ArtWeek Milton is part of ArtWeek MA, a statewide festival produced by Boch Center that offers unique and unexpected experiences that are participatory, interactive, or offer behind-the-scenes access to artists or the creative process. Now in its first year, ArtWeek Milton showcases the town’s many cultural, artistic, culinary and natural resources with a busy week of events
Milton is one of more than 100 towns and will be participating in this annual event for the first time! Here is a download of ArtWeek events right in Milton:
Beer Tasting
Event Location: Craft & Cru
Friday, April 26th @ 5PM
Craft & Cru celebrates ArtWeek in Milton with label art designed by local Massachusetts artists
Birding Walk
Event Location: The Eustis. Estate
Saturday, April 27th @ 9AM
Explore the grounds of the Eustis Estate and look for spring’s birds. The property is filled with features that birds like including a pond, meadows, an orchard, tall trees, and chimneys. Learn about the interesting species that thrive in these unique habitats. Admission to the house is included and you are encouraged to explore the house after the tour and find the birds in the interior decoration. Sketch or photograph your finds and share them with us.
Be prepared for wet, uneven ground and some uphill terrain. Bring binoculars and a field guide if you have them. Free parking on site. $5 for Historic New England members and children under 12.
Classical Concert with Trio Spirito
Event Location: The Milton Public Library
Saturday, April 27th @ 2PM
This talented classical trio, led by local Milton music teacher Loren Pearson, will perform in a one-hour concert in celebration of ArtWeek MA. Consisting of violinist Pearson, cellist Pamela Ambrose, and pianist Mary Jane Rupert, this group has many years of experience performing all over the world. Please join us for a lovely afternoon! A Q&A with the musicians, special to ArtWeek, will follow their performance. This event was awarded a 2019 Music Drives Us grant.
This event is kindly sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Public Library and the Milton Woman’s Club.
Wine Tasting
Event Location: Craft & Cru
Saturday, April 27th @ 3PM
Craft & Cruller celebrates ArtWeek with wine tasting featuring wines from the shop with the most artistic labels.
Make a Pinhole Camera on Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day
Location: The Milton Art Center
Sunday, April 28th @ 1PM
What is a PinHole Camera? Join us on Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day and find out! We will construct cameras out of cardboard boxes, create a tiny hole for the lens, take exposures outside and then process the images in a make-shift darkroom. Fingers crossed, if all goes right, you’ll bring home a finished pinhole image! Ages 11 and up
The Lost Art of Letter Writing
Event Location: Forbes House Museum
Tuesday, April 30th @ 6:30PM
Meet Phyllis Forbes Kerr, author of “Letters From China: The Canton-Boston Correspondence of Robert Bennet Forbes, 1838-1840.” Kerr will talk about the challenges and joys of working with her great-great-grandfather’s original letters in the process of compiling and editing her book. She will also discuss what it was really like to communicate via handwritten letters in the 1800s. A number of historic writing tools and artifacts will be on display, as will letters from the Forbes House Museum’s collection. Visitors and other organizations in town are encouraged to contribute copies of a significant handwritten letter from their own collections to be part of a community display of correspondence.
Audubon’s Royal Octavo: Democratizing Natural History
Event Location: Wakefield Estate
Wednesday, May 1st @ 7PM
Drawing from the Wakefield Estate’s own octavo edition of Audubon’s work, Audubon researcher Jess Clay will discuss the creation and distribution of John James Audubon’s Birds of America, and its subsequent impact on the United States and 19th-century natural history. The lecture complements and builds upon the exhibition of the collection, a set of hand-colored lithographs from the 1840s, which will be held at the Wakefield Estate, 1465 Brush Hill Road in Milton, May 2-4, 11am-3pm daily. By understanding Audubon’s life and artistic process alongside the personal underpinnings and political implications of the octavo edition, a new conception of the artist and his world emerges – one in which the man comes of age alongside his nation, and sets in motion a host of historical events and movements to come.
Admission is $10 for members; $20 for non-members. Please pre-register by calling 617-333-0924 to reserve your ticket.
Warp and Weft: Weaving Generations Together
Event Location: Council Of Aging Milton
Friday, May 3rd @ 2PM
Bring in a personal object that has significance and share it’s story… or share a poem, quote or memory that you treasure. You’ll be matched with a conversation partner from another generation to share your stories and to add a strand of color and words to our woven wall hanging. The color yellow will be predominant in the weaving, representing optimism, energy, remembrance, happiness, enlightenment, clarity, abundance and joy.
Introduction to Chinese Calligraphy with Rayna Lo
Event Location: Forbes House Museum
Saturday, May 4th @ 2PM
Visiting artist Rayna Lo will introduce students to the ancient tradition of Chinese calligraphy. While calligraphy can take a lifetime of practice to master, this 3-hour workshop will focus on a single character – the Phoenix. Using authentic brushes, ink and paper, students will leave the workshop with a framed work of art. Ages 15 and up.
Spring Star Gazing and Celestial Storytelling
Event Location: Norman Smith Environmental Education Center
Saturday, May 4th @ 7:30PM
Observe the changes that occur as day shifts to night from the top of Chickatawbut Hill. After enjoying the sunset from the top of the hill, we’ll check out the moons of Jupiter as the biggest planet makes its closest approach to Earth (about 414 million miles). With some luck, we may catch sight of some early Eta Aquarid meteors, space junk left behind by Halley’s Comet. We’ll wrap up the evening by toasting marshmallows around the campfire and enjoying some celestial stories. This event is held at the Norman Smith Environmental Education Center, which is not typically open to the public. Cost is $10 for Mass Audubon members and $12 for non-members. Registration is required. Event does NOT take place at the museum. Location information will be provided upon registration.