Boch Center presents ARTWEEK in Boston Through 5/7

]Produced by the Boch Center, the award-winning innovative festival ArtWeek is happening now through Sunday, May 7. With more than 250 events this season, there are many exciting opportunities to get out and get creative this week:

Collaboration Nation: A Collaborative Mural

Lead Partner: The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Untied States Senate

Community Partner: Artists For Humanity

Price: $16 (Event is free with museum admission; free museum admission for children under 17)

Location: The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the Untied States Senate, Columbia Point, Boston

Friday, April 28 to Sunday, May 7 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute welcomes visitors to contribute to a participatory mural created by the teen artists of Artists For Humanity. Together we can make a bold colorful statement that amplifies the many and varied voices in our communities and country. Ticket price includes admission and access to all exhibits. Senator Kennedy was a champion of the arts and dedicated to preserving the strong cultural traditions of Massachusetts. In celebration of his legacy in support of the arts we invite visitors to consider the intersection of art and politics, enjoy the work of young artists, and contribute to a collaborative expression of creativity at several special activities during ArtWeek.

Spring Blossoms in Japanese Ink & Waterecolor

Lead Partner: The Plein-Air Art Academy

Price: FREE

Location: Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

Sunday, May 7 from 11:00 a.m. to Noon

Japanese inks and watercolors are a perfect mix to portray the fragile blossoms of the spring against their expressive branches. This is an event for kids and their parents to explore the combo of these media in Boston's stunning Arnold Arboretum. The workshop will last one hour and is open to anyone ages 7+. It's free but in order to have enough supplies, all interested participants should email info@plein-air-academy.com in order to register. Special for Artweek...an outdoor demo with mixed media!

The Art of Being a Professional Speaker

Lead Partner: Kit Pang

Price: FREE

Location: CIC Boston, 50 Milk Street, Boston

Tuesday, May 2 from Noon to 1:30 p.m.

In collaboration with ArtWeek, let's demystify what it takes to become a professional speaker. Do you want to get booked and paid to speak at events, be a motivational speaker, get invited to speak at panel discussions, share your message on stage or even give a TEDx talk but you have no idea how and where to begin? This workshop dives into a detailed comprehensive guide on how you can get started as a speaker. Gain insider insight into the speaking world and answer to your questions.

In Depth Coverage:

· How to get started as a speaker

· Discover the 5 revenue models for speakers

· What do professional speakers do?

· Get clear on your target audience

This event is special for ArtWeek to teach individuals how they can become a professional speaker or learn how to speak more to help boost their credibility, brand and business.

Make Your Own Mother's Day Cards

Lead Partner: The Paint Bar

Community Partner: Newbury Street League

Price: FREE

Location: The Paint Bar, 248 Newbury Street, Boston

Thursday, May 4 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Create a beautiful, Mother's Day card with your choice of watercolors, markers, colored pencils and more! We will provide all the materials needed, as well as some examples and loose instruction on how to use watercolors! Unlike our regular classes, this event will be open studio style, rather than having an exact start and finish time. We love moms and believe every mom should receive a handmade card! We have the staff and materials to help you do just that. And as we are hosting right before Cinco de Mayo we will have margaritas along with our other beverages for sale!

#fortpoint: Instagram Showcase

Lead Partner: Friends of Fort Point Channel

Community Partner: WeWork

Price: FREE

Location: WeWork Fort Point, 51 Melcher Street, Fort Point

Thursday, May 4 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Do you consider yourself an Instagram artist? Are you looking to broaden your base of Insta followers? Or, like most of us, do you just love to look at beautiful pictures? Come celebrate ArtWeek and check out #fortpoint: Instagram Showcase at WeWork Fort Point where you can see the best photographs of Boston's historic Fort Point neighborhood. There will be a live Instagram wall, projection art, and a gathering where you can meet local Instagram artists and get a follow-for-a-follow. Before the event, there will be a guided photo tour of Fort Point led by expert local photographer, Nyx Breen. Meet out front of Sorelle on Congress St. at 5pm and get the inside scoop on the best locations and angles for your #fortpoint pic!

Around the World in 80 Dances

Lead Partner: Etnia Fusion by Nefertiti

Price: $12

Location: OUT OF THE BLUE TOO GALLERY, 541 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Friday, May 5 from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.

An eclectic fusion of cultural dances from around the globe, martial arts, history, storytelling and mythology. The presentation will include colorful props, traditional costumes, theatrical replicas of bladed weaponry and mask work from Behind the Mask Studio. This is a one-of-a-kind production, performed by local New England talent highly involved in the community at all levels. The cast is all-inclusive of cultural backgrounds, ethnicities and occupations. Special for ArtWeek, there will be a fun, casual, interactive post-show session to share some behind-the-scenes stories and show-and-tell about costumes, props and musical selection. Questions from the audience in regards to the creative process of each piece of choreography are welcome and encouraged.

Play With Clay

Lead Partner: Community Kiln

Price: FREE

Location: Community Kiln, 46 Park Street, Framingham

Saturday, May 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Come play with clay! Try your hand at the pottery wheel and see how well you can throw a pot - volunteers will be there to assist (works will not be kept). In our handbuilding area, watch our handbuilders create functional and decorative objects out of clay - ask questions, learn something new, and have fun! Special for ArtWeek - drop in to try the pottery wheel; watch artists create ceramic works and learn something new!

The Rotating Portrait

Lead Partner: Karl Nestelberger

Price: FREE

Location: The Shops at Prudential Center, 800 Boylston Street, Boston

Saturday, May 6 from Noon to 4:00 p.m.

Come watch multiple artists contribute to "The Rotating Portrait"! This 4-hour event will feature one costumed model doing one pose, and six different artists working in different styles and media, with music accompaniment offered by students from the Berklee College of Music. Each artist will start at their easel and use their medium of choice. After each half hour, artists will rotate one spot to the right. Each artist will have to continue working on the piece left by the previous artist with the materials also left. This will continue each half hour until everyone ends where they started. An emcee will talk about what is unfolding and answer questions from the audience. Members of the audience may ask questions of the artists as they work, but please be respectful to both the model and the artists.

Newbury Street League Music Crawl

Lead Partner: Newbury Street League

Community Partner: EBASS (Emerging Boston Area Singers & Songwriters)

Price: FREE

Location: Newbury Street, Newbury Street, Boston

Saturday, May 6 from Noon to 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, May 6 from Noon to 8:00 p.m.

Join us on Newbury Street for our Music Crawl during Spring ArtWeek! Vincent King and Friends will perform Live on Newbury Street on Sunday, May 7th from 1:00-3:00pm. Meet Vincent, a local Singer/Songwriter and Berklee Alumni, who wrote The Boston Song. Hear him perform The Boston Song, learn about the creative process, hear what inspired him to write the song, which eventually became the jingle for a Ford commercial. Throughout the weekend you will enjoy Live Music Entertainment at various Restaurants and Shops along Newbury Street on Saturday and Sunday, May 6th & May 7th from Noon-8:00pm. Performances at Papa Razzi Trattoria, Dirty Water Dough Co, Vibram, Bauer Wine & Spirits, Shake Shack, Brooks Brothers and more. For more details visit www.NewburyStreetLeague.org

Kevin So Brings It Back Home

Lead Partner: Pao Arts Center (formerly the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center)

Community Partner: Kevin So

Price: FREE

Location: Pao Arts Center, 99 Albany Street, Boston

Saturday, May 6 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Boston-born and raised musician Kevin So returns home to his roots in celebration of the opening of the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) Pao Arts Center. Explore the foundation of all music with a lesson in the history of Blues, and experience how the genre and industry kept this Asian American performer grounded and ultimately brought him home. Part performance, discussion, experience-sharing and multimedia lecture, the event will challenge audience members to engage in dialogue about the concept of roots and the intersection of music and identity. BCNC is proud to highlight Kevin as part of the Grand Opening of the Pao Arts Center and to celebrate Asian American voice in the City of Boston. Pao Arts Center is located at the One Greenway Building at 99 Kneeland Street (GPS address). The entrance is on 99 Albany Street.

Pyramids, Ziggurats, and Skyscrapers, Oh My!

Lead Partner: deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

Community Partner: BSA Space

Price: FREE

Location: deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, 51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln

Sunday, May 7 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Join us for an exhilarating, mind-bending, and amusing afternoon for all ages as we puzzle through Sol LeWitt's conceptual art-making process and together make a mega city in the Sculpture Park. Using LeWitt's "Tower (DC)" cement block sculpture as inspiration, we will build pyramids, ziggurats, and skyscrapers scaling up child's play to as high as the tallest person can reach. While designing and building, we will get an inside look into one of the 20th century's greatest artistic minds. Cardboard boxes will abound as we create a super-sized stacked city bridging cultures and times. Architects from BSA Space (Boston Society of Architects) will lead a sculpture park challenge with their extraordinary LEGO collection. Your math and collaboration skills will combine forces to create playful formulas and design directions for structures that others will build. We will build rain or shine. Free with museum admission.

A complete calendar of events can be found here.

Launched in 2013, ArtWeek works to spotlight how the creative economy is thriving in Massachusetts. Through community and artistic collaborations, this award-winning festival provides neighborhood-based experiences in dance, folk and traditional arts, fashion, media arts, spoken-word, poetry, writing, contemporary visual arts, music, opera, theater, design, film, and more. Since 2013, ArtWeek has grown exponentially and worked with more than 900 organizations and partners, held more than 1,000 unique events, and expanded into 70+ neighborhoods and towns across Eastern Massachusetts, engaging an estimated 100,000 participants. ArtWeek is presented by Highland Street Foundation and produced by the Boch Center.

For more information, visit www.artweekboston.org.

About ArtWeek - Presented by Highland Street Foundation and produced by the Boch Center, ArtWeek is an award-winning innovative festival featuring more than 150 unique and creative experiences that are hands-on, interactive or offer behind-the-scenes access to artists or the creative process. Celebrated twice per year, ArtWeek was born in Boston in 2013 and has since expanded to serve communities across Eastern Massachusetts. To learn more about the festival and its growth, watch this highlight reel.

Designed to drive neighborhood economic impact and build awareness of the area's creative economy, ArtWeek works with hundreds of community partners throughout Eastern Massachusetts, including Music Drives Us and ArtSpring Cape Cod, and is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. ArtWeek also has a network of generous media partners each year that have contributed $2.2 million in advertising and promotional support since its launch. Current media partners include WCVB and Beasley Media Group, with additional support from Outfront, Overdrive, and CMT Group. ArtWeek has received recognitions from The Boston Globe, BostInno, the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, and Americans for the Arts. For more information, visit artweekboston.org.

About Highland Street Foundation - Since its establishment in 1989, Highland Street Foundation has donated more than $180 million to many worthy non-profit organizations. It is committed to addressing the needs and concerns of children and families primarily in Massachusetts and California specifically in the areas of education, housing, mentoring, health care, environment and the arts. To learn more about Highland Street Foundation, please visit www.highlandstreet.org.

About the Boch Center - The Boch Center is one of the nation's leading nonprofit performing arts institutions and a guardian of the historic Wang and Shubert Theatres. As New England's largest cultural venue, the Boch Center is home to theater, classical and popular music, dance, comedy, opera, Broadway musicals, family entertainment, and more.

Located in Boston's historic Theater District, the Boch Center also offers a diverse mix of educational and community outreach initiatives, including the City Spotlights Leadership Program and ArtWeek Boston; collaborates with artists and local nonprofit arts organizations; preserves historic venues; and acts as a champion for Greater Boston's arts and cultural community. Learn more at bochcenter.org.

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