Flash Assignment #1

 Alayna, Zack, Lauren

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

New York Magazine is beginning to come out with their gift and event guides for the holiday season.

The lists all feature great ideas for holiday excursions for a variety of prices. The gift guides are unconventional and one lists experiences you can give someone as a gift, including butchering a pig, bagpiping lessons, and knife-making. If you're looking for interesting things to do, see, or buy, NY Mag's holiday guides have you covered.

While the ideas are great, it is disappointing to see such a lack of photos and videos to accompany each list's suggestions.

At most, the Experiential Gift Guide included one photo beside each gift idea.

It would have better to pick a few of the most unique experiences and maybe have a slide show or video testimonials from people who have actually done them.

The Very Classic Christmas guide has great suggestions like a puppet production of A Christmas Carol and a performance of A Charlie Brown Christmas complete with a live jazz ensemble.

Unfortunately, there are no photos or videos accompanying this list at all.

I think that New York Magazine would benefit from adding photos or videos to their gift and event lists because it makes the suggestions more appealing. If you can see photos or hear clips of the performance or people's reviews, it makes you want to click the links and maybe consider doing one of the activities or buying one of the eccentric gifts for someone instead of just reading (and eventually forgetting) about them.

MIDTERM: East Boston's HarborArts Outdoor Gallery

It all started with a fish. A large, orange, metal fish to be exact. You know you’ve arrived at the HarborArts outdoor gallery when you see it.

The codfish sculpture sits atop a building at the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina in East Boston and it’s impossible to miss. The cod, which is now endangered, represents HarborArts’ mission to use large scale art to bring attention to the need to preserve and protect our waterways, and especially our oceans.

Steve Israel is the man responsible for HarborArts. As the founder and chairman, he uses art to raise public awareness for an issue he is incredibly passionate about. Israel hopes to inspire both communities and companies to take action and lead environmentally responsible lives. His desire to protect our water resources coupled with a background in architectural salvaging led Israel to create the gallery as well as the online marketplace, which is currently under development, to connect artists and consumers with art that promotes environmental respect.

The HarborArts gallery began with Israel’s creation of the forty-foot codfish. He sculpted the fish and let it set sail in September of 2009. The fish was lit and powered by solar panels and made stops at the Boston Children’s Museum and the New England Aquarium.

Israel wanted to inspire and educate people about preservation of the waterways. What better way to do that than sail an orange cod the size of a whale and made of metal through Boston Harbor. He wanted people to take notice of the sculpture and start asking questions.

The codfish now sits atop a warehouse near the entrance of the shipyard as a reminder of how easily the species could become extinct.

With more and more focus currently being put on ecological preservation, HarborArts is a shining example of awareness being promoted in a creative and compelling way. The international outdoor gallery features the famous cod as well as contemporary exhibits from over thirty artists from three different continents and still has spaces open for display.

While most of HarborArts’ installations are contemporary, the materials used to make the pieces vary from recycled materials to acrylic paint to vines and trash.

Artist Trace O’Connor created “Iscariot”, a sculpture made of recycled steel and pipes, which is positioned atop one of the shipyard’s warehouses. The stunning cross between a mermaid and a squid is among the larger exhibits at the gallery

Entirely different yet equally as compelling, James Fuhrman designed the exhibit “Sea Change – See Change”, a floating text display reminding viewers that their actions have the potential to make a visible difference. Even though each piece of art is crafted from different materials, they all work together to enforce the message of environmental respect and reverence.

The exhibits are spread out among the buildings and docks of the marina. They hang on the sides of buildings, sit atop warehouses, and are even anchored in the water itself. The installations are changed seasonally and they are on loan from the artists for at least a year.

View HarborArts Exhibits in a larger map

HarborArts doesn’t only have a presence at the marina, they have extended their operation online as well. The HarborArts blog keeps fans of the gallery up to date on happenings around the Harbor as well as information on new exhibits.

The blog also provides information about the HarborArts Festival, which was held this year on Saturday, September 22^nd. Since its inception in 2010, HarborArts has held a festival to celebrate the gallery’s opening and to bring attention to its mission as well as the gallery itself. The Festival (date to be determined for 2013) features live music, local food, drinks, and of course, plenty of art.

Although HarborArts is worth the trip to the shipyard in East Boston, it’s best explored when the weather is warm and you have plenty of time to devote to each installation.

HarborArts is a non-profit organization and relies on the donations and support of patrons. The gallery, located at 256 Marginal Street in East Boston, is open from 3 p.m. to sunset on weekdays and from sunrise until sunset on weekends. 

While you're in the area, here are some places to visit on your way to HarborArts from the Blue Line Maverick T stop. 

View HarborArts in a larger map

Election Day!

It's Election Day and naturally, New York Magazine's home page is all about politics.

What I like about NY Mag's election coverage is that it's not just news updates. While these are obviously important, not everyone wants that kind of coverage.

For example, the featured article is The Ultimate Guide to Watching the Election and it gives a timeline for what to expect throughout the night as the polls close. It gives the time that each state's polls close as well as other information about important polls to watch, important senate races, and ballot issues.

The website also features articles about Obama's confidence and five ways Romney could win the election. Of course, NY Mag isn't always entirely serious and the article about Romney ends with the fifth way he could beat Obama...

And since it's Election Day and New York Magazine allows comments on its articles, there will be an endless source of entertainment.

This was a comment on how Romney could win the election:

While NY Mag's Daily Intel is tweeting and blogging updates about the election, the home page features the more comical articles as opposed to the hard news updates.

Happy Election Day!

VIDEO DIARY: Aerosmith Free Concert on Comm Ave

Aerosmith held a free concert today on Comm Ave in Allston. They performed in front of the apartment building they lived in when they formed the band. That section of the street and part of the Green Line were closed during the day to accomodate the large amount of attendees.