Red Hatters for February 2023

February 2nd. and what a great place to visit...The Museum of Bad Art. The museum is located in the Dorchester Brewing Co. A surprising location for walls of Bad Art, but so much fun. The brewery is a functional facility with lunch available, tasting, of course, and exhibits in the evenings.

We were fortunate to have being given a tour by Louise Reilly Sacco the Director of the Museum Of Bad Art.

The museum presented its first show in March 1994; we were able to see the show some years later in Dedham and then when they moved again to the basement of the Somerville Theater. This exhibit was fresh and delightful to see.

The museum has article written in the Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stones, the London Times and many more around the world.

The viewing is free and Louise explained that many artists contribute to the exhibit when one of there painting did not come out as they had hoped. They have been found at yard sales and have even been found in trash piles and submitted to the Museum. Great stuff!

The above painting was done by Mari Newman.

Mari Newman is a prolific artist living in Minneapolis,Minnesota. She is legally blind. She has a very small field of vision that allows her to paint bit-by-bit.

Ms. Sacco tells us that Everyone at MOBA is grateful that they have many of her other works;

(including paintings,drawings, and three-dimensional collages featuring Barbie dolls, hot water bottles, and found objects) belong in the MOBA permanent collection. Ms Newman’s "outsider art" is represented in many other museums, including the Pensacola Museum of Art, the Tampa Museum of Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the Columbus Museums of Art (Ohio).

There were many more to see but it was getting close to lunch.

Our lunch today was at Jimmy's steak house in Saugus where there is always an excellent meal and wonderful service.

We just keep having fun places to go. (And to eat)

February 19th. took us to the Concord Players to see there current production of "Indecent."

This is the story of a play that was originally written in Yiddish in 1907 by Sholem Asch under the title of " God of Vengeance" and was controversial from the start. The story changes but the original version cast a brothel owner daughter and a prostitute falling in love with each other. The play was successful throughout Europe but in 1922 the play is moved to Broadway.

The entire cast is arrested for obscenity due to the content of the play; and the play is closed. The play was deemed as "eastern exoticism" and a threat to American morality.

Between the second world war and the Holocaust Eugen O'Neill, and admirer of the play, attempts to testify for the defense but is turned away on a "technicality" and the company is found guilty..

Now in 2023 the Concord Players performed the now, new named play, to a full house and we were all very happy to witness the comeback of a great theatrical work.

Our dinner this evening was at the Longhorn restaurant in Reading where we discussed the play, the morals, and the changing of times.

The waiter was pleasant and alert to our every need as we happily enjoyed our meals, and take out boxes.

An awakening evening as we had another wonderful Red Hat Day.

February 23rd... And we, like you are waiting for Spring