Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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photography courtesy of president and fellows of harvard college (for eleanor); colby MuseuM (Chelsea In ICe) Pop & Circumstance two groundbreaking exhibits provide new perspectives on artists Corita ent and James mCneill Whistler. by morgan chamberlain "Activist nun" may not be a common description in the art world, but Pop artist Corita Kent wore it well. In "Corita Kent and the Lang uage of Pop," the Harvard Art Museums (32 Quincy St., Cambridge, 617-495-9400; harvardartmuseums.org) present more than 150 prints by Kent (such as for eleanor, top) a nd her contempora r ies, including A ndy Wa rhol a nd Ed Ruscha. A Roman Catholic nun for 32 years (she died in 1986), Kent was often seen as an anomaly in the Pop Art movement, but the exhibition explores how integral her voice was to the art scene of the 1960s as she addressed social and religious issues in her work. For New Englanders, however, undoubt- edly her most fa mous pa int ing is Rainbow Swash, a f ixture alongside Interstate 93 since 1971, adorning a gasoline storage tank near Boston Harbor. Opens September 3. In "Whistler and the World: The Lunder Collection of James McNeill Whistler," see the 19th century through the eyes of this Lowell native, whose muted tones in paintings like Chelsea in Ice ( above) set him apart from his peers. The exhibit, at the Colby College Museum of Art (5600 Mayflower Hill Dr., Waterville, ME, 207-859-5600; colby.edu), examines Whistler's t ravels across Europe a nd his quest to elevate what he saw into works of exquisite beauty. Opens September 24. BC open book SOUTHERN CHARM Travel writer Paul Theroux, a Medford native and Cape Cod resident, is best known for recounting his adventures in far-flung places like Patagonia and Siberia, but in his 10th travel book, Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), he explores a territory closer to home. In a four-year trek, Theroux talks to the people and immerses himself in the culture (gun shows and rural churches, for starters) below the Mason-Dixon Line. He discovers a paradoxical region known for its incredible music and cuisine but also for the nation's worst schools, housing, and unemployment. "What I found aston- ished [and] enlightened me," says Theroux, "both the miseries and the splendors." Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-566- 6660; paultheroux.com Thanks to a new collaboration between Stowe Mountain Lodge and Vermont-based Budnitz Bicycles, you can hit the cycling trails of Vermont during a weekend retreat and then take home your own customized bike. Founded by artist and avid cyclist Paul Budnitz in 2011, Budnitz Bicycles builds bikes designed for maximum performance and comfort. These sleek titanium vehicles include a clean carbon belt drive to eliminate noisy gears and grease-stained clothes. Because even while cycling, Bostonians like to look chic. 7412 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT, 888-478-6938; stowemountainlodge.com; budnitzbicycles.com // ride on // Stowe and Steady Wins the Race If THE SHOE fITS Cinderella is determined to attend the prince's ball at the Boston Opera House this fall, and no whin- ing stepsister, devious stepmother, or lack of appropriate attire is going to get in her way. Rodgers and Hammerstein's Tony Award– winning musical adaptation of the classic fairy tale offers charm, romance, and, surprisingly, lots of laughs. "Our heroine's dreams come true not just because of a makeover," says Massachusetts native Andy Huntington Jones, who plays the prince ( below, with Paige Faure), "but because of her kindness. It's an empowering message for every- one: Kindness can truly change the world." September 29–October 11. 539 Washington St., 800-982-2787; broadwayinboston.com CULTURE Spotlight 64 bostoncommon-magazine.com