BE A PART OF ARTS DEVELOPMENT
IN EAST SOMERVILLE

Throughout 2008 East Somerville Main Streets (ESMS) will be hosting a series of open community forums to explore and formulate the next wave of public arts events in the neighborhood.

The Colors of the Americas was a community initiative driven by neighborhood volunteers to present and celebrate the rich cultural energy of East Somerville. What comes next will be determined by you. You should come be a part of this!

To receive the latest information about community arts activity and how you can become involved, join the ESMS mailing list. Or drop in the ESMS office at 114 Broadway Suite 112.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE EAST SOMERVILLE MAILING LIST

THANK YOU !
OBRIGADO !
¡ GRACIAS !
MERCI !

TO EVERYONE FOR AN AMAZING EXHIBITION

PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT
THE ARTS IN SOMERVILLE

AND VISIT EAST SOMERVILLE AGAIN SOON !!

A Nice Story in the Somerville News

Click here to read Hilary Dyer's reporting of the Art Walk
(the unidentified photo at the bottom of the article is artist
Enzo Moscarella and Jose from Milagro's Boutique)

Support the Art Walk • Buy a Shirt !

Now Available : Limited Edition Colors of the Americas Shirts

There's no guarantee that you'll look as cute as Katie here, but you'll look plenty stylish and be helping to support arts development in East Somerville by getting you and your friends a Colors shirt.

Available in brown or black, and in men's or women's cuts, these high-quality 100% cotton shirts are available exclusively at;

Melinda's Fashion
133 Broadway
Somerville 02145
(in the heart of the Art Walk)

Besides this cool gear, Francine at Melinda's has a carefully selected collection of the latest looks and trendiest accessories, with a unique Brazilian sense of flair. The collection rotates regularly, so the newest and the hippest styles are always on offer.

Be sure and drop in while you're doing the Art Walk!

Thanks to Wendy and SCAT

It's not as if she doesn't have a thousand other things to do. So when Somerville Community Access Television (SCAT) Executive Director, Wendy Blom comes down to your neighborhood to shoot a program herself, it sure feels like an honor. And this morning, we were very honored that she did just that.

Highlighting the shoot were interviews at 4 different locations along the Art Walk featuring the Somerville artists showing there and the business owners hosting their work. Kicking around stories of their collaborations were;
Vera Arias and Paul Robichaud at Joe's Liquors
Laura Keane and John Gogos at City Line Laundromat
Johnny Arguedas and Beto Marcos (it is with a 'c', isn't it, beto?) at Beto's Hair Salon
and Diego Guzman and Sammy Mulondo at Instant Shoe Repair.

Artists installed their work in the particular storefronts along Broadway themselves. But each installation was a joint project with the business, who suggested good placements, moved and cleared things, and generally helped make it happen. Each Art Walk location carries with it, it's own unique story of this collaboration.

Expected air date for the show is either late May or June. As soon as we know, we'll pass it along.

Wendy Blom tapes artist Johnny Arguedas outside of Beto's Hair Salon
as Johnny describes his Costa Rican photography.

City Line Laundromat's John Gogos takes matters into his own hands
and interviews Laura Keane about her installation in his windows.

The Art of Drawing Neighbors Together

.
.
Click here to read Kristen Green's excellent reporting
of East Somerville and the Art Walk in Sunday's Boston Globe
.

The Colors of the Americas Officially Opens

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Participating Artists (l-r): Johnny Arguedas, Bernal Murillo, Gloria Carrigg, Valentin Iviquel, Elisa Hamilton, Antonio Oliveira, Margarette Mattos, Vera Arias

To the sounds of the Bruins hockey game on the TVs over the bar and Colombian cumbia on the sound system, a whole bunch of folks (we didn't do a head count) packed Casey's to officially launch The Colors of the Americas : East Somerville Art Walk.

Oh, and we had a time! People from all directions came together on a beautiful Spring day to meet the artists and the neighbors, share names and stories, and make the first excursions up and down East Broadway to enjoy the beautiful art and to soak up a little E-So street vibe .

Thanks to all who helped to make our Opening Reception such a heartwarming success. Everyone who joined us got to enjoy the works of a fabulous group of artists. And everyone left with a lot more friends than they came in with.

Send Your Friends an Art Walk Postcard !

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Participating Artists Announced !!

Wow! What an amazing group of artists!

An open call to artists is really a leap of hope. One just doesn't know if anyone will respond, who will respond, or whether or not the work submitted has anything at all to do with the themes of the exhibition. Considering all of the uncertainties of calling out on a first year event, we are just bowled over to have been treated to such great work by so many talented artists.

Whether by origin or interpretation, each artist will represent both a specific country or culture, as well as the intermingling and spaces between these worlds.

Through works of photography, painting, mixed media, and installation, artist and public will meet on the streets to explore and extract the many interpretations of our identity, the connections we have to one another and our community, and what it really means to be an American.

Come experience The Colors of the Americas and enjoy the works of the following local artists!

Artist - representing

Johnny Arguedas - Costa Rica
Luis Arnias - Venezuela
Vera Arias - Guatemala
Gloria Carrigg - El Salvador
Alexandre Emmanuel - Brasil
Sara Engel - Guatemala
Jen Flores - USA-Mexico
Diego Guzmán - Chile
Elisa Hamilton - USA
Valentin Iviquel - Haiti
Laura Keane - Argentina
Soojin Kim - USA
Dominique Lecomte - Canada-USA-Mexico
Katrina Majkut - Cuba
Margarette Mattos - Brasil
Enzo Moscarella - Columbia
Bernal Murillo - Costa Rica
Antonio Oliveira - Brasil
Pintamos Nuestro Mundo - Pan-America

And we will try to lay more info onto about these artists, and what they are up to, and how you can learn more about them and their work, as the exhibition unfolds.

The Call To Artists Is Open

CLICK HERE DOWNLOAD PDF FILE

ABOUT THE COLORS OF THE AMERICAS

Proudly presented by East Somerville Main Streets, The Colors of the Americas : East Somerville Art Walk will be a month-long public art exhibition showcasing the original works of approximately 20 area artists representing the many nations and cultures of the Americas. Hosted in the storefront windows of shops, restaurants, and offices along Lower Broadway in Somerville between Sullivan Square and McGrath Highway, this unique opportunity will bring together artists and the people in a way designed to cross lines, challenge old notions, and stimulate new conversations and new understandings

This unprecedented multicultural event will celebrate and reflect the vibrant, welcoming spirit of East Somerville by intertwining bold contemporary works of art among the daily social and commercial life of an evolving, living neighborhood. By anticipating the 21st Century as the century of the Americas, the East Somerville Art Walk will feature and explore the many interpretations of our identity, the connections we have to one another and our community, and what it really means to be an American.

Representation from all different nations/cultures of North, Central, and South America is sought.
Artists who actively work with themes such as cultural symbolisms, ethnic identity, the immigrant experience, assimilations, and interpretations of community and the dynamics within are strongly encouraged to submit.

HOW TO SUBMIT

The Colors of the Americas : East Somerville Art Walk is a juried exhibit. Submissions will be reviewed and chosen by a multicultural panel drawn from a collection of Somerville arts and East Somerville community organizations.

PLEASE PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
(Submissions will be considered incomplete without all of this information.)

1. Name, address, telephone, and email.
2. Country/Culture you are representing (with a brief explanation of your connection to this).
3. Images (prints, slides, jpegs) of specific work to be submitted. Do not submit actual artwork.
4. Artist Statement (This should speak to your work as a whole, both artistically and culturally, and also to how that relates to the specific work submitted. Your Artist Statement is very important and will be translated into English, Spanish, Portuguese and Creole and displayed alongside your work).
5. Estimated size of window space needed, and any specific display requirements.

A Colors of the Americas open forum for the sharing of questions, ideas and comments has been created at http://eastsomervilleartwalk.blogspot.com

Artists will be responsible for the installation and breakdown of their work, as well as any framing or hardware needed to display the work. Personally coordinating with the business hosting your work will be strongly recommended. Translation assistance will be available if necessary.

Artists should keep in mind that work will be displayed inside the storefront windows of active businesses with steady customers and foot traffic. While every effort will be made to protect the pieces from damage or handling, artists should be aware of, and responsible for, any risks inherent in showing in such an open and public setting.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: MARCH 8, 2008

Installation Period: April 11-17
Exhibition: April 19 - May 20
Breakdown Period: May 21 - May 28

Mail, drop off, or email submissions to:

East Somerville Main Streets
114 Broadway Ste. 112
Somerville, MA 02145
attn: The Colors of the Americas
artwalk@eastsomervillemainstreets.org

There is no fee to submit. Depending on funding, a $50 honorarium may be offered to participating artists.

ABOUT EAST SOMERVILLE MAIN STREETS

Representing the oldest and most ethnically diverse neighborhood in Somerville, East Somerville Main Streets (ESMS) is a non-profit, public-private partnership between East Somerville residents, business owners, community leaders, the City of Somerville, and the National Main Streets Center. Drawing upon the neighborhood's unique historical and cultural energies, ESMS is a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to developing community initiatives and events that reflect and promote the true character of East Somerville as a vibrant place to live, visit, and do business.

The Colors of the Americas: East Somerville Art Walk is funded in part by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.