100 Years of Artistic Excellence
“…in art that the heart, the head, and the hand of a man come together.”
John Ruskin
British cultural theorist and architectural critic
Those words deeply inspired Roy Davidson, becoming the early philosophy on which he founded the School of Practical Art in 1912. 100 years later, the school, since renamed Art Institute of Boston, continues to facilitate the intellectual and creative growth of passionate young artists.
The Storefront Art Project
To kick-off their Centennial Celebration, student and faculty artists of the Art Institute of Boston are sharing their work with the community in a very public manner, via a unique exhibition of storefront window installations along Massachusetts Avenue, between Harvard and Porter Squares. Abodeon is honored to participate in this celebration of the arts. The installations will hang until October 13th, 2012.
For more information on exhibiting artists : Storefront Artists
Abodeon’s Installations
Our interior window installation was created by Kate Castelli, a local Cambridge artist. In the pictures below you’ll see Kate hanging her installation, as well as images of the finished piece as seen from Massachusetts Avenue. You can read more about this work on her website.
“100 Chairs” Sumi ink on handmade paper, twine, metal clips
Artist Kate Castelli, alumni BFA in Illustration, 2008, Art Institute of Boston Cambridge, MA
Our exterior installation was a truly collaborative artwork. The painting was created by Percy Fortini-Wright and 14 young students in a 2012 summer school session “AIB Pre-College Mural Painting”. For a list of the student artists: Mural Artists
According to Fortini-Wright’s Artist Statement, the title of the piece was decided as a group, the motivation being that “As teens they felt that the phrase was appropriate for their journey as young artists. Since the Art Institute of Boston has played a major role in their artistic development they wanted to use imagery associated with the departments that cultivated their broad experiences.”
The pictures below show our own Dale Anderson installing the collage to our brick exterior with the help of Cedric, one of the artist’s friends. The title of the work is a perfect fit for Neighborhood Nine, maybe they’ll let us keep it up after the show ends?
“As We Grow” Spray Paint on panel
Lead Artist Percy Fortini-Wright, adjunct AIB faculty BFA Fine Arts, 2003 MFA in Visual Arts, 2008, Art Institute of Boston
The next 100 years
The Art Institute of Boston will soon be breaking ground on a new Arts Campus in Porter Square, Cambridge. The design, led by architect Simeon Bruner of Bruner/Cott Architects will be a mix of historic preservation, adaptive reuse and new construction. Mr. Bruner was lead designer for award winning projects: MassMoCA (N. Adams, MA) , Piano Craft Guild (Boston, MA) and Crown and Eagle (Uxbridge, MA).
Designed in the International style of modern architecture made famous by architects such as Le Corbusier, Rudolph Michael Schindler and Alvar Aalto, the Arts Center will be built with an emphasis on sustainability, making it eligible for LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The main building will be a mix of glass curtain walls and concrete, while a glass-enclosed connector reaches out and unites “what will be” with “what was” as it joins the historic church. The connector is designed to act as a general Arts Common for students and visitors, while the church will house the Art Institute of Boston’s Art Library.For proposed image renderings or to find out more about the Art Institute of Boston’s new Arts Campus: AIB Arts Campus
-Michele J Martin
