Archive for June 14th, 2012

June 14th, 2012

‘Pawtucket Prism’ by Michio Ihara

by PaulM

What Lies Underneath: The Story of Pawtucket Prism

By Nicolas White

Do not let remissive habits of the public art world fool you; Pawtucket Prism may seem like a godless specimen of plop art, but the story behind its present state of disrepair perfectly mirrors the beleaguered history of Lowell. Lowell is known worldwide for its textile mills’ stake in the American industrial revolution. In time, the textile industry moved south, leaving the city to fester and starve throughout the 20th century. Lowell was famously bolstered in the 1970’s by the establishment of Lowell National Historical Park. At roughly this same time, computer industry magnate An Wang selected Lowell as the home for his burgeoning company, Wang Laboratories.

Wang Labs seemed poised to resuscitate Lowell economically, and it was with this in mind that then-U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas encouraged Wang and local developer Arthur Robbins to build two facilities at the confluence of the Pawtucket Canal and Concord River. Wang Labs constructed the multistory Wang Training Center, a complex to be used in training new employees brought in from around the world, while Robbins set up a Hilton-branded hotel, to be used in part as the temporary living quarters for Wang’s students.

By 1986 Tsongas saw potential for a work of public art beside the hotel, on a small plaza which overlooked the river confluence, and lobbied the hotel’s benefactors to help fund the project. Tsongas ordained that the sculpture go through a public process managed by the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission, a sister organization to Lowell National Historical Park.

Being that the Commission operated under federal jurisdiction, it was at all times pressured to remain relevant to the city of Lowell. It selected an allegorical theme to tie the prospective work in with Lowell’s history and issued a call to artists. Artists from far and near submitted designs; the commission narrowed the field to three artists and requested models, from which it would select one winner. Consequently, Pawtucket Prism conveys a theme of water power.

Unfortunately, the Commission had not anticipated that most artists would respond to a theme of water with ideas for working water fountains; all three finalists required costly and complicated water systems for their proposed sculptures. Not helping matters was the distribution of money; the hotel owners’ contributions went directly to artist Michio Ihara for his artwork, while the plaza construction and maintenance costs were covered exclusively by public money.

Wang Labs soon fell prey to managerial hubris and technological stagnation, which had similarly doomed Lowell’s textile mills a century earlier; the training center was put up for sale half a decade after it was constructed, while the hotel was auctioned in foreclosure in 1990. Left in an under-traveled area and saddled with high maintenance costs, the decision-makers quietly left Pawtucket Prism to cease pumping water. Its aesthetic may seem out of place, but Pawtucket Prism shares a story – if not necessarily a fate – with the city that bore it: “demolition by neglect.”*

* This very apt phrase describing Pawtucket Prism’s history is that of Rosemary Noon, who provided many generous insights that have informed my analysis of this work.

CategoryCulture, History, Lowell | CommentNo Comments »

Tags:
June 14th, 2012

Congdon’s Presidential Bean Poll

by Tony

At Congdon’s Restaurant in Wells, Maine you can cast an early vote for President of the United States. But first you need to qualify and to do that you must eat breakfast there (BTW, the food is excellent). Here is how it works…At the end of the meal, each customer is given a coffee bean along with the bill. There are four Mason Jars with holes in the top located at the restaurant’s exit. The jars are labeled “Obama”, “Romney”, “None of em” and finally “Crunch” (the family dog). Voters drop the coffee bean into the appropriate jar to indicate their preference for president.

Right now, this non-scientific poll has Obama ahead, but Crunch and Romney are not far behind.

  

CategoryUncategorized | CommentNo Comments »

June 14th, 2012

Cong. Mike Capuano, a liberal and proud of it by Marjorie Arons-Barron

by Tony

The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog. Check it out.

Mike Capuano is not apologetic about his belief in government. He doesn’t try to  cast himself as a progressive or any other adjective that cloaks his unabashed liberalism as anything other than what it is- an admiration for what government, however flawed, can do to help people. He deplores the mire in which Congressional lawmaking is stuck but is optimistic that the impasse won’t last forever.  If he thought otherwise, he told a New England Council gathering Tuesday, he’d get out.

Meanwhile, the 7-term 8th district Congressman sticks with persuading people to his cause. Take the GOP attack on Social Security.  People forget, he says, that before Social Security, many seniors had to choose between food and fuel. Their adult children had to give them money each week to help with expenses. With Social Security, the next generation of adults could put that $100 a week toward their own kids’ education. So the standard of living was able to improve from one generation to the next.  “The Ryan budget would change all that,” he said.

Contrary to arguments on Capitol Hill, Capuano noted that there isn’t such a bright line between public and private sectors.  The transportation and highway reauthorization bill, long bipartisan but now stopped dead by political animosities, is about building public infrastructure but generating private sector jobs.  The architects, engineers and contractors who won’t work next year due to the impasse are private company not government employees.  “No one tarring any road, or building a school or public housing is a government employee.” “To think government is here and the private sector is over there is wrong.”

The Senate passed the transportation bill 95-to 3. The problem is that the Republican House leadership are in thrall to a minority of 30-40 members who don’t want to spend on anything, and the leadership won’t even bring the bill to the floor despite support on both sides of the aisle.

Capuano would be pleased if things improve after the election, but he is doubtful, noting that most of those who are there now will be there after the election and will be just as unreasonable.  New people who have come down to “fix” Washington don’t have a clue as to how to legislate or compromise, he observed. But he is at least as upset with those who claim to be moderate but won’t stand up for their positions.

Putting things in a global context, Capuano observed the mess that Europe is in. “They thought they could cut their way out of their problems,” he said. “No country in modern history has succeeded in doing that.” As for the U.S. tax burden, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) has ranked 34 industrialized countries.  The United States has among the lightest burdens.

The impasse in Washington won’t end, he predicted, till the American people actually experience the loss of programs they take for granted, many of which came into being after 1955.  The jolt will be triggered by sequestration, automatically cutting defense and non-defense budgets starting next January 2.

Though Capuano calls for more compromise, he seems unimpressed by the message coming out of the Obama campaign.  “I don’t know what the message is.  I know Romney’s message is, I hate government, and I hate taxes.  The Obama message lately seems to be ‘We’re like them. We don’t really like government. We don’t really like taxes.’ That’s not a real message.”

Capuano went further, sharing his concern that the Obama campaign isn’t interested in working with anyone who actually knows anything about politics.  “It worked once; it may work again.” But Capuano says we need to call people “to their higher level.” The problem is that in a down economy, those better selves may be feeling battered. At least Capuano is out there sounding his own distinct clarion call.

CategoryUncategorized | CommentNo Comments »

June 14th, 2012

It’s June 14th ~ Flag Day

by Marie

Today – June 14 is Flag Day!

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag.

Since 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, Americans have commemorated the adoption of the Stars and Stripes by celebrating June 14 as Flag Day. Prior to 1916, many localities and a few states had been celebrating the day for years. Congressional legislation designating that date as the national Flag Day was signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1949; the legislation also  called upon the president to issue a flag day proclamation every year.

From President Obama’s 2012 Flag Day Proclamation:

As we reflect on our heritage, let us remember that our destiny is stitched together like those 50 stars and 13 stripes.  In red, white, and blue, we see the spirit of a Nation, the resilience of our Union, and the promise of a future forged in common purpose and dedication to the principles that have always kept America strong.

Read the full proclamation here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/06/11/presidential-proclamation-flag-day-and-national-flag-week-2012.

For information about the American flag: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_United_States

CategoryHistory | CommentNo Comments »

June 14th, 2012

Lowell SeeClickFix report

by DickH

There have been several announcements recently that the city of Lowell is now using a web tool called SeeClickFix to better allow residents to communicate non-emergency problems to City Hall. A concise explanation of SeeClickFix can be found in this Wikipedia entry. You can access the site anonymously and either report a problem or just scroll through problems (and responses) that have already been posted. Try it out by visiting seeclickfix.com which brings you to the screen shown immediately below:

In the “Enter your city or neighborhood” field, just type Lowell, MA and click on the arrow to the right. That brings you to the Lowell screen (shown below with a particular complaint highlighted)

When you scroll through the “issues” you can see the back-and-forth between the person making the report and someone at City Hall responding. I’m still learning the features of the site but it appears everyone can vote or comment on an issue and there are many other features that will hopefully become apparent and useful in the coming days. Additionally, I downloaded the free smart phone app to my cell phone (which was easy) but I’ve yet to run into anything that needs reporting. Once I do, I’ll file a report on the experience back here. Finally, to give everyone a sense of the type of things being reported, I copied and pasted a portion of the Lowell list below:

knotweed taking over sidewalk Open
555-751 Pawtucket St Lowell, MA 01854, USA – Lowell
Nassor reported 2012-06-10 • voted for about 10 hours ago

City Parks Open
257-273 Suffolk St Lowell, MA 01854, USA – Lowell
Dan Kuja reported 2012-06-11 • voted for about 10 hours ago
Dan Kuja 2012-06-11
In places the grass is so long that it is falling over onto the sidewalk making it very narrow.

register dog Closed
S.Loring St Lowell, MA – Lowell
reported 2012-06-11 • voted for about 10 hours ago
City of Lowell 2012-06-11 Issue Closed
Please contact the City Clerk’s office at 978.674.4161 withe the address of the animal in question. They can answer your question.
Thank you

Trees in wires/hazard Open
628 Wilder Street Lowell, MA – Lowell
reported 2012-06-11 • voted for about 10 hours ago

Desperately need a public trash Open
High Street Lowell Ma – Lowell
reported 2012-06-11 • voted for about 10 hours ago

Dangerously narrow sidewalk Open
30 Market St Lowell, MA – Lowell
reported 2012-06-11 • voted for about 10 hours ago

Commuter Rail users crowding Highland Street Open
Highland Street Lowell, MA – Lowell
reported 2012-06-11 • voted for about 10 hours ago
OP (Guest) 2012-06-11
I should add, that as a suggestion of how it can be fixed – perhaps we can allow parking on the Rogers School side of the street only? Maybe the other side could be made residential or funeral parking? Similar to the residential parking granted the residents of Pawtucketville who live near UMass North campus. Just a thought.

Sidewalk Repair Open
31-59 Park Ave W Lowell, MA 01852, USA – Lowell
Scott Dickinson reported 2012-06-12 • voted for about 10 hours ago
Scott Dickinson 2012-06-12
Next to 47 Park Ave W

Sunken utility trenches Open
350 Wilder St Lowell, MA – Lowell
reported 2012-06-13 • voted for about 10 hours ago

Jarring water gate valve Open
16 Wilder St Lowell, MA – Lowell
reported 2012-06-13 • voted for about 10 hours ago

Depression in street Open
192-232 Stevens St Lowell, MA – Lowell
reported 2012-06-13 • voted for about 10 hours ago

Oaklands Path Acknowledged
178 Parkview Ave Lowell, MA – Lowell
lowell reported 2012-06-12
lowell 2012-06-13
I meant whose.
lowell 2012-06-13
It links Holyrood Ave to Parkview. Some call it “black” path. It is paved and taken care of on the Holyrood end. I’m not sure who’s property it is. I just assumed it was the city’s.
City of Lowell 2012-06-13
Could you be more specific about where “Oaklands Path’ is please? We’re not exactly sure where you mean. From your description, it sounds like the path may be private property; in that case the city would not be able to clear it.

CategoryCurrent Events, Lowell | CommentNo Comments »

June 14th, 2012

Lowell Tweet-Up Tonight

by DickH

Anyone interested in social media in Lowell should stop by Ward Eight, the (relatively) new restaurant & pub at 280 Central Street (at the corner of Central and Green in the former JJ Turner’s Pub) at 5:30 tonight. Many of the city’s most active Twitter users will be gathering there tonight but everyone is invited to attend. It’s nothing formal; just a bunch of people interested in social media and the city of Lowell gathering for conversation, food and drink.

If you’re unfamiliar with Ward Eight, here’s a recent review from Howl in Lowell and below is a video showing the creation of one of the many grilled cheese sandwiches on Ward Eight’s menu:

CategoryCurrent Events, Lowell | Comment2 Comments »

June 14th, 2012

Route 495

by DickH

Photo by Tony Sampas

CategoryLowell | CommentNo Comments »

June 14th, 2012

‘agapetime’ by Dimitri Hadzi (commentary)

by PaulM

We Built This City

by Alex Duran

Placed next to the canals that powered the city, paid for by the leaders who bettered it, and honoring the people who helped create and continue to transform it, agápetimé is a symbolically intricate contribution to the Lowell Public Art Collection. In 1988, Paul and Niki Tsongas commissioned artist Dimitri Hadzi to design a work honoring their parents. The meaning of the resulting sculpture, however, extends beyond any one family. This work pays homage to all those whose contributions, though not always recognized, built this city from the ground up.

People may not remember the names of the owners of the mills. They may not even know Lowell’s namesake or who founded it. But they do know the legacy left by its settlers. They know Jack Kerouac, a descendant of French Canadians. They know Paul and Niki Tsongas, descendants of Greek, Irish, and French families. Many have heard stories of the sweat, labor, and low pay of the immigrant families that allowed for the expansion and profitability of Lowell’s mills. They often forget the Southern slaves, as essential as local workers to Lowell’s success, who labored over the cotton that was used to make fabric in the mills. Now, hopefully, they remember who built this city every time they walk by this sculpture outside Middlesex Community College at the Lower Locks canal complex.

The title “agápetimé” is derived from two Greek words: “agápe” means love and “timé” means honor, an important virtue in ancient Greek culture. Though this artwork seems to present a wholly new and abstract sculpture from every viewing angle, it also evokes a human narrative that confirms its title. Two taller figures reaching ten feet in height face one another, one with an “arm” that reaches like an affectionate hand toward its companion. The smaller figure is placed between the two but sits closer to one, like a child to its mother. This work epitomizes, in content and name, honor to the family.

agápetimé‘s eclectic style is suggestive of a universal symbolism, representative of all Lowell’s immigrant families. Hadzi himself was the New York-born son of Greek immigrants and an artist with a passionate interest in world cultures. He studied in Greece and Rome for twenty-five years and found inspiration in the cultures of ancient civilizations the world over, including Asia, Africa, and South and Central America. The forms stand on their granite pedestal like the ruins of an ancient city. The overhanging “arm” of the tall figure almost creates a post-and-lintel structure. The figure in the middle resembles the broken stump of a Roman column. The suggestions of carving and etching recall a sculptural style that is distinctly African. These factors, taken together, support a broad symbolic interpretation of this sculpture.

Lowell’s immigrants have played a profound role in shaping the city. Due to conflict with Yankees, immigrants were scarcely allowed rooms in the boardinghouses and had to carve out their own spaces in Lowell. The Irish, French Canadians, and Greeks still form the base of Lowell’s ethnic identity and have made lasting contributions to the city’s political, economic, and cultural growth. By the time the sculpture was commissioned in 1988, Lowell had become the second largest refuge for Cambodians fleeing the Khmer Rouge, who today contribute tremendously to its cultural diversity. I like to think all of Lowell’s immigrant families can find meaning in Dimitri Hadzi’s homage to the Tsongas family and that others will remember the importance of these families to both the history and future of the city.

 

CategoryCulture, History, Lowell | CommentNo Comments »

Tags: