The Boston Diaries
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Category Archives: Boston Diaries
Day 15: Facilitating co-existence in urban public space
One of the challenges facing multicultural urban communities – and one of the ways of nurturing co-existence – is motivating people from different backgrounds to learn more about each other’s history and culture, thus facilitating empathy and tolerance. In the … Continue reading
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Tagged Boston Harbor, Chinatown, collective memory, Downtown, fieldwork, memorials, public art, Rose Kennedy Greenway
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Day 15: Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway
Walked, photographed and observed the entire Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway – Boston’s linear urban park that spans a huge area from Chinatown via the Wharf district to the North End. The Greenway was opened in 2008 after the 20-year … Continue reading
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Tagged Boston Harbor, Chinatown, community art, Downtown, fieldwork, Haymarket, JFK, politics, public art, Rose Kennedy Greenway, South Station, trees, urban planning, Wharf District
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“You have to have been a Republican to know how good it is to be a Democrat.” (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis)
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Tagged art, Back Bay, JFK, Newbury St, Portraits of America
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Day 14: Back in town
Back in town. Funding bid on media literacy and civic learning submitted after months of preparations. Celebrated with a jazz CDs shopping spree at Newbury Comics. Particularly intrigued by The JFK Quintet: New Jazz Frontiers from Washington (1961 recording, “inspired … Continue reading
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Tagged Back Bay, Boston Public Library, coffee, Copley Square, jazz, libraries, Newbury St, shopping, Starbucks, work
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Autumn Leaves
The falling leaves drift by the window The autumn leaves of red and gold I see your lips, the summer kisses The sun-burned hands I used to hold Since you went away the days grow long And soon I’ll hear … Continue reading
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Tagged fall, foliage, jazz, Portraits of America, trees, Wenham
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Day 13: Columbus Day at Wenham
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Tagged coffee, diner, fall, foliage, food, holidays, New England, trees, Wenham
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Newburyport Mural
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Tagged murals, New England, Newburyport, Portraits of America, public art
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Day 12: Wenham, Newburyport
“Citation for excellence in Urban Design awarded to the City of Newburyport by the Boston Society of Architects for the extraordinary efforts of the city and its citizens in the redevelopment of the downtown and waterfront” (September 1984)
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Tagged coffee, commuter rail, fall, foliage, food, holidays, New England, Newburyport, trains, trees, Wenham
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Boston Public Library
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Tagged Boston Public Library, Copley Square, libraries, Portraits of America
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Day 10: Charles/MGH Station
“Local Art – Global Heart: Be The Change You Wish to See” Community art project created by the students and faculty of The Advent School led by George Anastos. The work is made of 40 panels of woven recycled materials … Continue reading
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Tagged Charles/MGH Station, community art, fieldwork, MBTA, public art, stations, T
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Day 10: Copley Square, Boston Public Library
“In large cities, not only neighborhood libraries but central research libraries – the nucleus of what would become some of the greatest research collections in the world – were open to anyone with a library card. When the grand Forty-second … Continue reading
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Tagged Boston Public Library, Copley Square, fieldwork, libraries
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Front Cover
“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” (John F. Kennedy, May 18, 1963)
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Tagged home, JFK, Mayoral election, politics, Portraits of America
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Halloween Symmetry
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Tagged Dorchester, Halloween, JFK, Portraits of America, Savin Hill
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Day 9: Savin Hill
Working lunch at McKenna’s; developing a framework for the analysis of urban civic culture; thinking about the challenge of preserving memory and encountering the Other in multicultural societies; oh, and by the way, school buses are back, after a strike … Continue reading
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Tagged coffee, Dorchester, food, JFK, McKenna's, politics, Savin Hill, schools
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Day 8: Boston Common, Boylston Station
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Tagged Boston Common, fieldwork, MBTA, stations, T, trees, Tremont St
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Day 8: Emerson College
Observing innovative pedagogy on crowd-sourcing, community participation and digital engagement – at Emerson College.
Day 7: Boylston St, Tremont St, Park St Station
Fieldwork on preserving collective memory in public space, using art to engage pedestrians. First foray into the Boston Common. Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet Street Pianos Boston: Play Me I’m Yours Boston Marathon Memorials
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Tagged Arlington, Boston Common, collective memory, community art, fieldwork, public art, trees, Tremont St
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Day 7: Emerson College
Working on civic learning and urban youth empowerment at Emerson College, with Dr Paul Mihailidis.
Day 6: Andrew Station
Ross Miller’s installation at the Red Line’s Andrew station was part of MBTA’s 1993 “Art in Transit” project and was used as a case study of how art can enhance public spaces. Twenty years later exactly, I visited and photographed … Continue reading
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Tagged Andrew Station, Art in Transit, fieldwork, MBTA, stations, T
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Day 5: Shutdown
Rainy Sunday at home, catching up with readings. I finally found the right word to describe the difference of (some) residential communities in the US and the UK and that word is “extrovert”.
Day 4: Harvard Square
Watched The Act of Killing at the Harvard Film Archive – queueing for 45 mins was worth it as I got to see and hear from the director Joshua Oppenheimer himself. Great vibe at Harvard Square.
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Tagged Cambridge, cinema, Harvard, Harvard Film Archive, Harvard Square
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Day 4: Downtown
Transcribing interviews for public space / civic culture project. First foray into downtown Boston.
Day 3: Savin Hill, UMass
Rainy day, feels like proper autumn. Starting to draft a curriculum framework that merges urban environmental education and media literacy, enabling students to utilise new media so as to engage with local issues.
Day 2: Old Harbor, JFK/UMass, Savin Hill
First exploratory fieldwork session, collecting visual evidence of how civic engagement is embedded in public space. Turns out I’m neighbours with Martin J. Walsh – one of the two candidates in Boston’s mayoral race. 25 C, sweating in shorts and … Continue reading
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Tagged Dorchester, fieldwork, JFK, Mayoral election, Old Harbor, politics, Savin Hill, trees, UMass
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Day 1
Breakfast at McKenna’s Cafe. Beautiful sunny day, friendly people, great to be here.
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Tagged coffee, Dorchester, food, JFK, McKenna's, Savin Hill
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Day 0: Wheels Up
On my way to Boston on a four-month research sabbatical at Emerson College. Very excited for my first sabbatical after 11 years in academia.
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