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tv   Cityline  ABC  September 4, 2016 12:00pm-12:31pm EDT

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>> today on cityline, expanding the definition of art. from the public art installations in city squares to landmarks. ? >> welcome to cityline. perhaps you passed through dudley square this week and saw a giant billboard on the sidewalk in front of the boston public library. it is the newest installation. the piece is called "public trust.
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promise and the promise will be published on the billboard. one of the things of importance is to think about the value of our own work. >> a new public art product that i've made. public trust asks us to examine what can be kept, what is promised and what is fact and what will never come true? people will be able to come and make their promises public. they will be published on a giant 16 foot board. people's promises will be contrasted with thomases that happen in public made by scientists, politicians, government and by the weather report.
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good? please come in the last week of august and the first two weeks of september. >> my plan is to continue bringing contemporary public art to boston. >> we are joined now by kate colbert and the public trust ambassador. welcome to you both. looking splendid in the color purple. >> we are working hard to use public art to create dialogue. there is a lot of public art happening and we want to make sure all neighborhoods have a chance to access this work and use it as a way to imitate and have their voice heard in the community. >> talk about the work created by mr. jonas. where did the idea even come
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art installation? >> his work is created when the public comes to give something. and what we did, i put paul on a bike in one of the hottest days in boston, and he said, where do people come together to congregate and have a conversation? and unfortunately, boston doesn't have one space where everyone goes. so we decided to make over to kendall and coming back, using all of boston. >> now, you are an artist ambassador for this project. tell me what kind of interactions you have with the public and how that translates to this billboard? >> it is the most important and exciting part of the interaction for me.
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with concerns, questions, curiosities. and really having a self-respect like to -- a self reflective moment. to think about what they want to put out into the universe for themselves. the first part is that people come up to the table and week reach them. we asked them to have a seat. the next part is simply engaging in a conversation about them with regards to the promise they would like to make. we are big on not forcing anyone to do anythi to think deeply about something they can connect to. for some folks it was being a better mother. some folks it was the value of rest. and from there, a make their product -- they make their promise into a project using lettering and graphite. >> and eventually it ends up on
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physical piece of art, they get to add to this. we then make an oath together, a pinky promise or shaking hands, where this product person gets to validate their promise and make it real. cracks making it real in that way encourages you to keep your promise. when you make it public like that. >> i had this experience. were working with young children. there was a girl who was 11 years old. she was promising to always love her mom and dad. and as we were about to make that promise, she pulled her hand back -- she said if i don't like my parents one day, i love them in my heart, but that is the simple promise.
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>> the other thing about this piece is that it illustrates for us the importance of the voice mattering. we are in a political season where a lot of words are being thrown around. many harmful. many derogatory. is this public trust piece coming at the right time? >> absolutely. [laughter] >> the sidewalk trying to invite people in. and for every person who comes and talks, there are two or three who say, i have made too many promises and i haven't kept them. and for every one of those people, they are very few who see the headlines. we had donald trump up there once and that caused a lot of controversy.
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had quite a few public people participating. you had a pretty good turnout? >> a great turnout. >> were the reactions to the donald trump headline what we might expect? >> we had some people honking and we actually took it down. it was people were seeing it. we wanted to be a conversation about words. >> tell us what you think the importance of public art is. >> we are competing right now with our cell phones and the media that we are getting. and i think we're missing intimate moments to talk with each other. i am doing out take service with
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over and over again is people who say, thank you for listening. i needed a chance to talk. so public art is one of these things that helps our urban environment. it forces us to think and it tells us, whether you can make a promise. >> >> indeed. i was lucky enough to do my residency at the boston center for the arts. i am currently the public artist in residence there. and really similar is the idea of having conversations and translating those conversations into art forms.
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neighborhood. i ended up holding a sculpture by starting with a survey of community members and asking them to either write down or draw a response to the questions. "what does hope look like to you. and i had a conversation with every single person who had a drawing. so the sculpture itself has different symbols. >> where is it located? >> plaza on the boston center of the arts. >> so for you, public art is important? >> indeed. listening is a big aspect of public art. in general, i feel like public art is a catalyst. >> on that note, thank you for being here. the public trust, and
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up next, travel to concorde, massachusetts to the meeting house. stay tuned. ? amazing sleep stays with you all day and all night. don't miss the biggest sale of the year. right now save 50% on the labor day limited edition bed, plus 36-month financing. hurry ends monday!
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discussion, we are bringing art into the discussion. the meetinghouse is a multifaceted art installation design for the public to share and explore history and issues of race. it is a national historic landmark. a location that was an important setting for discussions dating back to the revolution. first emancipated african american men and women and features an open space as seen here. it is con wanted -- it is complemented by objects indoors including a manuscript including the first published african-american -- and a warning poster from 1951.
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and also a professor. they will be discussing a poetry reading on the site on september 24. welcome to the program. there is a lot to unpack here. tell us about all we will see. >> it is a sculpture, the pavilion, ironic is that it wasn't the beauty of the setting that attracted me to this location. the trustees asked me to work with them to pick site. and it is such a stunning place. it was really the history that is what was most impressive. cracks what i was looking at right now?
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artists that are integral to the project. it is cooked by haley house. there was a discussion. we told stories about food and learned about the history of food. >> so, how is race and all of these complexities connected to what you are showing us in this exhibit? >> well, we were talking about this earlier. and the idea of overt race, racism, explicit racism, it is something that has largely been dealt with. but it is the systemic and failed forms of racism that we have to deal with today. and so much of the historical
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being the corporate. but the fact is that the north had slaves as well. and a lot of the struggle with racism is finding the systemic forms of racism. in many ways, it started in the north. and that is the challenge. it is a very awkward and difficult thing to speak about. and enabling that dialogue is so important. intention. to create a space where people could talk. further could be offense to create a dialogue. to create new ways of thinking about it. to change perspectives. and also, within the house, to integrate objects. >> do you want to pick up on that thread? >> part of why we have had such
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certainly within the new england area is because we are confronted with the overarching narrative of what new england represents to the entire country. there is a narrative that we are the birthplace of the american revolution. a narrative that is the birthplace of the american philosophy of the power of the individual. which changed american literature and imagination. but running alongside that the history of african-american slaves who lived in concord. slave towns. whose contributions helped the economies of these towns. and whose stories we know less about. so if we were to look at these stories we have to begin to ask questions about the narrative.
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and are the overarching narratives. >> so boston and new england, historically have received praise from being the forefront of the abolitionists but you are both saying that is not all that implies? >> there are a lot of contradictions. and the intention is to acknowledge the past. and through that acknowledgment, engage in a dialogue today that will help to move forward towards the future. and actually, the structure itself is a symbol of that. it is a home that has been opened up. it opens up the past two history. and it is a very dynamic space, which intentionally looks unlike anything in concord. a very bold structure.
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and come towards it and look. that very dynamic shape is really symbolizing the possibilities of a better future. >> we know that you are a wonderful, it nationally known poet. how do you see poetry fitting into what is going on there in concorde, as a way of addressing these? >> poetry is an art form. spaces where we ask questions. as i was researching the data to write the poems for this project, i discovered things like a bill of sale for a girl, a two-year-old. and through poetry, i can ask the questions. who is nancy? who are her parents?
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sold. what did her life and of being? aren't allows me to ask those questions and it allows me to engage in making an imaginative leap in imagining what her life was like. art allows us to engage each other. it allows for empathy. someone can relate to it. >> is lines from one poet that you could share with us in the next 30 seconds before we depart? >> oh. [laughter] >> i know, i put you on the spot. >> i just encourage folks to come to the reading. [laughter]
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>> and certainly, the pieces that you have are not bite-size. there are longer. there is a story to tell. we look forward to that. [laughter] >> thank you so much for being here. a great explanation of what we will see. >> we help people can join. >> for information on all the activities taking place, visit . up next, other interesting
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>> boston is bursting at the seams. we are going to hear about some great experiences that you might not know about. tell us about the column in the banner? >> i write articles covering arts and culture in boston.
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>> this column was on the architecture. and i usually cover theater and use sick -- theater and music. that was a jazz festival. >> >> this is the african-american history trail. i see there is the jazz festival -- i will take the opportunity to say that we are one of the sponsors of the jazz festival. a great event every year. and you also write a blog? >> yes, a lifestyle publication for the stylish intellectual. >> and you are here to tell us
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>> it is a great peas of public programming. you can take lessons and watch tango instructors. it is really cool to see the community coming together for a slice of argentina in austin. >> and why is that you think, something that people would enjoy? >> argentina. so it is wonderful to see them bringing their heritage here. and it is free to the public. >> a very sensual dance? >> it is. i'm hoping to one day see two people fall in love on the dance floor.
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from boston public school students. wonderful because they get the experience of seeing their work in this big institution. the subject matter is covering the subject of home because we get to see images from around boston. >> and you touch on an important part. people assume that is the only artwork that you would see but this is brand-new. just created. >> exactly. and i think it is wonderful for students to see that they can have experience and success in the art. >> msa has been doing a lot to reach out to the community and i think this exhibit is one example that brings in a new
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back to their boston roots. >> what is happening at the a.r.t. in cambridge? >> a critical performance on irish of this course. it is structured in two acts. the first act in bodies different characters. the second act is created by the audience. into different discussion groups and they discuss what they see. racial inequality in schools. everyone comes away with a unique experience. >> known for these one-person plays that get put on. >> extremely talented. >> and vision and justice at
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it has different art pieces that are covering the fight for racial equality. and you have the standard photos. riot photos but you also have pieces that are more abstract. and they showed the spectrum of the struggle. >> there is a lot to. this list of things that we need to check out. and we have a treat. an opportunity to see a sneak peek of the new movie on tuesday, september 20 at the amc boston commons. to get your sneak peek pass, visit our facebook page for details. to learn about everything we
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on social media. thank you for watching. have a great rest of your day. take care.
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? >> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm livia. let's start with our top story for this week. >> we all know that eating healthy is important. and there are nutrition labels on most foods to help us do just that. but what should we look for onl? these labe joining us with some tips is sharmi das. she's a consumer-education expert at the u.s. food and drug administration. welcome. >> hello. >> so, what's the first step in reading the nutrition labels? >> the nutrition-facts label is based on a 2,000-calorie diet

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