers Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin about the real possibilities offered by worker cooperatives during this…

Hello All,

Just wanted to let you know I will be doing two shows, Magic For Smart People, at the Somerville Theater in Davis Square on Saturday October 20 at 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM…

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Home Movie Day is a worldwide event that invites you to see and share your own home movies with an audience of your community. It’s also a chance to…

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to give an update on my year-long community art project, “The Somerville Stock Exchange,” which just reached its six-month mark. Thought you might be interested…

7th Annual HONK! Festival 2012 www.HonkFest.org … events based in and near Davis Square, Somerville and Harvard Square, Cambridge. This year featuring the following bands:

Jonathan Kozol has spent many years in schools that serve children of poverty, writing a series of powerful books that began with Death At An Early Age about his experiences as a Boston teacher…

Saturday was the terrific Meet Me at the Mystic 40th anniversary event organized by MyRWA. It was a great day to be out—breezy and rain-free at least in the morning. From the dam…

Recently I had a bit of a mental meltdown. I’ve been wanting to own a kayak for years, but have kept putting it off. I was renting them periodically, but I really wanted to paddle…

SCATV is pleased to host two workshops in cartoon animation with Instructor Gabriel Polonsky. Mr Polonsky is a professional, Emmy nominated animation director, artist, and cartoonist. He has created projects for Cartoon Network, Discovery, and…

Presented by State Representative Denise Provost and Somerville Climate Action. Rather than dispensing facts about climate change; peak energy, food and water; and biodiversity loss, this film examines the cultural barriers that prevent us from acting rationally.

Hi everyone!

I’m working on a new community art project– and I hope you’ll decide to participate!

It’s called “The Somerville Stock Exchange,” or SSE for short. Unlike our New…

Last week, Mayor @JoeCurtatone retaliated against Somerville accessibility rights advocate Eileen Feldman after she blew the whistle on the City’s attempt to have the U.S. Surgeon General’s March 23rd health grant event held at the then-inaccessible Armory…

Well, I’m missing the after-party, but I wanted to share some tidbits from this event that raged all day at the Armory today.…

State Representative Denise Provost and Somerville Climate Action present the Oscar-nominated film “GASLAND”. The billion dollar energy industry has a dirty little secret… Followed by a discussion. Free of charge.

Do you ever play the “If-I-had-a-million-dollars” game? Whenever I play, I think of throwing intimate parties for brilliant, powerful people who will orchestrate the betterment of society before my eyes. Now that TEDx is coming to the Armory, I don’t have to hit the lottery to get a full day’s taste of the experience.…

Somerville Voices was asked to post this notice about a library meeting from the Davis Square LiveJournal: http://davis-square.livejournal.com/2824126.html.

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Rob Rudin’s Half-Jewish, double bill with Naftule’s Dream. Tuesday, January 24, 8:00 pm. $10 cash at door. Johnny D’s, 17 Holland Street, Davis Square, Somerville. For information call (617) 776-2004 or log onto www.johnnyds.com.

We’ll gather on the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, for a spiritual-but-not-necessarily-religious event to acknowledge the shadow side of the season.

Hope you will all join us for a great evening of music featuring Liv Taylor, Jennifer Kimball, the Upper Crust, The Darlings, the Chandler Travis Philharmonic and many more great musicians. All proceeds benefit the…

Do you like music? Dancing? and free Concerts? Well! On Saturday November 26, 2011, come on down to Davis Square for the benefit concert fundraiser to support the Somerville Music Department.…

Come visit the City’s only 19th century burial grounds, rarely open to the public. During SOMERSTREETS, a street festival on Sunday, October 23rd from noon to 4pm, ”The Ghosts of Somerville: Up Close and Intimate”…

Joon Pahk, a physics teacher from Somerville, MA, is winding up a whirlwind of wins. Watch Jeopardy! tomorrow and cheer him on!

The Somerville Bicycle Committee invites you to ride our 19th Annual Tour de Somerville.  This year’s theme is “Arts in the ‘Ville”.

We’ll meet at 10 am on Saturday, October 15 in Seven Hills…

The latest robocall announced the 4th Annual Riverfest, Saturday, 9/17, featuring “fireworks, entertainment, food and family activities” for Somerville residents. The familiar and friendly voice of Jackie Rossetti encouraged residents to participate. The latter part…

The agenda includes 149-151 Washington St. seeking a Special Permit with Design Review to establish a tattoo parlor.

Are you a fan of Marshmallow Fluff? Does it remind you of childhood memories of having the perfect combination of a Fluffernutter, do you dream about it swirled into Nutella for a delectable, chocolate, “fluffy”…

“JUNKIE,” a new play by Somerville playwright John Shea, will be at the Boston Playwright’s Theatre, 949 Commonwealth Ave. Boston, August 25-September 4, 2011.  ”JUNKIE,” is the story of Cal, and his time in a drug rehabilitation…

The Armory at 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville fails to uphold their promise to State Board to achieve an Accessible entrance by May 15, 2011.

A whole summer of invention and creation!   We’ll have our art / electronics workbench, a bunch of hand-tools, building supplies, scrap materials, air pumps, hot glue, duct tape, etc. Things will be attached to wheels…

OPENAIR CIRCUS CLASSES START NEXT WEEK!

This is a great summer program for kids as young as three through teens and adults.  Tumbling for two is for parent/child teams.  It’s local, affordable, and fun. …

Karen Aqua passed away May 30, 2011.  She was a warm, funny, incredible human being and a brilliant artist and animator, and she shared her extraordinary work and process with great candor and kindness in…

Wednesday, June 8th from 1:00-3:00 PM at Somerville High School (81 Highland Avenue)

The First Annual Somerville Public Schools Choral Festival featuring the Grammy award winning Swingle Singers from London, The Spivey Hall Childrens…

A2Empowerment will hold a phenomenally fun benefit event featuring Boston’s fantastic, one-and-only all-women swing orchestra, The Mood Swings.  Join us June 18th, 2011 at the George Dilboy VFW Post in Davis Square, Somerville, from 7-11…

Three winners, in fact.

First place, $100, goes to Francesca Zimmerman for her post on the need to renovate the high school

The Somerville Human Rights Commission will hold a fund raiser at the Friday, April 29th performance of John Shea’s racially charged play, “The Painter.”  The performance will be at the Unity Church, 6 William Street, (corner of College Ave. and William Street,) at 8:00pm.  A talk back, hosted by Sonja Darai, will follow the performance and issues in the play: racial intolerance, violence and hatred, will be discussed with Shea, director Robert Lublin and actors, Michael Nurse and Jared Wright. …

Hungry for something different? Then check out YUM: A Taste of Immigrant City. A fundraiser for the Somerville-based The Welcome Project, YUM will feature an array of culinary delights to tickle the taste buds and delight the senses. The event takes place at Arts for the Armory on April 27.

Come see John Shea’s play, The Painter at Unity Church, 6 William St., Somerville.  A story of race, class and power.  April 16, 22, 23, 29, 30.  All shows 8:00pm.  Tickets, $15.00.   For tickets, information…

Inspired partly by Somerville data walls, I’ve made this animation about high-stakes testing and NCLB.

On the heels of Tom Waits’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, P.A.’s Lounge hosts a Tom Waits Tribute on April 30, 2011 to benefit the Somerville Homeless Coalition.

Somerville Voices is sponsoring a high school story contest with a prize of $100.

Deadline:
May 1, 2011

The topic:
“This happened in Somerville.” (True stories, not fiction.)…

Saturday April 2, 2011 @ Congregation B’nai Brith of Somerville

201 Central Street

Performances by local groups Shir Appeal and Honorable Menschen

FILM SCREENING

Somerville Climate Action & Representative Denise Provost Film Series present

The Economics of Happiness
followed by a discussion with Julie Matthaei, Economics Professor at Wellesley College

Monday March 28th, 6:30…

American Comedy Award winner, Wendy Liebman, will be performing at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square (55 Davis Square. Somerville, MA 02144) on April 21st.

Wendy is a nationally famed comedian, who has been…

Communities are coming together to rebuild more human scale, ecological economies based on a new paradigm – an economics of localization.

Calling all music lovers! Four Boston area musicians will be hosting a benefit concert for the Somerville Homeless Coalition, aptly-titled “An Evening of Music, Bach & Bolling.”…

Long before the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., made race and class national topics of debate, there was John Shea’s, “The Painter.”  When an Irish immigrant painter and his renowned African-American boss come…

Ashraf spoke with Tom Ashbrook and guests twice recently.…

The Somerville Museum is counting down the remaining days left of the matching grant for the new roof and window repair.

“History of Somerville, 2010-2100″ book reading and talk at the library on February 23.

Community art project at the Nave Gallery.

…

Somerville is home to many interesting and accomplished comic artists. Today’s posting features the art of Tim Finn and Raul Gonzalez.
(Part 5 of a multipart article on comic art in Somerville, first published in Somerville Scout, Fall 2010.)

Boston Free Radio offers a unique opportunity for aspiring DJs and radio producers in Massachusetts. The new Internet radio station, streaming from BostonFreeRadio.com and based in Somerville, is open to the participation of any Massachusetts…

On November 29, 2010, the state Architectural Access Board voted to accept the Armory architect’s Plan 1.1b, dated October 17, 2010, which will provide for an accessible entrance ramp for this much-used Somerville facility.

A friend of mine is organizing a winter solstice flashmob. Her message: “The Winter Solstice is Tuesday, 12/21 (same date, forwards and back!) at 6:38 pm.  Come to the Prospect Hill Tower at 6:30 and bring light & music makers—flashlights, cell phones, sparklers, drums, kazoos, trumpets, fiddles …. …

As promised, here’s the lineup of family films that we’ll be showing at the Central Library one Saturday afternoon per month at 2:00 p.m.

January 15th:
Muppets from Space

February 12th:

[Posted for Paul Bockelman] Local celebrity Tom Champion, known as “the Voice of Somerville,” will make a special guest appearance Saturday, Dec. 11, at 4 p.m. when the Somerville Community Chorus closes its 25th anniversary…

Please join the Somerville Bicycle Committee on Saturday evening, Dec 18, to celebrate the coming of winter and year round cycling. We will enjoy a casual bike tour to see some of the city’s…

A few weeks ago I posted a question: what would draw you to a free film at the Library?  I got a small amount of feedback through the Library’s blog, Facebook, and by talking with…

Somerville is home to many interesting and accomplished comic artists. Today’s posting features the art of Pat Davidson and B. Douglas De Rocher.
(Part 4 of a multipart article on comic art in Somerville, first published in Somerville Scout, Fall 2010.)

[11/23/2010]

Greater Somerville takes its show on the road to kickoff the holiday season,
encourage local shopping, taste some great wines and prove that reindogs can
host a TV talk show.…

Somerville is home to many interesting and accomplished comic artists. Today’s posting features the art of Jef Czekaj.
(Part 3 of a multipart article on comic art in Somerville, first published in Somerville Scout, Fall 2010.)

Somerville-based ANIKAI Dance Company is about to embark on the biggest international tour any dance company from the Boston area has ever been on (besides the Boston Ballet). This is the most extensive tour of India by any US dance company since 1926 when Ruth St. Denis took her Denishawn Dancers.…

I’ve just come from the reading of John Shea’s play Welcome to Somerville: Permit Parking Only at First Church on College Ave. There’s another reading tomorrow night at 7 there. I strongly recommend it…

We’re currently running two film series at the Central Library. Family Films, including cartoons and popcorn, are shown one Saturday afternoon per month, and so far they’ve been well attended. We’ve also been showing movies…

Learn about four major sources for buying and borrowing comics in our city: Comicazi, Hub Comics, Papercut Zine Library, and Somerville Public Library. These same venues also make important contributions to the creation of comic art and a comics community in Somerville.
(Part 2 of a multipart article on comic art in Somerville, first published in Somerville Scout, Fall 2010.)

Saturday, November 13th, 2010, 3:30 – 7:00 pm
Location : Johnny D’s Uptown Cafe (17 Holland Street)…

In yesterday’s Time Trade Circle newsletter (I’m a member), I learned about the Somerville Trading Post that meets at the Somerville Community Growing Center on Vinal Ave. Have you…

If you are fortunate enough to live in Somerville, you are well situated for an intimate view into the world of comic art. And as you peer into this world, you may even find some of your daily realities staring back at you: Somerville itself is woven into a number of these cartoon narratives. (Part 1 of a multipart article on comic art in Somerville, first published in Somerville Scout, Fall 2010.)

[11/2/2010] Click photo to watch.

Joe and KyAnn take a break from politics and talk with Bill Doncaster about his new…

I ran down the street to photograph this huge happening on College Ave. on Sunday morning. …

The Capacity to Live a Full & Creative Life: this is what we want for our children, our youth, and ourselves! Come to a community-created art exhibit featuring art created by Somerville artists ages 8 to 88.

[10/26/2010]

Join hosts Joe Lynch and KyAnn Anderson as they talk with Somerville resident, Lesley University professor and author Nancy Carlsson-Paige.  Carlsson-Paige is the author or co-author of five books on childhood learning.  Tonight she discusses her latest, “Taking Back Childhood: A Proven Roadmap for Raising Confident, Creative, Compassionate Kids”.

Visit: http://www.nancycarlssonpaige.org/

Somerville residents: Bring a 5 minute story and get in free! Johnny D’s Story Slam 10/26 7:30 pm.

John Shea on Greater Somerville.

[Oct 19, 2010]

Somerville playwright John Shea, talks with Joe Lynch about his newest…

Please join us for The SOS Kick-Off Event and Planning Meeting at Brickbottom Studios Gallery, 1 Fitchburg St., Somerville, on November 3, 2010, 7pm to 9pm.
Enjoy a little food and wine while mingling with…

Somerville Community Access Television is proud to announce the third annual live, three-hour showcase of Somerville music, dance, poetry and more. The program begins at  7:00pm on Thursday, October 21, and will be cablecast on Channel 3.…

“WELCOME TO SOMERVILLE, Permit Parking Only,” a new play by John Shea

 A mother drinks, a daughter, “cuts.”  Two young men think violence is the answer to what they see as an immigration problem. …

Here is a link to my pictures from the 5th annual Honk! festival.  Many of the pictures show members of the Red Bandana Brigade marching in the Honk! parade from Davis Sq. to Harvard Sq…

Jimmy Tingle will appear at Somerville anti-poverty agency’s celebration.

Hello fellow Somervillians,

I am a local choreographer looking for some online voting support for a very exciting project in the arts called Dance Core. I hope you will join Weber Dance to bring…

An elected official is accused of sexually assaulting teen-aged boys in his home while his wife is at work.  Warring restaurant owners may come face to face in court as tempers flare.  A young girl realizes “cutting,” is not…

…elementary auditions for the role of oompa loompa in the February 2011 Somerville High School production of Willy Wonka: The…

A free after school musical theatre group directed by Somerville Youth Arts Coordinator, Jimmy Del Ponte

HONK! FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT featuring work by Greg Cook, Tiffany Knight, Mark Dannenhauer, Jesse Edsell-Vetter, Benjamin Greenberg, Chris Yeager & Akos Szilvasi. Exhibit runs through September 30th with an opening on Saturday, September 4th, 6-8 pm,
in Davis Square, Somerville.

The combined talents of Somerville writer and Artistic Director Carl Danielson, composer and Musical Director Andy Hicks; and a savvy, funny cast and crew called “Unreliable Narrator Theater Group” benefit Equality Now!

Somerville Community Access Television is starting a 12-session Next Generation Producers afterschool media club for Somerville middle school students.  The club will meet on Wednesdays, beginning on September 21, from 3:30 to 5:30 at 90…

Kids, Clowns, Talent, Crazy Fun.

Somerville student work is on display in the Department of Education’s virtual art galleryhttp://www.doe.mass.edu/resources/kidart.aspx?page=51! See samples of youth art made in schools. Are you there? Is your child or teen’s work there?

For…

We are inviting all kids 5 years old and under to submit original art for a show at True Grounds Café. This first-of-its-kind show will display the individuality, diversity and development of young children’s artistic…

Books of Hope’s

Mystic Ink Tour is keepin it live and rollin as it moves through New England bringing poetry performances by today’s youth and books that they’ve written to communities near you!…

The OPENAIR Circus opens its doors for the 25th time this summer.  Each year, over a hundred children ages 3-15 learn self confidence and an appreciation for community and the arts through a great variety…

· Screening of A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fish, Sat. 6/26 7 – 9 pm at First Church Somerville, 89 College Avenue.   This newly released film is about ocean acidification, climate change, and…

A new dance performance choreographed by a wonderful Somerville choreographer (who just happens to be my daughter) will premiere Friday, June 18, at 8 pm, and Saturday, June 19, at 3 and 8 pm, at…

This meeting is important because Somerville’s citywide development for the next twenty years will be shaped by the comprehensive plan. This meeting is open to the public.

The Architectural Access Board will hold a Hearing on 18 Architectural Access Code Violations for Arts at the Armory facility on Monday, May 24, at 1 p.m.

back story: On February 8, Building…

Immigrants who gather at Foss Park each morning as early as 5 am looking for work as day laborers are the subject of a new play that will enjoy its community premiere on Friday, May 21st at the Black Box Theater at the Elizabeth Peabody House, 277 Broadway. The program begins at 7:30 pm.

The new play, “They Don’t Tell You Anything!” will be performed as part of an evening of theater, stories and conversation about the struggles and challenges that many Somerville residents face after they are picked up by contractors each morning to paint or perform demolition work. Written by playwright and English teacher Meryl Becker, the play will be performed by student actors from the Somerville Center for Adult Learning Experiences (SCALE).

Somerville, MA May 3rd 2010 – Somerville “mompreneur” Kerri Friedlander and husband Lucas today announced their intention to hold a Grand Opening sale at the Upland Road location of “TwinkleStar Boutique” in Porter Square on…

This May, local Haitian youth living in Somerville’s Mystic Housing Projects set off on a 10-stop book tour, called the Mystic Ink Tour, to bring their stories to communities across New England. The DIY tour will take the teens out of their economically-challenged neighborhood and bring them to some of the most celebrated spoken word venues and bookstores in the region. www.booksofhope-ma.org

Despite verbal and written opposition by neighbors, the License Commission approved a transfer of a beer & wine license (donated) by Dali to the Arts at the Armory located at 191 Highland Avenue in Ward 5 on April 26th.…

Shake Up Shakespeare with Theatre@First! Auditions May 10-12 for performances July 16-18 and July 22-24.

Books of Hope (a teen literacy and empowerment program based in the Mystic Housing Project) is presenting a poetry workshop and youth poetry slam featuring poet Everett Hoagland, Wednesday, April 28th, 2010, from 6-8PM at…

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Location : Healey School (5 Meacham Street)…

Sunday, May 16th, 2010, 4:00 – 7:00 pm
Location : Arts at the Armory 191 Highland Ave
Healey School’s First Annual Young Artists in Action Gala to raise funds to support 2010-2011 arts enrichment activities…

The 2010 Somerville Open Studios is coming up soon!  This Friday, April 16, is the opening reception for the Artists’ Choice Exhibit at the Somerville Museum, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Approximately 200 artists…

The all City K-8 Art Fair Located at Dr. Albert F. Argenziano School, Lincoln Park, 3rd Floor
Opening Ceremonies
Tuesday, April 13th
5:30- 7:30 PM

Musical Performances
5:30- 7:30 PM…

Thursday, May 6th, 2010, 7:00 >
Location : Somerville High School (81 Highland Avenue)…

On Thursday, April 8th please join students from each of Somerville’s seven K-6 or K-8 elementary schools for a concert featuring songs celebrating spring and global community. The concert starts at 7:00 PM, is free…

This Tax Day, find out where most of your tax $$$ go:

Why We Fight -  2005, Directed by Eugene Jarecki

Come to a community screening and discussion of this…

I just finished The Things They Carried, the book by Tim O’Brien that “Somerville Reads” is trying to get as many people as possible in Somerville to read and discuss. It’s one of the best…

On Saturday, April 10, 2010, more than 800 youth will attend the fourth annual Somerville Youth Peace Conference at Somerville High School, 81 Highland Avenue in Somerville, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.…

Patrick T. Randolph, editor of Empty Shoes, and Mary ElizaBeth Peters, author of Unto the East, will host a shared reading and author discussion of their poetry works at Calvary Methodist Church in Arlington next…

Family Opera opens this weekend – not just for kids!

YOU MIGHT HAVE ALREADY HEARD…
• Somerville High School’s drop-out rate continues to be on the decline. Get details in the press release issued by the Office of the Superintendent on Tuesday, March 16th, online…

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick spoke in the inaccessible Somerville High School auditorium this past Monday March 8, 2010, celebrating the fact that Somerville, MA was named one of the 10 All America Cities

Looking to spice up your winter, while saving money? The YUM Restaurant Card is your ticket!

This card is a wallet-sized miracle. It supports local businesses. It gets you a discount at thirteen immigrant-run Somerville restaurants. It’s only $12 online. And all the proceeds go to support The Welcome Project’s programs for Somerville’s immigrant families.…

This spring, Somerville is launching its first “one city, one book” campaign, a community reading project in which people all over the City will be encouraged to read and discuss the same book.

The…

The Somerville Public Schools invites you to tell your stories about learning and teaching in Somerville in our Spring 2010 Digital Photography contest. Complete submissions received by April 5th will have the chance to win…

The City of Somerville, with it’s clear mandates and civil rights obligations from Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, continues to be really , truly, obviously unskilled at inclusive community-building.

It was a quintessential Somerville night at the theater for “Beauty And The Beast” at the High School this evening.  Promoters Gretchen Kinder and Rosemarie Sears must have outdone themselves packing the house because I…

Cross-posting from the SCAT website [link to source here]

Thursday, February 4, 6:30-9; afterparty to follow
SCATV, 90 Union Square, Somerville
6:30pm: doors and prescreening activities; 7:00pm sharp: screening followed by panel…

Dracula
Original novel by Bram Stoker
Adapted for the stage by John Mattera
Directed by Michael Babish

Theatre@First is proud to bring an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 classic, “Dracula,” to the stage…

The Boston bellydance community is shakin’ it all back together! Join us for a glamorous afternoon of compassion in motion.

Don’t miss the opportunity to give our HONK!  a vote in the New England Art Awards on-line poll. They’ll only count your vote if you vote before midnight today, Sunday, the 24th. There are…

Join the Somerville Community Chorus for our 25th anniversary year!
Auditions are not required. All voices are welcome.

Open rehearsals are Tues. Jan. 26 and Feb. 2, 7:15-9:30pm (attend one
or both). …

First Church Somerville is presenting its Christmas Cantata in the morning at 10, regardless of the snow. The music will be wonderful – great voices, drums, good spirits.

After the Cantata is…

SCAT is hosting Santa Claus in the TV studio on Tuesday, December 15 from 6:00 to 7:00pm. This event is free. Children may come up to tell Santa what they want for Christmas in person…

It looks like the climate crisis is taking a back seat to the economic crisis as Mayor Curtatone and the Somerville Arts Council promote the annual Illuminations Holiday Tour,  “the annual trolley tour of holiday light displays” around the city.  Certainly, keeping the holiday lights off is the least we could do to help reduce our carbon footprint.…

This Monday, November 23rd, Transition Somerville will screen “The First Millimeter: Healing the Earth” at the College Ave Methodist Church at 7 p.m.

We are writing to ask you to support the February 2010 Somerville High School production of Beauty and the Beast by purchasing an ad in the program book. You can find details on the range…

Kicking off on Wednesday, December 9 from 3:30-5:30, SCAT’s Next Generation Producers After-School Film Production Club offers students the opportunity to create their own video projects, learn state-of-the-art television production skills, and work alongside other…

These jumped out at me recently from my somartscouncil@yahoogroups.com digest:

“Something Sweet in Somerville”

ON VIEW: November 7-21 , 2009

GALLERY HOURS: Saturdays 12:00pm-4:00pm and by Appointment

GRAND GALA and Auction…

Next Thursday night in Davis Square, you’re invited to the next Sprout Spaghetti Dinner, a dinner theater series sponsored by Sprout, that seeks to bring people from the Somerville and Cambridge communities together around good food, music, and performance.

Students in Somerville High School’s Culinary Arts program have baked for Governor Patrick. Now let them bake for you! The annual Thanksgiving Pie Sale has started. For only $9 per pie students will prepare a…

Free film – Dec 5 – “Emmanuel’s Gift,” part of “Disability Reframed” series.

The Tufts Global Lens Film Series picks up after a week off. The films are top notch, free, open to the public and you won’t have to fight a crowd (I got a private screening last week). The movies are the type you won’t get an easy chance to see again.…

There will be an open screening and discussion of the 45-minute documentary, “Eating Local in Somerville” on Tuesday, November 3 at 7:30pm in the studio of Somerville Community Access Television, 90 Union Square, Somerville…

Switch your brain on early to let the tubes warm up, and come back in time with us!

Each year, this event attracts over three thousand visitors.  All proceeds benefit the girls’ and boys’ cross-country and track teams at SHS, including the awarding of college scholarships each June.

This is the eighteenth…

North Cambridge Family Opera is holding auditions this coming weekend, Oct. 17 and 18, for its Spring 2010 production of Springtime for Haman. North Cambridge Family Opera specializes in fully sung theater productions for singers of all ages and encourages families to participate.

The Post-Meridian Radio
Players (PMRP) are pleased to announce the launch of the Web site and
ticket sales for “The Big Broadcast of October 30th, 1938″ – the
latest iteration of their annual Halloween tribute to the Golden Age
of Radio.

The Ghosts of Somerville will rise again next Saturday, October 17th from 4:00 p.m. to dusk, at the Milk Row Cemetery, at 400 Somerville Avenue, next to DeMoulas Market Basket.  Historic Somerville, Inc. is producing…

Chicago didn’t get the Olympics but Somerville got HONK! with 30 bands from around the world, Friday afternoon through Sunday–here’s an article that describes the schedule. HONK! provided us with this great video!…

Join the Family Fun Day at the Dr. Albert F. Argenziano School at Lincoln Park this Saturday, October 3 from 10:00 am-2:00 pm. Everyone is invited for this community celebration of the school. Bring the…

Riverfest 2009

Starts 4:00 PM
(fireworks at 8:00 PM)

Assembly Square (map)

This is the second annual Mystic River Festival, featuring food, music, games, and fireworks. This…

We need places for groups of all sizes–singles, doubles, triples, quadruples, and yes, even those places where 25 spirited horn players can rest their weary heads. Most groups will not be arriving by car this year, so proximity to Davis Square and/or the Red Line is a priority.

Did you know instrument lessons for youth in grades 4-12 (strings) and 5-12 (band instruments including drums) are free in the Somerville Public Schools? Community donations have helped create a low-cost instrument rental program for…

September 26 (8 PM) and 27 (3 PM) at the Somerville Theatre!

“Never After: It’s Not Your Grandmother’s Fairytale Musical”
An original musical fairytale comedy, performed in concert

Written & Composed by…

Cuba. What did you just think of? Communism, Fidel, the revolution? Many people believe things in Cuba are being run wrong and should be changed. I, however, disagree. When I think of Cuba I think of kindness, generosity, and community. It didn’

t used to be this way.…

FossFest 2009 is a free outdoor music event in Somerville’s Foss Park (corner of Broadway and Fellsway W) taking place on Saturday, September 5th from 2-6pm. Bring a blanket and a picnic (no alcohol; there will…

The 4th annual Viva la Vinal Festival will take place on Friday and Saturday, August 28th and 29th (rain date Sunday, August 30th) at the Vinal Avenue Growing Center located at 22 Vinal Ave. in Union…

On Sunday, September 13, 2009, Pabst Blue Ribbon [www.pabstblueribbon.com] and Precinct Bar and Restaurant [www.precinctbar.com] in Union Square, Somerville, will present “Music Festival 2009” to benefit RESPOND, Inc., a New England agency providing safe haven for women and children., and CAAS,(Community Action Agency of Somerville). The event will run from 3:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

From the Tufts website:
All are invited to a day of education, art, and family entertainment. All activities, including lunch, are free of charge.

Residents, neighbors and friends are invited to celebrate the seventh annual Community day at Tufts University from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 27. The event will take place on the academic quad at Tufts’ Medford and Somerville campus and is cosponsored by the two cities.…

Get the skinny on Somerville’s own sassy, classy, and definitely brassy festival of alternative marching bands coming up October 11th, and find out how to be part of the fun!

Last night’s performance by Project Star at the Somerville High auditorium was a lot of fun.  Jimmy DelPonte’s original musical showed his talent as a storyteller, humorist, and song writer.  He can be forgiven as…

On Friday, August 14 from 7 to 10 pm Somerville Community Access Television is the producer of “Somerville….In Shorts!” SCAT comes in under the Arts Council’s ArtsUnion umbrella to present an evening of locally produced…

‘Nuff talkin’. DRAW! Live comics creation, artistic head-to-head showdowns, live music, and PRIZES to benefit Boston Comics Roundtable.

Pig out and enjoy a cool drink and cooler music to benefit SHC!

Today at 2 pm, a bunch of kids and grownups laughed, danced, clapped, sang, screamed with laughter and marvelled in unison. The OpenAir Circus is again in Somerville- and you’ve got one more day to catch it! (with pics)

The Globe has a story today about the evolution of Davis Square and my son Nick’s project of finding out what happened to the kids who made the beautiful T station tiles when they…

Tim Devin’s “The history of Somerville, 2010-2100” is a community art project exploring what the future of Somerville might be like. As part of the project, Tim has been talking to residents, and documenting their hopes, dreams, and fears about the future of the city. He has also been meeting with politicians and city officials, and researching government plans and think tank vision statements.

The renowned Extraterrestrial Circus Experiment will perform their unique and astonishing show, “People” for one night only on Friday, July 10 at 7 pm. The show, at the Armory Center for the Arts, 191 Highland Ave. in Somerville, will benefit the OPENAIR Circus.

We will be singing traditional and contemporary songs from a variety of genres – songs that are easy to sing, songs you know and love, songs you sung at camp, songs you might like your kids to know, songs that don’t have “explicit lyrics” Bring copies of “Rise Up Singing” (if you have it), guitars, tambourines, kazoos, drums, food, a blanket, friends, neighbors, and positive energy. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Please join us to support the Somerville Commission for Women at El Potro in Union Square… Appetizers and Live Music will be provided.

The Friends of the Community Growing Center will be hosting an all-ages community sing along on Saturday, June 20th from 5-7.

We will be singing traditional and contemporary songs from a variety of genres…

On May 22 – 24 2009, I went to Anime Boston for the first time. Anime Boston is a convention where all Japanese animation lovers come together and buy or interact with one another. There are a lot of things going on in anime Boston. There is a concert and competitions of various different games. I happened to join a Rock band Tournament.…

Please join The Welcome Project on June 7 for a graduation celebration for some special people from cultures and countries all over the world. These are the students in our youth language interpretation and adult language learners programs who have just completed a year’s worth of learning as language interpreters and English language learners.

Change for a 10 Spot
Wednesday, June 3, at Johnny D’s from 8-11 pm
With a little help from our friends

We couldn’t do our work without friends like you! Join us on Wednesday…

Historic Preservation Event: A Walking Tour entitled, “West Somerville- From Powderhouse Pickles to Ball Square Brickyards”, has been rescheduled to its rain date on Sun. June 14th rain date. The tour goes from 10:30 -

From the SPS homepage, entitled “A message from Tony Pierantozzi, Superintendent of Schools”
… The extent of the impact of the current financial crisis on fiscal year 2010 remains unclear. We do know…

Celebrate student musicians in the Somerville Public Schools at the Spring String Fling on Thursday, June 4th. This free concert featuring student performers in grades 4-12 will begin at 7:00 PM in the Somerville High…

Music for Hope Concert to Benefit RESPOND
Saturday, May 30, 2009
7:30pm, Tufts University – Cohen Auditorium

HONK! Neighborhood meeting, May 28th, 2009 7-8:30 PM at the West Branch Library in Davis Square, 40 College Ave. The HONK festival returns October 9-11th in and around Davis Square. This community meeting will be…

I live outside Davis Square and every time I ride the T, I stop and look at the tiles that line the entrance to the station. I grew up in Somerville at the same time as many of the people who made these tiles, so I usually look for someone I know, and I often wonder what they’re all doing today. …

The Somerville High School Art Fair starts on Wednesday, April 29th and runs through Friday, May 1st. Special opening reception will be start at 6:30 PM on the 29th. Student work is on display throughout…

Rock out and chow down to keep our neighbors off the streets!

Come out to the Progressive Democrats of Somerville (PDS) Annual Meeting. See what exciting things are happening with PDS as it celebrates the start of its 6th year.

Last Thursday, responding to requests from the Actors Shakespeare Company and Arts at the Armory, I attended the Board of Zoning Appeals hearing. Testimony at that hearing was a revelation in several very different – and conflicting – ways.…

Eight performances, right in Davis Square!

Hi everyone-

Below is a call-for-participants for a community art project I’m working on about Somerville. Hope you decide to participate!

Thanks!
Tim

–
What will the future hold for Somerville? We’re…

On Friday I was a guest at the high school’s Multicultural Fair. It was the most dramatic and most successful cultural event I’ve ever seen – beating everything from Lincoln Center to the MFA…

Craig Leach’s Somerville High School media and TV production students this week explained what they’re learning and why the class deserves taxpayer support. And they posted “digital books” they created. Take a look!

“Jerry617″…

I’m pleased to announce http://www.somervillefoodscene.com, biweekly anonymous reviews for Somerville residents. When you have a few moments, please do stop by and enjoy…

My progressive, arts-loving church started talking a lot about race and racism, after the Jeremiah Wright kerfuffle in the press last spring (Jeremiah Wright is UCC, like us). We haven’t stopped talking about it yet, and this winter and spring are running a multifaceted “Sacred Conversation on Race,” both for our own community’s learning, and the wider Somerville community.

We are hosting an arts and entertainment evening as a centerpiece of the project, and are soliciting participants. Will you be one of them? See the invitation below.…

Somerville writer Doug Holder presents a workshop on the Small Press and Independent Publishing to Books of Hope youth and the community on Monday, Feb 23rd, 7-9 pm at the Mystic Activity Center, 530 Mystic…

I want to share with you a call I received this week from an 80-year-old Somerville woman. Olga is a retired math teacher who is recovering from hip replacement surgery. After hearing President Obama’s Inaugural Address and his call to service, she picked up the phone, saying she was moved to “give back any way I can.” Olga will be tutoring math at Somerville High School three hours a week. I know that there are many more Olgas in Somerville and beyond who are searching for meaningful ways to connect with and give back to their community.

Click “Read more” to learn about:

- College Goal Sunday on January 25th
- Kindergarten registration paperwork help, January 26-29
- Bye Bye Birdie at Somerville High School February 6-8
- Student art on exhibit at the Nave Gallery
- Somerville Special Olympics Swim team

Registration has opened for the 2009 Somerville Open Studios.  This year the event will be on May 2 and 3 from noon to 6:00pm.  Registration for participating artists is only open until January 30. You can register here: http://2009.somervilleopenstudios.org/membership/

A focus group of Civil and DisAbilities Rights advocates will join with the longest-running TV Access producers group in the country during Civil Rights Week in MA to tackle the challenges of designing equal opportunity communities.

Julia’s drawing entitled Red Sails at Sunset by Julia J won third prize in Crayola’s “Art of Childhood” online exhibit!

More than 35 student actors, musicians, stage and costume designers, and production engineers are working on the 2009 Somerville High School production of Bye Bye Birdie. Scheduled to launch its three day run on Friday, February 6th, Bye Bye Birdie tells the story of Conrad Birdie…

Hi Gang.. Bill from SCAT here. It’s the holiday time of year and best wishes to all of you from the members and staff here at Somerville Community Television. Today’s BIG NEWS: Santa and Mrs Claus will be live on Somerville Channel 3 on Wednesday night December 10, from 6-8pm. We would like to invite those of you with little ones…

A new exhibition, cosponsored by the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and the Chinese Historical Society of New England features material from the Chinese American Women Oral History…

Nearly a third of Somerville residents were born outside of the United States. Who are we in this immigrant city? What dreams and aspirations brought us here? How did we cope in a new community and in a new country? What brings us together – what pulls us apart – across generations of immigrants?

I like to play video games that have to do with music or creating music. Like DDR (Dance Dance Revolution): you play with a mat that has 4 arrows, one pointing up, down, left and right. On the screen, you press the arrows with your feet by dancing along with the music that you’re hearing on the game. That is one music game that I love to play. …

As promised here is the latest and greatest from Somerville Community Access Television. Check out the footage from the Community Arts Festival and from a Nepali Community Event. See a separate posting for the interview with Bill Shelton about Charter Reform on Fred Berman and Bill Bumpus’ Monday evening show, Progressive Voices.

I’m sure I’m not the first person to say that ArtBeat has become lame. Other than some interesting music, it is mostly a lame, generic craft festival. It is almost always too hot and not that unique or interesting.

Honk, on the other hand, showcases what makes Somerville unique and compelling. Like the Fluff festival and Open Studios, Honk is becoming a great example of funky, creative Somerville.

Unfortunately, rumor has it that Honk may not necessarily continue. This would be a huge loss.

Does anyone else share my views that ArtBeat should be substantially changed and that public and Arts Council funds should be dedicated more towards saving Honk?

This year’s third annual HONK! Festival from Oct. 10 – 12 was an exuberant street party!

Workshops on Friday.
Free music by 25 bands on Saturday.
And the Honk! parade on Sunday.
It’s a big event this weekend posted a month ago by Columbine. I thought it should get more than just a calendar listing.  Also–they’re looking for volunteers.…

Join Union Square Main Streets for our monthly ‘Second Wednesdays in Union Square’ community celebration.  October features a tour of Union Square’s drinking holes, complete with drink specials and new friends.

When: This Wednesday…

Food, music, and raffle, rain or shine – everyone is invited!

Regional news media continues to report on communities around the Commonwealth which are faced with financial squeezes that negatively impact local education. One way some communities manage the squeeze is by instituting or driving up extracurricular activity fees. In the Somerville Public Schools the commitment to providing equal access to important enrichment activities remains strong.

Come to Union Square September 28 27 to celebrate Somerville’s own sweet, gooey, and utterly unique contribution to American cuisine, Marshmallow Fluff!  From 4 to 7 PM (rain date Sunday September 28) come…

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I am part of a group of Somerville and Cambridge residents organizing the third Honk! Festival of activist street bands, and I wanted to extend an invitation to…

Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Urban Country Fair

sponsored by Truth Serum, Somerville Arts Council and ArtsUnion
(raindate: September 21)
3-7pm FREE and open to…

Join us for the re-opening of the Mystic Community Garden at the Mystic Housing Development. The opening takes place as part of the Mystic Providers’ annual picnic for Somerville Housing Authority tenants. Drop by anytime…

Join us on Wed, Aug 20th Tuesday, August 19 for the re-opening of the Mystic Community Garden at the Mystic Housing Development. The opening takes place as part of the Mystic Providers’ annual picnic for Somerville Housing Authority tenants. Drop by anytime between 3 and 7 to tour the garden. Just drop by the The Welcome Project’s table in front of the Mystic Activity Center at 530 Mystic Ave. We’ll walk you over for a tour of the new garden.

Seeking musicians for a new brass quintet to be based in Somerville. Rehearsals will be once or twice weekly. The intended skill level is proficient amateur, but if people would like to build up their skill level through the group, that’d be great too. We won’t take ourselves too seriously, but once we put together a solid set of pieces, I’d like for the group to have the goal of performing in the community.

The OPENAIR Circus is an amazing phenomenon with an improbable history. If you’ve got kids, take them this weekend and think about joining. After this weekend, the next major performance will be in Boston’s First Night parade.…

On August 5, from 8 – 9 p.m. on SCAT’s celebrated DEAD AIR LIVE show, the Tibetan community will offer viewers a first-hand report of what Tibet was like before the Chinese invasion, and talk about what it was like to have to flee their beloved homeland and become exiled citizens of the world. Tune in to SCAT Channel 3 next Tuesday, for a fascinating and moving account of a beautiful culture and people, who cultivated the roof of the world.

This Friday, July 25, at 7 pm, the Extraterrestrial Circus Experiment, a traveling troupe from Ohio, presents their show Quantanime at the VFW Dilboy Post, 371 Summer Street in Davis Sq. All proceeds support Somerville’s OPENAIR Circus.

Please join us for a wonderful evening of folk, rock, pop, and jazz music to benefit Veterans For Peace and Iraq Veterans Against The War. The benefit will be on Tuesday, July 29 at 8:30 PM at Johnny D’s, 17 Holland St. Davis Square Somerville. Performers include Celia Slattery, Deb Pasternak, Porch Party Mamas, Media Made, and Katrina Degel Jazz Quartet. Admission is $15.

This is Joanna Stenning posting on behalf of Beyond the 4th Wall Theater and Creative Arts Studio in Central Square, Cambridge. We are excited to announce that we still have room for more participants in our upcoming summer programs for children and teens, and would love to open registration for these classes to the Somerville community.

Conguero Vicente Lebron has been a cornerstone of the Latin and jazz scenes in Boston for over 30 years. He is currently being held in a Homeland Security prison and threatened with deportation.

Sustainable Somerville — a nascent network of community organizations working to make/keep Somerville a great place to live, work, and play — is sponsoring a Sustainability Scavenger Hunt at ArtBeat (Saturday, July 19th in Davis Square), to show how the common thread of sustainability connects the work of the

July 10 The Lost Boys Seven Hills Park
July 17 Mean Girls…

Who says all summer reading lists have to be filled with fluff? CAAS, the Community Action Agency of Somerville, is offering a summer reading list about poor people and people rising out of poverty–and what we can all do to help. “There is something on this list for every reader”

From the ArtBeat Festival webpage:

“During the heat of summer (held on the third weekend in July), artists and festival goers converge on Davis Square, transforming it into one of the area’s largest and most innovative arts festivals. ArtBeat includes music, performance art, craft vendors, dance, theater, food, and a whole more…

The National Council on Disability (NCD) is gathering public input for a study of emerging issues and trends affecting the lives of people with disabilities. Information gathered will be used in the development of NCD’s next annual progress report to the President and Congress, “National Disability Policy: A Progress Report,” which is required by Section 401(b) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

The Sunsetters are a group of preteens and teenagers who sing and dance to Broadway tunes. Check them out at the fireworks celebration, June 26 at 6PM. Available dates are as follows…

The Sunsetters are a group of preteens and teenagers who sing and
dance to Broadway tunes. Check them out at the fireworks celebration, June 26 at 6PM.

Another of the city’s popular family events, Family Fun Day includes a variety of activities for residents of all ages. Obstacle courses, games, watermelon eating contests, dancing, and a dunk tank are only a few examples of the day’s events! Dunk the Mayor! Dunk your Alderman! Eat your weight in watermelon! Bring your children, your parents, and your friends.

Somerville families don’t have to run away to join the OPENAIR Circus. The Circus is offering its 23d year of summer circus workshops for children, teens, and adults. Classes will run June 24th through July 24th. Performances will be August 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.under the big top at Nunziato Field near Union Square in Somerville.

Beyond the 4th Wall is dedicated to providing children and teens with an affordable outlet for theater, visual, and performing arts. Students ages 9-15 are encouraged not only to develop as performers, but also to build self-confidence, learn how to work as a team, and to practice creative thinking–and to have a GREAT time while doing so! We would like to invite children and teens from the Somerville area to participate in our Summer 2008 classes, camps, and events.

Somerville’s Historic Preservation Commission presents family-friendly events May 18-31 including walking and bike tours, an awards ceremony, and a retelling of stories from the lives of Paul and Rachel Revere. Check out the schedule below…

All are welcome to the West Branch Library at 40 College Ave. on Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. for a reading by Somerville authors with stories in “Further Fenway Fiction: More Short Stories from Red Sox Nation.”

It’s great that people have been responding to Linda Conte’s post proposing a parent-made directory of summer camps and other summer educational activities.…

Massachusetts Readings on Cervenabarvapress.com