With students packing up and leaving town for a couple months and just about everybody else focused on getting to a Red Sox game or the Cape, it might look like there are few options for artistic events in town this summer. Before you decide to head to the North Shore to work on your tan, here are some events that will cost less than parking at the beach.
If you missed out on tickets to the Police reunion tour at Fenway, there are still many opportunities to hear great music in Boston this summer - some of which will cost you about $100 less than a seat at the ballpark concert would. The free WBOS EarthFest concert at the Hatch Shell will feature Tufts' alumni Guster alongside KT Tunstall of "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" fame. The concert, which is expected to have an audience of 100,000, is on May 26, and there will be enough environmentalist products and groups on hand to make Al Gore proud.
If you're feeling guilty after a semester's worth of late-night MTV reality show viewings, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is always a sure way to add a healthy dose of culture to your day. Exhibits ranging from the Weng Collection to "War and Discontent" and "Material Journeys: Collecting African and Oceanic Art" will be on display through most of the summer. Along with these galleries, the museum offers the opportunity to see some overlooked films for half the price that a megaplex would charge.
If you had the chance to see the exhibition of Edward Burtynsky's photography of China at Tufts this semester, you shouldn't miss "Manufactured Landscapes" (2006). This film by Jennifer Baichwal accompanies Burtynsky as he captures the changing face of China while the country struggles with rapid industrialization. It plays from June 22 to July 1, and tickets are $6 with a student ID. The museum will also be hosting the French Film Festival from July 6 to July 23, one of many film fests that will call Boston home in the coming months.
The Boston International Film Festival will take place June 6 through 13 at the Loews Theatre Boston Common. Besides offering a chance to get out of the heat and into the air-conditioned theater, it will also showcase dozens of independently produced shorts and features. Later in the summer, the ninth annual Roxbury Film Festival will feature movies from African-American filmmakers, with an emphasis on those working in New England.
The Institute of Contemporary Art's new home on the waterfront opened this winter to glowing reviews, with most critics equally enthralled by both the building's bold architecture and its exhibits. The museum offers free guided tours with admission ($10 for students), so don't miss this exciting new addition to Boston's art scene. Even if you've already been, it may be worth it to check out the area in the summer, as the museum sits on the Boston HarborWalk, which stretches the length of the city's shoreline and features public art and sculpture.
Throughout the semester the Daily has chronicled almost every manner of visual art, but one category has remained criminally ignored: sand art. Building sand castles isn't a kids' game anymore, as 10 master sand sculptors working with 350 tons of imported sand will show at the fourth annual New England Sand Sculpting Invitational at nearby Revere Beach. The festival, which has been covered by such national media as "The Today Show" and The New York Times in past years, takes place July 12 to July 15.
The Boston Pops' annual Fourth of July show at the Hatch Shell is one of the Hub's longstanding summertime traditions, but with tickets routinely running between $20 to $80, a broke college student might want to find a cheaper alternative. And unless you camp out for a night to get those coveted July 4 tickets, you'll probably have to watch the fireworks from somewhere in Allston. For those who don't like the idea of pitching a tent on the Esplanade, the July 3 preview of the Pops concert will be better suited. The preview begins at 8 p.m.
In the midst of finals, summer is always remembered as three solid months of a persistent state of near-utopia. In reality, of course, there's a lot of down time. If you're stuck in a ho-hum mood at any time during the summer and looking for something unlike anything you've ever seen, head to the Boston Public Library and check out "Miniature Books: 4,000 Years of Tiny Treasures." In this collection of roughly 100 miniscule books you'll find the smallest Bible in the world and a book illustrated by Picasso. The exhibit runs through Sept. 2.
If this doesn't quench your literary appetite, unleash your inner Neal Cassady and trek up to Kerouac's hometown of Lowell to see the original scroll that the author used to write "On the Road," which is on exhibit at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. The festival honoring the beat writer will continue throughout the summer, including concerts and lectures, before wrapping up on Sept. 14.
Summer is the only time of year you can really get out and see the cultural events Boston has to offer without worrying about your return to the fluorescent light caverns of Tisch to finish a mountain of work. If the weather is nice, you might even get some sun while you're at it.
