Out of the Blue Too Art Gallery & More

Other highlights from yesterday!

Thanks, Jymi Cliche! For your contributions of complimentary and signed, high quality prints for a fun fundraiser, we hope, for a bit of financial push to keep the little gallery alive for a moment in time!

Donate to Help Out of the Blue Community Arts, organized by David Stickney My name is Jymi Cliche, and I have been a member of the Out of the Blue Community A… David Stickney needs your support for Help Out of the Blue Community Arts

And FINALLY, what is a long weekend without ART! Visited our friends from the Museum of Modern Renaissance and checked out their newly created work in their Gloucester location.

We are SO honored to be part of their company and rejoice in their large scale murals. They are TRULY so kind, generous, and talented! I was particularly wowed with an exhibit on show at that location featuring Mushroom princesses like ME!

Their dog Kisha is just so regal and sweet, and met Mary's Chicken Wing, who we were sitting for the weekend. Katarina and Nicholas Shaplyko thought, at first, that she was a small monkey! I was THRILLED by this idea, as it has always been my intention to have a small monkey myself, like my idol Frida Kahlo! And so, Katarina called her, "Hanu-Monkey!"

Meanwhile, in the land of preserving the Armory for public art, and so we MUST take this building from its POC private owner to help struggling artists in need, Gregory Jenkins, lead management of the Somerville Arts Council SPEAKS in an excerpt from the Cambridge Day:
'Lack of clarity on leases
That includes around a year and half in which the center has been operating without a lease.
In documents sent to the center June 18 and shared with Cambridge Day, the city offered license agreements that “have no defined duration,” said Ted Fields, of the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development, though “the city anticipates Arts at the Armory remaining in these spaces at least into summer of 2025.”
Out of the Blue Gallery owner Parama Chattopadhyay said her nonprofit has also struggled to stay in a space that the city said it seized so the arts had a home. She wanted the guarantee of at least two years in which the gallery is left alone to operate.
“During that time, SAC and the city should be finding places and working out relocation monies for us tenants that they obviously are trying to kick out the door. I believe that the center is doing just fine as is, the gallery just fine as is, and the last remaining tenants are doing just fine as is,” Chattopadhyay said.
The city understands where the tenants are coming from, Jenkins said. Artists often just want cheap rent and to not have to think about zoning and governance, and the goal is often just “give us space, make it reasonable and leave us alone.”'
https://www.cambridgeday.com/.../goal-at-armory-is.../...

Goal at Armory is not 'to kick anyone out,' though exasperated tenants ponder exits - Cambridge Day Somerville officials shaping the future of the city’s Armory arts building have reassurances to offer after a tumultuous meeting in May that ended in confusion and anger, with a presentation of options as unpopular as from a process nine months earlier.

Meanwhile, in the land of preserving the Armory for public art, and so we MUST take this building from its POC private owner to help struggling artists in need, Gregory Jenkins, lead management of the Somerville Arts Council SPEAKS:

Lack of clarity on leases

That includes around a year and half in which the center has been operating without a lease.

In documents sent to the center June 18 and shared with Cambridge Day, the city offered license agreements that “have no defined duration,” said Ted Fields, of the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development, though “the city anticipates Arts at the Armory remaining in these spaces at least into summer of 2025.”

Out of the Blue Gallery owner Parama Chattopadhyay said her nonprofit has also struggled to stay in a space that the city said it seized so the arts had a home. She wanted the guarantee of at least two years in which the gallery is left alone to operate.

“During that time, SAC and the city should be finding places and working out relocation monies for us tenants that they obviously are trying to kick out the door. I believe that the center is doing just fine as is, the gallery just fine as is, and the last remaining tenants are doing just fine as is,” Chattopadhyay said.

The city understands where the tenants are coming from, Jenkins said. Artists often just want cheap rent and to not have to think about zoning and governance, and the goal is often just “give us space, make it reasonable and leave us alone.”

https://www.cambridgeday.com/2024/06/30/goal-at-armory-is-not-to-kick-anyone-out-though-exasperated-tenants-ponder-exits/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2mW62SGsjQbCaPtEsc2Ab9-2UUlycJTIpAx86QPrWQ0tgQt2iYOxyCJcM_aem_c29YOAoLBT-2rq7RDv-Bhw

Goal at Armory is not 'to kick anyone out,' though exasperated tenants ponder exits - Cambridge Day Somerville officials shaping the future of the city’s Armory arts building have reassurances to offer after a tumultuous meeting in May that ended in confusion and anger, with a presentation of options as unpopular as from a process nine months earlier.

Well, it's TODAY at 3pm, and featured on the Somerville Times just hours ago! GO TEAM: Steven P Asaro, Markelle Valdez, James Neville, Jesa Damora, Dolly Letters, and Lauren Wright Warford, Dan Belhumeur!

COME ON DOWN FOR SOME FUN, featuring the artists LIVE to chat with you, with PAINTS for you to add to the community canvas, and moi with Dj Donuts! https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/133578?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR10HT6dbYY7kXEgP2FJNHYs_2lVK-iQsJyykmLW_jwaA5WfPZVunhWt7A0_aem_1OO68KIS2trDRecvhhYoTA

Live ART Healing through medicinal psychedelics A public event will take place June 30, 2024, with live music by Parama Chattopadhyay on violin and vocals, Steven P Asaro on drums, and Dan Belhumeur as DJ!

Oh wow! The paparazzi caught me coming out of my car at Agewood! Thanks, Jessica Gibbons, for making sure I could still go and celebrate and music with friends--had a blast with ya! And what a WONDERFUL time had, with special thanks to Totem Fahey!

PRIDE PRIDE PRIDE PRIDE!!! That's what I am SAYING, at FULL SPIN featuring Lady Gaga from Drag Queens and Kings at the Crystal Ballroom with Desiree!!! Some of these pics I stole off of Desiree's timeline, so no thanks to me, but WOW, did she and I like the almost lap-dance theatrics in the VIP section!

Folks said this was the BEST they've performed, and I was stunned, stunned, stunned. HAPPY PRIDE, bringing it IN on a TUESDAY!

WELL, did I tell you ALL of this 3 years ago! Again and again and again, before a single soul! ANNNNNDDD, I feel better now, after aging it feels 10 years from these indecencies...

CITY AND SAC: FOLKS ARE MAD!!! AND NOT JUST ME, but all around Somerville.

Somerville Armory planning feels like 'deja vu' among a confused and angered arts community - Cambridge Day A fourth and final meeting to gather feedback about the future of Somerville’s Armory arts building ended in confusion and anger over the vague options the city was presenting, and how those options were selected in the first place.

So, I will be doing a "Vegetative Propagation to Music" at Herbfest June 1st and June 2nd. Super stoked! At the Armory, Mezzanine level! Think gems and paints and plants, percussive and melodic instruments, overviews of propagating plants! Here is the link to the instructors: https://www.herbstalk.org/teachingteam.html

Parama Chattopadhyay

CLASS: Vegetative Propagation to Music
Parama is the Executive Director of the non-profit Out of the Blue Community Arts at the Armory. She currently teaches neurodivergent youth at Walker Beacon High School and has been certified as a Massachusetts math and science teacher since 2008. She is a professional violinist, actress, and general polymath. She graduated from MIT in 2006 and then served as the Web and Marketing Director of Adoption and Foster Care Mentoring from 2007-2008, where she first started sharing her love for propagating plants. Since then, she has worked with propagation of plants and looking at the relationship between various types of music and its effect on plant growth. Parama propagates and gardens in her leisure time, and believes education should always be fun, intensive, and student-centered.

Our Teachers < Purchase class tickets here! > ​ View the Class Schedule here ​ ​

Armory Master Plan Somerville Armory Hybrid Meeting Series Meeting I: Our Arts Ecosystem Watch the Meeting Recording View the Presentation with Discussion Responses Couldn't Attend? Provide Answers to the Discussion Questions Meeting II: Our Community Spaces Watch the Meeting Recording

Come to Somerville Open Studios, all around Somerville, but including the Out of the Blue Art Gallery! We will have a variety of arts and crafts, speeches, music, poetry, LIVE ART, DJs! You know, what we DO!!!

At B6, Out of the Blue Art Gallery Studio, Basement Floor
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
10-6 THIS SATURDAY, and 10-6 THIS SUNDAY!

Also, light refreshments like soda, non-alcoholic seltzers, and snacks as usual! Still mindstorming the lineup, but I think I got the final presentation in my mind! As well, options to bid on the art on the walls, as well as for-sale prints and jewelry!

Somerville Open Studios Artists somerville open studios site

Me and 30 illustrious poets in the Boston Globe: SO thrilled to be 1 of 30 Somerville Poets reciting in the large performance space at the Armory on Sunday! Be there or be unpoetic!

Somerville poets celebrate art and community; Newburyport Literary Festival takes place April 27-28; and more - The Boston Globe A weekly digest of literary news and events from around the region

THANK you everyone who showed at the Middle East gala! Look, I know I am too busy and oftentimes let you all know about a show 2 hours, 4 hours, a day in advance, but between multiple jobs, running a Gallery, performing, and everything else, it's hard to keep up....BUT, my heart is SO full that we packed the room! OOTB yesterday!

Here are some pics and videos from the night. A photographer from the next show was so excited about what we created that he took some photos, as well as the incredible Dani Mac! I was so pleased that even with traveling to Vermont for my first vacation in years, I could come back to so much love impromptu style on 4/20 from so many good friends, and into the next day at the Middle East!

Many more photos to come, but here are the first! Thank you to Matthew (I will know his full info soon and genuinely thank him) and Dani Mac and ALL the wonderful friends who came to my home the day before with just a few hours notice. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Solstice Celebration 2019

Happening, at the Out of the Blue Too Art Gallery, and exclusively female networking event: June 6th, 8pm to 10pm! https://tokeativity.com/…/ev…/248-tokeativity-boston-meetup/ Let's UNITE, progressive and creative women entrepreneurs! You MUST be registered to attend, no just showing up at the door, so PLEASE come all ye women!!!

Tokeativity Boston Meetup Tokeativity works to empower women at the root level and forward the normalization of cannabis through in person and online events happening across the globe where women connect, learn and create. AS SEEN IN Wed like to invite you to our FREE Tokeativity Meetup in Boston, MA! Cannabis loving wome...

Tomorrow night at Out of the Blue Too Art Gallery be there or be banished from flavor town.

Napolean won the raffle and WON the "Bee"

Out of the Blue Too Art Gallery Feb8 2019 - Mirena Chavdarova This photo hosted by SmugMug; your photos look better here.

We have artwork hanging at Stingray Body Art. Come get a closer look!

Come check out the gallery! Lots to see, all for sale!

We are very proud to report that a permanent belly dancing class will begin in November! We will also be setting up a yoga class. Tom Tipton and I are working VERY hard to make this all happen, and we appreciate all your love and support! Our next stop is reaching out to Berklee students. Folks have asked for Saturday music spots for free, and that can not happen, especially with how many requests we get for that and before we fill up the weekdays with movie nights/classes/student bands in order to pay rent. Shows for the weekends are running $150 for 2 to 3 hours, as those are prime spots. Any extra monies go to the artists and musicians showing. These rates are drastically lower than any other public art or music venue. However, if you are wishing a show on Monday-Thursday night, there is a $50 deposit that is PayPaled, and after that, a split at the door. We came up with this radically competitive scheme in order to encourage student bands and local bands that are down with playing on week nights. For Saturdays, we just want to make sure you are a band that is doing your homework and getting people in for a good show. Otherwise, it just ain't worth it.

This week we need our street team to help flyer New England Conservatory and Berklee campuses. We know the interest is there for students bands, but we need to get the word out. Both colleges have had students perform at Out of the Blue Too in Central, but now we need folks interested to do it now. Allston, MA certainly has budding young musicians that could utilize the space: We are keeping it incredibly clean and updated with new art all the time! C'mon in and stop by!

If you are interested in holding a class, it is a $35 deposit per hour. After that, all monies go directly to you from the door for teaching: ENJOY! We would like folk to pay for the space ahead of time so that we know we are not losing the monies, as did happen in our Central Square location. We have contracts for rental spaces, but now these will be in the hands of our hanging artists as well. The same follows for folks that want to do classes.

Out of the Blue Too Gallery is getting a facelift with our new management strategies. We are extremely proud to have dedicated artists and art and music makers in our space! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts to help make local art and music possible! If you would like to space in any reasonable way at our current rates, excellent location, and beautifully arted walls, please let us know! ART AND MUSIC ON!