Arts Today: South End

Every family moving to Boston, Massachusetts, has likely heard of the South End neighborhood. Historically, this neighborhood has been inclusive and mostly populated by immigrants. Now, it is a place that offers its residents a tremendous amount of organizations related to the arts, creativity, visual arts, etc. This neighborhood is perfect for those who want to connect with these fields or are just well interested in them.

One of the most famous venues for artists is the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA). It opened its doors to the public back in 1970. Throughout its existence, the center has aimed to spread the arts to the residents of Boston. At the moment, there are over a thousand artists who can live on the premises, work in special studios, and show their pieces of art in exhibitions. For example, a couple of days ago an exhibition called Project Room No. 5: Rage & Ecstasy opened. It will run until July 30 this year. You can visit this exhibition from Wednesday to Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. by appointment. The exhibition is very unusual because its author, Szu- Chieh Yun, a Taiwanese-American painter, explores what the contradictions between identity and place are through geometric abstraction and photorealism.

In addition to painting and creating installations, the Boston Center for the Arts also allows you to try your hand at or look at other types of creative fields, such as theater or dance. For example, now through the end of May of this year, there is enrollment in The Boston Dancemakers Residency. This takes place in cooperation with another center, Boston Dance Alliance (BDA). Participants in the program will be offered space to practice, assistance with choreography, and a stage for performance.

The latest news of Boston Center for the Arts is the start of a play called John Deserves to Die. The script was written by Rachel Greene and directed by Regine Vital. You can see it in Fresh Ink Theater, at the address 539 Tremont St. It lasts for almost 3 hours with one 15 minute intervention. The synopsis for the play says the story tells us about theater professor Daniel Holmes. He has chosen unassuming freshman Laura Vogel to play Carol in his spring production of David Mamet’s “Oleanna.” After that, the professor’s life is turned upside down. Many secrets may be revealed and the truth will come out. And perhaps someone really does deserve to die?

If you walk down E Berkeley Street from Boston Centers for the Art, you can come to the Underground at Ink Block. It is located on 90 Traveler St., under the highway, between South End and its neighborhoods. It used to be an empty space of nearly eight acres. Now, it is a parking amenity and an urban park at the same time. Citizens have an opportunity to walk on special paths or even ride bicycles. Also, if you have four-legged friends, you can also walk and exercise with them in special places. Moreover, there are fitness classes and street art classes. There is really a lot of diverse and colorful graffiti. It is a great contrast to the gray roads and walls. So, this is how a large area is used for having an interesting time. Anyone,who is interested in art or sports can visit the place for free at any time of day or night. It seems to me that the original idea was to transform an unnecessary space into something that could be useful and interesting for the people of Boston. This involved bike paths, dog parks, and the freedom to paint graffiti on walls, on posts, or other surfaces. However, do not forget that this is all under the highway, with lots of cars driving around. Therefore, this place can be dangerous and everyone must always remain careful. In that sense, it may not be the most suitable place for fun and sport. However, it is still a very successful attempt to encourage people to exercise outdoors.

Castle Island, located in South Boston and near the shore of the Harbor, functioned as the military base until the end of World War II. After the war, the famous landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted designed Pleasure Bay Beach on castle island in the 1800s as the marine park, a jewel in the “Emerald Necklace” of green space surrounding Boston. Combining the beautiful scenery and its long history, Castle Island has become a famous historical and landscape attraction. Also, the artworks created for the memorial purpose are also fascinating and attractive.

Kearsarge Memorial is a boat anchor dedicated to the Naval Veterans of the Civil War, the Spanish War, and War World I (which was also called the Great War). The name of the statute originates from the Battleship USS Kearsarge(BB-5), the first ship in the U.S. Navy to be named by an act of Congress, and also the only U.S. Battleship  not named after a state at that time.  The USS Kearsarge was commissioned in February 1900 and sailed around the world. During World War I, USS Kearsarge (BB-5) played many roles, including armed escort, training ship, and rescue ship. In 1920, the USS Kearsarge (BB-5) ended its life at sea. According to the Boston Globe, “ The memorial is in the form of an anchor weighing 1900 pounds and set in a cement base, and this is the only all-naval memorial in the New England area, which is cool.” This statue is located in Marine Park near the Michael Joyce Memorial Playground.

Walking Down the Kearsarge Memorial is the health trail created by the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR). At the beginning of the Health Trail stands the South Boston World War II memorial, built by Robert F. Moakley, a member of the non-profit organization Thomas J. Fitzgerald, to commemorate 216 residents of South Boston who were killed or missing in the second war. Robert was an experienced veteran of World War II and the Korean War. After leaving the army, Robert became involved in philanthropic work, helping veterans with re-employment issues, funding the Boston Police Force, and so on. The South Boston World War II Memorial is located in a position in front of one of the most beautiful stretches of Pleasure Bay Beach leading out to Castle Island. It is really worth seeing.

If you want to see the Donald Mckay Monument and the Korean War Memorial, please go further into the healthy trail. The Korean War Memorial is dedicated to South Boston soldiers who fell during the Korean War. 20 names engraved on the honor roll represent the five major branches of the army, and they will be always remembered. Passing the Korean War Memorial is the McKay Monument located in front of the LT. JOHN J. McCorkle Memorial Fish Pier , which  commemorates Donald Mckay of his devotion to shipbuilding. On the left of the monument listed all the ships he made in his entire life. (Armstrong, 1984)

The two monuments are set on a beautiful island. On sunny afternoons, lying on the grass in the sea breeze and watching the seaplanes take-off is a great way to relieve stress. Behind the meadow is the stately detached castle. The castle has survived the ages and has been used as a state prison, a defense project. There is even a turret at the top of the castle, which was used to defend it from the British. In good weather, the castle is open from time to time, free of charge, and visitors are invited to come and see it.

In my opinion, castle island is an educational place. It had lived through the war itself, leaving traces that could not be faked, the rusty railings of the docks, the old dykes built during the war. DCR chose to name the community's roads after the martyrs, and under each sign is a wreath in memory of the martyrs.

If you look closely, you can also see a number of nostalgic art installations around the island. For example, a wooden boat filled with flowers in memory of a fallen naval officer. It has to be said that Castle Island combines history and outdoor art in a very special and light-hearted way, telling every visitor not to forget those who contributed so much to American independence.

Works Cited

Commonwealth of Massachusetts. “Castle Island, Pleasure Bay, M Street Beach and Carson Beach.” Mass.gov, www.mass.gov/locations/castle-island-pleasure-bay-m-street-beach-and-carson-beach.

USN Ships--USS Kearsarge (Battleship # 5). web.archive.org/web/20030407133249/http://history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-k/bb5.htm.

“All Sail Set : A Romance of the Flying Cloud : Sperry, Armstrong, 1897-1976 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive.” Internet Archive, 1984, archive.org/details/isbn_9780879235239.