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‘ReVisited’ at Forest Hills, ‘Chalk’ on Boston Common, and ‘John Kerry’ at Gallery Kayafas
BY RANDI HOPKINS
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Strolling the grounds of Forest Hills Cemetery, with its romantic landscape of paths, ponds, and amazing trees, you can easily imagine yourself in top hat and cloak, or a Victorian bustle, bringing the family to picnic among massive monuments and moving memorials created by the likes of Daniel Chester French, who’s best known for his Lincoln Memorial in DC, and Thomas Ball, whose statue of George Washington on horseback graces Boston’s Public Garden. The dignified aura of the 19th century permeates this garden cemetery, which was founded in 1848 as a place of consolation and spiritual renewal, as bronze angels and marble obelisks pay grand tribute to the dearly departed. But art has always played a role in our attempt to come to grips with death, and so it’s fitting that since 1998, Forest Hills has been opening its 275 acres to contemporary artists, who have been presenting inspiring work in unexpected locations. This summer, 14 artists included in past exhibitions have been selected to return for "ReVisited," which opens on Saturday. To judge by forerunners "Spirits in the Trees" (2002) and "The 4 Elements" (2003), half the fun of "ReVisited" will lie in finding the works — artists who know the vast cemetery go out of their way to find surprising places, and the result is a grown-up scavenger hunt as you walk, map in hand, searching for clues to your next art destination. Not to mention the great pleasures to be found along paths taken in error and nooks found by accident. Look for Jeanne Drevas’s little pine-needle hut (described by Forest Hills Trust director Cecily Miller as "part Dr. Seuss, part Gaudí, part insect nest") and Caroline Begenal’s sculptural pathways celebrating the typography and playful design of poet e.e. cummings, who is buried here. There’ll also be new work by Clementine Cummer and Susan Nacco, Kathleen Driscoll, Charles Jones, Danielle Krcmar, Kaki Martin, Thomas Matsuda, Jill Slosburg-Ackerman and Jon Williams, Carol Spack, Frank Vasello, and Leslie Wilcox. It’s a multimedia line-up that promises earthly and unearthly delights. As we approach the here-and-now of the Democratic National Convention, two upcoming exhibitions examine timely issues of democracy, free speech, and John Kerry. On July 2, 3, and 4, the artistic team of Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla come to the Boston Common with 12 enormous pieces of chalk — each over five feet long and eight inches in diameter — to encourage spontaneous self-expression by the public. Brought to us courtesy of the Institute of Contemporary Art’s Vita Brevis program, the San Juan–based Allora and Calzadilla will, in "Chalk," invite people to leave their own marks and make their voices heard. And at Gallery Kayafas, photographer and filmmaker George Butler (he co-directed the 1977 Pumping Iron) will be showing photographs he’s taken of his close, long-time friend in "John Kerry: A Portrait 1969 to the Present," which opens July 6. This exhibition promises to scrutinize Kerry from many angles, both personal and political. "ReVisited" is at Forest Hills Cemetery, 95 Forest Hills Avenue in Jamaica Plain, June 26 through October 31; call (617) 524-0128 or visit www.foresthillstrust.org. "Chalk" takes place on Boston Common July 2 and 3 from 1 to 5 p.m. and July 4 from 1 to 7 p.m.; call (617) 266-5152 or visit www.icaboston.org. "John Kerry: A Portrait 1969 to the Present" is at Gallery Kayafas, 450 Harrison Avenue (second floor) in the South End, July 6 through 31; call (617) 482-0411.
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