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Search Results for: wellesley dump art

Creative spirit recycled at Wellesley Dump Art day

September 12, 2016 by Deborah Brown 3 Comments

Sometimes a trip to the dump is just a trip to the dump. And sometimes there’s an art project titled “Wellesley Dump Art” going on in the Give and Take area. With permission from the RDF, I got all artsy over the weekend and had great luck in getting the dump-going community to join in on my flight of fancy.

The idea behind “Wellesley Dump Art” was simple: to create still-life arrangements on-site at the RDF  using exclusively items that came into the Give-and-Take area and flowers from my yard. I then photographed the completed arrangements. The next part of “Wellesley Dump Art” is to frame and exhibit some of the photos in a to-be-determined space in town. The project was part temporary installation, part performance art, and part photography shoot. It was community participation, cool tunes in the air, and a sense of fun. There were strange looks, some nervous laughter, and requests to take some of the props home (the answer: but of course!).

#Wellesley MA dump #art day #recycling #creativity

A video posted by theswellesleyreport (@theswellesleyreport) on Sep 12, 2016 at 12:01pm PDT

The next part of the project is to frame and exhibit some of the photos in a to-be-determined space in town.

Thanks, Wellesley, for not only encouraging my eccentricities, but allowing me space to indulge them. And thanks to the Wellesley Cultural Council for funding this effort.

Here are some pics of what came of it all:

Wellesley Dump Art day
“Alcohol is the root of all evil,” by Tom Ankermann.

 

Untitled work by Elizabeth Cohen
Untitled work by Elizabeth Cohen

 

"Simplicity," by artist who wished to remain anonymous.
“Simplicity,” by artist who wished to remain anonymous.

 

 

"The hangover," by Deborah Brown
“A Bit Disheveled,” by Deborah Brown

 

Portrait of a young artist.
Portrait of a young artist.

 

The Kiss and Cry area, where artists unwound after the hard work of creating.
The Kiss and Cry area, where artists unwound after the hard work of creating.

 

The WHS football team stopped by to help out the RDF volunteers with some heavy work. They weren't too busy to pose for a pic. I handed out a zinnia to each. Some wore them in their hair, some held them in their hands, or their teeth.
The WHS football team stopped by to help out the RDF volunteers with some heavy work. They weren’t too busy to pose for a pic. I handed out a zinnia to each. Some wore them in their hair, some held them in their hands, or their teeth.

 

 

Thanks, RDF volunteers, for all your help.
Thanks, RDF volunteers, for all your help.

Filed Under: Art, Dump, Entertainment

Linden Square, Wellesley
Riverbend, Natick

Wellesley Dump Art installation coming to RDF on Saturday

September 9, 2016 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

After you deal with your recyclables, stop by the RDF’s Give and Take area and check out Wellesley Dump Art, a one-day installation project put together as a bit of fun by Deborah Brown, co-blogger at The Swellesley Report, with permission from the RDF.

The idea is simple: to create still-life arrangements on-site at the RDF  using exclusively items that come into the Give-and-Take area and plant material found at the RDF (and maybe some flowers from my yard). The arrangements will be photographed  and later framed and exhibited in a to-be-determined space in town.

I’ll be there 8:00am – 11:00am, doing my thing. The curious and willing of all ages are encouraged to participate. It will be easy and fun. Just grab a few things you see that catch your eye, arrange them on a table, still-life style, and I’ll snap a photo. Can’t wait to see what the kids who stop by will come up with.

Here are a couple shots of what I’ve come up with lately:

Wellesley gardens, still life
Still life with hosta, false indigo, garlic, and greeting card. The vase, card, and table covering are from the Wellesley dump Give and Take area.

 

Wellesley Dump, Work hard
A found still life, outside the Give and Take shed.

 

All rustic beauty, arranged just so. I stalked the sunlight all day to get the right shot with no shadow interplay nonsense.
Vase, table, and picture from the dump. Flowers from my yard.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley
Wellesley Lacrosse

Art supplies being collected at Wellesley dump for homeless/low income artists

September 27, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Art supplies will be collected over the weekend of Sept. 29-30 at the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility’s give-and-take area to support artists who are homeless or living on a low income.

The supplies will be collected on behalf of non-profit Common Art, which is part of a Boston-based non-denominational street ministry begun in 1999. Every Wednesday, Emmanuel Church on Newbury Street in the Back Bay donates its parish hall to provide studio space and materials for indigent artists. The artists are encouraged to put a price on their work and Common Art tries to sell it, with all proceeds going to the artist.

Needed are canvases, professional quality brushes, mats and professional frames with our without glass (9×12 or larger), acrylic and watercolor paints (no oil), watercolor and sketching paper, yarn, fabric, beads, costume jewelry, and stained glass.

Please inform the Friends of Recycling volunteer on duty at the RDF that your donation is designated for this drive.

More info: Tim Green at 781-413-1793, TDMDGreen@verizon.net

Filed Under: Art, Dump

Sara Campbell, Wellesley

Before you dump that box of Pokémon cards at the Wellesley Give & Take…

January 27, 2023 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

One result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the forced homebody time it brought about is that more people found themselves revisiting their long-forgotten sports cards and other memorabilia, or developed a new interest in collecting items through various online options. Locally, Thomas Picher, “just looking for something to do” during the pandemic, improbably gained a fascination in old coins and stamps, and even renewed a short-lived interest in Pokémon cards that he had as a kid.

Now the 20-year-old is morphing his pandemic-borne hobbies into a business opportunity by helping others assess the value of their treasures.

“It’s not necessarily the value that gets me excited. It’s the unknown that the next thing I find could be something extremely rare or really old,” he says.

Thanks, Gramps

Thomas Picher
Thomas Picher

Picher was given hundreds of old coins and a big stamp collection by his grandfather in 2020, plus he was shown bins of cards from his dad and uncle. The current UMass Dartmouth sophomore then began to dig in. “For the next few months I was completely focused on that. I bought books and catalogs to figure out what we had, to learn the prices,” he says.

There were unsurprisingly no Pokémon cards in his grandfather’s collection (they emerged in Japan in the mid-1990s, in the United States in the early 2000s), but wrestler/podcaster/Youtube star Logan Paul sparked fresh interest in Pokémon cards, in part by forking over millions for a super rare one. The buzz returned Picher’s attention to the market for trading cards bearing images of Pikachu and the gang.

Picher’s father, Tom, says the value of Pokémon cards caught them by surprise. While many people might hesitate before getting rid of baseball cards, understanding they might have some value, kids—or their parents—would be more likely to just throw away Pokémon cards, he says.

For those of you who have fallen out of the trading cards loop, or who were never in it to begin with, a lot has changed from the days of flipping cards against walls and sticking them in between bicycle tire spokes. The market has had its serious ups and down, but has been booming of late. Dramatic openings of card packages are live-streamed. Topps is still a leader among card makers, but Panini and others are popular, too. Trading card grading services like PSA help collectors find out what their items are “worth,” and enable trusted buying and selling of these valuables.

Picher has been a quick study in the value of cards and other collectibles, and along with his father, has sent in cards to be graded.

Researching the value and history of cards, coins, and stamps is a mix of paper-based and online research for Picher. So while the web does provide fast access to some information, and enables transactions through services such as eBay and craiglist, the hobby itself also allows Picher a screen-time break.

Picher was excited to tell me about “a really good magnifying glass” he recently acquired that allows him to zoom in on details that the naked eye would not see on coins and stamps. “There are a lot of little things you wouldn’t realize are there…erosion of a stamp, little differences in printing that can make a big difference in their value,” he says.

Sharing his knowledge

Picher continues to learn about collectibles from home as well as by taking it on the road. He’s hit yard sales and has the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility’s Give & Take area on his list. He and his dad attended a massive card show in Atlantic City, with collections worth millions on display.

Through word of mouth and other means, Picher has begun appraising the value of others’ collections.

He described visiting a couple in Wayland who had been collecting all sorts of things for 50 years. “It’s good to meet with people face to face to discuss their collections,” he says. “Their house was filled.”

Picher wisely isn’t aiming to fill his parents’ house, so keeps a balance between buying and selling. “I’m not really focused on building my collection,” he says, adding that he’ll target items that he finds particularly meaningful or unique, maybe a LeBron James rookie card, or anything to do with Yankees Hall-of-Famer Derek Jeter.

Picher’s friends include past card collectors, but none of them are doing anything like he is. “They think it’s cool, but they’re not into it themselves,” he says.

If you’re tempted to learn more about this hobby or are curious about how much your stuff might be worth, Picher is available to help.

For starters, he suggests identifying your most likely valuable items. With sports cards, this often means star players and those same players as rookies. With Pokémon cards, since they are newer, condition isn’t as much of a differentiator as it can be with sports cards, but there were fewer Pokémon cards produced at the start, so those earlier editions, and special holographic cards can be worth more. With stamps and coins, usually the older the better; pre-1964 U.S. quarters and some other coins were made from silver, so they’re worth something extra right away.

If you’re interested in having Picher assess your collection, you can text him at 617 659 2686. Send photos of a few items to start and describe what you’re interested in knowing. And if you’ve got a 1999 1st Edition Holographic Charizard Pokémon card, by all means, don’t hesitate to ping him.

(You can also check out his eBay store.)


Got a unique story to share? Let us know at theswellesleyreport@gmail.com


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Filed Under: Business

Wellesley Veterans Parade will be one big wonderful Tea Party

January 21, 2023 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Celebrations Committee has announced that its theme for the 2023 Veterans Parade, slated for Sunday, May 21 at 1pm, will be “Birth of America: Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.”

As the Committee behind Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend summarizes: In 1773, a group of American colonists stole aboard ships of the East India Company and dumped their cargo of tea into Boston Harbor, in protest against British tax policies.  The event known today as the Boston Tea Party is a significant milestone in American history.

“We are proud to honor our veterans as we organize the 55th annual Wellesley Veterans Parade in May,” Roy Switzler, Chair, Wellesley Celebrations Committee said.  “We look forward to the special events held during Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend and the opportunity for our community to celebrate together.”

The Wellesley Celebrations Committee was established by the Select Board to plan and carry out activities that honor the service and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans.  Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend includes the Veterans Parade, a town picnic, concert and fireworks.

2021 parade horse


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Filed Under: Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend

Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
Rick Cram, leader

Options in Wellesley for parting with your Christmas tree

December 29, 2022 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Every holiday season households around Wellesley drag a live tree into their homes and treat it like royalty. The tree—usually a fragrant balsam fir—gets prime family room real estate, is glammed up in twinkle lights and shiny baubles, and admired. This honeymoon period lasts for about three weeks. After that, a certain family member starts giving the tree side-eye, commenting (or muttering… complaining styles var.) about pine needles in the carpet, and fire hazards. The tree must go.

You could load the tree into your vehicle, drive to the Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF), and add it to the sad-looking pile of once-mighty conifers, all at no charge to Wellesley residents. Or you could get rid of the problem the easy way. By throwing money at it.

There are a couple of young, hardworking Wellesley entrepreneurs we know of who can pick up your tree for a small fee, leaving your car free of pine needles, and saving you that awkward goodbye to a once-valued holiday symbol.

Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap

Hardworking Wellesley resident and Clemson University landscape architect major Patrick Dublin can haul away your tree for a fee of $20. In honor of his grandmothers, Dublin donates 10% of his earnings to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He drops non big store trees at Unity Farm in Sherborn, and the rest go to the RDF.

To get your Christmas tree picked up, email him at dublinp19@gmail.com or use the sign-up genius.

Dublin is also happy to do dump runs and other jobs, so don’t be shy about asking for his assistance.

Also, Jack Kenney is in the tree removal business. The University of Vermont student said in an email he has upgraded the business and, in addition to dropping trees off at the RDF, has ” partnered with some local farms (like Natick Community Organic Farm and Happy Goats Farm) to feed the xmas trees to the farm animals.” You can schedule a pickup here.

Ryan LeBrun, too, can take away your tree. He tells us, “My family  owns  The Linden Store and the quality of my work is impeccable. I also offer to remove your tree from your home and take it off the stand. I am very passionate about NOAA Fisheries Bluefin Tuna Research and plan to donate a percentage of my proceeds to help further the grow and research. My fee is $25 for removal.”

You can reach Ryan at 781-540-4099

Are you a hardworking tree-removal entrepreneur? Email us at theswellesleyreport@gmail.com and we’ll add you to this post.

Fair fir trade

To streamline the process for those in the tree disposal business, the Wellesley Department of Public Works has created a Christmas tree collection pilot program. DPW director Dave Cohen during the Dec. 13 Board of Public Works meeting explained that this year those who want to collect trees and bring them to the RDF as part of a business must apply for a permit and pay by the number of trees they drop off. The rate is approximately $1 per tree. (You can see the tree talk here at about 3 minutes into the Wellesley Media recording of meeting.)

In the past, tree-disposal entrepreneurs had to pay the minimum fee of $30 whenever they did a dump run, which added up pretty quickly for someone making multiple trips to the RDF. Such a system favored the business with the biggest trucks, so paying just once for the season has the advantage of somewhat leveling the playing field.

Want to get in on the action? Stop by the RDF office to pick up an application.

How not to get rid of your tree

Disposed Christmas tree
There’s a right way and a wrong way to dispose of Christmas trees. Here’s the wrong way.

Here’s how our swell family has gotten rid of our trees, and it’s all on the up-and-up:

It’s easy to get an Open Air Burning Permit in Wellesley. The season runs January 15 to May 1, and you just have to follow a few common-sense rules. The Wellesley Fire Department requires that a garden hose be available at the site of the burning. Nobody wants to see the peony beds go up in flames accidentally, or worse yet, the woods. Get your burn permit online.

Wellesley RDF holiday hours

Friday 12/30/22 – RDF Open 7am – 3:45pm
Saturday 12/31/22 – RDF to close at 12 noon (open hours 7am-12 noon)
Sunday 1/1/23 – RDF CLOSED
Monday 1/2/23 – RDF CLOSED

Wellesley RDF regular hours

Monday – Wednesday, 7 a.m. – Noon
Thursday – Saturday, 7 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Sunday – Closed

Filed Under: Business, Holidays

Favorite Wellesley photos of 2022

December 27, 2022 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

We don’t claim to be the world’s greatest photographers, but despite our shortcomings, here are some of our favorite Wellesley photos from 2022 that help to tell the town’s story of the past year.

EA Davis, Wellesley
The old cash register at E.A. Davis before the store was renovated (the much-loved antique survived the buyout and remains in the 579 Washington St. store, which is under ownership by Mahi Gold Outfitters.

 

hunnewell clapout june 2022
Hunnewell Elementary School sent off longtime crossing guard Judie Johnson Johnson, who safely shepherded students across the street for 58 years. She retired at the end of the 2022 school year. On clap-out day, Judie was showered with applause, given flowers, and serenaded with a chant of “Judie! Judie! Judie!”

 

Hardy School, Wellesley
Wellesley’s Hardy School students as part of a physical science learning activity took the educational experience out of the classroom and onto school grounds, where they had a blast launching their own water bottle rockets high into the sky.

 

squirrels
Seeing double. Photo courtesy of Jay Prosnitz

 

Herlda Senhouse, Wellesley
Herlda Senhouse and friends celebrate her 111th birthday at the Glen Grove apartment complex in Wellesley. How does a centenarian carry on the party after the cake is cut? In Herlda’s case, she and her entourage were chauffeured by private car to the Encore Casino in Everett, where she played the slots.

 

before and after mopo swim
Swimsuit models pose after a Jan 1., 2022 dip in the cold waters of Morses Pond.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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