Schön Family Art Show Mother’s Day Weekend
Nancy Schön, the sculptor whose works includes the iconic ‘Make Way for Ducklings’ statue in the Public Garden, will join six other female artists from her kin for a Schön Family Art Show over Mother’s Day Weekend, from Friday, May 10, through Sunday, May 12, at 291 Otis St. in West Newton.
Besides Nancy, the art show will feature works by two of her daughters, Ellen Schön and Susan Schön, a ceramic artist and a designer, respectively. The art show will also feature four of Nancy’s artist granddaughters, including Jackie Schon, a painter and photographer; Mia Schon, a mosaic muralist; Hannah Schön, a photographer; and Charlie Dov Schön, a mixed media artist. Each artist will display a few pieces from their particular medium at the art show.
An opening reception for the Schön Family Art Show will take place on Friday, May 10, from 5 to 8 p.m., and gallery hours are on Saturday and Sunday, May 11 and 12, from noon to 5 p.m.
Upcoming West End Branch Library Offerings
The West End Branch of the Boston Public Library at 151 Cambridge St. will offer Line Dance Classes for Older Adults on Saturdays from May 11 through June 29 from 10 to 11 a.m.
Also, the West End Branch Library presents Alex Minasian Jazz Trio for an evening of jazz on Thursday, May 30, from 6 to 7 p.m. at 151 Cambridge St. Their musical selections will honor the legends of jazz music, including Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, as well as music from the Great American Songbook.
Upcoming Upstairs Downstairs Events
Upstairs Downstairs Home at 69 Charles St. will also hold its first annual Celebrating Moms Flower Scavenger Hunt on Saturday and Sunday, May 11 and 12. For this two-day event, any item in the store with a flower in it receives a 10-percent discount off that item.
Upstairs Downstairs will then be featured as a ribbon garden on the Beacon Hill Garden Club’s ‘Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill’ tour, which takes place on Thursday, May 16. Stop by to celebrate this milestone with Upstairs Downstairs and “some bubbles.”
The shop will also hold its Memorial Day Event on Monday, May 27. This ‘Sail into Summer Sale’ will offer special, in-store prices.
May at The Vilna
The Vilna Shul at 18 Phillips St. presents ‘Israel Through the Filmmaker’s Lens’ through May 29,from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
This course will explore questions about Israeli life and identity in a global context. Dr. Shayna Weiss will lead the conversation in examining contemporary Israeli film and what these movies teach about Israel today, covering timely topics including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mizrahi-Ashkenazi relations, ultra-Orthodoxy, Holocaust memory, and more.
Each week, participants will screen one film at home in preparation for class discussion and learning. No knowledge of Hebrew necessary; all films are available with English subtitles.
Admission is $120 for five sessions, including dinner.
Also, The Vilna presents ‘Studio Israel Live: The Multilingual Music of Jaffa’ on Thursday, May 2, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Explore the diversity of Israel – the beauty and the challenges – through a funky and beautiful blend of music, dance, and conversation.
Meet Stav Marin and Neta Weiner, co-founders of System Ali, a one-of-a-kind Jaffa, Israel-based hip hop band that uses music to connect across languages, cultures, and beliefs. Now, you can hear their music and stories in conversation with Yuval Evri, Brandeis University Assistant Professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.
This event is the first live iteration of the Studio Israel series which began online in 2020 to connect people with Israeli culture through artists during the pandemic. Studio Israel is presented in collaboration with Hadassah Brandeis Institute, the Jewish Arts Collaborative, the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University, and The Vilna Shul, and is made possible with support from CJP.
Tickets for this event are $18 each.
The Vilna will offer a book talk on Judy Rakowsky’s ‘Jews in the Garden’ on Monday, May 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
‘Jews in the Garden,’ is Renowned local author and investigative journalist Rakowsky’s story of her father’s cousin who was hidden in a Polish village for 18 months and survived the war. Together with an elderly relative, she travels to rural Poland to unravel the mystery of their family’s past. As the number of survivors diminishes with time, telling these stories is the only way to keep their memories alive. This event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Book Council.
Tickets are $18 each.
The Vilna will also offer a hybrid event, ‘Lifesavers: Preventing the End of the World,’ with Jason Weiner and Dr. Nancy Chabot in conversation, on Thursday, May 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Join Dr. Chabot, who led NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), in conversation with Jason Weiner, to learn more about planetary defense. The DART mission successfully demonstrated a method of asteroid deflection by kinetic impact which could help to protect Earth from potential asteroid impacts in the future.
Admission for this event is $10 online or $18 each in person.
The Vilna will offer ‘A Whiskey Tour of Israel’ (Yom HaAtzmaut) on Thursday, May 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Join The Vilna for an Israeli whiskey tasting with Josh Mann, an expert from Jews and Booze, a company that embraces community and puts the SIMCHA (happiness) in spirits.
Enjoy pours of nine different exclusive Israeli whiskies along with a fun and interactive tour of the whiskies, with information about each pour, distillery, and master distiller. Kosher charcuterie will accompany the tasting. Participants will be entered in a raffle to win a bottle of J&B “Kings of Kiddush” straight rye whiskey.
Admission for this event is $50 per person.
The Vilna will also offer ‘Yom HaAtzmaut with Bakey’ – an evening for young professionals – on Thursday, May 23, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Celebrate Israel’s Independence Day and gather with the Vilna community, IPF Atid, and the Consulate General of Israel. Enjoy treats from Bakey, Israeli wines, music and more. Make new friends and strengthen your community with good food and great conversation. Yallah! Tickets are $18 each for this event.
Also, The Vilna will present the U.S. premiere of ‘The Dybbuk,’ a mystical Yiddish folk tale about love, family, displacement, and the restless Jewish soul performed by Arlekin Players Theater, from June 3-23. Previews take place from May 30 through June 2. Tickets range from $29 to $72 each.
The Vilna will offer ‘Havurah on the Hill: Dinner and a Night at the Theater’ on Friday, March 31, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Join The Vilna for a Friday night Shabbat experience for young professionals, where we bring you good food and great company on the fourth Shabbat of each month. Tickewts are $18 to $36 each.
After a short service and Vegan BBQ Dinner from Rhythm & Wraps, you have the option to join us for the U.S. premiere of ‘The Dybbuk.’
For more information on The Vilna Shul’s programming, visit vilnashul.org.
West End Branch Library’s ‘Mindfulness for Older Adults’ Program Continues
The West End Branch Library at 151 Cambridge St. will offer ‘Mindfulness for Older Adults’ on Fridays from 11 a.m. to noon on Fridays.
The ongoing program includes: ‘Creating Healthy Sleep Habits’ on May 10; ‘Mindfulness Tools for Chronic Pain’ on May 17; ‘Yoga Breathing for Relaxation’ on May 24: and ‘Loving Kindness and Gratitude’ on June 7.
Bob Linscott, MTS, Certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher and Behavioral Health Manager for the city’s Age Strong Commission, will lead the program, which will help paripinnate learn to reduce stress and anxiety; enhance their attention and memory; improve their mood and sleep; and strengthens their cognition in aging.
To register for the program, contact Wesley Fiorentino at [email protected] or call the West End Branch Library at 617-523-3957.
Conversation With BPL President David Leonard Set for May 20
Beacon Hill Village will host a Conversation with David Leonard, president of the Boston Public Library, on Monday, May 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the first-floor Orientation Room of the McKim Building at the Central the Copley Branch of the BPL at 700 Boylston St. (Light refreshments will be served from 5:30-6 p.m., and the speaker will begin closer to 6 p.m.)
Leonard, whose background spans academia, the non-profit sector, and more than a decade of private IT consulting, was instrumental in helping the West End and Beacon Hill add affordable housing, pairing the Boston Public Library’s new, two-story West End Branch Library with 12 stories above containing 119 new apartments.
This event is free for all to attend, but attendance is capped at 51; register at https://beaconhill.helpfulvillage.com/events/490-conversations-w_david–leonard,-bpl-president/event_participations/new.
Nichols House Museum To Offer May 25 Tour Focused on Rose Nichols’ Career as a Designer
The Nichols House Museum at 55 Mount Vernon St. will offer ‘Rose Standish Nichols: Garden Architect’ – a special tour focused on Rose Nichols’ career as a designer. A pioneering woman landscape architect – on Saturday, May 25, at 10 a.m.
Rose aimed for “harmonious discord” in her historically inspired gardens. She also authored three books of garden history, as well as numerous articles about landscapes and design. Explore the home Rose curated to be a museum, learn about her career, and experience her aesthetic sense.
Visit nicholshousemuseum.org for more information and to register.
West End Museum’s Boston Trivia Night Returns May 30
The West End Museum’s next Boston Trivia Night takes place on Thursday, May 30, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the museum, located at 150 Staniford St. Suite 7 (on Lomasney Way).
Admission is $10 per person; visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-trivia-night-tickets to reserve your spot.
Free Lessons in American Mahjong Offered at West End Branch Library
The Friends of the West End Library will be offering lessons in American Mahjong to new and experienced players at no cost.
The group meets on Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month in the Community Room of the West End Branch Library, 151 Cambridge St.
To sign up or for more information, email Audrey Tedeman ([email protected]) or Julia Forbes ([email protected]).