Art

Jim McGrath and others, "Untitled [Playland]," 1950s to 1980s, photographs. (Collection of The History Project)

Rare Look Into Queer Boston From 1970s to ’90s In Photo Exhibit ‘As the World Burns’

Snapshots of the Boston bar Playland taken by bartender Jim McGrath and friends beginning in 1958 and ’59 show a…

Paa Joe exhibition “Celestial City at Superhouse, New York, 2024. (Superhouse)

Paa Joe’s Fantasy Coffins Are Symbols Of Your Life To Carry You Into Death

In 1960, when Joseph Tetteh-Ashong was 15, he began an apprenticeship in coffin-making with his mother’s cousin, Seth Kane Kwei.…

Edel Rodriguez, cover illustration for Der Speigel, April 4, 2017.

Illustrator Edel Rodriguez Is Among Trump’s Fiercest Critics, Exhibition Surveys His Career

Among the fiercest political graphics that appeared during the Trump Administration were Edel Rodriguez’s covers for Time magazine and the…

From “The Last Repair Shop." (Courtesy of Breakwater Studios)

Director Ben Proudfoot Discusses Technique Behind Oscar-Winning ‘Last Repair Shop’

The striking intimacy in the film “The Last Repair Shop,” which won the 2024 Academy Award for best documentary, begins…

Howard Finster. Included in the exhibition "Behind the Brain of a Genius: Finster's Cut-Outs, Dimensions and Molds from the Paradise Garden Archive."

To Spread God’s Word, Howard Finster Created 46,991 Artworks. New Exhibit Reveals Method To His Productivity.

As the story goes, in 1976, when Howard Finster was 60, the Baptist preacher was painting a bicycle when he…

© Todd A. Prussman

Photos Of Sea And Sand At End Of Plum Island Lay Bare Nature’s Dazzling Patterns

One of the fascinating things about nature is how patterns repeat—the way, for example, the branching of trees can rhyme…

James Neville at "Neurogenerative Room” at Out of the Blue Gallery, Somerville, Jan. 31, 2024. (©Greg Cook photo)

Healing Via Psychedelics And Abstract Painting?

“I was lucky to discover painting and psychedelics at the same time. I was like, ‘This is what I want…

Seymour Chwast, Illustration for The 12 Circus Rings. (Seymour Chwast Collection, Washington University Libraries, Department of Special Collections. © 1993 Seymour Chwast.)

The Children’s Books Of Celebrated Designer Seymour Chwast

In 1954, Seymour Chwast, along with a handful of friends he’d made while studying art and design at Cooper Union,…

"Above the Fold" at the Cape Ann Museum, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Can You See Into The Soul Of A City Through Its Newspaper?

What can you learn about a community through the eyes of its newspaper? Can you see into its soul? That’s…

Howard Finster. Included in the exhibition "Behind the Brain of a Genius: Finster's Cut-Outs, Dimensions and Molds from the Paradise Garden Archive."

To Spread God’s Word, Howard Finster Created 46,991 Artworks. New Exhibit Reveals Method To His Productivity.

As the story goes, in 1976, when Howard Finster was 60, the Baptist preacher was painting a bicycle when he…

Thomas Saltsman's Halloween forest troll on Pleasant Street, Marblehead, Oct. 31, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Giant Troll Takes Over Thomas Saltsman’s Marblehead Driveway

Architect Thomas Saltsman, of the Boston firm SaltsmanBrenzel, has become a sensation for the giant installations that have taken over…

Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park & Museum, Wilson, North Carolina, June 19, 2019. (Greg Cook)

Wonderlands: Visionary And Folk Art Sites Across The U.S.

For several years now, I’ve been making pilgrimages to visionary sites across the United States. Below are a selection of…

Ted Degener (American, b. 1948). Tyree Guyton on the steps of one of the homes included in The Heidelberg Project in Detroit, Michigan, 1997. Archival pigment print. Photo courtesy Ted Degener

Ted Degener Has Spent 50 Years Photographing Creators Of Visionary Art Environments

For more than five decades, Ted Degener—who lives near Cornish, New Hampshire—has driven across the United States photographing more than…

Martin Prekop's Mirror House, Pittsburgh. (Sotheby's International Realty)

Martin Prekop’s Mirror House Is For Sale

The problem was the view. “If you looked out the bathroom window, you looked onto a brick wall,” the artist…

Old Sturbridge Village, Oct. 30, 2022. (© Greg Cook photo)

At Old Sturbridge Village, 1830s America Comes Alive With Chickens, Sheep, Cows, Pigs

Part of the fun of an old timey living-history museum like Old Sturbridge Village is the feeling that you’ve stepped…

Grant Houston of A Far Cry at Reuning & Son Violins, Brookline, March 25, 2024. (©Greg Cook photo)

If You Could Play One Of the World’s Best Violins Which One Would You Choose?

On Monday afternoon, musicians from the Boston chamber orchestra A Far Cry were picking out violins to borrow for the…

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From “The Last Repair Shop." (Courtesy of Breakwater Studios)

Oscar-Winning Documentary ‘Last Repair Shop’: Repairing Instruments To Make People Whole Again

“The Last Repair Shop” is an astonishing, tender, heartbreaking, inspiring look behind the scenes at the expertise and love that…

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Willie Alexander performs at his 80th Birthday Bash at The Cut in Gloucester, Jan. 13, 2024. (©Greg Cook photo)

Willie Alexander, Godfather Of Boston Punk, Celebrates His 81st Birthday

I was lucky to spend last night celebrating the 81st birthday of my friend Willie Alexander—with a capacity crowd of…

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Malden Porchfest at Corey Road, June 10, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Malden Porchfest

Some photos from the Malden Porchfest, of performers on Holmes Street and Corey Road, on Saturday, June 10, 2023. If…

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The Brass Balagan from Burlington, Vermont, performs in the Honk parade from Somerville's Davis Square to Cambridge's Harvard Square, Sunday, Oct 9, 2022 (©Greg Cook photo)

Photos: 2022 Honk Festival in Somerville and Cambridge

Honk, the annual festival of activist street bands, arrives in Somerville and Cambridge this weekend. Begun here in 2006, the…

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Rara Bel Poze plays in a procession through Nubian Square, Roxbury, Boston, Oct. 9, 2021. (©Greg Cook photo)

Photos: Honk Festival In Somerville, Cambridge And Boston

Honk, the annual festival of activist street bands, returned yesterday, after taking a year off from live performances to help…

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Seymour Chwast, Illustration for The 12 Circus Rings. (Seymour Chwast Collection, Washington University Libraries, Department of Special Collections. © 1993 Seymour Chwast.)

The Children’s Books Of Celebrated Designer Seymour Chwast

In 1954, Seymour Chwast, along with a handful of friends he’d made while studying art and design at Cooper Union,…

Gary Gregory of the Printing Office of Edes & Gill, in the 1715 Clough House o the campus of Boston's Old North Church, Aug. 13, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

At Boston’s Old North Church, Reprinting The Dangerous Ideas That Sparked A Revolution

Though the first printing press was imported from Europe into the Americas around 1554, to Mexico City, and Harvard got…

"Small Mercies" by Dennis Lehane, 2023. (Harper Collins)

Amidst ‘70s Boston Desegregation Protests, A Mom Investigates Her Daughter’s Disappearance, In Dennis Lehane’s New Novel

Recommended The folks in Southie might not have money, but at least they take care of their own. That’s the…

From the exhibition "What Might You Do? Christian Robinson" at the Eric Carle Museum, Amherst, 2023.

Christian Robinson’s Books Share The Message Art Gave Him: You Matter

“It’s important for me to tell stories that reflect the diverse world that we live in,” picture book illustrator and…

Colleen Michaels reads from her poetry book "Prize Wheel" at Chianti in Beverly, Jan. 21, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Colleen Michaels Debuts ‘Prize Wheel’ Poetry Collection

Colleen Michaels, founder and host of the Improbable Places Poetry Tour, debuted her first poetry collection “Prize Wheel” (Small Bites…

"Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Florida, 2020. (©Greg Cook photo)

‘Immersive Storytelling’: Primer For Making The Audience’s Dreams Come True

The idea of “Adventure Thru Inner Space” at California’s Disneyland was that riders were miraculously shrunk down to the size…

The wreck of the Ada K. Damon at Steep Hill Beach at The Trustees' Crane Estate, Ipswich, March 16, 2024. (©Greg Cook photo)

Century-Old Shipwreck Emerges From Sand At Ipswich’s Crane Beach

In February, pieces of a century-old shipwreck began emerging from the sand at the northwest end of Ipswich’s Crane Beach—a…

Looking and listening for bats at Cambridge's Mount Auburn Cemetery, Sept. 20, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Listening For Bats At Mount Auburn Cemetery

The group of nine of us began looking and listening for bats at Cambridge’s Mount Auburn Cemetery as night fell…

Herring Run at Horn Pond dam, Woburn. (©Greg Cook photo)

Herring Run At Horn Pond

Herring run at Horn Pond, Woburn, Massachusetts. In 2018, new fish ladders and spillways allowed herring to bypass dams on…

Dogwood blooming at Garden In The Woods, Framingham, April 30, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Spring At Garden In The Woods

Garden in the Woods is a 45-acre botanic garden operated by the Native Plant Trust in Framingham, Massachusetts. With more…

Swifty Swine Racing Pigs at the Topsfield Fair, Oct. 4, 2022. (©Greg Cook photo)

Pig Racing, Giant Pumpkins And Oxen At The Topsfield Fair

The annual Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, Massachusetts, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 10, 2022, offers giant pumpkins, racing pigs, an…

Bike To The Sea annual ride, June 5, 2022. (© Greg Cook)

Bike To The Sea | Rail-Trail From Everett To Lynn

Join us for Bike To The Sea’s 2022 ride along the Northern Strand Community Trail, from Everett’s Madeline English School…

Bread and Puppet Theater's “The Hope Principle Show: Citizens’ Shame and Hope in the Time of Genocide" at Somerville’s Center for the Arts at the Armory, April 18, 2024. (©Greg Cook photo)

Bread And Puppet Theater’s Indictment Of War On Gaza: ‘Hope Principle Show’

“And if our yelling does not reach their uninterested ears? Will we invent new yells that are harder to neglect?”…

Bread and Puppet Theater performs "The Hope Principle Show: Citizens’ Shame and Hope in the Time of Genocide" in Poughkeepsie, New York, April 5, 2024. (Nick Lacy photo)

Coming Soon: Bread & Puppet ‘Hope Principle Show: Citizens’ Shame and Hope in the Time of Genocide’

Our friends at Vermont’s Bread and Puppet Theater bring their new performance “The Hope Principle Show: Citizens’ Shame and Hope…

"Moby Dick" by Plexus Polaire, rehearsal at ArtsEmerson's Emerson Paramount Center, Boston, Jan. 23, 2024. (©Greg Cook photo)

How Puppet Magic Brings Plexus Polaire’s ‘Moby Dick’ To Life

“It’s the perfect way of bringing something back to life,” says Julian Spooner, who plays the narrator Ishmael in Plexus…

Agua, Sol y Sereno performs with youth from Hyde Square Task Force at Boston's Mozart Park, Sept. 15, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Puerto Rico’s Agua, Sol y Sereno Performs With Boston’s Hyde Square Task Force

The theater troupe Agua, Sol y Sereno from Puerto Rico performed and paraded with youth from Boston’s Hyde Square Task…

Little Amal at Dewey Square, Boston, Sept. 7, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Little Amal, Giant Puppet Depicting Refugee Girl, Begins Journey Across U.S.

Little Amal, the internationally famous 12-foot-tall puppet depicting a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl, debuted in Boston aboard the three-masted schooner…

Bread and Puppet Theater performs "The Heart of the Matter Circus" at Cambridge Common, Sept. 2, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Bread & Puppet’s ‘Heart Of The Matter Circus’ In Cambridge

Vermont’s Bread and Puppet Theater brought its “The Heart of the Matter Circus” to Cambridge Common on Saturday as part…

Forward! Marching Band from Madison, Wisconsin, in the Honk Parade, Oct. 8, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Photos: Honk Parade From Somerville To Cambridge

Honk, the annual festival of activist street bands, arrived in Somerville and Cambridge this weekend. Begun here in 2006, the…

Agua, Sol y Sereno performs with youth from Hyde Square Task Force at Boston's Mozart Park, Sept. 15, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Puerto Rico’s Agua, Sol y Sereno Performs With Boston’s Hyde Square Task Force

The theater troupe Agua, Sol y Sereno from Puerto Rico performed and paraded with youth from Boston’s Hyde Square Task…

Procession during the annual Feast of the Madonna Della Cava in Boston's North End, Aug. 13, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Feast Of The Madonna Della Cava In Boston’s North End

The Society of the Madonna Della Cava held their 103 anniversary Feast in Boston’s North End on Aug. 11 to…

J’Ouvert dawn parade during Boston’s Caribbean-American Carnival, Aug. 26, 2013. (©Greg Cook photo)

Photos: J’Ouvert Dawn Parade At Boston Caribbean Carnival

J’Ouvert means “breaking of the dawn,” according to organizers of Boston’s annual Caribbean-American Carnival. The Carnival parade, held this afternoon,…

45th annual Provincetown Carnival Parade: Land of Toys, Aug. 17, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

Photos: Provincetown Carnival Parade: Land Of Toys

Provincetown’s 45th annual Carnival Parade danced down Commercial Street from the Harbor Hotel in the East End to the Coast…

Saint Rocco's Feast procession on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

St. Rocco Festival Honors Catholic Saint Of Protection Against Illness

In 1929, a group of Italian-Catholic Immigrants formed the Saint Rocco Fraternal Society in the Edgeworth section of Malden, Massachusetts,…

"The Embrace" by Hank Willis Thomas, with assistance from Mass Design Group, on Boston Common, Jan. 19, 2023. (©Greg Cook photo)

MLK Memorial ‘The Embrace’ Unveiled At Boston Common

“This work is really about the capacity for each of us to be enveloped in love, and I feel enveloped…

Fermin Castro's sculpture "We Are Still Listening," 2022, at Symphony Park, Somerville. (©Greg Cook photo)

Deceased Beech Tree Turned Into Statue In Somerville Park

When a massive, old European beech tree at Somerville’s Symphony Park declined into disease, the city’s Parks and Open Space…

Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs at work on his "Breathe Life Together" mural at Dewey Square on Boston's Greenway, June 14, 2022. (©Greg Cook photo)

Rob ‘ProBlak’ Gibbs’ ‘Breathe Life Together” Mural On Boston’s Greenway

“My vision is to add to Boston’s skyline in a way that elevates the voices and work of those who’ve…

Moss installation by Heidi Schork and Jerome Jones at Boston's Jamaica Pond to celebrate Frederick Law Olmsted's 200th birthday on April 26, 2022. (Courtesy Heidi Schork)

Olmsted’s 200th Birthday Remembered With Moss Installation At Jamaica Pond

“Gradually and silently the charm comes over us; we know not exactly where or how” reads a moss installation by…

Christmas lights at 403 Lynn Fells Parkway, Saugus. 2021. (©Greg Cook photo)

Best Christmas Decorations Around Greater Boston

Below is Wonderland’s guide to dazzling holiday decorations around greater Boston, from Attleboro to Somerville (listed by community, in alphabetical…

Halloween display at 4 Lake St., Saugus, October 2021. (©Greg Cook photo)

Halloween Displays Around Greater Boston

Some highlights of Halloween displays around Greater Boston for 2021 (listed by community, in alphabetical order). If this is the…