Art Appreciation

Women Artists of the 20th Century

Tuesday, February 22, 10:00-11:00 on Zoom

The museum comes to you in this engaging presentation by Jane Blair, founder of ArtMatters, an art awareness and education organization. Women artists, capable of the art of creation as well as the creation of art, have historically proved threatening to the dominant male establishment. There are many examples of how woman have flourished and failed, been celebrated or crushed, but in almost every instance, needing to be better than their male competitors to be taken seriously. In more modern times, women’s ability to create art was less openly inhibited, but new, modern obstacles arose. Take a new look at women artists and their struggle to make art in the 20th Century. Call the COA at 781-786-6280 to register.

Chagall: Tuesday, March 29, 10:00-11:00 This program is supported by a grant from the Weston Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Live Virtual Walking Tour of Auckland Harbourside

Wednesday, February 23, 1:00-2:00 on Zoom

You will feel like you are actually walking along the Auckland waterfront in this live virtual tour with local Auckland resident and tour guide Louise. Starting downtown at Commercial Bay, this tour will take us to the Ferry Building where we will explore the history, architecture, nature and discover the recent development and uniqueness of the area, while standing on a giant shelf. We will then follow the Waitemata Harbour to the Viaduct Harbour with its lively restaurant scene, super yachts and great views of the skyline and Sky Tower. We’ll cross two drawbridges arriving in Wynyard Quarter with its fabulous architecture, lifestyle, history and culture. Walking alongside Louise, you will quickly learn why the City of Sails is Lonely Planet’s top pick for best city in the world to travel in 2022, even if you can only go virtually! Call the COA at 781-786-6280 to register.

Health and Wellness

Thursdays through April 7, 1:00-2:00, at COA

Regis College Graduate students Sydney and Keriann will lead us in interactive and thought-provoking group sessions each week, providing the opportunity to meet new people and learn something new about health and wellness topics. Call the COA at 781-786-6280 to register.

Meet the students

From Abolition to Civil Rights in Music

Friday, February 25, 10:00-11:00 on Zoom

This travelogue, along the road to freedom, begins in the days of the Underground Railroad with the subversive spirituals of the enslaved and the abolitionist protest songs of the Hutchinson Family Singers. After the Civil War, two other important players in this story are featured: the Fisk Jubilee Singers and Bert Williams, whose performances represented an affirmation of the proud heritage and full humanity of African -Americans. Then in the early 20th century, in the midst of Jim Crow legislation, anthems like, Oh, Freedom and Lift Every Voice and Sing emerged. The program will highlight the contributions of the Harlem Renaissance, including important musical events (Shuffle Along, Blackbirds of 1928), musicians (Eubie Blake, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington) and singers (Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Ethel Waters). We will close with the inspiring Ballad for Americans, a patriotic cantata that celebrates our country’s religious and ethnic diversity. Call the COA at 781-786-6280 to register.