Transfiguration of the Saviour Greek Orthodox Church
Tour 1: Beyond Boston – Hidden Gems
Worcester Art Museum, 6th century
Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 8:00am to 5:00pm
$125 per person (includes lunch and entrance fees)
Join us for a trip beyond the city of Boston to see some little-known gems. Weather permitting, our day will begin with a brief visit to the Town of Shrewsbury’s Public Library where we will see Muralist David Fichter’s Children’s Courtyard Mosaic consisting of three panels that connect images of children reading with imaginary story garden backgrounds. This will be followed by a tour of the incredible public art at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center on the outskirts of Worcester, the largest city in Central Massachusetts. At the Worcester Art Museum, we will see ancient and new mosaics, from the 6th century Antioch mosaics to Kim Emerson’s community mosaic from 2000 that features everything Worcester, including a Robert Goddard rocket! The star of the Antioch collection is the approximately 24 feet by 20 feet Hunt Scene Floor mosaic. From Worcester, we will enjoy lunch as we head north to the city of Lowell, known as the cradle of the American Industrial Revolution, due to a large series of textile mills and factories. To honor Lowell’s textile history, our first stop will be the New England Quilt Museum, where we will see two exhibits including the amazing 13th Quilt Nihon from Tokyo and gain an appreciation of artists using soft tessellation. Our day will end at the breathtaking Transfiguration of the Saviour Greek Orthodox Church whose interior is completely covered in Byzantine style mosaics.
This is an all-day tour. All venue entry fees and a boxed lunch are included in the cost of the tour. Please plan to dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable and sensible shoes.
Boston Public Library, McKim Building
Tour 2: Local Talent and City Classics
Thursday, March 15, 2018, 8:00am to 5:00pm
$125 per person (includes boxed lunch and entrance fees)
(Description Revised, Jan. 23, 2018) – Our enjoyable day in and around Boston will begin with a visit to the little-known, Madonna Queen of the Universe Shrine. Located on a hill in East Boston, with spectacular views of the city, this Catholic Shrine features 14 exterior and 7 large interior Italian mosaics, all of biblical scenes. From there, we will go to the Somerville Museum, to see the New England Mosaic Society’s Member Exhibit, featuring work by the Boston conference’s host organization. This will be followed by a short visit to a private residence in Arlington to view Connecticut artist, Deb Aldo’s “Three Sisters Mandala” and small seasonal companion outdoor pebble mosaics. Returning to the city itself, following lunch, we will take a guided tour of the ‘quintessentially Boston’ Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. This museum houses a unique collection of art in three floors distributed around a lush central courtyard. Here we will learn about Mrs. Gardner, and see a Roman floor mosaic, the tiled Spanish cloister, and exquisite examples of medieval and Renaissance stained glass. This will be followed by a guided tour of the Ayer Mansion, the sole surviving residence created by American artist and designer, Louis Comfort Tiffany. The mansion features the only extant exterior Tiffany stone mosaics and a unique trompe l’oeil glass mosaic, as well as other glorious Tiffany mosaic work and glass. Our day will end at the Massachusetts State House, built in 1798 and widely acclaimed as one of the more magnificent public buildings in the country. When you see this beautiful building with its gold dome, you will find it hard to believe that the land was originally used as John Hancock’s cow pasture! The State House features magnificent colored marble opus sectile floors, and an imposing marble grand staircase. There is also outstanding artwork throughout the building including a stained glass palladian window and a stained-glass light that features the seals of the thirteen original colonies with the seal of Massachusetts in the center.
This is an all-day tour. Boxed lunch will be provided. Please plan to dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable and sensible shoes.
Please note that the Somerville Museum is not ADA accessible.
Tour 3: Tiffany Treasures and More
Sunday, March 18, 2018, 8:00 am to 5:00pm
$125 per person (includes boxed lunch and entrance fees)
(Description Revised, Jan. 23, 2018) – Our day will start with a guided tour of the Boston Children’s Hospital which contains an extraordinary collection of art including many mosaics and mosaic-like pieces. Many of these pieces are not usually accessible to the public. The highlight of the tour is the five-story 11 feet wide by 25 feet overall height, “Everyone’s Tree House” mosaic created by Maine artist Amanda Edwards. We will also see works by Cynthia Fisher, Irina Charny, and Lisa Houck. From the hospital, we will proceed by bus to the Christian Science Mother Church and Mary Baker Eddy Library. We will tour the Mapparium, a unique three-story-tall, stained glass globe depicting the world as it was in 1935. The globe is viewed from a thirty-foot long bridge running through its interior and exhibits unusual acoustic properties due to its spherical shape. We will also see the mosaics that adorn the ceiling and walls of the Christian Science Publishing House and the mosaics in the original chapel. Ladies, be sure to visit the restroom at the Publishing House to enjoy some cool tile work! After a break for lunch, our afternoon will begin at the Boston Public Library, where we will tour the 19th century McKim building, including its domed entryway ceiling mosaics and other architectural features such as the grand marble staircase and the famous lion statues. Time permitting, we will quickly view the hardcover book ‘mosaic’ depicting the Boston skyline in the new library wing. The remainder of the afternoon will feature visits to two of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s treasures in the city. The first of these is the Church of the Covenant which contains the largest Tiffany ecclesiastical interior in the US including mosaics, a lantern, numerous stained-glass windows, and woodwork. Our final stop of the day will be at the Arlington Street Church with its sixteen exquisite Tiffany windows. You will be able to view the windows closeup and enjoy the serene atmosphere that the delicate glass coloring creates in the church.
This is an all-day tour. Transport will be provided to Children’s Hospital and the Christian Science Mother Church. From there, we will walk to the remainder of the stops. The total walking distance between stops is less than 2 miles on the level. Transportation will be provided from the Arlington Street Church back to the host hotel.All venue entry fees and a boxed lunch are included in the cost of the tour.Please plan to dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable and sensible shoes.
Boston Children’s Hospital, “Everyone’s Treehouse”, Amanda Edwards