Friday, Saturday & Sunday,
September 11, 12 & 13
Noon to 6 PM
Christopher columbus park
FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE!
Closing the 3 day program for the first time this year:
The festival features over 60 juried artists from Boston
A showcase Boston’s best performing arts groups and performers
On TWO stages
Boston has been described as a “a walking city.” Easily one can get from Beacon Hill the South End or from there to the West End. Throughout, its 17th century European beginnings are evident in the beautiful brownstones, various early churches and cobblestone streets. Boston officially became a city on February 23, 1822, thus it is a Pisces, a water sign. It faces the Boston Harbor and large parts of it, the Back Bay, for example, are built on water. Pisces are also often deeply immersed in arts and culture,and Boston is true to its sign. In addition to its architecture and incrediblly long and historical important national history involving tea and taxes and revolutions, Boston is a place with a very strong cultural identity bursting from its dozens of coleges and universities and ten museums. Boston is home to the first portrait painter to be recognized by Europeans as an accomplished portrait painter. After all, there were no grand academies in "the Colonies" in the 18th century. John Singleton Copley, whose statue stands in the middle of Copley Square, Boston put Boston on the artistic map. And centuries later in 1998, the city mayor, Thomas M. Menino, renamed one of Boston's biggest streets, Huntington Avenue which runs in front of the Museum of Fine Arts, Avenue of the Arts.
The walkability of the city and her many public spaces make it the perfect arena for the outdoor arts activities such as: First Night celebrations on New Year’s Eve; the Italian summer feasts in the North End honoring Catholic saints; the week-long Harborfest festivities; the Fourth of July concert on the Charles River Esplanade; children taking advantage of the Frog Pond in the Boston Common in the summer by frolicking in the water and the fountain or in the winter by skating on the surface which is kept frozen; riding the Swan Boats in the lagoon in the Public Garden; boarding the “Tall Ships,” when they visit, buying popcorn and peanuts at the Circus on City Hall Plaza or living it up at The Boston Arts Festival at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. These artistic events were not in the initial city planners designs; the venues presented themselves as platforms for the people and artists who came.
Photo: Courtesy of Boston Ahts Festival
In the case of the latter festival, the Boston Ahts—so spelled to visualize the charming colloquial Bostonian accent which drop some r’s—the genesis of this waterfront park as a location for a fair is as interesting as the festival is entertaining. This year, 2009 marks the 7th year that the Boston Ahts Festival will explode in color and sound and dance onto the Columbus Waterfront Park at Atlantic Avenue. For three days there will be performances and pedestrians perusing and hopefully purchasing art and gobbling up lots of goodies. However, for many years leading up to the first festival in 2003, the same space, and all around, was occupied by the “other Green Monster,” an above ground artery that was built during the 1950’s to help the traffic flow into the city. Ultimately, the population and all the traffic it generatted outgrew it, congested it with cars and fumes and fumes; it became an huge problem. Around 1982, it was decided that a solution would be to place the artery elsewhere; it turned into the debacle of the Big Dig. Billions of dollars and almost a decade later, the artery was installed both underground as Interstate 93 and above ground as the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. What was left behind was a vast open civic space which had long gone neglected. In keeping with Bostonians' love of walking and parks, this expanse of nature is being revived into the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, a one and a half mile stretch of green parks and public spaces for private promenades and public performances in Boston and along the waterfront.
The city planners began to dream immediately about this greenway and the surrounding environment . Many projects are in place: renovations and construction. One reason to celebrate the new space that was ready the first year, 2003 was THE BOSTON AHTS FESTIVAL. Mayor Tom Menino and the Office of Arts Tourism and Special Events were behind it. Boston Magazine ran a full 14 page pull out section in support of the fair. J.P. Morgan was the original founding sponsor and underwrote the first year, so it got a good launch. It was very well attended. Today, Target is a major presenting sponsor and the Metro stepped up for the last four years. There is no shortage of attention and every indication that the Boston Ahts Festival is growing. Under the watchful eyes of Julie Burnes, the director for the past three years, the festival has expanded to a glorious three full days with 60-70 juried artists now able to strut their stuff. The jury members themselves are professional artists from the community as well who are brought in. Great Boston pride and pride in Boston is taken by all in putting the event together.
Indeed Boston is a great place to live and visit and to celebrate art in all its forms. Hopefully you will take the T, or better yet, walk down to the waterfront and see all the talented artists in the area at this FREE event, The Boston Ahts Festival.
Photo: Courtesey Boston Ahts Festival
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