Things to Do in Somerville This Weekend: Art, Comedy, Music

A sneak preview of Somerville Open Studios, a comedy show in Davis Square, a lineup of live music, and a way to recover on Sunday.

Opening night: Somerville Open Studios Artist Choice Show Somerville Open Studios is taking place on May 5 and 6, and every artist participating is invited to submit one piece of artwork to the Artist Choice Show. This is a great way to get a sneak preview of this year's Somerville Open Studios. The show opens Friday at the Somerville Museum at 7 p.m. Black Box Comedy If you want some laughs, check out Black Box Comedy at the Davis Square Theatre. Val Kappa, whose been on Comedy Central; Al Park, whose performed at the Comedy Studio, Shawn Donovan, and Improv Asylum's Awkward Compliment perform. Hosted by Laura Crawford, whose performed at the Women in Comedy Festival. It begins at 8 p.m. Here's a list of what's playing at some live music …

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Readers Split on Artist's Question: 'Capitalism Works for Me! True/False'

Is it significant a number of people answered "false"?

On Friday, artist Steve Lambert brought his 20-foot-long sculpture, 'Capitalism Works for Me! True/False,' to Davis Square. The sculpture asks people to vote on the statement by pressing a large green button for "true" or a large red button for "false," and their responses are displayed on the sculpture's score-board. At about 12:47 p.m. on Friday, the score in Davis Square was 39 for "false" and 28 for "true," and the sculpture was scheduled to stick around until 2:30 p.m. The results were split. As of Monday night, 22 people had chosen "true" and 23 people had chosen "false."  (You can vote here.) There are probably several ways to look at the figures. It seems a number of Somervillians—especially if you include early results from Friday…

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Art That's Fun: Find Somerville's Hidden Urban Shrines

Pauline Lim, an artist in Somerville's Brickbottom Artists Building, has created an interactive, outdoor, thoughtful, healthy and fun art installation—with a chance to win a prize and the opportunity to eat some baked goods.

There are nine of them dispersed throughout Somerville. They look a little bit like Medieval religious icons—maybe from Ravenna, with their mosaics; maybe from an old Russian church, with their serene and stylized human figures; maybe from a small chapel in France, with their colorful glass, like small stained-glass windows. Yes, they definitely have a Medieval vibe, but these works of art are decidedly modern: One, titled "Restraint," features a cupcake with a cherry on top. It sits in a field of pink and is bordered with what seem to be pink Mardi Gras beads. Another, titled "Loyalty," depicts a cute little puppy. (Others, such "Honesty," an infant-like figured cloaked in a  blue mosaic robe, wouldn't seem too out of place in an early …

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Dumplings and a Dragon For a Somerville Writer

Grace Lin treats her readers like family. But having a baby during the lucky Chinese year of the dragon means her fans will give up some extras.

Editor's note: This article originally appeared in Back Bay Patch as part of that site's "Mom Talk" column. It's about Grace Lin, a children's book author who, according to her website, lives in Somerville and has appeared NBC's Today Show. We wanted to share the column with Somerville. In my favorite children's books, the writer and illustrator are one; two talents residing in a single gifted artist who can create beauty in both words and pictures. Grace Lin is one of those artists. Recently, for Lunar New Year, she was everywhere in our house. Not only have we been reading her picture book about the holiday, but on Jan. 21 she held a book launch for her newest novel, "Dumpling Days."  When you attend a Grace Lin book launch – patronizing…

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Artist Nancy Holt on Display at Tufts' Tisch Gallery

The Land Movement artist has exhibited at the Tate Modern and MoMA.

Works by Nancy Holt, whose pieces have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate Modern in London, among other places, are currently on display at Tufts University's Tisch Gallery, according to Tufts Now. Holt, herself a Tufts graduate, creates site-specific art pieces and works in photography, film, video and sculpture; she was instrumental in the formation of the Land Art movement, the university website says. The exhibit, "Sightlines," focuses on some of Holt's work from the 1960s and 1970s. Read more about the artist and the exhibit here. The exhibit opened Jan. 19 and runs through April 1. On Tuesday there will be a public opening reception from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Tisch Gallery, with an artist talk…

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VIDEO: Hidden Gem: Museum of Bad Art

Featuring the worst-of-the-worst for nearly 20 years.

Next time you're at the movies at Somerville Theatre, check out The Museum of Bad Art, which is downstairs. What's that, you ask? Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. A real museum that celebrates the worst of the worst. And some of it's been done by professionals. Not convinced it's worth the trip? Let us explain: 1) You might not be a painter, but you know if you were, you definitely wouldn't be that bad. Confidence boost! 2) $5 beers on tap and $6 glasses of wine. 3) The MOBA has a large collection spread out over three galleries (the other two are in Dedham and Brookline) and is always acquiring new pieces. That means repeat visits are a must. Who knows what they've dug up (literally, they dig stuff out of the trash) this time! …

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