An Independent Arts and Culture Guide
Art by: Khali Khidr @khali.art.
Issue Design By: Phoebe Delmonte, Adrian Alvarez, Julia Baroni, Hannah Blauner,& Blauner,& Audrey Sutter
Advanced Education for Average
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We’ve come a long way with humor that makes my aunt uncomfortable at Thanksgiving dinners. After a certain duo brought a certain funniness to the masses a little over a decade ago, there’s been a steady growth in both derivatives and successors in what might be called “antihumor,” a genre name about as accurately descriptive as “intelligent dance music.” My poor music taste aside, Advanced Education for Average Adults is here to help teach us what else comedy has to offer, and to “breakdown difficult topics for weaker adults.” Join Alex, Peter, and friends, as they rescue each other from porn, compete for friends, and prove ghosts exist. The titles of videos alone are enough to illicit clicks with names such as “Adult Friendship” and “Human Pornography.” The two hosts will take weaving paths to arrive at lessons for said weaker adults, with many different styles and interstitials thrown along the way and enough editing to virtually be a character itself. Learn about the propaganda and policies of the Liberal Arts-Right. Understand the legal ramifications of being misdiagnosed as a ghost. Play the board game Safe Arguments, a perfect get-together for “family fight nights” and “casual funerals.” Look up your porn keywords by mailing a sample of semen to AncestD and hope it doesn’t come back to you in the mail. We have much to learn from this gift from Alexandra Derderian, Peter Levine, and Stuart Roelke, and their Weird Local Productions and Triple Yeah Productions. Their knowledge-saturate videos can be found on their Weird Local Productions YouTube channel. My aunt may never like me at Thanksgiving, but Advanced Education can help me cope and adjust to this world as a weaker adult. —Travis Benson
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QWEAR PRIDE 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has derailed any possibility of in-person events, but people have found ways to adapt to these strange and uncertain times, connecting with their communities through virtual events. In the past two months, Zoom hangs and Instagram Live shows have become the norm. Qwear Pride 2020 joins the fray of online events with an all-day virtual Pride festival on June 13, hosted on Facebook Live. Qwear Pride 2020 states on their site that the event is “An all-day virtual Pride festival that aims to uplift the community through music, performance, fashion, and interviews.” The speakers are Blessitt Shawn B., a writer who challenges beauty conventions; Dr. Alexis Chavez, MD, a doctor who founded LGBTQ+ clinics; Mateo Emanuel Alejandro Rojas, a Latino trans activist; Lilac Vylette Maldonado, co-founder of Los Angeles Spoonie Collective; Sky Heyn Cubacub, founder of Rebirth Garments; Shiona Heru, JD, a transgender legal expert and researcher; and Kharlybia Roane, a documentary filmmaker. Featured speaker sessions include “LGBTQIA+ Mental Health in the Time of Corona“ led by Chavez and panels include “Panel: Queer Sick & Disabled Experience.”A number of artists will perform, ranging from musicians to dancers. There will also be an interactive fashion show. For the show, Qwear Pride 2020 organizers will showcase short videos of people modeling outfits that make them feel proud. They are accepting submissions! Visit qwearpride2020.com. A virtual shop gives attendees the opportunity to support queer designers. Qwear Pride 2020 is jam-packed with exciting and engaging speaker sessions, panels, performances, dance parties, and more. Don’t miss out. Follow @qwearfashion on Instagram and Twitter and visit QwearFashion.com —Olivia Deng
THIS PAPER IS AN ONGOING PROJECT OF BRAIN ARTS ORGANIZATION, INC., A 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT. PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO, VOLUNTEERING OR OTHERWISE SUPPORTING US: BRAIN-ARTS.ORG
The Big Flattening On May 9th local musicians Olivia W-B (RONG, Hairbrush) and Raef (Birthday Ass, JJ JHNSN) released a massive 3 vol. benefit compilation with 100% of the proceeds going to Coronavirus relief mutual aid networks across Boston. THE BIG FLATTENING is a collection of work by current and former New England Conservatory students although it is not an NEC project - it is an entirely DIY, by-us-forus effort. Here’s a sample of my interview with Olivia and Raef: Olivia: “I think this compilation is an opportunity to be like, hey! Look! We can share what we want to with each other, while generating funds for important work. I think the booking collective at the Democracy Center does an awesome job at this. I bring this up because I think that is how DIY music scenes could become more politicized. I’ve had a lot of conversations with musicians who feel strongly about things that are messed up in the world but feel uncertain of how to make it overlap with their creative practice – not knowing if they could insert political lyrics into their songs, or if it’s really their place to be talking about larger struggles during their set. But I don’t think it’s necessarily our jobs as musicians to aestheticize struggle* – instead of feeling a pressure to make our work seem political, we can brainstorm how to leverage our connections with each other and our resources to benefit organizing that is already happening. Like, I’m probably not gonna write the anthem of the resistance, but I can ask all my friends to throw in $7 and check out this call to action. As groups of people with such strong shared interests, how can we develop our capacity to contribute to movements that are already in motion?” Full interview at www.brain-arts.org/blog Listen/donate at www.thebigflattening.bandcamp.com —Sam Potrykus
THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE BOSTON CULTURAL COUNCIL, A LOCAL AGENCY WHICH IS FUNDED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL, AS ADMINSTRATED BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ARTS + CULTURE
NOTES FROM THE CREW Zup! Thanks for checking out another issue of the Compass. We know that during this tough time resources like this one are vital in keeping our community connected. Thank you all for the support! Because of you Brain Arts Org was able to raise 107% of its Covid-19 relief fund! We are now able to pay artists who lost gigs and BAO staff to keep this art culture train movin’ for a few months to get through this difficult time. Even before this crisis, we were always looking for ways to improve the quality of the work we’ve done. We are so stoked to present our newly reimagined, missiondriven events section “Happenings”, which will replace what used to be known as “chosen shows” on pages 4 & 5. Instead of trying to confine all the incredible action of Boston into the limited categories of art, music and film, we have decided to widen our net and capture a more diverse variety of events under the umbrella Happenings! This means performance art, tutorials, podcasts, fundraisers, collectives...anything happening in the vast arts and culture scenes of Boston that are underrepresented. In this spirit of increased accessibility we are once again accepting submission for events! Send your listings to happenings@brain-arts.org. We wanna know about ‘em!
I live in one of the Boston area’s most iconic styles of housing: the multi-family, triple-decker home. Our house was built in 1910, and much about the original floor plan has remained intact. Modern real estate developers salivate over the bones of homes like ours, which architectural historian and native Bostonian Arthur Krim described in 1977 as “neither tenement nor mansion, but rather good solid housing.” Back then, these homes were affordable housing, designed for Boston’s emerging middle class streetcar suburbs. Krim called it “a democratic architecture… built to give the average family the benefits of the suburbs while living close to city jobs.” But while the original structure and inherent accessibility of three-deckers is what gives them high-value status in today’s urban market, developers grit their teeth at the original layout of their interior space. The door count in our 900 square foot apartment is fifteen. Guests visiting our house for the first time are usually confused when they enter the front door, only to be greeted with three more doors leading to the basement, kitchen, and living rooms respectively. In the kitchen alone, there are five doors—all of differing heights—three of which are crowded unevenly on one wall. In an HGTV show about flipping homes, we are the before image. For decades, as a society, we’ve been moving away from meticulously carved up spaces like the one I live in and gravitating instead towards the “open floor concept.” The origins of this trend, visible everywhere from millennial office spaces to massproduced mcmansions, can be attributed to the architectural philosophy of Frank Lloyd Wright. Opening and freeing up space was a way of mimicking “organic simplicity” found in nature, which Wright felt was the future of architecture. Prior to that point, domestic space (at least in the anglo-saxon tradition that informed American housing) had followed a specific kind of trajectory. It was designed for families that spent most of their time at home, provided nearly entirely for themselves, and had far less technology. There was a need to segregate spaces in the home with clear boundaries because distinct tasks were being performed in them: the parlor where large, middle-class families spent time or hosted guests, the dining room where they ate, the kitchen where they (or the servants) prepared food and washed dishes. Wright found this utilitarian approach to space stifling. “Dwellings of that period were ‘cut up,’ advisedly and completely, with the grim determination that should go with any cutting process,” he wrote in a lecture in 1933. “The ‘interiors’ consisted of boxes beside or inside other boxes, called rooms. All boxes inside a complicated boxing.
One more thing...we have been over the moon with our recent expansion to 8 pages. We adore each of our new writers’ and artists’ fresh perspectives and guess what...we want more! For July’s Compass and beyond we would love to bring even more new writers/ artists to our team. Pitch us your column/art idea to kevin@brain-arts.org. In times like these we all need to be more accepting and inclusive, so we are opening our pages to you in order to create a more diverse cast of voices to represent our city. Don’t worry, your new fave column isn’t disappearing, just rotating with other great content. We’ve also been able to welcome writers to our new blog: www.brain-arts.org/blog. This endeavor is like an extension of the Compass with even more content about Boston happenings than we can fit on our 8 pages. We also upload Compass content there just in case you missed something. Wow! We’re dang busy...that’s because we love this City.
ADVICE FOR LOVERS Q: I have a friend. We both admitted to having feelings for the other, yet he doesn’t want anything serious. I suggested friends with benefits, but he told me he can’t do it anymore because he’d rather stay friends, and now we aren’t easily friends. What to do? A: The declaration that he’d “rather stay friends’’ is irrelevant - both parties have shared feelings of more. I think that is a way of avoiding what is inevitably going to happen for two people who feel deeply for each other, especially if you are already friends and hanging out. Maybe there should be a visit into the meaning of “friends’’ and what the motives of staying in the safe zone are.
Typically someone would want to remain friends and put brakes on something more as a protection plan. There is no backtracking once you “catch the feels’’ for somebody. You can’t simply undo it unless you have impeccable self control or something distasteful happens. In my experience: attraction grows. Then there is sort of a light at the end of the tunnel that causes a break in that attraction, and from there you either forfeit the relationship or continue because the thing weighs less.
------- XOXO HEART SOAKED
KEVIN DACEY
(editor-in-chief) (Simba >^..^<)
Each domestic ‘function’ was properly box to box. I could see little sense in this inhibition, this cellular sequestration that implied ancestors familiar with the cells of penal institutions, except for the privacy of bedrooms on the upper floor.” Wright’s ideas revolutionized domestic space in America in some ways for the better. But they also had some unintended consequences. Two months ago, like countless Americans, we lost important third places nearly overnight: offices, restaurants, bars, theaters, performance venues, museums, libraries, parks and playgrounds closed indefinitely. On top of that, we acquired a guest. Before New York City went into total lockdown and before anybody knew how bad it would get, my husband’s sister booked an overnight train to Cambridge, expecting to stay only for two weeks (but which, before we knew it, had become two months). Walls, once unwelcoming and oppressive, were what permitted us to comfortably accommodate this drastic return to domestic life. French doors cordon off the living room into its own mini apartment, making it quite painless to house an impromptu third roommate in a small, one bedroom apartment, while still maintaining a sense of privacy. The once-despised wall between the kitchen and dining area has earned our respect, as those preparing dinner can, with the door closed, get an early start without interrupting those still ‘at work’ in the next room. In opening up domestic space, Wright hoped to liberate inhabitants from restrictive social and physical boundaries. He also hoped to discourage the clutter and materialism he felt characterized homes with “over-complicated” floor plans, and buoy a sense of connection to the natural world. Paradoxically, his ideas came at a time in which Americans would sever their ties to nature and its processes. In less than a century, homes that were once productive and self-reliant became oriented nearly entirely around consumption. There isn’t a single reason for this shift, which is tied up with social issues like the womens’ rights movement. (Tackling the grueling tasks of keeping the household running was a burden unfairly and thanklessly prescribed onto women.) Intentional or not, the open floor concept accompanied, and perhaps mirrored, this economic and social transformation. What good is a wall between the kitchen and the dining room for a society that hardly ever cooks for itself anymore? Spending more time at home, cooking all of our own meals, and providing our own entertainment helped my family see how designating functional spaces in a home facilitates a household that is more, well, functional. I wonder if there’s not something we can learn from this time spent at home. Wright’s open concept experiment has run its course—with consequences both good and bad. After a century of tearing down walls, maybe leaving a few up isn’t such a bad idea.
---------------------------- KARINE VANN
RIGHT HERE BY EMMA GELBARD @emmagelbard
CONTACT TRACING:
PANDORA’S BOX
Contact tracing will be a digital privacy nightmare, and should absolutely not be implemented. Contact tracing is a proposed system by which people are informed if they’ve walked near someone who tests positive for novel coronavirus. In theory, this system works by utilizing the near field technology of bluetooth, keeping logs of every bluetooth device in 100-200ft range, and “anonymously” warning you if someone you’ve recently been near contracts COVID-19. In practice, this system primarily functions by creating a surveillance network out of bluetooth functionality. Benefits of increased surveillance: It is easier for governments and corporations to surveil you. Drawbacks of increased surveillance: see above. Taking the Government’s word that contact tracing will go back into the box is frankly a hard sell. If you’re skeptical of this, consider that the current comprehensive surveillance nightmare that is PRISM, 12-eyes, and the TSA, were created under combating the shadowy threat of “terrorism” through the 2001 Patriot Act. Naturally of course, we’re nearly 20 years on, and the existential threat of terrorism apparently justifies the permanent existence of civil rights infringing bulk data collection. Here’s my prediction: Apple and Google create an incredible contact tracing apparatus, built into IOS and Android such that users can’t manually remove it. Officially they say “we’ll remove it when COVID is over. Such a time never arrives and the contact tracing apparatus, which uses bluetooth to
intimately track the locations of everyone carrying a cellphone, goes from: ‘new tech to fight the virus’ to: ‘just another feature in modern cell phones’. Privacy activists complain and get called tinfoil hat wearers for pointing out how awful the increased surveillance state is. Apple tells everyone that they care about privacy, but that contact tracing is good for them. Google, exceptionally far from giving a fuck, incorporates it into their existing advertising apparatus and soon Android 11 arrives with contact tracing built in and always on. Google will tell you that you can disable it, but will continue tracking you, just without telling you about it (the same way every single one of their current tracking systems work). Both companies will continue giving their information carte blanche to the CIA, NSA, FBI, or other 3 letter agencies with a pulse. Business continues as usual, and people stubbornly parrot the “if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear” argument, while feeling shocked and uncomfortable when someone else discovers their browsing history. I’d love to be wrong about this because it invites a disastrous level of surveillance that history shows us will go from “temporary” tech to integrated systems with little public oversight. COVID, like most other problems of its scale, can be defeated through social problem solving, not by developing another massive state surveillance apparatus.
------- DANIEL LLOYD-MILLER
UNDERGROUND FLEX 8 Z I P P
Hey everyone, Cory here. How are you doing? This is a monthly column about local protest art, coming to you from the Boston chapter of Extinction Rebellion (“XR”). XR is a worldwide, decentralized resistance movement fighting human extinction and ecological collapse. We demand truth-telling, immediate government response, and the creation of citizens assemblies to combat these threats. In the US, we also specifically demand a just transition that centers the most-impacted, including indigenous peoples, people of color, disabled folks, workers, and the poor. (Hey, that’s almost everyone!) So it’s June, and we’re 2.5 - 3.5 months into social distancing. That’s a LONG time to be inside. Right now I’m sitting at a desk trying to squeak this column in (bless you, Compass editors!). But two days ago I made some climate art around my neighborhood. I drew boats in sidewalk chalk with messages like “Different boats, same storm,” and made folded paper boats with sharpie’d slogans that I hung along a public path. These messages are part of an ongoing Art Saturation we launched last month — many small pieces of climate art put up around the city. Anyone is welcome to join. Themes include rising seas, connections with COVID-19, and support for workers. We’re also hosting a series of artmaking workshops — see www.xrmass. org/action for info. Here are some reasons we chose this action, and ways you can participate: FORM + FUNCTION Making non-permanent protest art in public sparks hope and resistance, offers color and curiosity, reaches a large num-
ber of people, and expresses climate anxiety in helpful forms. It’s also fun to do, gets folks outside, and can be made while social distancing. Sidewalk chalk washes off with rain. Paper signs are usually biodegradable, but should be taken down before a storm so they don’t become trash. Other good materials include flags made from 100% natural fabrics, spray chalk, and music. SAFETY + CARE Make sure you’re not putting art on anyone’s property, and that it won’t leave stains, damage, or waste. My personal opinion is that permanent resistance art has a place (that’s not an official XR stance, just my belief). However, this project is about sharing concern, education, and solidarity. That’s tough to do when people feel disrespected or attacked, or when local governments see your org in that light. You can check local laws about “graffiti” and “defacement,” to get a sense of how cops / officials might interpret certain projects. Importantly, don’t make mess or stress for Public Works employees. DOCUMENT IT Take photos of what you make and email them to xr.boston.art@protonmail.com. Get creative. Write “Support People Not Fossil Fuels” on a kite. Draw a dead canary on your facemask. Collect pinecones and spell out “Love and Rage” in the road. Make an Andy Goldsworthy worth leaving the house for. And soak up some sun while you’re at it.
K E E P S
When the quarantine pandemic began back in March, it left artists unprepared and in a frenzy. Venues were being shut down with no reopening date, performances scheduled throughout the summer were being rescheduled to the next calendar year, curfews were being put in place statewide and buildings that served as a safe haven for those to create, were no longer. Artists have since had to come up with a new game plan for visual treatments and project rollouts in efforts to keep their audience entertained. However, one artist who seems to have it all together from the start is 8Zipp. A Roxbury native, 8Zipp hasn’t been fazed by the quarantine one bit — it has actually made his brand stronger. The rapper has rolled out at least six singles since the beginning of March, while pushing his latest visual, “Cash Rules.” He’s also made an appearance on A&R Director of NNCHVLNT Sylus Gambino’s “Killed or Be Killed” record, which also features Vanni and Kam’Geez and has sparked a challenge for other artists to take on around the city. Under the label imprint, Shooterz Muzik Machine, 8Zipp has always been a proud Roxbury resident and has never once shied away from talking about his upbringing. During his interview with the Boston Music Award-winning podcast, It’s Lit Boston, the “Watch Me Win” curator’s manager, Chilla, described his artist as a street rapper. “He’s smarter than what people give
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him credit for. He’s seen it all as far as this side of life and the other side of life,” said the Shooterz Muzik Machine CEO. “You know we out here having a good time and we’ve also been at the bottom. Me and him had been incarcerated together for three years straight. Me and him were [cellmates] majority of the time, so that time we just really put our brains together and said when we come out, we gon’ do something positive, do that right thing, and stay focused, and that’s what we been doing since we’ve been home.” Since the January interview, 8Zipp’s visuals have rounded up to over 75 thousand views on Youtube and 13 thousand streams on Soundcloud. Who does he do it for exactly? The campaign #FreeN****s — a slogan you’ll see on every hoodie or shirt he and his camp wears. He does it for his friends and loved ones who have continued to champion him behind a jail cell. “We made it out the jam, they gotta make it out the jam, too,” he said. 8Zipp keeps it authentic, and you can feel his pain. It’s evident from his music that he lives the life he talks about, as well as the rest of the Shooterz Muzik Machine roster (Side Street Capo and KT Cuatro). There’s no word on when 8Zipp’s next project will drop, but be sure to follow him on Instagram and Twitter via @_8Zipp/@8Zipp to stay updated with his latest releases.
------------------ TAHISHA CHARLES
(@MiixtapeChiick)
------------------------------ CORY (xrmass.org) P.S. Happy Solstice everyone.
TRASH IS TRAGIC Hello, my trashy babies! Since the dawn of COVID-19, my “going out look” has featured a Budweiser bandana, draped elegantly across my mug in a makeshift face mask. That ends now. I’m clearing my busy schedule — which mainly involves blasting Candle in the Wind and weeping — and making a proper face mask. Why the sudden change of heart, you ask? While “King of Beers” is a strong fashion statement, it’s prolly not the identity I wish to project during a pandemic. No one likes a braggart in end times! And it turns out that bandana face masks prevent the spread of COVID-19 like bandana condoms prevent pregnancy. Not well. And highly chafing. Woof. Why not buy some freaky-deaky-disposable face masks? Glad you asked. There’s a human cost embedded in the manufacture and disposal of medical PPE, which is largely made from petrochemicals. People living in close proximity to plastic manufacturing plants, or the incinerators that burn medical waste, are exposed to airborne pollutants that can significantly shorten their lifespan; on average, 20 - 30 years below that of individuals from nearby communities. The affected communities disproportionately consist of low-income, black and brown POC. There’s an inescapable truth of life on Earth: The health of any individual is inseparable from the health of their environment. America’s system of inequality has allowed low-income people and people of color to breathe the dangerous pollution that industry says is necessary
for the safety of others. Their lives are basically deemed “nonessential” by powerful forces of industry and government. This is unacceptable. OK cool speech, but how do I make a face mask tho? - The Net (starring Sandra Bullock) is crawling with DIY face mask tutorials (Gather Here of Cambridge has a nice one). Find a tutorial that suits your sewing ability and tool set. Access to a sewing machine is helpful, but not essential. - The type of cloth you use is very important; it will determine the effectiveness of your mask. According to smarty lab nerds, denim and canvas made from 100 percent cotton are the best options. Cotton with a high thread count, like quilter’s cotton, is also recommended. Double, triple, or quadruple your layers, making sure they are breathable and light-blocking. - Scavenge fabric, elastic, and thread. I’m repurposing the elastic from an old fitted bedsheet, and the legs of denim cutoffs. You could use the elastic off a tired g-string, if the ol’ gal has some life left in her! Sewing by hand? In need of thread? Consider taking apart a plain weave cloth, like an old bedsheet, or use dental floss like an Oi punk. - Put the Shivvers on repeat and bust out the face mask of your dreams. Ric rac, clown noses, vajazzles — go hard with the embellishments! Make sure to write DOG PISS across the front, and make intense eye contact with everyone you pass.
------------------ MELANIE BERNIER
KHALI KHIDR
THE TAROT FORECAST For the month of June, I pulled the VIII of Pentacles. This is a card that I pulled for you all in April as well, but in April the energy of this card was revered, now it is right side up, and brings a new meaning to it. The VIII of Pentacles is here to talk to us about work. It reminds us to reflect on what the last few months have been like for us and our relationship to work. This card reminds us that work is not about grinding just to scrape by, work is not about a long commute, or feeling depleted at the end of the day. Work is about our skills and craft. Work is the thing that we do that brings us pride. How can we make work an achievement, and not a burden in our lives? Look for a project to bring meaning or a mentor at work, these things will help us find joy. For the Full Moon on June 5, I pulled the Knight of Swords. The Knight of Swords is a person of action and speed. They are ambitious and determined, and always ready to move quickly forward. But sometimes, the Knight finds in their rush to push forward they lose all sense of direction and disregard consequences. This card asks us all to check in with ourselves, in our desire to move forward, we must still have grace and foresight. We cannot push forward and wreck everything in our path. The Summer Solstice is on June 20
and marks the halfway point of the year, and the beginning of Summer. For this day, I pulled the IX of Wands (revered). The reversed IX of Wands is a card that arrives when we are almost at the end of the race, but then find ourselves utterly exhausted. We are reaching burn out, and there is also a little bit of cowardice in us, as we cannot seem to gather our bravery and push ourselves to the finish line. We are being called during the Summer Solstice to use our last reserves of energy and keep going. This is a test of our faith. I pulled the II of Wands (reversed) for the New Moon on June 21. In reverse, this card is about a lack of planning and disorganization. We have been prioritizing the wrong things, and trying to move forward, but alas, our plans were a mess and now we are lost. These cards, although pulled at random, all seem to have the theme of moving forward and the consequences of that. Be cautious this June, Boston — if we are slow, steady, and careful we will be able to handle this month. However, if we rush, we will create disorganized chaos and become exhausted and stalled.
------------- NAOMI WESTWATER
(@naomiwestwater)
MORE AT BRAIN-ARTS.ORG *“@”=IG TAG* LA+D Films: Watch independent student films online and learn about the filmmakers! http://www.lucadfilm.com/posts/watch-our-films/ Punk Rock Aerobics is BACK featuring at home exercise set to a rotating playlist of all things punk! Follow @punk_rock_aerobics for updates and upcoming streams
ExpozedTV: Live streams and videos of music, interviews with local artists, and more. Check out previous content and updates at https://www.expozedtv.com/about-expozedtv
Follow Mad Music Mill for updates on livestreams and virtual music opportunities @themadmusicmill
Follow AGX Film Collective to support an all artist-run collective of local filmmakers and learn about online opportunities: https://agxfilm.org/
HER MUSE Collective: DJ series Thursdays and Sundays every week & tutorials/informative videos from womxn & ally artists all around the globe! @hermusecollective
Meet the Creators: Virtual interviews with visual artists! Find the full and developing schedule by following @ meetthecreatorstv
Stay Silent: Art and music live streams/rad talk show @staysilentpvd LFOD Radio features regular livestreams of music and all forms of artistic expression Follow them @lofodradio Follow Boston Got Next! For action updates and new music! https://bostongotnext.com/just-released/ Non-Event: experimental, abstract, improvised, and new music happenings. Floating Shapes (Joe Bastardo/Mickey O’Hara/Abdul Sherzai) on Friday, June 12 on Non-Event’s Youtube channel. More live streams every Friday. Stay-at-home-Fest! A calendar of online experiences and digital events! www.stayathomefest.com/#calendar Bridgeside Cypher: Zoom open mic every Thurs. 9PM Check the link: www.facebook.com/cambridgehiphop/live Follow @cambridgehiphop for updates and info! Fuzzed Out: Local rock radio show, Mon 6-7p on WZ 90.3 FM Follow them @fuzzed_out Follow It’s Lit Boston podcast for upcoming and past music live streams! www.facebook.com/ItsLitBoston/ @itslitboston
The Pineapple Diaries: Comedic Webseries https://www.youtube.com/lagringaloca Weird Local Film Festival goes virtual AGAIN! Check out the 2nd round of 40 second films from local filmmakers! Scope Weird Local Productions on Youtube Follow @weirdlocalfilmfestival Girl Haus Cinema! Short films by local women filmmakers https://www.grrlhauscinema.com/ Senseless Audio Series! Live conversations with Boston youth. Keep an eye on upcoming live streams and interactive discussions here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ TeenEmp/events/?ref=page_internal DIY DOC: First episode of a new video series documenting Boston’s DIY music scene starting with house venue Trendy Shit Town up now on Youtube. Search it up!
Mattaya Fitts visual art demonstration on IGTV 6/7 and Youtube 6/9 Follow @mattayafitts Art by Cassandra: Beautiful illustrator at artby_cassandra and live on Youtube 6/1
Fellow non-profit Wrong Brain from NH has shared their online zine archive! Check out the collection at wrongbrain.net/zine-archive/ wrong-brain-1 Support Papercut Zine Library and learn how to get involved! www.papercutzinelibrary.com/volunteer-positions DigBoston: Boston’s other rad newspaper goes all virtual at www.digboston.com
Sublime Luv: Public Speaker. Spoken Word Artist. Workshop Facilitator. Teaching Artist. www.sublimeluv.com Follow @mssublimeluv Midway or the Highway: The monthly, recurring open mic night has gone online! Four nights in June: 6/7, 6/14, 6/21, 6/28 Check out https://www.facebook.com/ groups/675089935951646 for the zoom information!
VastLab in LA presents live film + sound every Saturday night at 11:15pm at vastlab.org Spectacle Theater in NYC presents live screenings on Twitch every week! Filmmaker Kate Lain created this Cabin Fever playlist of experimental film and video crowdsourced by filmmakers. Support the artists! Download various formats here: http://www.katemakesfilms.com/cabinfever/ The Experimental Cinema Newsletter shares calls for work and events at expcinema.org
Good Music Showcase Series: Music live streams of local hip hop and community artists! For weekly updates, follow them @goodmusicshowcaseseries
The Harvard Film Archive newsletter has recently been sharing recommendations of films to stream online each week from its past filmmakers at www.harvardfilmarchive. com/newsletter
Feel it Speak it: Boston’s only monthly open mic movement dedicated to voices & experiences of the LGBTQ+ communities of color every Thursday. https://zoom.us/j/662513689 Meeting ID: 662 513 689 @feelit_speakit
The LEF New England newsletter shares local filmmaker opportunities each month at www.lef-foundation.org
Follow Black Cotton Club for virtual open mics, community information and more! www.facebook.com/BlackCottonClub/ @BlackCottonClub
AGITATE:21C The Avant-garde International Team at the Epicentre of the 21st Century is an international avant-garde filmmaking collective that is open to anyone to join. Check it on FB
The Frameworks mailing list is “an international forum on experimental film, avant-garde film, film as art, film as film, or film as visual poetry”. www.ho-beam.net
BAGLY Peer Mental Health Meeting in Zoom! https://zoom.us/j/211897972?pwd=VXNoaXhsb3ZYN2k0TmIxTkYzVFRiZz09 Meeting ID: 211 897 972 Password: 595249 Free Groceries for ALL @Make Shift Boston Mondays at 5:30pm 549 Columbus Ave, Boston Follow Black Market Nubian for info on shopping local! https://www.instagram.com/blackmarketnubian Charlies Kitchen Show Staff Fundraiser: Check out these rad t-shirts for sale! shops.acmeprintco.com/products/charlies-kitchen Barbara Hammer Lesbian Experimental Filmmaking Grant (up to $6,000). Check back later this year for 2020 details TBA! www.queer-art.org/hammer-grant LEF Early Development Grants ($2,500 research/writing grant for 40+ min non-fiction works on film/video by New England filmmakers - experimentation encouraged!) Deadline 6/5/2020 www.lef-foundation.submittable.com/submit Lightpress Grants ($1,200 for 16mm/35mm 4K scanning) Deadline 7/1/2020 www.interbaycinemasociety.org/ lightpress-grants
DJ Mint Pillow: Pillow: Live, electronic music streams sets to follow and stream. www.twitch.tv/djmintpillow Off Land: Experimental and ambient music livestreams! www.twitch.tv/offlandia/schedule Saturday 6/13 @ 2pm
Immortal Exhibit: Exhibit: IG TV Visual Artists and Live Stream Schedule! Follow them @immortalexhibit
Check out COVID Grants for Artists through Mass Cultural Council www.massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/covid-19-relief-fund-for-individuals
Club Passim Livestreams! Folk, americana, acoustic sets, and more. Check the continually developing schedule at www. passim.org/stream
SMFA Senior Thesis Virtual Exhibit: Check out student senior thesis submissions virtually! https://smfa.tufts.edu/events-exhibitions/virtual-exhibits/ senior-thesis/2020
Grant Seeking Tactics and Ethics www.calendar.artsboston.org/event/community-conversations-grantseeking-tactics-ethics June 6 @ 6pm
THE BIG FLATTENING A compilation of work by NEC students & alumni to raise $ for coronavirus relief in Boston. 100% of proceeds go to mutual aid projects! https://thebigflattening.bandcamp.com/
Check out HowlRound for updates on independent theatre. Lots of pre-recorded video content, updates, and more live streams in the coming weeks! https://howlround.com/tags/covid-19 Beads by Trokon visual art demonstration on IGTV 6/3 and Youtube 6/5 Follow @beadsbytrokon
Physical theaters may still be down for the count, but some local theatre companies are finding new ways to share new work. Fresh off some big wins at the 2020 Elliot Norton Awards, Needham’s Arlekin Players Theatre is leading the way with an innovative new form for their next production State vs. Natasha Banina, blending live theatre with video, performing live via Zoom. Their secret weapon is dazzling director Igor Golyak, who was the visionary behind Arlekin’s 2019 productions’ The Stone and The Seagull. While awards are irrelevant, it’s still nice to see genuine talent recognized. Now is the time to gorge on some of the best theatre in the world from the past 50+ years, since so much of it is streaming for FREE online. Check out our listings with highlights below. Tips? Email TheatrescapeBoston@gmail.com —CEEK
STREAMING FOR FREE Every Sun through 6/28 State vs. Natasha Banina by Arlekin Players Theater This multi-national theatre company has been a tour de force of interesting and bold work in the local scene. This production is a new adaptation of Yaroslava Pulinovich’s Russian play Natasha’s Dream, about young Natasha’s life from a small-town orphanage to an unknown future. The Arlekin Players are bringing the excitement of a live performance to a safe, virtual stage by utilizing video and streaming via Zoom. This is free but please consider donating $25 or more, if you can. WHERE: Make your Zoom reservation via ArlekinPlayers.com
SHEEP #1 by Nekaa Lab / Sachiyo Takahashi A poetic story of a sheep looking for meaning in life, inspired by the work of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s writings. Cool techniques give puppetry a dreamlike quality combined with music by Emile Blondel. WHERE: search SHEEP#1 on Vimeo Every day Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz This Berlin theatre and company might be the most influential in experimental theatre ever. Since 1962, they’ve been producing work that has changed the theatre landscape throughout the world, from Europe to NYC. They are streaming a play a day from noon to 5:30pm. Check the schedule for which ones have English subtitles. WHERE: Schaubuehne.de
Every week, starting Fridays Mabou Mines This NYC-based, avant garde theatre company is streaming another piece or two from their legendary archives. This includes works written and directed by the likes of world renowned artists Lee Breuer and JoAnne Akalaitis from the ‘70s and ‘80s. WHERE: MabouMines.org Shakespeare’s Globe For two weeks at a time, Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in London is streaming past productions. This month you can catch two of the bard’s comedies; his lesser known The Merry Wives of Windsor from June 1st-14th and the popular, A Midsummer Night’s Dream from June 15th-28th WHERE: Shakespeares Globe channel on YouTube. Info at ShakespearesGlobe. com
Every week, starting Thursdays National Theatre Live Some of London theatre’s biggest productions are streaming one week at a time on YouTube. These are basically England’s version of Broadway available to view for free with big names both in and behind the scenes. Subscribe to their channel for updates. WHERE: National Theatre Live’s YouTube channel Every day Metropolitan Opera House A new opera streams every single night starting at 7pm, from recent productions to legendary performances dating as far back as the ‘70s. Take advantage. WHERE: MetOpera.org
VAGUE, YET SEMI-PRACTICAL ETIQUETTE FOR ORDERING TO-GO FOOD As Mass. eateries begin to re-open, it’s more important than ever to mindfully support local biz and treat service industry folx with respect. (Note: you don’t need the excuse of a global pandemic to start treating others like human beings). Here’s some tips on how to (safeishly) procure to-go food: 1.Call ahead or do some quick research on social media. Each business will tackle the so- called ‘new normal’ differently. Avoid feeling guilty, and of course, endangering others by familiarizing yourself with a restaurant’s protocols before ordering food. Call or DM to see how the business prefers you place your order (third-party apps can snatch up to a third of the sale price as commission). 2.Be kind always, be chatty when appropriate. Your neighborhood coffee shop probably misses you just as much as you miss them. But if you’re one of dozens of people waiting in an increasingly less-than-6-feet-apart line for the take-out window, wait patiently, exchange pleasantries, and gtfo of there. 3.Recognize there will never be a perfect system—if you’re confused, don’t assume, let the service worker engage first or ask what they’re comfortable with. Wait your turn, tip well, and wear a mask!
4.It’s Pride Month y’all: show your local, LGBTQIA businesses some love, and then some! —Dana Ferrante
S WHAT'
G N I N PE r Ave 1486 Dorcthhe Fieesldte s Corner T stop.
2 mins walk from t.org dorchesterartprojec
Hey Folks! We are closely following the shitstorm of reopening plans our silly governor is rolling out, but we are also consulting with peers to decide what makes the most sense for our community and commitment to cultivating a safe space. Follow us on IG for the latest reopening plans. We may partially open by the end of June and this baby will already be sittin on the newsrack. Until then check out the latest virtual programming from DAP: DAP VIRTUAL TOURS! Starting this month you can take an exclusive 20 min virtual tour with a staff member of your choice; Scope out the office and pick my brain about nonprofit administration, chill with Emma and peep the hallway murals, visit DJ WhySham & pump jams in the theater or ask Edwin to let you see the firescape. In addition to the 20 minute tour our
staff is offering other services such as Portfolio Development, Conquering Your Email Inbox, Embroidery Lessons, Audio Recording Consultation and Brand Development for a variety of times and fees. Visit our withfriends page and pick your player! www.withfriends.co/brain_arts_organization_inc As we continue our pursuit of artistic independence for our people in the age of coronavirus, we will be unveiling new developments in the coming weeks and months: Live-Streaming Studio, Dap Work/Shop online store and expanding the DAP Virtual Tours program to offer more services from our community like drum classes, painting instruction and more. Let’s keep these hyperlocal artists paid and you inspired shall we? Oh and don’t sleep on VIRTUAL VERSES - the online blog post and IG live platform for the DAP Open Mic. See you on the net! <3
“A Chess Match”
submit your chillustrations!! send to adrian@brain-arts.org
The match was slated to start in ten minutes and we were huddled in a side room that Johnson had strong-armed from the librarian. Inside this room there was a circular table that almost touched the four walls, over which four players and one ‘coach’ huddled. We convened in the side room because we feared losing, and Johnson had noticed. Our opponents’ reputations preceded them to the public library. Firstly, they were known to have two brutal players at the 1 and 2 positions, like cats, who would play with their food, unwitting chess amateurs, before the coup de gras. Secondly, they flew under the flag of ‘Homeschool,’ which we were convinced gave them some mysterious and unfair advantage. ‘Did you hear what they did to Gloucester’s team? That was downright excessive. ‘ ‘Their number 2 hasn’t lost a match since October…’ ‘I saw the number 3 player eating prunes just now, so odd.’ ‘Who even let them join the league?’ Among these and other eclectic arguments we found justification to bend the rules, or just bend ‘etiquette,’ which prevents a team from ‘stacking the lineup.’ The first match was a lock: our number 1 was a child prodigy, who served as our de facto coach and unappeasable drill sergeant. Our number 4 rarely spoke a word, and his name eludes me, but he tended to win his games. Number 2 and I often butted heads, and our record suggests that he was a better player. I object on the grounds that I play a very scrappy game, less calculated than Buxbaum, who himself was a prodigy of sorts in math. As I said, the numbers were in his favor. Five minutes after it was first suggested, we arrived at tacit agreement: I was to play in the second position, and Buxbaum was to earn a win in the third. Lackluster objections were raised on moral grounds, tenets were half upheld, arguments were made then made exceptions to; we wouldn’t let the decision be quick and unanimous. Once Johnson had indicated this option, it was a fait accompli. We had no more intention of backtracking than baseball umpires, who hold counsel after a questionable call without any intent to overturn it. My duty became to play and make it look like I deserved the two-spot. Granted, I had no chance of beating this smooth-skinned and almost frail juggernaut. I was a straw man charged with not losing too blatantly, not attracting suspicion by way of a blow-out loss. And it was a blow-out loss, lasting about as long as our discussion about changing the lineup. That being said, I was good enough to resign, which I’m told is how gentlemen lose their games of chess. —Matthew McGovern
Rainbow Crayons
by Abigail Neale @lavender_menace_ press
Meme Neck by Kev Gil @kevgil90
The
Market by Cagen Luse @cagenmiles
JAM
Comics Credits by panel: 1) Ethan Thorn 2) James Mobius @james_mobius 3) Kyri Lorenz @thekyrianne 4) Deborah Lang @crutoniadeb 5) EJ Barnes ejbarnes.com 6) Dan Mazur @danmazurcomics
Jam with the BCR! Submit a comic panel to adrian@brain-arts.org and it may be selected to begin an original and improvised comic page by the Boston Comics Roundtable!
tear this poster out and put it on a wall! -
Poster art by Khali Khidr
@khali.art
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"Visitors" I started work as an aide at a nursing facility. After school I would drive down the long industrial park, and the lonely driveway that led to the halfhearted facade that greeted its “visitors”. We rarely got visitors, outside of the health inspectors that remembered the building’s old nickname, “murderplex,” all too well. I would park out back and submit to the time clock that had the same cracked screen the whole six years I worked there, a memento from one of the countless aides that crumpled under the weight of steaming bed sheets and buzzing flies. Walking down the wallpapered hallway towards the elevator, you almost get used to the marble white eyes that float within the doors. You barely notice the dull stench of urine that follows each frantic mumble, scratching and pleading and begging through soft, wasted mouths. It’s when the mumbling stops and the shuffling feet finally rest that I would get my guests. Down in the basement I would spend my nights loading drums of soiled laundry, and making sure the sectors each had enough linens to last them through the next day. The steady humming of the spinning drums are a welcome distraction to miscalculated silence. Time your loads just right and you’ll have whitenoise the whole shift. Work too fast or too slow, and there’s nothing to hold your attention. When folding laundry, keep your eyes focused on the folding table, and not the open doorway to your left. Try not to look into the glass windows when unloading the drums, and if you do, don’t make eye contact with them. If they need something, they will ask. The hum of the machine will drown out all the noise above, all the ghosts of the night: people waking up and forgetting where they are; Pain medication wearing off and the dread that seeps from the dull yellow lamps. The hum will even cover up the footsteps up and down the hall, and the knocks at the door, and the calls on the intercom. It’s late, after all. No one ever needs anything on this shift. Eventually the humming stops. The humming will stop, and the footsteps don’t stop at the door anymore. Try not to pay attention, and don’t look out the door. Haul more clothes from the washers, so that the knocking on the window will stop. Fill the drier again, so your bag will stop sliding across the table. If you press start, the breath on your neck can be steam from the machine. Worn buttons click against the metal drum, and they stop standing in the doorway. The humming starts again. Keep your eyes on your feet, and walk out the door.
Liz Young
—Michael Eisan, Edited by Diva Williams
STATING THE STATE OF THE STATE OF THE ART ARTS
^
An
'
“I’m a classical musician (singer - countertenor)... I do it to pay rent and for scotch, but I really do it because it’s what I am: a human....Bach, Handel, and Schutz...understood that music... relates us to each other regardless of time period, and the human experience is one that transcends time, race, sex, and social class. I do it because it’s an inoculation against social rot.”
Z
interview with
reginAld Mobley • reginAldMobley.coM
“Art as a career can’t exist within the confines of a 9 to 5. It is always and all-encompassing.”
Q
“I live life without a net....I have to often take any gigs that come my way, which results me in being on the road for months at a time (domestically and internationally).”
B O
@IndigoLiz, @RoboLizAdventure
American propaganda film, Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise, is like a high gloss 80’s fashion mag at 30fps. Besides the aviators, cool bomber jackets and clean haircuts, one of the defining aspects of the film is the soundtrack, and in particular the title song, “Danger Zone”, written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock, and sung by Kenny Loggins. Despite Loggins iconic performance, he was the 5th choice to perform the track. While having over 300 songs to choose from for the title scene, the producers felt like nothing fit. So they approached Moroder to compose a song. The artist who sung the track had to be on Columbia because they owned the distro rights to the soundtrack. They first approached the band TOTO, but they had ended up having legal conflicts with the producers. Next was Bryan Adams, but he turned the offer down because he felt the film glorified war. REO Speedwagon was asked but declined because they weren't allowed to include their own compositions in the soundtrack, the same response was given from Corey Hart. Finally they asked Loggins, who in his words on deciding to do it was, “a very snap judgement.” Danger Zone, would be his second highest selling record, bested only by Footloose. But despite the success of the soundtrack, and its era defining sound, Loggins appears to regret doing it, going as far to say “it doesn’t represent who I am as an artist.” —Zachary Fairbrother
“100% of my money comes from performing and directing. Music is my only source of income, and has been for nearly a decade.”
P
G
@bostoncompass
“I would contest voices are as distinct and unique as fingerprints....I have a voice that is just unique enough to be a draw in its own right. In addition to that, as a large Black guy, my size and race are also distinct enough in this industry to help me stand out. This is certainly a double-edged sword...as I’m often the only Black person in a room, I’m a lightning rod for microaggressions and more overt expressions of racism that one wouldn’t think exists in the Arts.”
Katie Polgreen
“Keep at it, and realize the only ‘no’ that can actually halt your progress is your own. I mean that. I forged a career that shouldn’t exist... You get to define what qualifies as ‘success’ as an artist. No one gets to tell you otherwise.”
@cyndrali
VISCOUS VERSES
neil horsky • horskyProjects.coM
brain-arts.org
my heart hasn’t ironed out the details the ducks are playing enough cliches enough games, flukes and hooded wolves I’m slowly filling the chip on my shoulder with whatever sticks; gum, dirt, refuse and wood glue One day I’ll smooth over my edges I don’t punch mirrors anymore my eyes drool without care It’s fun to let the wind lead the dance my feet just go, one after another I try not to question their eagerness
—Craig Hard
Craig Hard is a filmmaker and multi-media artist based now in Chicago. Steven Sullivan
@steven.sully.sullivan
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