JuLY 2012 FREE

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serving the Fenway, Kenmore square, upper BacK Bay, prudential, longwood area and mission hill since 1974 volume 38, numBer 7 June 29-august 2, 2012

mFa guards Block outsourcing plan, win three-year contract

n June 26, Museum of Fine Arts security guards gathered at the Punters Pub on Huntington Avenue to celebrate the conclusion of a three-month contract fight. Following a campaign that that included weekly Saturday
photo: Lois Johnston

by jON ball

V Marks the Spot

Common Boston, a two-weeklong celebration of Bostons built environment, culminated last month in a 72-hour design competition in which teams had to design and build art installations for the Victory Gardens. More photos and details appear on page 7.

morning rallies near the front entrance, the Museum Independent Security Union (MISU) and MFA reached agreement on a threeyear contract May 29 and for now buried an outsourcing proposal that would have replaced the guards with a security firm. (According to one source, Symphony Hall outsourced its security several years ago, and MFAs plan considered using the same firm.) In 2005, MISU waged an equally protracted campaign. The major issue then was an MFA attempt to reduce many guards to part-time status. In the midst of a half-billiondollar capital campaign, and with boats from financier James Koch parked on its lawn, MFA was portrayed as a symbol of corporate greed. Many in the Fenway will recall yellow fliers asking, If Malcolm Rogers [MFA director since 1994] makes $350,000, why cant he pay his workers a living wage? After gaining support from the community and elected officials, MISU won a three-year contract that included retaining the full-time positions. In 2008, coinciding with the conclusion of MFAs sevenyear capital campaign, MISU won a four-year contract that included a 14 percent raise. Michael Rayssen, who was MISU president in the 2005 negotiations, and who came out of retirement to assist with the 2012 effort, mentioned that during the latter stages of the 2008 contract, other MFA employees faced pay freezes. So they insisted on a oneyear freeze in this contract. We agreed to the freeze, but with at 3 percent increase the second year. Rayssen added that Rogerss current compensation package exceeds $1 million. When the negotiations started, Rayssen continued, MFA made it clear they were not

Guards, their families and supporters held pickets during the MFAs Art in Bloom in April. financially stressed. They wanted to outsource because it would be easier to manage. But the guards are knowledgeable about the art, and answer visitors questions. Part of our campaign was to have people contact the MFA. I like to think that when they realized so many visitors told the MFA that the guards were an important part of their experience, the MFA realized how valuable we are. One MFA worker, who asked to be identified only as Russ, said, The lesson is you have to keep fighting. People were scared at first, and hardly anyone showed up for our first meetings. But once a little motion started, people began speaking up. MISU President Lisa Rhea, who has worked as an MFA guard and receptionist for 26 years, said, Once we got going, other museum employees helped out, like with photocopying leaflets. The carpenters union made us two 20-foot banners, and a band from the musicians union played at our rallies. We had an on-line petition directed at the Museum. And in April when the MFA held Art in Bloom, (a late-April gala that features area florists and garden clubs), we were out front. Angel Roure, a 30-year Boston resident, and father of two, echoes I love working here, talking to the visitors. But when they threatened to outsource our jobs, what trouble that would be. In this economy, when you lose a job, you start from the bottom again. And lots of us were afraid to lose our homes. When we told visitors to Art in Bloom, theyd say How can an organization like the museum do that to people? Jean Thanex Louis, who left Haiti two years ago and has worked four months at the MFA, says, I always visited the MFA. I love talking to people. You can never get bored with the art. So when I started looking for work, I knew I wanted to be at the MFA. And now I hope to stay here for a long while. Longtime contributor and former West Fens resident John Ball lives in Jamaica Plain.
see a reLated articLe on page 5

a very complex owners manual for the emerald necklace

uthority to govern and manage the nine parks of Bostons Emerald Necklace system is divided among four jurisdictionsBoston, Brookline, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and, most recently, the federal governments Army Corps of Engineers. In addition, some 30 voluntary associationsincluding the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Fenway Community Development Corporation, the Fenway Civic Association, Friends of the Muddy River, citizens committees, and associations of colleges and other cultural institutions in the Fenwayall play significant roles in park activities. Finally, hundreds of individuals annually donate hours of effort to keep the Emerald Necklace parks in good operating condition. This rich, dense civic and institutional fabric implies a question: Whos in charge here? The simple answer is Nobody. More accurately, Lots of people in lots of agencies and organizations. But there definitely isnt a czar for the parks. This indicates that governance and management of the Emerald Necklace system remains true to a well-established practice of governance in New England. This tradition was first described in detail by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French jurist who spent two years (183436) exploring governance in the then-new American federation. He was astonished at the number of self-organized associations that he documented in Massachusetts, and thefor himextraordinary extent of citizen participation in creating frameworks for collective action to improve the quality of public life. The first emerald in the Boston Necklace system was the Boston Common. From a beginning as Indian land it became the private property of William Blaxton, the first

by jamie THOmSON & STaN eVeReTT

European settler on the Shawmut Peninsula in the 17th century. It was converted to common property in 1634 to serve as a military training ground and urban pasture for households in the growing community. At first, the urban owners of the common did not establish a stint, that is, a limit to the number of cattle that could be put onto the common land. But when people observed that the ever-growing herd was beginning to overgraze the pasture, they limited the herd to 70 head of cattle. When the Boston city fathers banned cows and converted the common to a park in 1830, nearly 200 years later, they simultaneously changed the legal status of the common. It shifted from common to open access property. This change was important because it defines the governance challenges that the someones referred to above collectively have to solve on a daily basis to make the Emerald Necklace system work. All nine parks in the Emerald Necklace system, which starts with the Boston Common, have the legal status of open access resources. They were intended by the Boston and Brookline city fatherswho during the 19th century acquired 1,100-plus acres of land within the metropolitan area to create the parksto be open-access rather than common property resources. They were, by design and by law, open to anyone for certain kinds of recreation. That characteristic persists today: nobody cards users of the Boston Common, or of any Emerald Necklace park (although those who visit the Franklin Park zoo do pay an entrance fee to acquire the legal status of legitimate users). During the colonial era and into the

19th century, Boston cows made use of the grass that grew on the Common. What buffers todays Emerald Necklace parks against over-exploitation is that, instead of producing consumptive goodsgrass, fuel wood from downed branches, or construction timbers from felled treesthe parks provide nonconsumptive services, few of which occasion wear and tear on park resources. Among these are: 1. enjoying beautiful landscapes that vary with the seasons (and which amateur and professional photographers capture to prolong their enjoyment of those scenes); 2. exercising (strolling, jogging, walking infants, little children and dogs, biking, playing pick-up basketball, practicing football, soccer and other team sports); 3. observing, meeting and interacting with other people; 4. sunbathing; 5. bird-watching; 6. gardening in the Fenway Victory Gardens; 7. using pedestrian shortcuts between users neighborhoods and schools, places of work, and commercial, educational, entertainment, health and public transportation facilities; and 8. just quietly sitting. Some current uses, however, can be consumptive. For those who want to enjoy uncluttered park areas, users who litter discarding coffee cups, waste paper, cigarette buttsor who fail to clean up after the dogs they walk pretty quickly pollute the shared views and spaces that others want to enjoy. The occasional overly loud party may degrade the soundshed of a park, creating negative

spillovers for other users and neighbors. Whether civic concerts create positive or negative spillovers depends, presumably, on ones taste in music. A saxophonist wailing long, beautiful jazz riffs in the Victory Gardens of a warm summers evening may get applausea sure sign of a positive spillover. The parks of the Emerald Necklace system are complex but much appreciated by users. Yet they pose governance challenges: financing maintenance and operations and coordinating a range of activities among jurisdictions, volunteer groups and individuals so that their collective efforts keep the parks going as the attractive alternatives to the hustle and bustle of city life that they were originally intended to be. What we hope to do in this series is to examine four inter-linked themes: (1) the origins of the Emerald Necklace parks in the forward-looking deliberations and decisions of Boston city fathers in the 19th century; (2) the problems that the parks (particularly the Muddy River Reservation) presented when Frederick Law Olmsted designed them in the latter half of the 19th century; (3) the problems they confront today; and (4) problems they have faced at various times in between. We intend to profile people who play active roles in park governance and maintenance. These profiles will feature individuals who do maintenanceraking leaves, trimming and felling diseased or dying trees, plowing snow, mowing grass, emptying refuse barrelsas well as those who head public and private voluntary agencies, and people at intervening levelsfor instance, the various police forces and park rangers who keep an eye on what happens in the parks. The first profile features Tom Morganti, a West Fens resident who volunteers 15-20 hours a week to collect and dispose of litter in the Muddy River Reservation. Jamie Thomson and Stan Everett both live in the West Fens.

2 | FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012

BaLLparK eVent puts positiVe spin on coaching

occur at a separate meeting. The meeting dealt with many coaching n enthusiastic crowd of coaches, potential coaches and their friends, techniques. Stated Harvards Tommy Amaker, Another Victory in the WAr on Bricks gathered on the morning of June 26 I like to use movies to motivate kids. There is a line from the movie The Untouchable, that at the Boston Red Sox EMC Club The Neighborhood Access Group (NAG), a committee of disability activists, has says it best: What are you prepared to do? for the first annual Sports Leadership Breakbeen instrumental in getting a story called The Trouble with Bricks into Landscape After they spoke, the coaches took quesArchitecture magazine. The story focuses on the Boston Disability Commissions efforts to fast. Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers, Boston tions from the audience. After a hearty breakdiscourage the use of brick pavers, long popular in Boston. John Kelly, an East Fens resident Red Sox Manager Bobby Valentine, Harvard Mens Basketball Coach Tomand NAG member, sits on the Disability Commission. He says I am thrilled that the my Amaker, BC Mens Hockey magazine included images of some of the storyboards produced by Neighborhood Access Coach Jerry York, and PostiGroup during our fight against the bricking of Huntington Avenue. To read a digital version of the article, visit www.zinio.com/pages/LandscapeArchitectureMagazine/Jun- tive Coaching Alliance founder Jim Thompson all spoke about 12/416223532/pg-104 their various experiences as coaches. rcc President stePs doWn ; trustees nAme interim heAd The Positive Coaching AlTerrence Gomes, the embattled president of Roxbury Community College, resigned from liance (PCA)a national nonthat position on June 18. He had been under considerable public pressure since Boston profit committed to providing Globe columnist Adrian Walker wrote multiple columns detailing problems at the college youth and high school athletes and complaints about Gomes management of the school. The college trustees accepted a positive, character-building the resignation despite widespread support for Gomes among RCC faculty and staff. As youth sports experience we went to press the board announced it had appointed an interim president, Dr. Linda organized the event, which Edmonds Turner, former president of the Urban College of Boston. was hosted by Dunkin Donuts. Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers met the press following the Positive Coaching Alliance breakfast on June 26. It drew a large crowd, many of huntington ymcA rolls out oPtions during construction whom wanted to know more As it continues to make changes and renovations, the Huntington Avenue Y has about how coaches interact with their players, fast, attendees left feeling this was one event announced new schedules for services at the Y itself as well as in other locations. The they would not soon forget. Lets hope another both on and off the field. occurs next year The alliances Thompson gave an Y will continue to offer members cardio, strength, and free-weight equipment as well overview as to how PCA came about, teaching Matti Kniva Spencer lives in the West Fens. as group exercise and personal training at its Central Branch, 316 Huntington Avenue. troubled kids positive goals early in life that Interim mens and womens locker rooms will be available. Members will also be able to will lead them to do their best later on as use designated external facilities while construction continues. Northeasterns Marino players. He and the other coaches stressed Recreation Center will be available during all hours of operation until August 31. how the potential for youth sports is endless The Barletta Natatorium, in Northeasterns Cabot Center, will be open to Y members and that winning, losing, and even missing Fri., July 6 7:10 p.m. Wednesday nights from 5:30 to 9:00pm. Tuesday and Thursday Aquafit classes will also shots all matter. Building positive self-esteem meet at the NU pool from 10:30 to 11:30am. Members can also swim or use the gym at any Sat., July 7 7:15 p.m. of the other Greater Boston Ys. The Huntington Avenue reception desk will stock pool and with the kids is a high priority if they are to succeed later on. gym schedules, and all information is also available at www.ymcaboston.org/schedules. Sun., July 8 8:05 p.m. Bobby Valentine spoke honestly about his work managing baseball players in Japan Mon., July 16 7:10 p.m. could shAred Bike lAnes mAke huntington sAfer for Bicyclists? and as to how he had to adjust his coaching Soon after the latest bicyclist fatality on the deadly stretch of Huntington Avenue between Tues., July 17 7:10 p.m. approach for Red Sox players. He was quite the MFA and Brigham Circle, the City of Boston painted a new white stripe on the road humorous, telling the audience how he got from the MFA to Mass. Ave. and added the familiar stick image of a human on a bike. Wed., July 18 7:10 p.m. thrown out from one game. I asked the With the deaths of three bicyclists in the past five years on that stretch of Huntington, city umpire if I could get thrown out for what I was Thurs., July 19 7:10 p.m. officials are feeling some heat. Because Huntington lacks enough width to accommodate thinking? The umpire said nothen threw the creation of bike-only lanes, the city has turned it into a sharrows, the term applied to him out anyway. Fri., July 20 7:10 p.m. lanes where cars and bikes must share a lane. The characteristic double arrows and figures The Celtics Rivers spoke about how Sat., July 21 7:10 p.m. on bikes painted on the pavement are intended to remind automobile drivers to pay more challenging it was working with his team; attention to two-wheeled traffic. many of players become emotional during Sun., July 22 1:35 p.m. games. You cannot motivate a guy for one game, Rivers said, you keep reminding them more rentAl Bikes AVAilABle Mon., July 30 7:10 p.m. all year long. He also stressed that parents In more biking news, a business founded in the Fenway is riding high with its recent should never interact with coaches. Rather, Tues., July 31 7:10 p.m. expansion. MyBike began in 2005 in a Northeastern dorm room with 10 rental bikes they should support their kids, enjoy them, and exclusively for college students. The idea took off, and the business expanded to colleges Wed., Aug. 1 7:10 p.m. compliment them after games. If issues need throughout Boston and then to the general public. It now offers bike rentals, sales and to be addressed with the coach that should repair services to the entire Boston metro area and is the only Boston retailer with electric bikes in stock. A unique point is its concierge servicepick-up and delivery (free for members) of bikes needing repair within 10 miles of the MyBike shop. The company street cLeaning times recently expanded its headquarters, now in South Boston, to support its burgeoning fleet Second Friday the city cleans Fenway residential streets of rental bikes, a growing inventory of high-end retail cycles, and the service department. 8 to 54 the Fenway (includes inside between 12 and 4pm on the first and third On Saturday, June 23, MyBike held a grand opening at its new location, offering tours, lane), charlesgate extension, 12:00 wednesdays of each month (odd-numbered refreshments, and bike safety clinics to the public. Visit mybike.com for more information. 3:00pm side) and the second and fourth wednesdays (even-numbered sides). more info at 617 Third TueSday Pink floyds WAll At fenWAy PArk 635-4900 or www.cityofboston.gov/public> park drive (includes inside lane), upBeth Krudys, manager of Fenway Affairs for the Boston Red Sox, sent out a note recently works/sweeping. the state cleans streets per Boylston street, 8:00am12:00pm about the upcoming concert. On the evening of Sunday, July 1st, she wrote, legendary on both sides of the park on this schedule: > park drive, from holy trinity musician Roger Waters (formerly of the band Pink Floyd) will be performing The Wall at orthodox cathedral to Kilmarnock second thursday Fenway Park. As we begin preparations for the show, we would like to make you aware that street and from the riverside line the riverway, 12:003:00pm due to the unique nature and size of this production it will be necessary for the field lights overpass to Beacon street, 12:00 Second Friday to remain on later than usual and possibly throughout the night on the days surrounding 3:00pm the Fenway (includes inside lane), the show. We are working with the tours production team to ensure that all efforts are www.mass.gov/dcr/sweep.htm has a charlesgate extension, and Forsyth being made to minimize the impact of any impositions on the neighborhood. Please feel complete schedule and maps. way, 8:00am12:00pm free to let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you! Ms. Krudys can be reached at bkrudys@redsox.com
by maTTi KNiVa SpeNceR

photo: matti KniVa spencer

neW lmA gArAge Will sPort A PArk on toP

On Wednesday, May 30, Mayor Thomas Menino took part in the official groundbreaking for a a 400-space underground parking garage at Brigham and Womens Hospital that will be topped by a new open space, the Thea and James M. Stoneman Centennial Park. City officials assert that the $55 million project will enhance Brigham Circle, improve traffic circulation, and reduce patient vehicle parking in the neighborhood.

Quality eye care + stylish eye wear

Make an appointment or stop in to shop for eye wear today!

red sox offer tickets for fenWAy residents

On a related note, the Red Sox frequently offers Fenway residents and businesses on its list a limited number of $28 bleacher seats for selected games. The emails are encrypted so that responding to them is the only way you can take advantage of this offer. To get added to the teams notification list, email Korey McIsaace at kmcisaac@redsox.com

dcr mAtching grAnts Boost emerAld necklAce Projects

The Patrick administration announced $1 million in Partnerships Matching Funds grants last month, including two that will help improve our local park system. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy received $31,200 for its project to link Southwest Corridor Park at Ruggles to the Emerald Necklace at the Back Bay Fens. Another initiative received nearly $50,000 to replace older or missing red oak trees along Emerald Necklace parkways.

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FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012 | 3

Congratulations, Class of 2012

by paTRicK OcONNOR

Three public high schools that make their homes in the Fenway granted diplomas to a total of more than 450 graduates last month.
> Boston Arts AcAdemy

expecT FireWorkS and BoTTleneckS For The 4Th

If youve lived in the Fenway for any length of time, you know that traffic is more vexing than usual on July 4th thanks to the throngs heading for the Esplanade for fireworks. The Boston Transportation Department advises motorists to expect delays and detours if they venture into our part of the world. This year its complicated by simultaneous celebration of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 with a port visit by tall ships, meaning the fun will extend all the way to South Boston and the Seaport District. No parking will be allowed on Storrow Drive beginning at 9am on July 3, and westbound lanes will close at 4pm. On the big day, expect Air Force flyovers and a shutdown of both sides of Storrow after 7am. Memorial Drive from Mass. Ave. to the Longfellow Bridge will close at 6pm although traffic officials could close roads even earlier if they think it necessary. All roads will remain closed until the postconcert clean-up crews leave. If you dont want to battle crowds, remember that you can see a good twothirds of the pyrotechnics simply by standing on the west side of Park Drive between Peterborough Street and the Mass Pike.

> FenwAy HigH scHool

(Bottom photos) Graduation took place on Friday, June 8, at Symphony Hall. Zoe Ulrich was chosen as valedictorian, and 63 graduates received diplomas. Graduation took place on the campus of Emmanuel College on Friday, June 8. 71 graduates listened as Samantha De Los Santos delivered the valedictory address and then received diplomas. (Top photo) Commencement took place on Monday, June 11, at the Bank of America Pavilion on the waterfront. Anumita Das delivered the valedictory address. Diplomas were presented to 333 graduates.

> Boston lAtin scHool

A Break, a Little ExerciseOh, Yeah, And Hundreds of Hours to Keep Park Clean
heres a figure many people have noticed in the Muddy River Reservation: Tom Morganti. Hes casually dressed, and every day, all seasons of the year, he picks up trash lying on the walks, the lawns, and the median strips that front Park Drive. He carries a plastic bag into which, using his picker, (a caliper device with a yard-long handle) he deposits captured littereverything from bottle caps and stray paper to cigarette butts, bits of discarded plastic, coffee cups, even fallen twigs and small branches. He says that he wears out two pickers a yearhardly surprising as, year round, he puts in two to three hours a day, seven days a week (except when he travels). That exceeds 800 hours a year of volunteer work, and hes been picking for several years now, since he retired. The

by jamie THOmSON & STaN eVeReTT

Muddy River Reservation isfrom our personal observationsa nicer, cleaner place because of his ongoing efforts. Who is this guy? And why does he make this persistent voluntary contribution to the maintenance of the Reservation? Morganti says he started picking after he observed a neighborhood activist, whom he described as gifted complainer, not complaining for once but taking action on his own to solve a West Fens problem. The individual attacked suckers growing out of a tree trunk that were obscuring the view of pedestrians at a crosswalkinstead of waiting for the city, he cut them back himself. Tom saw that and decided that he needed to do something for the neighborhood. When we interviewed Morganti, he filled us in on how he came to his current volunteer commitment and what motivates his efforts to

local farms got a good start on salad greens this year theyre in ample supply at farmers markets this month. also look for spring onions, green garlic, chive blossoms, asparagus and strawberries. later in the month look for local cherries

Farmers Markets
BerKLee: outside 7 haviland Street (former Fenway health) last wednesday of each month 3:00 p.m.7:00 p.m. copLey square tuesday & Friday 11:00 a.m.6:00 p.m. prudentiaL center: 800 Boylston, across from Walgreens thursday 11:00 a.m.6:00 p.m. Brigham circLe thursday 11:00 a.m.6:00 p.m. Jamaica pLain: Bank of america parking lot, centre Street wednesday 12:00 p.m.5:00 p.m. saturday 12:00 p.m.3:00 p.m. south end: 540 harrison avenue (at SoWa arts market) sunday 10:00 a.m.4:00 p.m.

maintain the west side of the Reservation at a remarkable standard of litterlessness. Morganti arrived in the West Fens neighborhood in 1968 or 69, worked as a super for 27 years at a building on Queensberry Street and, for the 14 years before he retired, also held a second job as a salesman in a record shop. Tom identifies five factors that keep him at his picking. He now lives with his partner near the Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral on Park Drive. His partner has health problems, requires nursing and, Morganti says, he needs a daily breaka little time for myself. He notes that he shares his building with a number of Chinese and Russians seniors who, he says, are ancient, but Tom Morganti theyre healthy, because they walk. He himself suffers from Type II diabetes but finds, if he exercises, that he doesnt need to take medicine. So he volunteers, on his own time and terms, in a program that he designed for both the daily break and the healthy exercise. His third incentive is broader. Morganti reported that he once saw media coverage of Ted Turner gathering litter somewhere. The reporters were astonished that a billionaire would stoop to pick up trash and inquired. Turner replied Its the immediacy of the gratification: when I pick up a piece of litter, I know that Ive cleaned up one little thing for nature. That reply stuck with Tom. and when

he retired he decided to follow suit. After time for himself, the exercise and the conviction that hes contributing to a greater good, Morganti says a fourth motivation is that he meets wonderful people while pursuing litter. Our interview revealed him as a man of strong opinions, and he values the chance to interact with strangers. But its not all great: a few dog walkers hes met have asked him if hell take their dog poop. But other people offer him gift cards during the holiday season. He finds that a little strangehes not a doormanbut those actions suggest that people in the West Fens do notice him, do pay attention to his efforts, do value the volunteer service he provides and as well the model of voluntary citizenship he incarnates. Lastly, Morganti says, his litter picking provides him serenityhe finds that he can resolve problems when hes in litter-picking mode because hes not distracted by anything. This is the sort of effect that Frederick Law Olmsted envisaged when he designed the urban parks of the Emerald Necklace a century ago: a little calming peace and quiet. And Tom Morganti makes full use of it today.

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4 | FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012

Opening Our Eyes by Cluttering Up Our Lawn

bu STeVe wOlf

hen I first wandered into the Victory Gardens on June 24, I had no idea what I was looking at. But I was definitely looking. Which, in a nutshell, is the genius of the Common Boston Common Build-it competition. Part of a six-year-old festival of Bostons manmade environment, the Build-it competition challenged participating teams to research, design, and build something that would enhance the chosen site and respond to its needs. The six teams had only 72 hours, a tight schedule even if youre an architecture student used to pulling all-nighters to finish your end-ofsemester projects. Not everyone loves the Home Depot esthetic (plywood, cinder block, and ventilation ducts) the projects evoked, but the teams worked under strict budgets intended to keep the focus on the strength of their ideas, not the size of their wallets. Each project offered a jolt of surprise, a chance to see our gardens (and we do think of them as ours) through fresh eyes. The axis of monumental Vs marching in from the main entrance suggested that the park deserves more respect and less beingtaken-for-granted. A whimsical seed exchange offered handmade seed packets behind which team members wrote zen-like observations; in the process of grabbing seeds, a gardener might have something

planted in her/his mind. At least two projects focused on building communityhardly in short supply among the gardeners, but maybe that itself bears noting. One turned a vacant garden plot into a Victory Center an outdoor lounge where gardeners could hang out, chat, sit on cool little plywood chairs, or swap plants. A second project offered those same opportunities, but with a Robinson Crusoe-meets-Rube Goldberg spirit. Most appealing to me was the suite of five markers that each offered a bite of Victory Gardens history. I hadnt known, for example, that the gardens were built on fill excavated from the Kenmore Square T stop in the 1920s. The first gardeners kept digging up chunks of metal and rockeven the occasional sink, which is why that team incorporated bathroom fixtures into its markers. Regardless of how you reacted to the projects themselves, the Garden Society deserves a big round of applause for encouraging Common Boston to set its Buildit sights on the Victory Gardens. I rarely give the gardens a second thought when I bike through on my way to work each morning. But never giving them a thought shows why we needed this competition to clutter up our collective front yard. Those plywoodand-cinder-block contraptions made us do a double take. They made the familiar look different. They made us look. Steve Wolfs apartment overlooks the Victory Gardens.

Serving the Fenway, Kenmore Square, Audubon Circle, upper Back Bay, lower Roxbury, Prudential, Mission Hill, and Longwood since 1974

Steve Chase Helen Cox Tracey Cusick Joyce Foster, president Steven Harnish Barbara Brooks Simons Steve Wolf, treasurer editor: Stephen Brophy weB teAM: Nicole Aubourg, Stephen ProdUction designer: Steve Wolf writers: Penina Adelman, Jon Ball,

FenwAY news AssociAtion BoArd oF directors

brophy, Mandy Kapica, Steven Kapica,

Valarie Seabrook

continue to be. Thus, there is a social need for animal-related laws and regulations that anticipate and attempt to effectively address TO THe ediTOR human irresponsibility, in addition to animal m not a runner. I mean, I dont run at all. instincts and just plain fate. Maybe not in 20 or 30 years. Im not a An article in the September 15, 2000, spring chicken. And I broke my ankle in a slip issue of the Journal of the American and fall at the YMCA on Jan 2, 2012. Yet this Veterinary Medical Association examined week for the very first time, Ive been running breed-specific dog bites that resulted in human the century-old indoor track at the historic fatalities. The authors concluded that biology central branch of the YMCA, the one slated and the breed of the dog alone are too narrow for demolition later this year if the members a focus in the search for effective solutions and all the nearby neighborhood associations to the problem of dog bites. They recognize cannot save it. the responsibility and role of humans in I woke up one morning determined to their observations that socialization and at least run that track once before it is lost training and quality of ownership and and gone forever. Im proud to have been part supervision are relevant factors to be of the struggle to save this historic YMCA considered. They also noted that effective from demolition caused by incompetence solutions should include legislation that aims and mismanagement, and the greed of to regulate individual dogs and owners on Northeastern University to expand. Alone the basis of their behavior. Additionally, the among the other great buildings of the researchers found that problem behaviors (of FenwaySymphony Hall, Horticultural dogs and owners) have preceded Hall, Jordan Hall, the attacks in a great many cases and Massachusetts Historical should be sufficient evidence for Society, and the Museum preemptive action and targeting chronically of Fine Arts the YMCA is characterized irresponsible dog owners may be effective by deferred maintenance and overall (italics added). deterioration. The YMCA management has In Massachusetts, existing leash laws been giving tours of the buildings for the past require that all dogs are to be under their few years touting the deterioration as though owners control at all times. Additionally, the it were caused by something other than their City of Boston requires that: own poor stewardship. The leaking pipe that When your dog is off your property, it must caused my slip, fall, and broken ankle was be on a leash. fixed in days following my accident, after When not confined to your property either months and years of being deferred in hopes inside the house or in secured fenced of selling the building. yard, your dog must be under control. The loss of this YMCA is such A responsible dog owner does not allow an unnecessary tragedy for the nearby their pet to be a menace to their neighbors, neighborhood and the City of Boston. chasing cars and children, getting calViN aRey into trash, not to mention soiling their neighbors yards. when dogs get hurt, Blame Falls While enjoying our citys parks with our squarely on owners pets the same rules apply. We must respect Together, we can build communities where the rights of those with whom we share the animal cruelty is unacceptable. Nicole citys parks in order to ensure a clean and Forsyth, President and CEO of RedRover safe environment. TO THe ediTOR: It is the purpose and responsibility of he tragic injury of a small dog in the East the City of Boston Animal Control to enforce Fenway recently calls for a response on existing laws and to: behalf of the dogs involved. provide responsive, efficient animal The injured dog was unleashed when it control services, to provide a high quality ran toward a leashed, large-breed dog that did of animal care and to promote responsible what we know all-too-well dogs sometimes pet ownership. instinctually do when they sense their territory Enforce pertinent legal ordinances and is being threatened: it attacked the little dog laws governing animals. that suddenly confronted it, and the small dog Investigate cases of animal abuse and was seriously injured. This incident was 100% respond to incidents as requested by preventable. citizens. When we are forced to confront the However, for laws to be effective, problems and social costs that sometimes and thereby prevent harm and improve our result from dog members of our community quality of life, they must be enforced. Please, the relationship between the problem and leash your dogs! If you see dogs unleashed irresponsible or entitled humans often on public property, please notify Boston becomes very clear. For example, dog bites, Animal Control (617-635-5348) and Mayor dog waste in public parks, dogs being hit by Meninos Office (617-635-4500). We must take cars, animal abuse, neglect, and hoarding, etc. advantage of expert knowledge and existing are problems created by human behaviors, not laws in order to protect all members of the by the animals in isolation. community, including all of our beloved dogs. We know that a few individuals are baRRy l. adamS irresponsible, have always been, and will

the same deferred maintenance that Broke his ankle doomed the y

even an open window cant make a car safe for your dog in summer

TO THe ediTOR

Letters

y partner and I are among the 72.9 million U.S. households that include an animal in our family. Of those, 64% include a dog. The $50.84 billion that is predicted to be spent in the U.S. on pets this year alone speaks to the expanding social view of what animals bring to the quality of life and the consistent substantiation of the role that they play in human well-being and family life in the U.S. The hospitality, retail, and healthcare sectors are examples of industries and markets that have responded accordingly to these developments and trends. Our family is dedicated to financially supporting organizations that value the contribution animals bring to social and human welfare and well-being. I hope you will consider offering valuable and compassionate information to your readers interested in keeping domestic animals safe and healthy. After finding dogs locked in hot cars in Vermont, California, Massachusetts, and Florida, I have been very active on the issue of dogs being left in cars during hot weather. Did you know that the only way a dog can cool off is through the pads of its feet and by panting? They do not sweat like humans do. Therefore, in addition to causing unspeakable suffering and harm, being trapped in a hot car can prove quickly fatal to a dog, as her paws are in contact with warm or hot seats, and she is inhaling hot air. Research shows that leaving the window open does not solve the problem. Even in winter a sunny day can heat up the interior of a car quickly. In the summer, its a death trap. More information on the tragic magnitude of this crisis can be obtained at http://mydogiscool.com or by searching the Internet using the terms dog dies in hot car. The organization RedRover. org organized this campaign and provides invaluable information that has no doubt saved unknown numbers of dogs. Growing awareness of this problem has resulted in a global response. For example, please view the Norwegian insurance industrys message in a television commercial at: http://www.dogwork.com/nwin8/. We believe that a lack of practical information and critical awareness contributes significantly to animal abuse and neglect, not criminal or inhumane intent. So we are writing to ask you to publicize the tragic outcomes of leaving a dog unattended in a hot car, even for a quick trip to the store. If your readers see a dog in a hot car they should call 911 immediately or, if necessary, rescue the dog and explain later. The value of a single car window cannot be given priority over the suffering or death that will result by taking no action whatsoever. Thank you for The Fenway News and for considering my thoughts and suggestions.

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FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012 | 5

ys 100-year party a strange affair

lyers went up: CELEBrATE WITH US 100 yEArS OF y MEMOrIES Invite your friends and family, and join us in celebrating 100 years of memories with artists, balloon artists, food, a photo booth, live band, and lots of fun for everyone! How tasteless, I thought. The y throws a party on June 14th, the night before we have to clear out of the gym in preparation for demolition of the building. Whats to celebrate? Arent memories premature? Im a member but I wasnt planning to go. Then it occurred to me that it might be interesting from a writers point of view. The band, NECs The Love Experiment, was so loud in the lobby we older folks had to retreat to the library, which was dubbed the VIP or Donors room for the evening. Only one donor? Maybe thats why the Huntington y was forced to sell off its gym! Did you ever go to a wake where members of the family got up and said the deceased was better off dead? Among the VIPs were several cheerful 50- and 60year members. Its a wonderful celebration, they told me. The first 100 years is over, and were looking forward to the next 100. 80 years old and looking forward to the next 100? The gym has been transformed, said another. Transformed from a gym into a Northeastern dorm, and hes happy about it? Many emphasized how old the building is, as though it deserved to be torn down. 1912-2012 was everywhere, as on a tombstone. For The last Saturday of handball on the historic yMCA courts on June 9, a flyer had showed a wrecking ball knocking the A off the yMCA sign on the roof. It seemed like a powerful indictment of the y. Its author, however, a 50-year member, claimed it wasnt at all negative. He feels good about whats happening. A few talked about the incredible diversity of membersLike a United Nations, a melting pot. Were they saying goodbye to all that? A member not as happy with the ys plans said, Im feeling sad. Central y is one of the few institutions in Boston where people of all backgrounds, all social classes, come together and are equal in companionable activities. He and other members didnt think what was happening was wonderful. I think its very sad, said one woman, this anniversary coinciding with a wrecking ball. A Pr exercise. They promote preservation by demolition. Its all about real estate. We took the free T-shirts that said Americas First, autographed a torn-up section of gym floor, and ate the Chinese foodWe have lots of noodles, someone said. The y lost its noodles, said another. The gym buildings memorial plaques had been removed during the week, leaving faded rectangles on the walls. One staff member said hes been giving out mementos, such as the signs up on the track, to members who ask. But books and y artifacts are still on the shelves of the Donors room, aka the library, into which, the following Monday, our very large exercise classPatties classwill have to move. One of the World War I posters still hanging on the walls reads, The y serves us where we want to be served. Thats questionable. The portrait of Charles Vialle, who helped the y pay off its mortgage a century ago, has been removed, though. Good thing! I was worried we might accidentally kick him in the gut. A chart of the muscles of the body will replace him. It will take three to four months to separate the gym buildings systems from the main building. Demolition wont take place until at least October. Meanwhile, classes and equipment have been moved into temporary (2-3 years?) makeshift quarters in the main building, including the front lobby.

By ALISON BArNET

he Mission Hill-Fenway Neighborhood Trust distributed more than $62,000 in grants to local organizations at its 2012 annual meeting on June 6. Representatives of the winning groups came to the Trustees Room, with its amazing view of Mission Hill, on the eleventh floor of the Mass. College of Art. The Trust has six volunteer board members: Lauren Dewey Platt (current chairman), Richard Orareo, Tina Pankievich, Alison Pultinas, Bettye Robinson, and Bonnie Thryselius. Each trustee presented two or three checks to groups from their respective neighborhood. The funds represent the interest earned by a trust whose establishment was mandated by the state legislature as condition for the sale of the old Mass College of Art building on Longwood Avenue. Beth Israel Hospital, which bought the building in order to expand its campus, established the fund in 1995, and by the time the first awards were made in 2000, the trusts principal had grown to $1.9 million in value. Groups from the two titular neighborhoods submit proposals for projects that will enhance quality of life in the two neighborhoods. Recipients of awards this year include: The roxBury TenanTS oF harvard association$3,200 for 8-week theatre arts program for middle school youth maurice J. toBin schooL$3,450 for Purchase/installation of a kiln for the Tobin School and supplies for ceramic arts classes BoSTon SelF help cenTer$3,629 for Equipment for power soccer program for individuals with disabilities mission hiLL neighBorhood housing serVices$4,000 for timer, technical support staff, and healthy refreshments for the Mission Hill Road Race, 13 October MiSSionSaFe: a neW Beginning $7,500 for summer job stipends for at-risk youth in Mission Hill edgar p. BenJamin heaLthcare center $5,000 for intergenerational program

Parks, Arts, Training, and Quality-of-Life Projects Win Grants from Neighborhood Trust

connecting Benjamin Healthcare patients with students from Roxbury Preparatory Charter School The FriendS oF SyMphony park$1,740 for 8-week boot camp morning exercise program at Symphony Park harry eLLis dicKson parK committee $2,000 for replacement of park bench and plant maintenance neighBorhood access group $1,870 for stipends for students documenting walkway accessibility conditions in the Back Bay Fens FriendS oF raMler park WiTh Maria Jane Loizou$2,050 for outdoor concert in Ramler Park on August 16 (rain date August 17) FriendS oF raMler park$2,440 for removal/replacement of overgrown shrubs and care/pruning of trees along rear edge of park The FenWay neWS$3,434 for a new computer for newspaper layout and for digitization of slides from the late Bernie Kramers collection of 500 postcard images of the Fenway, 1890-1960 FenWay FaMily coaliTion$3,200 for nonpersonnel costs for a Fenway Family Health Fair peterBorough senior center$2,200 for publicity and t-shirts for fundraising walk on September 30 emeraLd necKLace conserVancy$1,700 for 26-week program of Sunday Greeters in the Back Bay Fens Visitor Center The FenWay garden SocieTy$3,200 for historical programs to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Richard D. Parker Memorial Victory Gardens operation p.e.a.c.e.$11,490 for stipends and programming for 2012 Summer Academy, a full-time summer program for Fenway youth The Trust makes such grants every year. Watch for their ad soliciting proposals in our February 2013 issue.

circle The ciTy on Sunday, July 15

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy joins the City of Boston and three other groups this summer to sponsor three Circle the City events. On July 15, the city will create a car-free corridor between Franklin Park and Jamaica Pond and open it to walkers, bikers, bladers, runners and people traveling by pretty much any means except vehicular. Boston joins cities across the US with this Open Streets effort to reclaim roads for all users, not just cars. More at www.emeraldnecklace.org/circle-the-city/

hile researching the MISUMFA contract negotiations (see page 1), I could not avoid noticing yet another instance of the grip that the business community and its bean-counting mentality has gained over American life. Business people frequently explain that they can only value what they can measure. Many MFA guards are people drawn to the job by love of art. Others are immigrants, drawn to the diversity of people they encounter. These are hard to measure, so the employers increasingly find other criteria (metrics in corporate-speak) to measure, and

by jON ball

Reflections on the tRiumph of the Bean counteRs

use them to evaluate workers. I learned that MFA guards were increasingly harassed for petty infractions, rather than valued for their irreplaceable knowledge and social skills. Secret shoppers who know nothing about art even came in to spy on the guards, counting such measurable things as ties askew or visible cell phones, completely missing the real value of the guards. Similarly, in public schools throughout America, veteran teachers who have inspired students for generations are being driven out for failing to write drivel such as language objectives on the

blackboard, or because they choose to teach important material rather than subject students to mind-numbing test preparation. Then, having flunked the metrics devised by the bean counters, they are deemed incompetent, and replaced by someone more malleable. This was what lay at the heart of the recent vote by the Boston City Council to discount seniority in teacher contract negotiations. When I came to Boston 35 years ago, I worked at Childrens Hospital. I recall that distinguished senior physicians ran it and all the other Longwood medical institutions. Gradually, MBAs and lawyers have replaced

most of them. But do we want people with their perspective deciding on our medical care? And Roxbury Community College has just announced appointment of an interim president. Its trustees seem to have felt that former President Gomes, a career educator, did not have the correct skill set, to use another piece of business jargon. Apparently, the new nominees expertise is in marketing. We should ask why we permit the business communitywhich has of late shown a spectacular failure running the economyto run our government, and our medical, cultural, and educational institutions.

armed robbery while masked

On June 12 at about 10:30am a man robbed the CVS at 231 Mass. Ave., taking many bottles of oxycontin and percoset and packs of fentanyl patches. Wearing a medical mask over his mouth, he stated I want this in 30 seconds or Ill shoot you. He left the store before police arrived, but was spotted soon after by a detail officer on Exeter St. When the suspect saw that this officer was following him, he went into Joes American Bar and Grille on Newbury Street, where he was arrested. He freely admitted his guilt, saying alright, you got me. I did it. The officer found the drugs in his jacket pockets, along with a folding knife with a three-inch blade. A witness from the CVS store was brought the Newbury St. location, where she made a positive identification. The suspect was taken to District 4 station for booking on a charge of armed robbery while masked.

angry scalper

On June 6 at about 7:45pm two detail officers near Fenway Park spotted a man walking in the middle of Kilmarnock St. yelling at and attempting to strike passing cars. The man held up what appeared to be Red Sox tickets, shouting out his interest in selling them. He attempted to block the rear exit of the Chipotle Restaurant, holding the tickets in the faces of patrons trying to leave. Back in the street he attempted to block traffic and continued yelling. When the officers approached him he started yelling at them. You dont know who youre f***ing with here. There aint no one like me out hereI did ten years. Take off your badge and we can do this. The officers repeatedly warned him to calm down and stop yelling or he would be arrested for disorderly conduct. After a brief struggle he was placed under arrest and when searched was found to be in possession of Class E drugs.

Big party at trilogy

At about 4:45am on May 30 officers responded to a call about a loud party at the Trilogy complex on Brookline Ave. A building security officer told them he had received five complaints about the noise and visited the apartment twice, but said that as soon as he closed the door the music would be turned back up and yelling would resume. Approaching the apartment, the officers heard yelling and screaming from inside. A woman came to the apartment door and told the officers that it was all set. As the officers tried to determine the identity of the tenant, the woman tried to slam the door. At this point the officers announced that the party was over and that everyone needed to be quiet. The woman yelled Im in charge and Im not going anywhere. She seemed to be trying to encourage others in the apartment to join her. Inside the apartment the officers observed several large bottles of liquor on the floor and

about 15 intoxicated people. They placed the woman under arrest. took her to District 6, and charged her with disturbing the peace.

closing-time party at our house

At about 2am on June 3, two detectives conducted an inspection of Our House at 52A Gainsborough St. in response to calls to the Mayors hotline about noisy patrons on weekends. The detectives observed about 50 patrons standing in front of the bar and engaged in conversation and cigarette smoking for about 30 minutes. In that 30 minutes the detectives saw no Our House staff attempt to disperse the crowd. At about 2:30am they entered the bar and spoke to the manager, who told them that incidents in response to previous dispersal warnings had discouraged the staff from subsequent attempts. The detectives issued a licensed-premise violation for failure to disperse patrons in an orderly and timely fashion.

6 | FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012

In Gardners Magic Moments Show, Art Lives and Breathes

by STeVeN Kapica

ack in the fall, when the MFA opened its new contemporary art wing, director Malcolm Rogers emphasized the wings goal: to be a destination, a space to commune with art, and to provide something much more than a place to view a few discrete objects and move on. To some extent, it was an easy fit. The Linde Family Wing is a massive space with plenty of room to be filled in by art, ideas, and the creative energies of both artists and patrons, a space to be continually enjoyed, repurposed and reused. And while I will not discredit the incredible amount of work that went into creating this new space out of the old, what the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has accomplished with its 20-yearold Artist-In-Residence Programand its new wingis much more affecting. The difference is simple: While the MFA has created a space for admirers to connect with its extensive collections, patrons at the Gardner Museum are treated to a space where art itself lives, breathes, and is created. Nowhere is this clearer than in the small but exceptional Points of View: 20 Years of Artists-in-Residence at the Gardner and Magic Moments: The Screen and the Eye, which runs through August 20. According to Curator of Contemporary Art Pieranna Cavalchini, Magic Moments is an extension of the Points of View exhibit.

In fact, some of the works showcased in the 20- year retrospective have been updated to better pair with Magic Moments, which highlights work in film, media, and digital projection. The Gardner will present nine projections from nine artists in an ongoing series, starting with David Wilsons documentary Bolshoe Sovietskoie Zatmenia (The Great Soviet Eclipse), which will be on view from June 21 through the 25th. Several of the projections are works by the artists-inresidence featured in Points of View, most notably Ackroyd & Harvey, Dayanita Singh, and Su-Mei Tse. A full schedule of the series is available on the museum website, under Magic Moments. The Gardner, in keeping with its Art Comes to Life theme, will offer special museum passes for patrons visiting Magic Moments. With these passes visitors will be able to return for each of the nine projections, thereby fostering an immersive experience and extended rumination. What is readily apparent in the first three of the projections (Wilsons Eclipse, Ackroyd & Harveys Out of the Blue, and Lida Abduls In Transit) is the artists commitment to historical, political, and social statements. All three pieces are effective for similar reasons, drawing viewers into contemplation about the very real costs of political and economic maneuvering on a diverse and strained global ecology. Wilsons documentary is sad and elusory. Its narrative of the Pulkovo

Observatory in St. Petersburg, circa 1936-7, and the undoing of promising astronomers at the hands of a Stalinist regime is spread across archival images and film footage which often and purposely shifts in and out of focus. The images and film footage are bleak and beautiful, and the repeated, silvery glints of waves from the Crimean coast (where another observatory was later built and served as refuge) punctuate the sorrow evoked by these sad events. At one point in Ackroyd & Harveys Out of the Blue, a concise and effective four-minute long-statement on air pollution, voices contemplate the sky while viewers are treated to a frame displaying an uninterrupted expanse of blue. It is at once beautiful and unnerving. This long moment of deep, natural blue serves as the shocking counterpoint to an earlier series of airplane trails captured in stills, in moving clips, and in a sequence of prints being piled up in front of a stationary camera. What seems at first to be a beautiful meditation on puffy white trails etched on a canvas of blue, an acrobatics of the sky, turns out to be a reminder of the sheer amount of pollution created by countless jets crisscrossing the globe. Ackroyd & Harveys words and voices turn those vapor trails into gashes and scars, into a willful tearing apart of uninterrupted expanses of natural blue. Lida Abduls 2008 performance-based video, staged in Afghanistan, artfully explores

the lyrical lives of Afghani children coping with war and making imaginative use of the wreckage of military conflict. In Transit is both joyful and tragic. In the clip, children climb and gambol about a hulking mass of a destroyed military airplane. The viewer is treated to scenes of children stuffing handfuls of white cotton into countless holes (those of decay and gunfire) in the planes hull. These scenes are mixed with others depicting children holding on to strings attached to the planeeither attempting to fly the wreckage like a massive kite, or creating an intricate, multi-personed cats cradle, or even imagining themselves pulled along in the planes jet stream. Along with this joyful tableau is a barrage of attendant, disparate but diegetic sounds. The result is a powerful statement of hope and warning: Despite ever-present tragedy and danger, the spirit of youth is resilient; we as viewers need to take note of our culpability in perpetuating misfortune. Magic Moments is indeed a unique multimedia experience worth engaging (again and again). Rarely are museum patrons given the opportunity to prolong their experience of art in this fashion. And, based on the quality of the first three pieces in the series, seeing Magic Moments through to its conclusion will surely be worth the investment of time and energy. Steven Kapica lives in Kenmore Square.

He has a variety of tricks. He lets f you know how to watch a Vertigo, well plumb some of the depths of the audience see and know things that Hitchcock movie, you know how this fascination, and perhaps talk about how the characters dont know, so that we feel to watch pretty much anything. it finally became an obsession when Tippi nervousness about what might happen to them Hedren became one of his actors. This is because the late Sir Alfred Hitchcock was one of These ideas only brush the most influential the surface of what is possible artists of his era, to think about during and after particularly the 15 watching a Hitchcock film. years after World War II, and Over the rest of the summer because his influence is still well go much more deeply into at work. Once you become these and other issues. Feel familiar with the way he places free to join us for one or more his camera, or moves people or all of them. The screenings through public spaces, you see start around 12:15 and post-film those devices in lots of other discussion run until 2:30. Heres movies. If he wasnt quite old the schedule: enough to devise the alphabet Jul 3The Lodger (1927) of film, he definitely had a lot Jul 10Blackmail (1929) to do with the creation of its Jul 17The 39 Steps (1935) grammar. with Robert Donat If you want to learn how Jul 24Shadow of a Doubt to watch Hitchcock more (1943) with Theresa Wright, intelligently, you might be Joseph Cotten interested in a free course I Wishing hed worn his Addidas, Cary Grant flees a mysterious Jul 31Notorious (1946) teach every Tuesday afternoon assailant in an iconic scene from Hitchcocks North by Northwest. with Ingrid Bergman, Cary at the Peterborough Senior Grant, Claude Rains if they dont open their eyes. He can play with Aug 7Strangers on a Train (1951) with Center. We actually started on June 26, but the rhythms of editing to get our adrenalin you havent missed anything other than Farley Granger, Robert Walker pumping. He can use close-ups of peoples the introduction if you didnt get to that. Aug 14Rear Window (1954) with Grace faces both to make us feel what they are On July 3 well start watching ten of his Kelly, James Stewart, Thelma Ritter feeling and worry about what might be just most important films with a viewing of The Aug 21Vertigo (1958) with Kim Novak, outside the frame. Lodger (1927), a silent film that was his first James Stewart The director was a devout Catholic, and commercial success. This film introduces one his faith sometimes causes him to make his of Hitchcocks favorite themesthe innocent audiences feel guilty for the pleasure they man chased by both cops and criminals take in watching his work. This is particularly because they all suspect that hes done evident in Rear Window (1954) which really something wrong. brings out the voyeurism inherent in watching The following week we get the mirror the private lives of characters who by the image of that theme with Blackmail (1929), nature of their existence dont know they are the directors first sound film, and one in 24-HOUR being watched. which a young woman becomes guilty in the Having been educated by Jesuits, course of the story. After a viewing one week EMERGENCY SERVICE Hitchcock indulges in a fair amount of either/ later of his most popular British film, The 39 BONDED LOCKSMITH or thinking in his plots and can build whole Steps, we fill the rest of the course with his stories around such opposites as inside/outside, American films. reality/fiction, safe/endangered, and of course 125 St. Botolph Street In the introduction we watched a long male/female. One device he uses over and over sequence from The Birds (1964), trying to Phone 247-9779 Fax 536-8709 to highlight some of these opposites is glass pay attention of how the filmed events made because glass blocks sound while allowing us feel, and what the film did to make us feel Police Locks Doors Opened sight, and can be broken allowing danger in or that way. Hitchcock was often called The Mailbox Keys Master Keys becoming dangerous in its broken form. Master of Suspense and is widely credited Another thing people notice after theyve Systems Padlocks with inventing the thriller genre. So what watched a few Hitchcock movies is the does he do in The Birds to generate tension Door Closers and anxiety in his audience, to heighten those prevalence of seemingly self-contained blonde Keys Made by Code women who can become very passionate feelings until we almost cant bear them, and under the right circumstances. When we watch finally to release them?

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phoToS: STeve WolF

victory By design

Common Boston, a two-week festival organized by the Boston Society of Architects to celebrate the designed environment, culminated in Common Boston Common Build-it (CBCB), a three-day design and construction competition, hosted by the Fenway Garden Society in the Fenway Victory Gardens. Teams of designers and architects were challenged to assess and address the real needs of the community through design. The temporary installations that resulted from this collaboration with the community ranged from a modest seed exchange station to monumental Vs for Victory at the main entrance to the park. By the time the six teams unveiled their installations on Sunday, June 24, at noon, the community was abuzz. Scores of Fenway residents, Sox fans, and members of Bostons design community strolled the Victory Gardens, delighted by the interactivity of the installations. [Webbased voting, hosted on the Common Boston website, closed on the night The Fenway News went to press. Well post the results on www.FenwayNews.org as soon as theyre available.] While only one team can win first prize, the CBCB was a victory for the Fenway.

MIKE MENNONNO

ARTSLINES
sWingin in the fens sAshAys oVer to rAmler PArk
Brazilian-influenced jazz courtesy of the Berklee-based Marcella Camargo Quartet will fill the Fenway at the annual Swingin in the Fens concert on July 11 at 6:30pm. This year, the concert moves from Mothers Rest to Ramler Park at 130 Peterborough Street. Hailing from Sao Paolo, Brazil, vocalist and arranger Marcella Camargo performs unique arrangements of blues and jazz standards influenced by the sounds of her native country. In the event of SUBMITTEd BY LIZ BURG inclement weather, the rain date is July 25 at 6:30pm.

Blaszauer. In addition, her finish wins her an invitation to the 2013 Verbier Festival Academy in Switzerland. Following the competition, Kang performed in Winners Concerts in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. SUBMITTED BY ELLEN PFEIFFER

tWo choice mfA moVies

In addition to its French Film Festival (see Pick of the Month on page 8), two particularly interesting films show up on the Museum of Fine Arts film program this month. In never stand still, legendary dancers and choreographers Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Suzanne Farrell, Mark Morris, Judith Jamison and Bill Irwin appear alongside new innovators to reveal the passion, discipline, and daring of the world of dance. Filmed at Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, the documentary features amazing performances by world-renowned dancers interwoven with interviews and rare archival footage. Founded in the 1930s by dance pioneer Ted Shawn in the Berkshires, the Pillow today is a mecca for artists and audiences from around the world, a place where dance in all its formsfrom ballet to jazz to contemporaryis studied, created, performed and celebrated. The film screens five times between July 5 and 12. Move fast to see the fascinating story of a great Egon Schiele painting in Portrait of wally. The 74-minute documentary traces the paintings history from Schieles gesture of affection to his young lover, to the theft of the painting from a Jewish art dealer fleeing Vienna on the eve of World War II, to the paintings surprise resurfacing at the Museum of Modern Art in 1997. When the heirs of Lea Bondi, the art dealer, asked MoMA to hold the painting, it refused. A 13-year court battle followed, tracking the course of a Holocaust property crime and reopening the wounds of one of the centurys worst tragediesall as prices for Schieles work rose faster than those of any painter on the art market. The case was resolved in 2010, but only after the battle focused new light on the crimes of the Holocaustand the reluctance of major institutions in Europe and New York to return the last prisoners of war to their families. The final screenings take place Friday, June 29, at 5pm; Saturday, June 30, at noon; and Sunday, July 1, at 3pm.

nec students come out on toP At tWo gloBAl comPetitions

New England Conservatory student Tessa Lark 11, 12 M.M. has won the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition, held in New York City last month. A native of Richmond, Kentucky whose versatility extends to a virtuosic command of bluegrass music, Lark won $10,000 and two fully subsidized New York performances, including recital and orchestral appearances. She makes her first Naumburg appearance on Nov. 28 at Carnegie Halls Zankel Hall. The 23-year old violinist, who studied with Miriam Fried and Lucy Chapman, also won the 2006 Johansen International Strings Competition in Washington and the 2008 Irving M. Klein International String Competition in San Francisco. In addition, she and her NEC string quartet won the silver medal in this years Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition. Lark has also been an NEC Concerto Competition winner and, as such, played the Walton Violin Concerto in 2010 with the NEC Symphony and Hugh Wolff, Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood Director of Orchestras. Wenting Kang, a native of Zhuzhou, China, and a student of Kim Kashkashian, won the Tokyo International Viola Competition in May. Kang, 24, who is scheduled to receive her master of music from NEC in December, won a million-yen prize (about $12,700) andlikely more significanta custom-crafted viola made by Hungarys Robert

SUBMITTEd BY KRISTEN LAUERMAN

8 | FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012

This symbol indicates a free event. For even more listings, visit www.fenwaynews.org

pick of the month

of the Brothers Magliozzi approaches, what better way to celebrate their 30 years on the air than...a musical? Tongue firmly in cheek, Undergound Railway Theater and Suffolk University present Car Talk: The Muscial, described as low-brow, high-octane fun. Wed-Thu at 7:30pm (includes July 4); Fri at 8:00pm; Sat at 3:00pm and 8:00pm; Sun at 2:00pm. Tickets $20-$50. Info and tickets at www.centralsquaretheater.org/ or 617576-9278, ext. 210

Through aug 12: As the broadcast retirement

shot from a train window. 502c Comm. Ave., Tue-Sat, 9:00am to 4:30pm. www.panopticongallery.com. FREE.

Fri, Jun 29: Art house aficianados love the films of Bla Tarr, and his last work (unless he changes his mind) screens tonight at 7pm at the MFA. The Turin Horse focuses on Friedrich Nietzsches final breakdown when he saw a horse being beaten on the streets of Turin. Nietzche isnt a big part of this story, howeverthat is devoted to the horse, the carriage driver, his daughter, and the approaching apocalypse. At the 2011 Berlinale, where the film won the Silver Bear, the Hungarian filmmaker announced that The Turin Horse would be his last film. Tickets $7-$11, depending on time of screening and membership status. www.mfa.org/film or by calling 800.440.6795. SaT, Jul 7: Barbara Martin, one of the

Mon, Jul 9: Moira Gillis of the University of Oxford leads a Mass Historical Society Brown Bag discussion on The Emergence of the American Corporation: The New England Example. This project explores the legal and historical parameters of the corporation as it developed in New England through the initial years of the republic. Noon-1pm; FREE, but RSVP at www. masshist.org.

Film Festival Brings Must-See Restoration

The 17th Boston French Film Festival gets underway at the Museum of Fine Arts on Thursday, July 12, with 22 new films and the restoration of one beloved classicFranois truffauts The Bride Wore Black. truffaut is at his most hitchcockian in this

Tue, Jul 17: Students from the Stax Music Academy, a Berklee City Music Network member, celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Wattstax and City Musics upcoming 20th anniversary. Gospel Grammy-winner Kirk Whalum joins the students at Berklee Performance Center as a special guest. 7:30pm; $12 www.berklee.edu/events/ Sun, Jul 22: Learn more about the MFAs amazing collection of Tibetan thankas at a gallery talk, Seeking Shambala, led by Jacki Elgar, who relates great stories about the preservation and remounting of these treasures. 2-3pm; free with museum admission. www.mfa.org Mon, Jul 23: Funk band Lettuce celebrates

Wed, Jul 11: The Red Room at Cafe 939 has several interesting shows this month, starting tonight, when Teddy Geiger appears with Jesse Rubens and Sarah Miles at 8pm. Fri-Sat, July 13-14, bring shows featuring Moon Hooch and Hallelujah the Hills and guests. Thurs, July 26, Club dElf brings Morrocan-dosed dub-trance-jazz, for a rousing show. All shows are all-ages. Unless otherwise noted, events are general admission (usually $12, but often $10 in advance), standing room only. For a full schedule or to purchase tickets online, visit cafe939.com. Wed, Jul 11: The relatively young Boston

its 20th anniversary in concert at Berklee Perormance Center. Lettuce began in 1992, when several members attended Berklees Five-Week Summer Performance Program as teenagers. 8pm; $26-$31 www.berklee. edu/events/

living treasures of the MFAs Education Department, gives a gallery talk on Paper Zoo: How Its Done. Meet in the Scharf Visitor Center at noon. Free with museum admission. www.mfa.org resident, poet, writer, and photographer features new framed photos at the Muddy River Gallery in the Peterborough Senior Center. Opening reception Sunday, 1-5pm. The show features scenes of the Fenway and Boston area and continues until August 9. MondayThursday, 9:30am until 2:30pm. Call for best viewing days/hours at 617-536-7154.

Sun, Jul 8: Matti Kniva Spencer, West Fens

Landmarks Orchestra has built a strong reputation with imaginative programming; it often seems like the Boston Pops edgier cousin. Tonight the BLO opens its seven-week Hatch Shell season with an allCopland program and a One City chorus drawn from nearly 30 area churches and choirs. On the 25th, the program celebrates clean-water advocates and the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act with waterthemed music by Smetena, Duke Ellington, and Johann Strauss. 7pm at the Hatch Shell. Details at www. Bostonlandmarksorchestra.org. FREE.

Through Jul 9: Kenmore Squares finephotography Panopticon Gallery presents Planes, Trains and Automobiles, examining transportation in multiple ways, from abstract patterns to beguiling scenery

Tue, Jul 17: Hollywood veteran Jennifer Weiner reads from her 11th novel, The Next Best Thing, which takes readers into LAs show business culture to examine love and lose in the land where dreams come true. The author of In Her Shoes reads at 6pm in Rabb Lecture Hall at Copley Square branch. www.bpl.org/ central/calendar.htm. FREE

very, um, black comedy of revenge featuring Jeanne Moreau at the height of her acting allure. in the title role, Moreau remorselessly tracks down every single man responsible for the accidental death of her new groom on the steps of the church in which they have just been joined. shes not so much a heroine as an unstoppable nemesis. with an ominous Bernard hermann score (hermann scored many of hitchcocks great late films), this new print is a must-see revival. screening July 26 at 8pm and July 29 at 2pm; in the remis Auditorium. The festival runs through July 29. tickets are $7-$11, depending on screening time and membership status.All dates and times are subject to change; please visit www.mfa.org/ film for the most up-to-date schedule.

Wed, Jul 25: Another Mass Historical Brown Bag brings Wellesley Colleges Catherine Grandjean to discuss Communicating Terror in Early New England, 16771713. Grandjean considers two concurrent stories: the wars plaguing New Englands northern frontier at the turn of the eighteenth century and the rise of the press. Noon-1pm. FREE, but RSVP at www. masshist.org.

Wed, Jul 25: Zimbabwean musician Oliver

Mtukudzi and the Black Spirits treat listeners to an evening of rhythm and roots music as part of the MFAs Concerts in the Courtyard. 7:30pm; tickets $24-$30. www. mfa.org. WGBH have teamed up to present the Summer Arts Weekend, a remarkable three days of free music in and around Copley Square. The roster includes rising star (and Berklee grad) Sierra Hull, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, soul queen Irma Thomas on Friday; family-friendly Dan Zanes, The Low Anthem, and folk sweetheart Suznne Vega on Saturday; and classical music with a twist on Sunday, starting with Baroque Brunch with the Handel & Haydn Society, Alison Balsom, and Anderson & Roe. Very definitely worth checking out at www.boston.com/ ae/theater_arts/summer_arts_weekend/2012/

FriSun, Jul 27-29: The Boston Globe and

Tue, Jul 10: Ward 4 deMocraTic coMMiTTee

meets at the South End Library, 685 Tremont St. at 6:30pm. For info, contact Janet at 617-267-0231 slovinj@aol.com.
Tue, Jul 10: Sen. Will BroWnSBerger holds

Huntington Ave. Contact Shaina Auberg at shaina.aubourg@cityofboston.gov if you have a concern but cant attend.
Thu, apr 19: rep. Michael capuanoS liaiSon

office hours at 7pm at Thorntons Fenway Grill at Peterborough and Kilmarnock streets. Cant make the meeting but have a concern? Contact him at brownsberger@ masenate.gov. housing and find other ways to make your voice heard. 70 Burbank St., lower level. 6:00pm. For info, contact Sarah at shorsley@fenwaycdc.org or 617-267-4637 x19.

holds office hours 1-2pm at Fenway Health, 1340 Boylston St. Contact kate.chang@mail. house.gov if you have concerns but cant attend.
Mon, Jul 23: longWood Medical area ForuM

These events take place at the Peterborough Senior Center, two blocks from Boylston between 100 and 108 Jersey St. (Walk down the alley and look left.) For more information, call 617-536-7154.
speciaL Tue, Jul 3:

Wed, Jul 25: noonPoetic pot-luck lunch and birthday celebration Thu, Jul 26: 11:30amBU College of Health and Rehab Services - presentation on knee arthritis; benefits of exercise; how to successfully start exercising; effects of nutrition recurring mondays

Wed, Jul 11: FenWay cdc civic engageMenT committee. Help advocate for affordable

meets at 6:30pm, location to be decided. Contact Rachel at minto@masco.harvard. edu for details.
Tue, Jul 24: FenWay cdc urBan village committee. Monitoring development in

10am - Senior Task Force 11am - Lunch with Chrystal (please sign up)
Wed, Jul 4Thu, Jul 5: Closed for the holiday. Sun, Jul 8: 1-5pm, opening reception for works by Matti Kniva Spencer (exhibit continues through Aug 9)

Tue, Jul 17: eaST FenS police/coMMuniTy

mtng, 6pm. Morville House, 100 Norway St. other families in sharing resources, advocating for family needs, and implementing family projects. Potluck refreshments; please bring a dish to share. Call one week ahead to request child care for children under 13. 70 Burbank St., lower level. 6:30pm. For info or to request child care, contact Kris at kanderson@fenwaycdc.org or 617267-4637 x29.
Tue, Jul 17: auduBon circle neighBorhood association board meets in Room 3D, AnTue, Jul 17: FenWay FaMily coaliTion. Join

the Fenway and advocating for the kind of neighborhood you want. 70 Burbank St., lower level. 6 p.m. For more info contact Lilly at ljacobson@fenwaycdc.org or 617267-4637x16.

9:30amCoffee hour 11am: MoviesJul 2: Grand Hotel (1932); Jul 9: The Painted Veil (2006); Jul 16: Don Juan DeMarco (1994); July 23: Casablanca (1942); Jul 30: Smoke Signals (1998)
tuesdays

Contact johanna.sena@cityofboston.gov for details.

Thu, apr 26: rep. Michael capuanoS liaiSon

Tue, Jul 24: symphony neighBorhood tasK Force meets at 6pm. Location to be decided.

Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, 165 Park Drive

Wed, nov 11:

Mon, Jul 9: Neighborhood dinner at Holy

holds office hours 1-2pm at Mikes Donuts, 1524 Tremont St. Contact kate.chang@mail. house.gov if you have concerns but cant attend. Drive. 2nd fl, police substation next to security desk.
Fri, Jul 27: WeST FenS police/coMMuniTy meeting, 5pm. Landmark Center, 401 Park

10am, Book Swaptake one, leave one noon: Watercolors with Bill Taxi coupons
Thu, Jul 12: Japanese Tea Ceremony, with

Kate Finnegan of the Jaki Aso Studio

Wed, Jul 18: 11am, 40 Pictures, 40 Stories,

11amExercise with Mahmoud at St. Cecilias House 11amQi Gong, Chi Kung, or Falun Gong with John or Betya noonHow to Watch Hitchcock Movies. Jul 3: The Lodger (1927); Jul 10: Blackmail (1929); July 17: The Third Man (1935); July 24: Shadow of a Doubt (1943); Jul 31: Notorious (1946)
WedneSdayS

with Carol

nex, Harvard Vanguard, 133 Brookline Ave. Call 617-262-0657 for more information. fice hours 3:30-5:30pm at the YMCA, 316

Thu, Jul 19:

Wed, Jul 18: FenWay liaiSon For MayorS oFFice oF neighBorhood ServiceS holds of-

10amWhats in the news? 11:30amCookout (please RSVP at the For BRA meetings and hearings, visit www. Center or by calling 617-536-7154; rain bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/calendar/ date, Jul 26) calendar.asp

9:45amYoga with Carmen 10am-noonBlood pressure checkup with Joyce

thursdays

10amWhats in the news? noonBingo, cards, chess, etc. with Fenway Church interns