Arts & Culture

Skinner auctions has partnered with Artists for Humanity to host their first grassroots, no buyer’s premium auction, a philanthropic initiative titled “Art. Action. Auction.” Running July 22-August 3, proceeds from the donated 79 lots will go towards Artists for Humanity with an additional $25,000 match from Skinner.

The ICA Watershed has returned to the reopening art world with a bang, or rather with a bubble. Dominican artist Firelei Báez’s spellbinding 2021 site-specific sculpture pulls the depths of the ocean up through the museum’s industrial concrete floors and into our sightlines.

Organized by Meghan Melvin, the MFA’a curator of design, the exhibition presents about 40 works created over the past decade by Ekua Holmes. On view through January 23, the show features free-standing artworks by Holmes, a lifelong Roxbury resident, as well as her award-winning children’s book illustrations. 

Art lovers are used to seeing Frida Kahlo depict herself in her deeply intimate self-portraits. In “Frida Kahlo: POSE” at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, Kahlo is depicted through the lens of other artists, photographers who flocked to her striking image and natural manner in front of the camera.

Audrey Lopez will take the helm at the Rose Kennedy Greenway’s public art program this September. It’s a crucial time for public art, as pandemic restrictions are lifted and streets are flooded with viewers once again.

John Wilson’s dynamic sculpture “Father and Child Reading” has sat on the Roxbury Community College campus since 1990. The college commissioned the piece in 1985 and it’s been a symbol of the power of education and interpersonal relationships for decades. Now the sculpture is receiving a commemorative plaque and a rededication ceremony to honor its value for the campus community.

Live jazz is back at the Mad Monkfish in Central Square, Cambridge. After a long hiatus of nearly 16 months due to the COVID pandemic, this small restaurant has put music back on its pan-Asian and sushi menu. In the month of July alone, 10 performances will take place, with two shows per scheduled evening.

Amplify The Soul, which is taking place in lieu of the annual Boston Art & Music Soul (BAMS) Fest through August 13 features artists and musicians in a pre-recorded format on BAMS Fest’s YouTube channel every Friday at 8 p.m. from the Big Night Live stage in Boston.

On July 21, the Boston Common will once again come alive with the sounds of live theater. Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) will stage “The Tempest” to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Free Shakespeare On the Common.

In November of 1994, Mary J. Blige released her second album, “My Life” — a collection of deeply intimate and personal songs that revealed her battles with alcohol and drug addiction, depression and an abusive relationship. What resulted was not only awards and acclaim, but a profound and enduring connection forged with millions of fans around the world. That connection is captured in the documentary, “Mary J. Blige’s My Life,” directed by Vanessa Roth.

Last week, Hibernian Hall concluded its second annual Play Writing LAB with a virtual showcase of work by up-and-coming playwrights in the area.

Artists Paul Goodnight and Larry Pierce have contributed a new addition to Grove Hall’s thriving public art scene, an energetic 60-foot long piece titled “No Strings Detached.”