More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
Wellesley residents and businesses, armed with chalk, paint, markers and plain old pen and paper, have added a bit of color and optimism all over town.
“On a walk along Crest Rd today a young artist made the day much brighter with messages of love, good cheer and ‘Boo Covid!” wrote Sue Meeker, who shared these photos above.
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Four artists have been selected to beautify 3 of the drab black electrical boxes along Washington Street. This spring those boxes will come alive with depictions of monarch butterflies, historical images and splashes of color.
The Electrical Box Art Program, funded through nearly $11,000 via a couple of community programs, was announced in October. A team spearheaded by Wellesley Police Chief Jack Pilecki choose from among 7 entries, and Pilecki said you shouldn’t be surprised if some of the other entrants are chosen if the program is expanded to include additional boxes, of which there are another 2 dozen or so.
Pilecki was inspired to get some of Wellesley’s boxes painted when traveling through other communities and seeing their colorful boxes. “I got tired of seeing all the other towns doing it,” he said at the Feb. 24 Board of Selectmen meeting. “I said why can’t we do that?”
Mai-Han Nguyen’s town history-themed design, which will undergo some reworking following a suggestion for more research at the BoS meeting, will be on the box across from Town Hall. Mia Cross’s burst of color box will be located at the intersection of Washington and State Street. The monarchs, by Wellesley’s Deborah Friedman and Jennifer Schneider, will go on the box near the Clock Tower and surrounding garden in Wellesley Hills.
Artists receive a $1,000 stipend for supplies. Major donor support came from the Community Fund for Wellesley.
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Our round-up of the latest Wellesley, Mass., retail and other business news:
Vision Optics, a glasses and contacts shop in the center of Wellesley Square at 63 Central St., has announced via a note on its front door that it is closing after 47 years in business “due to the changing retail landscape.” That would presumably include the rise in online retailers.
Vision Optics, like so many Wellesley businesses, emphasized the “luxury” services it provided. Optica in Natick will be the place to pick up any Vision Optics orders as of Feb. 1, according to the outgoing business.
One of the business’s co-owners passed away in 2015.
The departure of Vision Optics will leave J.P. Licks without neighbors on both sides, for now. Papyrus recently closed its Wellesley shop (and is closing all of its stores while filing for Chapter 11 bankrupty protection).
(Thanks to Swellesley reader LS for this tip.)
Got tips on business openings, closings or whatever, feel free to email us here: [email protected]
Also email us if you’re interested in sponsoring our weekly Wellesley Business Buzz roundup.
MassBay Community College’s student-run Business Club recently held a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and raised $593 to purchase winter coats for students in need. The money will be used to purchase 20 winter coats to be added to the on-campus coat racks for students to take or donate winter jackets. All remaining funds will be donated to the MassBay Student Hunger Assistance Fund.
The Business Club’s basketball tournament was held on Thursday, Dec. 12.
This was the second 3-on-3 basketball tournament the Business Club held this year. In spring 2019, the club held the first tournament, raising $843 for the Student Hunger Assistance Fund.
The Clever Hand Gallery in Wellesley Square (52 Central St.) will host 4 guest artists from Metalworx in Waltham—Carol Miller, Wendy Jo New, Shing Hsieh, and Sharon Stafford—through March 28. These jewelers have access to all sorts of fancy tools at Metalworx, and will be displaying their wares in Wellesley.
Open House with Guest Artists: Sunday, March 8, 2-4 PM
Wellesley College is now offering health care services to its more than 2,400 students via a collaboration with Newton-Wellesley Collegiate Health, a service of Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Hospital providers are based at the school campus, providing students with convenient access to care.
The new service builds on an existing relationship between Wellesley College and Newton-Wellesley Hospital, which has been providing emergency care and outpatient services to Wellesley students for several years.
Got tips on business openings, closings or whatever, feel free to email us here: [email protected]
Also email us if you’re interested in sponsoring our weekly Wellesley Business Buzz roundup.
New art exhibits in Wellesley, Mass.
From Wellesley College:
What can art do in a time of political, societal, and actual violence? In Toisha Tucker’s practice, art and activism are two sides of the same coin. With an acute awareness of issues surrounding race, gender, economic disparity, and the institutionalization of prejudice and hatred in America today, Tucker’s work speaks up and speaks out. Tucker makes use of a variety of media, including sculpture, installation, found objects, text, photography, collage, and printmaking to address subjects that they hold close to their heart…Tucker is the recipient of the 2018-19 Alice C. Cole ’42 Fellowship, which provides funds to support one year of unimpeded time and space to experiment, develop a body of work, and focus on future artistic goals.
This exhibition will be on view in the Jewett Art Gallery from January 20 – March 6, 2020. A closing reception with the artist will be held from 4:00 – 6:00 pm on Friday March 6. The Gallery, located on the 2nd floor of the Jewett Arts Center at Wellesley College, is open 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday through Friday and 12- 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays (but not Jan. 25-26z). The Gallery is free to visit and open to the public.
From Dana Hall:
This exhibit runs through Feb. 7. The show features the work of Boston-area artists Sue Hammerland (painting), Gordon D. Chase (drawing), Allison Maria Rodriguez (assemblage and video) and Michelle Lougee (sculpture).
“Using a variety of different materials and approaches, these artists are not only creating beautiful, frightening, and challenging images and objects, but through these artworks, they are telling stories and confronting issues surrounding the effects of climate change and other man-made disasters on plant and animal life on earth,” said Michael Frassinelli, director of the Dana Art Gallery and Visual Arts Department Head. “Some whimsical, some more serious, but all inspired by what is happening to the natural world around us and what might happen in the future.”
Located in the Classroom Building, the Dana Hall Art Gallery is open to the public Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The gallery is closed weekends and school holidays.
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This is a gift having ceramic artist Goce Davidov showing his work right down the street.
Some say it’s obvious that the topiary in front of One Hollis St., at the intersection of Linden Street in Wellesley, is a seahorse.
But that topiary is also different things to others, as we recently learned when posing a question on our Facebook page about it: “Here we are in 2020, still asking: What is this Linden St topiary supposed to be?”
My gut has told me it’s a seahorse. Why a seahorse in the middle of Wellesley? Why not.
But I’ve also wondered if it might be a cat.
Others who responded to the photo shown above suggested it might be an elephant spinning. Or more specifically, Babar the Elephant’s head.
“It was a seahorse – now it’s a badly groomed show poodle,” wrote one Swellesley regular.
#Wellesley #topiary what is it? pic.twitter.com/lQzRkLIavO
— swellesley (@swellesley) January 16, 2020
A guy straddling an elephant and wearing boxing gloves, chimed in another. A Twitter follower asserted: “Lobstah of course.”
We reached out to the property manager of One Hollis St.. to see if they might have any particulars on the ornamental shrubbery and what it’s future might hold. We haven’t heard back, but will update this post if we do.
While less ambitious than the postcard-worthy topiary on Hunnewell property abutting Lake Waban, the Hollis Street landmark has a wider audience given its proximity to the Wellesley Square train station and Linden Square shopping center.
As for what the Hollis Street topiary is supposed to be, one reader offers this viewpoint: “Anything one imagines.”
What shape is this Wellesley topiary supposed to be?
Total Voters: 29
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More: Wellesley’s Outdoor Art Gallery
Wellesley Theatre Project (WTP) presents Impact! Throwback!, a concert presentation of classical musical theater, Jan. 10 – 12 at the WTP Studios at the Wellesley Community Center, 219 Washington St.
General admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors in advance or $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors at the door.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.wellesleytheatreproject.org or by calling the box office at 781-235-1550
Senior IMPACT! will perform selections from classical musical theatre including favorites from Oklahoma, Kiss Me Kate, Guys and Dolls, Peter Pan, My Fair Lady, and many others.
Junior IMPACT! will present a selection from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, which they will perform at the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, January 17th-20th.
I felt fortunate to see the centuries-old Parthenon in Athens back in 2008 when the Swellesleys went abroad as a family for the first and only time to date. The Swellesley juniors were deep into the Percy Jackson books at the time, and their enthusiasm for all things Greek enveloped the family.
More recently, I plotted a run while visiting Nashville to view the full-scale Parthenon replica near Vanderbilt College. The structure was built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Athena would have been proud.
But little did I realize that my Parthenon studies were incomplete until Wellesley Free Library made us aware that it was displaying a deliciously spectacular gingerbread-and-candy replica of the temple this season thanks to the efforts of Wellesley resident Grant Brown, family and friends, who have a history of gingerly building such elaborate structures. I rushed right over to see it, being careful not to touch or snack on it, for fear of leaving it in ruins. It’ll be there until the end of this year.
History.com describes the Parthenon as being “a symbol of the power, wealth and elevated culture of Athens,” and so this version of the architectural masterpiece could be said to be doing the same for our fair town, on a more modest scale.
Brown says this year’s creation was inspired by a family trip to Greece this summer where they toured the Acropolis and the Parthenon. “We thought that amazing structure would be a fun inspiration. I had contemplated building the mountain and collection of temples at the top, but that seemed too aggressive given my day job and work-related travel,” he says.
Brown said he and his wife had many friends and family over on Sunday to help decorate the gingerbread house.
“My parents asked me last week to calculate the dollars and time spent on the preparation. I have steadfastly refused to do so. (Mainly because I’d introduce a bit of depression into the mix!),” says Brown, whose family has been hosting gingerbread parties for 18 years to help kick off the holidays.
“As for anyone tempted to disobey the Library’s signs, I speak from a position of authority when I say: Obey the Do Not Touch request! Some of the candy on every house is leftover and saved from prior years. It’s possible that the gummy bear that looks so enticing on the lawn of the Parthenon is circa 2016!”
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SPONSORED POST: The Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club’s Wellesley Marketplace will host the 43rd Annual Wellesley Marketplace on Saturday, November 23rd at Wellesley High School, 50 Rice St. Open from 9am – 4pm, Marketplace is an annual retail favorite for those seeking unique holiday gifts for family and friends. With over 240 vendors and artisans from New England and further afield, it’s the perfect way to cross off plenty of items on your holiday shopping list, with style.
Be the first to gain access to shopping when the doors open at 9am. Only those with premium admission may shop from 9am – 10am. Then stay to shop until 4pm. Your Premium Admission ticket is good for entry at any time during the day. Please note that these tickets are only available for purchase in advance of the event. No child/senior discounts. Premium Admission tickets are $20 each and are available online now.
Shop anytime between 10am – 4pm. General Admission tickets are also available at the door on the day of the event. General Admission tickets are $15 each and are available online now.
Shop anytime between 10am – 4pm. Senior/Student General Admission tickets are also available at the door on the day of the event. Senior/Student General Admission tickets are $5 each and are available online now.
Here are 5 unique finds to be had from Wellesley Marketplace merchants:
Gloves, pacifiers, water bottles. Yeah, used to seeing those left behind at Perrin Park in Wellesley. A more unusual site: This artwork, seen today at the park by Swellesley reader LF.
If it’s yours, hope it’s still there.
More: Wellesley’s electrical boxes to become works of art
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