“Alexandra Adamo came to the felting table rich with talent and ideas, all in the service of creating an expressive experience for kids.”

- Barbara Attwell

 

For “From Farm to Craft Table,” mixed-media artist Alexandra Adamo and children from twelve Boston-area community organizations learned about the wonders of wool. Starting their journey at Waltham Fields Community Farm, they built relationships with wool-bearing animals right outside the city. This gave them an appreciation for the sheep wool they used as they worked together to create a community “garden” of felt tendrils and roots, abstract vessels, a paint patchwork quilt, and needle felt sculptures.

 

These individual components come together in this exhibition to form a vast landscape of blended green wools, dangling root systems, and blossoming seeds—each element representing a child and their hopes for how they’d like to grow in the community they’ve developed. We all experienced a lack of grounding and togetherness during the COVID-19 pandemic, but through this therapeutic collaboration, Adamo and the young artists regained their footing by laying down seeds and roots.

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A Community Tradition

“From Farm to Craft Table” marks the 18th year of the Community Arts Initiative, through which the MFA partners with community organizations to introduce young people ages 6 to 12 to the Museum’s collection and the art-making process. For this exhibition, through the Community Arts Initiative, the Museum is proud to partner with Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Boys & Girls Club, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Charlestown Boys & Girls Club, Condon Boys & Girls Club, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester, Edgerley Family South Boston Boys & Girls Club, Jordan Boys & Girls Club, Sociedad Latina, United South End Settlements, Vine Street Community Center, West End House Boys & Girls Club of Allston-Brighton, and Yawkey Boys & Girls Club of Roxbury.

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The Making of “From Farm to Craft Table”

Students from the Museum’s 12 Community Arts Initiative partners collaborated with artist Alexandra Adamo to create a large wall-hung felt “garden,” with each element representing a child’s hopes for what they’d like to contribute to their communities.

 

Enjoy THIS VIDEO of the young artists as they visit a local farm, journey through the Museum, and create — set to original music by the Charleston Boys & Girls Club of Boston.

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Sponsors

The Community Arts Initiative is generously supported by the Linde Family Foundation.

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Assistant Artists/Mentors

Ken Cioffredi, moral support and endless love

Rufus, the naughtiest bun in town

Kit Collins, project managing, teaching, artistry, installation

Jodi Bade, mock-ups, installation

Abigali McMurray, mock-ups

Barbara Attwell, wet felting instruction and mentorship

Stacie Dolin, quilting

 

MFA Folks

Paige Levine, Katie Stack, Jadzia Genece, Kendall Deboer, Tatiana Klusak, Isabel Cole, Arielle Frey, Samantha Goldsmith, Carla Nunez-Hernandez, Gustavo Barceloni, Molly Lamb, Yael Saiger, Kara Stokowski, Rebecca Arnoldi, Nayereh Doosti, Gabrielle Eisenberg, Marlo Morales , Monique Momjian, Sidney Bowden, Jessie James, Allison Kaminsky, Brenda Echeverry, Issy Bohling, Jack Wang, Molly McAnespie, Chris Little, Isabel Hagberg, Yvonne Dhimitri, Sabrina Munaco, Rebecca Rudolph, Christian Chipman

 

Friends of Alex

Katie Breuckman, Stephanie Irigoyen

 

Farmers

Jessica Herwick, Waltham Fields Community Farm Educator

Teresa Daignault, Ashford Heights Farm

Jeff Daignault, Ashford Heights Farm

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MFA ARTICLE