Menu
Frequent contributor Jim Peters shared the following essay with us: Where to begin: Well, first let us begin with a truism, it is hard being related to a famous person because you live your life in the open and sometimes you lack privacy and some of the other essentials. I…
Read More »“Atlantic Fishing Boat” by Richard Marion (c) 2013 See more artwork at www.richardmarion.net This one is for everyone going to the coast for August vacation. Salisbury, Plum Island, Hampton Beach, Seabrook, Rye, Ogunquit, Rockport, Kennebunkport, York, Portsmouth, Kittery, Wells, Newburyport, Gloucester. . .
Read More »“Page’s Clock” by Richard Marion (c) 2013 When Richard Marion operated Galley 21 at 21 Hurd Street in Lowell (mid-1960s to mid-1980s), this pen-and-ink drawing was a favorite of gallery customers and clients. There are several versions of this image in circulation, including the black-and-white print, colored prints, and…
Read More »“164 Orleans Street” by Richard Marion (c) 2013 [drawing, c. 1980] See more artwork at www.richardmarion.net
Read More »For quite a while now there has been a Facebook page – along with some similar versions – devoted to remembering Lowell. It’s now called “You know Your from Lowell When…” It has linked “Lowellians” from far and wide to friends, classmates, old neighbors, school alums, former fellow workers,…
Read More »The prestigious Library of America series now includes two volumes of the short stories of John Updike. Born in Pennsylvania, but a long time resident of our region of Massachusetts, John Updike was awarded an honorary degree by UMass Lowell (University of Lowell) in the 1980s. He also gave a…
Read More »One more bit of commentary about the notion of distinctive cities or particular heritage sites as works of art in themselves. Cultural critic Lucy Lippard mentions Lowell’s national park in her book about the power of special places, The Lure of the Local. The following passage is from my manuscript…
Read More »Whatever our religious leanings or lack thereof – we need to remember our history and not repeat those intolerant mistakes… From the achives: Mass Moments reminds us today that on August 12, 1834 the Catholic convent housing the Ursuline order of nuns in Charlestown, Massachusetts was sacked by a Protestant mob…
Read More »Dick’s post about public art in cities prompts me to add this thought from my book-in-progress about the origin and impact of the national park in Lowell. In the early planning phase, advocates used the term urban cultural park for what they were envisioning for Lowell. That terminology changed when…
Read More »