Music Fests Near and Far
Hop the MBTA to…
The Harvard Athletic Complex for Boston Calling | May 26-28
Boston Calling sets up shop in new digs in Allston, where substituting grass for concrete should help amp up the festival vibes for a solid, eclectic lineup including headliners Mumford & Sons, Chance the Rapper and Tool. bostoncalling.com
Jamaica Plain for JP Porchfest | July 8
If you missed Somerville’s edition of this grass-roots music movement in early May, stake out a rocking chair in JP for the afternoon, when residents across the ’hood will open their porches—and lawns and driveways—to host local bands for a day of free music. jpporchfest.org
Franklin Park Zoo for Reggae in the Park | July 14
Lion Entertainment picked a fitting venue for this celebration of Jamaican music, bringing artists like Grammy nominee Beres Hammond to the zoo for a 21+ festival where you can party like an animal all you want. reggaeintheparkboston.com
The Lawn on D for Briggs Fest | July 29
Briggs Original spiked cranberry seltzer—the recently debuted brainchild of former Porto beverage director Neil Quigley and friends—hosts this inaugural hip-hop fest, which brings some heavy hitters in the rap game to the Lawn on D, including Waka Flocka Flame, B.o.B. and hometown hero Sammy Adams. briggsfest.com
Take a short drive to…
Photo by Zach Weinberg
Marshfield for the Levitate Music and Arts Festival | July 8-9
This folk, funk, rock and reggae fest is a short 45-minute drive away, but attendees are also welcome to camp out for the two-day event, this year hosting Lake Street Dive, Deer Tick, Rubblebucket, Dispatch and Ziggy Marley, to name a few. levitatemusicfestival.com
Lowell for the Lowell Folk Festival | July 28-30
As always, Lowell’s annual fest is free of charge, so you can afford the gas money to head north for a full day of folk—and gospel, zydeco, bluegrass and more—from bands hailing from across the country. lowellfolkfestival.org
Book a hotel—or pitch a tent—for a weekend in…
Photo by Shervin Lainez
North Adams for Solid Sound | June 23-25
Wilco throws and headlines this alt-and-indie fest at MASS MoCA every other summer, and every other summer the lineup is tight. This year’s standouts include Kurt Vile and Peter Wolf and their bands—plus a comedy stage hosting big names in funny like Nick Offerman and Michael Ian Black. solidsoundfestival.com
Photo by Brian Lima
Newport for the Newport Folk Festival | July 28-30 for the Newport Jazz Festival | Aug. 4-6
Both are held on the water in scenic Fort Adams State Park, where the views are almost as good as the lineups. Highlights of this year’s Folk Fest include the Head and the Heart, Fleet Foxes, the Avett Brothers, Regina Spektor and Jim James. On the jazz front, don’t miss Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, the Roots, Andra Day and Maceo Parker. newportfolk.org / newportjazz.org
Photo by Ali Kaukas
Waitsfield, Vermont, for Frendly Gathering | June 29-July 1
This year, the hippie fest moves to a new location at Sugarbush, where skiers will cede the mountain to musicheads for a fest that, true to its name, encourages camping on the grounds for an ultra-communal vibe. The lineup follows suit, with jam bands like Twiddle and Yonder Mountain String Band headlining a bill that also includes standouts like funk-master Charles Bradley. frendlygathering.com
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Whether you’re sticking to the city or looking for a reason to take a road trip, this summer offers arts adventures aplenty.
By Improper Staff May 19, 2017
Visual Art | JACQUELINE HOUTON
Exhibits Close to Home…
Gift of Robert Bradford Wheaton and Barbara Ketcham Wheaton © ’67 Neon Rose, photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Fifty years ago, flower children flocked to San Francisco for the Summer of Love. Now Haight-Ashbury is hitting Boston for The Summer of Love: Photography and Graphic Design, on display at the MFA from July 6 through Oct. 22. Exploring the era’s psychedelic aesthetic and eye-straining typography through album covers and concert posters (like Victor Moscoso’s Neon Rose 12), the exhibit also includes more than 30 photos by Herb Greene, who captured everyday life in the Haight and music icons like Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead. mfa.org
DTR Modern Galleries is inviting street art inside from June 9 through July 28 for its Summer Street Art Show, highlighting work by mystery man Banksy, his alleged protege Mr. Brainwash, RISD alum Shepard Fairey, Miami painter Flore, Tokyo stencil wielder Campbell La Pun and LA-based artist Dan Monteavaro, aka Moncho1929, whose piece Gossip is pictured here. dtrmodern.com
ICA/Boston, The Barbara Lee Collection of Art by Women. Courtesy the artist and Petzel, New York. © Dana Schutz
Fresh off her showing at the Whitney Biennial—where her painting of Emmett Till, Open Casket, drew controversy—the ICA presents an exhibition of works by Dana Schutz, the New York-based artist known for her frenetic compositions and often surreal subject matter. On view from July 26 through Nov. 26, it features five charcoal drawings and 16 paintings, including 2016 work Big Wave, a 10-by-13-foot painting acquired by the ICA in December that’s never before been displayed in the U.S. icaboston.org
And Farther Afield…
Courtesy of Mary Lum, photo by Jason Reinhold
Head west, young (and old) art lovers, because on May 28, North Adams’ MASS MoCA unveils Building 6, a 130,000-square-foot expansion that doubles the museum’s elbow room. Its inaugural exhibitions include trenchant text art by Jenny Holzer, multimedia installations by former artist in residence Laurie Anderson, marble sculptures by Louise Bourgeois (including one that weighs 15 tons) and Mary Lum’s Assembly (Lorem Ipsum), a large-scale wall work that adorns the new indoor bike path. massmoca.org
Museum Works of Art Fund. RISD Museum, Providence, RI
Paris is just a commuter rail ride away thanks to Altered States: Etching in Late 19th-Century Paris. On view at Providence’s RISD Museum from June 30 through Dec. 3, the exhibit examines a period when prints became a medium for original art in their own right, gathering works on paper by major figures like Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt and lesser-known names such as Félix Bracquemond, who was only 19 when he created The Top of a Door, this creepy 1852 work depicting birds and a bat nailed to a barn door. risdmuseum.org
Photo by James Zimmerman
Edward Hopper and his wife Josephine spent nearly 40 summers on Cape Cod, and now their work has a permanent home at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, which recently acquired 96 of his drawings and 69 of her drawings and watercolors—like the one shown here—along with 22 diaries chronicling their lives from 1933 to 1956. Hop on the ferry to check them out in Edward and Josephine Hopper from the Permanent Collection, on display from Aug. 25 through Oct. 15. paam.org
By Improper Staff
Theater | MATT MARTINELLI
Fresh Scripts to Stick To
Warhol photo by James Kavallines; Capote photo by Roger Higgins
Near: Two 20th-century icons will share a stage when Warhol Capote debuts at the American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Drama Center. The play recreates recorded conversations between Andy Warhol and Truman Capote in the late 1970s, when the two were trying to create a Broadway play. Rob Roth adapted the long-lost tapes into a drama, and Tony winner Michael Mayer will direct the world premiere production, which opens in early September. amrep.org
Far: Gloucester Stage founding artistic director Israel Horovitz’s Out of the Mouths of Babes stops in Gloucester for its New England premiere between runs in New York and London. The Obie-winning playwright tells the story of four women who arrive at the Paris funeral of a 100-year-old man whom they all loved at times during his life. The comedy runs Aug. 11-Sept. 2. gloucesterstage.com
Farther: Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow is not a summary of the nightly news, but one of seven plays in the Williamstown Theatre Festival’s stellar two-month season. Obie winner Trip Cullman directs Halley Feiffer’s contemporary adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Playing July 26-Aug. 6, the world premiere comedy puts a millennial spin on the lives of the three women longing for Moscow while searching for meaning in life and work. wtfestival.org
By Improper Staff
Theater | MATT MARTINELLI
Picnic with the Bard…
Twenty years after Commonwealth Shakespeare Company first performed free Shakespeare on Boston Common, it’s returning to that inaugural play, Romeo & Juliet. Running from July 19 till Aug. 6 next to the Parkman Bandstand, the tale of star-crossed young lovers will be directed by up-and-comer Allegra Libonati, who earned acclaim this spring directing Boston Lyric Opera’s production of The Rake’s Progress. Bring your blanket or chair—or snag a reserved one for $60-$75. Want some more open-air Shakespeare? Hop a ferry and head to the Tisbury Amphitheater, home to Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse productions for more than 30 years. This year’s Shakespearean show is a 90-minute production of Julius Caesar performed by an all-female cast of eight. Directed by Brooke Hardman Ditchfield, it runs from July 12 through Aug. 12. commshakes.org / mvplayhouse.org
By Improper Staff
Dance | SARAH HAGMAN
Dance must-dos here…
Anikaya, one of the companies featured in Dancing in the Streets. Photo by Yi-chun Wu
During June 3 and 17 installments of Dancing in the Streets, Somerville’s Foss Park becomes a stage for six companies debuting new works, including Jimena Bermejo’s Car Ride, a piece starring four dancers and a roving car, groovin’ to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and a supplemental FM radio soundtrack. somervilleartscouncil.org
Photo by Charles Daniels Photography
Cambridge’s Dance Complex continues its 25th anniversary celebration with the Festival of Us, You, We & Them. On June 23, it’ll light up its five-story facade with images and videos while a mob cuts loose in the streets for exactly 25 minutes; then the weekend brings pop-up performances and classes. dancecomplex.org
Photo by Eli Akerstein
Urbanity Dance draws artists and troupes from across the country for the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival on Aug. 12, when headliners Doug Varone and Dancers will showcase recent work Folded, a duet set to music by Pulitzer winner Julia Wolfe. bostoncontemporarydance.org
Photo by Robert Torres
Sharpen your own cutting-a-rug skills at the return of Let’s Dance Boston! On Sept. 13-17, Celebrity Series brings live bands and professional instructors to the Greenway for massive master classes in genres such as Latin, swing and disco. celebrityseries.org
…and there
Photo by Paula Lobo
Jacob’s Pillow is stepping it up for its 85th anniversary, packing more than 350 events into its three-month season. Kicking off with a June 21 appearance from Miami City Ballet, the Berkshires festival is hosting new community engagement initiatives (think programs that support local veterans) and exclusive events dance lovers won’t find elsewhere. Take Tireless, which has Michelle Dorrance bringing together the best the tap world has to offer, from a coming-of-age story by former boxing champ Joe Orrach to Jumaane Taylor’s John Coltrane tribute, Supreme Love. And the tap showcase’s June 28-July 2 run closes with an All Styles Dance Battle pitting Dorrance’s students against New England street artists. Then there are the four world premieres, which include a Pillow commission that has modern choreographer John Heginbotham working alongside illustrator Maira Kalman. Drawing from the latter’s New York Times columns, The Principles of Uncertainty (Aug. 23-27) incorporates both live and recorded music, a weather report-delivering actor and set pieces featuring embroidery and an Edouard Manet painting. jacobspillow.org
By Improper Staff
Music | ALEXANDRA CAVALLO
Outdoorsy Orchestrations
Photo by Michael Dwyer
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is heading to its summer home at Tanglewood from June 18 through Sept. 3, and per usual, it’s bringing in tons of special guests, from Yo-Yo Ma (Aug. 3, 6 and 17) to 13-year-old Grammy-nominated piano prodigy Joey Alexander (June 23) to famed film composer John Williams (July 16, Aug. 1 and 19). But the orchestra is also highlighting musicians of a different breed—make that different species—in Tanglewood Takes Flight: A Celebration of Birds and Music (July 27-30), a first-ever collaboration with Mass Audubon that will pair bird walks with music inspired by avian song, including movements from Olivier Messiaen’s Catalogue of the Birds. A word of warning to night owls: Some of these performances start as early as 7 am.
Of course, you don’t have to head all the way to the Berkshires to enjoy an al fresco orchestral performance. The Boston Landmarks Orchestra is once again bringing free Wednesday night concerts to the Hatch Shell from July 19 through Aug. 23. Pack a picnic and don’t miss the globe-trotting Anthems of the World program on Aug. 9, which includes the world premiere of a commission created by youth from local nonprofit ZUMIX and composer Gonzalo Grau. bso.org / landmarksorchestra.org
By Improper Staff
Music | ALEXANDRA CAVALLO
Music Fests Near and Far
Hop the MBTA to…
The Harvard Athletic Complex for Boston Calling | May 26-28
Boston Calling sets up shop in new digs in Allston, where substituting grass for concrete should help amp up the festival vibes for a solid, eclectic lineup including headliners Mumford & Sons, Chance the Rapper and Tool. bostoncalling.com
Jamaica Plain for JP Porchfest | July 8
If you missed Somerville’s edition of this grass-roots music movement in early May, stake out a rocking chair in JP for the afternoon, when residents across the ’hood will open their porches—and lawns and driveways—to host local bands for a day of free music. jpporchfest.org
Franklin Park Zoo for Reggae in the Park | July 14
Lion Entertainment picked a fitting venue for this celebration of Jamaican music, bringing artists like Grammy nominee Beres Hammond to the zoo for a 21+ festival where you can party like an animal all you want. reggaeintheparkboston.com
The Lawn on D for Briggs Fest | July 29
Briggs Original spiked cranberry seltzer—the recently debuted brainchild of former Porto beverage director Neil Quigley and friends—hosts this inaugural hip-hop fest, which brings some heavy hitters in the rap game to the Lawn on D, including Waka Flocka Flame, B.o.B. and hometown hero Sammy Adams. briggsfest.com
Take a short drive to…
Photo by Zach Weinberg
Marshfield for the Levitate Music and Arts Festival | July 8-9
This folk, funk, rock and reggae fest is a short 45-minute drive away, but attendees are also welcome to camp out for the two-day event, this year hosting Lake Street Dive, Deer Tick, Rubblebucket, Dispatch and Ziggy Marley, to name a few. levitatemusicfestival.com
Lowell for the Lowell Folk Festival | July 28-30
As always, Lowell’s annual fest is free of charge, so you can afford the gas money to head north for a full day of folk—and gospel, zydeco, bluegrass and more—from bands hailing from across the country. lowellfolkfestival.org
Book a hotel—or pitch a tent—for a weekend in…
Photo by Shervin Lainez
North Adams for Solid Sound | June 23-25
Wilco throws and headlines this alt-and-indie fest at MASS MoCA every other summer, and every other summer the lineup is tight. This year’s standouts include Kurt Vile and Peter Wolf and their bands—plus a comedy stage hosting big names in funny like Nick Offerman and Michael Ian Black. solidsoundfestival.com
Photo by Brian Lima
Newport for the Newport Folk Festival | July 28-30 for the Newport Jazz Festival | Aug. 4-6
Both are held on the water in scenic Fort Adams State Park, where the views are almost as good as the lineups. Highlights of this year’s Folk Fest include the Head and the Heart, Fleet Foxes, the Avett Brothers, Regina Spektor and Jim James. On the jazz front, don’t miss Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, the Roots, Andra Day and Maceo Parker. newportfolk.org / newportjazz.org
Photo by Ali Kaukas
Waitsfield, Vermont, for Frendly Gathering | June 29-July 1
This year, the hippie fest moves to a new location at Sugarbush, where skiers will cede the mountain to musicheads for a fest that, true to its name, encourages camping on the grounds for an ultra-communal vibe. The lineup follows suit, with jam bands like Twiddle and Yonder Mountain String Band headlining a bill that also includes standouts like funk-master Charles Bradley. frendlygathering.com
By Improper Staff
Books | JACQUELINE HOUTON
Looking for a beach read? Stock up when the islands of ACK and MV lure the literati this summer. First up, the Nantucket Book Festival gathers best-selling novelist Jodi Picoult, former poet laureate Robert Pinsky, Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson, famed foodie Ruth Reichl and dozens of other authors on June 16-18. Then Aug. 5-6 marks the return of the biennial Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival, which will feature readings, interviews and panels with the likes of Ann Patchett (Commonwealth) and Richard Russo (Trajectory). Back on the mainland, we’ll have to wait until October for our own Boston Book Festival, but in the meantime, BBF is co-presenting “It’s Alive!” Frankenstein’s Lessons for Scientists and Creators, a June 8 celebration of the release of MIT Press’ new annotated edition of the horror classic that’ll have editor Ed Finn chatting with Harvard bioengineer Donald Ingber and Mary Shelley biographer Charlotte Gordon over cocktails at Le Laboratoire in Cambridge. nantucketbookfestival.org / mvbookfestival.com / bostonbookfest.org
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