I am having so much fun in Rio! Oh wait, I'm in Davis Square...

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I was looking for tacos but luckily stumbled upon the Somerville Artbeat 2012 on July 21st. The Beat, thrown by Somerville Arts Council every year, features everything local and awesome about the neighborhood including street food offered by local restaurants, back to back music shows in three different parks, and a chain of stands for craft vendors.

This year's theme was "Migration".

Here is the concept post from the Art Beat website that makes MY heart take flight:

"Migration evokes many ideas: movement, immigration, Monarch butterflies fluttering en masse and New England snowbirds heading to Florida’s balmy shores. We encourage artists to explore migration in various ways. Visual artists might explore how forms morph and move—like atoms within a molecule, for example. Dancers might explore flight patterns of migratory birds. Other ideas include an interactive map project in which Somervillians trace their migratory route to Somerville. Migration also can be explored from environmental, geo-political and inter-galactic angles."

Being the sap that I am, I have the ability to assign a symbolic twist to everything. In this case, Travel had sent me a bouquet of exotic performances and people, a delicious box of curiousity and wonder. After I had to forgo my South America trip in June, an art and music festival themed "Migration" at my door step was a long distance love letter.

I grabbed a free fruit bar then headed straight to the music stand with girls clad in bejeweled, skimpy outfits (naturally). Samba Viva was about to begin and I had never been to Brazil...

Check out more about Somerville Arts Council and their events here:

http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/

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Photos

Samba Viva Dancer
Learn samba with these dancers every Saturday at 1:30pm in the Dance Complex building in Central Square!

Folk singer Roy Sludge at Art Beat 2012
Picking up where Johnny Cash left off.

Comments

[Home and Away]

Great to have another blog from you...
Sorry you had to defer your South America trip, but you seem to be enjoying yourself in Boston. Is it possible for you to budget time and money for a trip abroad each year as I know that is what you really want to do? Maybe you should teach abroad. My son took the CELTA course and is currently on his gap year in Bangkok, teaching English...a good way to see SE Asia.

[yogabbagabba]

Hi Bob, Thanks for the warm welcome back! I usually am able to take a trip each year. However, my South America trip wasn't cancelled for financial reasons. I had to cancel Mexico and the "year of giving adventurously" because I was hired in Boston and didn't want to give up a chance at a really stellar staff position as lead photographer with an international company. Argentina was killed for some personal reasons. It wasn't a budgeting problem. I will definitely look into the CELTS program though. Sounds fun! Hope you have been well and looking forward to hearing all your stories! best, Gaby

[Home and Away]

Congratulations on your job in Boston...
sounds like it's a perfect match for your two passions...photography and travel. I'm pleased that your travel bug will not have to be constrained too much by a budget. So when and where is your next trip?

[yogabbagabba]

Hawaii over Thanksgiving. My brother lives there so it should be fun! You?