Marie Sweeney attended the Lowell Cemetery Art Show today and composed the following post:

On this gorgeous day what better place to be but in a garden! This morning I attended an Art Show arrayed below the spectacular canopy of a thick-trunked, leafy-branched, golden brown European Beech tree in the historic Lowell Cemetery just inside the Lawrence Street Gate. Founded in 1841, the cemetery was modeled after Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge… organized a few years earlier as the first garden cemetery in America. In May of 1998, the Lowell Cemetery was chosen to …be included on the National Register of Historic Places. In this special place, today – there was a celebration!

Winning painting by Mary Rose O’Connell. Photo by Marie Sweeney

As part of the 175th anniversary celebration, the Lowell Cemetery Trustees sponsored an art show featuring photos, drawings and paintings by local artists showcasing the cemetery’s history. The art work was judged and prizes awarded this morning. Judges included trustees George Duncan, Rosemary Noon and Lew Karabatsos, UML Art professor Stephen Mishold and art collector Martha Mayo. Seven artists participated. First prize was given to “Lowell Garden Cemetery” an oil by Mary Rose O’Connell. The judges noted “it gave a wonderful sense of place.” The artist received $1,000 and the painting will be displayed in the office. The Second prize and $500 was given to photographer Jeremy Minsk for “Mourners at the Grave” noted as “reflective of Lowell Cemetery themes and subjects.” The Third Place prize and $250 was given to Alice Phalan for an acryllic work “Lowell Cemetery Longview”. The circular work was noted for its “interesting materials.” Other artists in the show included: well-known artist Richard Marion and Whistler House Artist-in-Residence Dave Drinon…

As part of the celebration, historian and Lowell Walks guru was scheduled to lead one of his cemetery tours from the Lawrence Street gate. Like the tours, the art show is planned as an annual event. Kudos to the artists and the Trustees of the Lowell Cemetery.