The Third Decade

Marine One?

A noisier-than-usual helicopter just flew over Roxbury. When I looked up, I think I saw Marine One.

It's on and poppin' this Saturday

On Saturday, all eyes will be on Roxbury. In addition to the annual Boston Carnival on Warren Street, Senator Kennedy's funeral takes place (at a time to be announced) on Mission Hill. I guess we can expect traffic to be out of control that day. Take the T if you can.

And keep your fingers crossed that the hurricane doesn't head this way too!

Under the Roxbury Sun dinner

Although it's Restaurant Week, I'd like to suggest an alternative for those willing to try something even more unique. Discover Roxbury's upcoming Thursday event promises to be an affair to remember. Local chef, Nadine Nelson, will serve up a fabulous, fresh, five-course al fresco dinner under the setting sun at the Garden Girl's sustainable urban Roxbury farm. During Thursday’s soiree, participants will have the opportunity to tour the farm, hear from Patti herself, and enjoy a five-course dinner created from its harvest. The $50 menu is available on Discover Roxbury's website.

Space is limited. Reservations are required and can be made online or by calling 617-427-1006.

Neighborhoods

After my critique of the Improper's Best of Boston list, which noted the publication's lack of geographic and ethnic diversity, it was a pleasant surprise to see Roxbury's Merengue restaurant prominently featured on page 7 at the beginning of the Imperatives section. It's also encouraging to see that the accompanying article does a great job at highlighting the restaurant, the owners, and their passion for the community. The article could have easily been one of those "diamond-in-the-rough" pieces of crap that often gets foisted onto some neighborhoods; thankfully this one didn't go there.

But is this the Neighborhoods issue? Maybe my expectations of the Improper are unusually high, but I was expecting this issue to feature something about all of Boston's neighborhoods...or as many as possible. Instead they dedicate four pages to a scavenger hunt done on a Bustonian through downtown and South Boston. Could they have played it any safer? At least the Best of Boston list involved some type of competition. This article feels like a report on something college freshmen do during new student orientation.

Maybe we need to bring in Bill Clinton to promote Boston's other neighborhoods. If he can do it in Harlem, why not here? Of course, we can thank the folks over at El Planeta for their recently released Lo Mejor list. Although it's derived from a particular cultural/linguistic perspective, the list is refreshing in its recommendations.

Then again, maybe it's me. If Stuff can come up with a "pictorial journey through the bloodstream of Boston" that considers this to be "Boston," maybe I need to rethink my relationship to the city (or its media).

ArtROX! kick off

If there's one thing I'm learning to appreciate, Roxbury's artists know how to do a lot more than just create works of art. Last night the collective artists of Roxbury kicked off a series of events, leading up to Roxbury Open Studios, with our first fundraiser dance party at Slades. I'm happy to say, however, that this wasn't just any night at a club, the artists (and our supporters) were tearing up the dance floor! The DJ played the music of the soulful 60's, disco 70's, one-hit-wonder 80's, nostalgic 90's (at least they're nostalgic for me), and the present day. I had never been to Slades before, but I felt that it was just the right venue to give the event a cool "uptown" vibe, especially given the dance floor's embedded lights and retro 70's look. Some artists had their artwork mounted around the club and we were joined by filmmakers from this weekend's Roxbury Film Festival, further adding to the energy of the event. The was so good that some people are already talking about doing it again next year and making it a regular part of the film festival schedule.

Anyway, this party was just the kick off to a series of arts events happening throughout the summer and leading to ROS. Artists and local organizations are working together to introduce and expose the public to a range of activities, most of which are free. Below is a short calendar of events, so start saving the dates:

Aug 11, 5:30pm-6pm: Free talk by E. Barry Gaither, Director of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, at the old Playhouse in the Park. The talk will focus on the history of the playhouse and Mr. Gaither's work with Elma Lewis, the Playhouse and Museum's founder, and will be immediately be followed by the smooth jazz of Andre Ward. The Playhouse in the Park series is currently run by the Franklin Park Coalition.

Aug 15, 10am-12pm: Free tour of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, led by E. Barry Gaither. RSVP for the tour by emailing Discover Roxbury at info@discoverroxbury.org.

Aug 27, 6:30pm-8pm: Join Roxbury artist Ekua Holmes on a free evening art walk around the Highland Park/Fort Hill area. The tour, organized by Discover Roxbury, will visit some of the area's public art and stop by the home studios of artists Bobby Stevens, Lee Farrow, and Wendy Ellertson. If you'd like a preview of what's to come at ROS and/or are interested in touring one of Roxbury's most historic areas, this is a must attend.

Oct 2, 5:30pm-9:30pm: Celebrate the arrival of Roxbury Open Studios at a reception inside the Museum of Fine Arts. This reception is being organized in conjunction with the MFA's Multicultural Audience Development Committee, as a way of bridging the gap between the institution and the community and bringing new life and energy into the museum. A juried exhibition of art from Roxbury artists will be on display and a cash bar will be available. This ArtROX! reception is part of the MFA's First Fridays series (entry is free for museum members and free for non-members with museum admission).

Oct 3-4, 11am-5pm daily: ArtROX!, the 11th annual Roxbury Open Studios, takes place at artist studios and group shows across the neighborhood. Like all open studios, the event is free (but the art is not). Wear a comfortable pair of walking shoes, bring your checkbooks, and show your support for local artists. Maps and directories of ArtROX! will be available in early autumn. Discover Roxbury is also planning to offer a walking tour. Visit their website a few weeks prior to ROS for details on times and areas.

So, there you go. See you around Roxbury!