| Eastie Artists Raise Their Voices By Jim Correale (Published in the East Boston Sun Transcript on July 6, 2001.) Maverick, a thin cat with a black and white coat, seems to have little regard for art. In an old brick factory building near the square for which the feline was named, Maverick repeatedly jumped onto prints that are part of a new exhibit entitled "We Live Here," which consists of work by several local artists. All are members of the East Boston Artists Group and the pieces collectively focus on an issue that is on the mind of many local residents these days: the threatened expansion of Logan Airport. Some of the photographs are simply of people in the neighborhood, but others confront the effects that the airport has on the lives of those who live in East Boston. There is a wonderful shot looking east from Eagle Hill, showing the proximity of Logan and residential streets. There is the face of a boy partially hidden by newspaper headlines about Runway 14/32. There are also some pictures of Wood Island Park, bulldozed by Massport long ago, but still a sore spot in the hearts of those who remember it. A poster board explains how a new runway would impact the quality of life in the neighborhood and ends with a statement that the artists reject the proposal for a new runway. Maverick the cat wandered among the pieces in the warehouse that serves as studio space for a number of the artists as I spoke with Elsa Campbell and Anna Salmeron, two EBAG members whose work is represented in the exhibit. "We are hoping in our tiny way that we can raise our voices," Salmeron said. The artists group, which was started last fall and now boasts more than 30 members, has a whole list of ideas that it hopes to explore in the future. The goal of most is to bring the artists' work to the community and the community to the artists' work. One such event will take place this fall, when the artists open their studios to the public. Such activities have been happening for years in places like the Fort Point area and the South End. "It seems that East Boston gets ignored," Salmeron said. "This community has a right to culture." She noted that she has lived all around Boston, and that Eastie is her "favorite neighborhood by far." Campbell said that EBAG is a "very community-minded group," and that they are looking to add more members. She said that several of the artists are "well-known or getting well-known." "We Live Here" will be displayed in Boston City Hall for the month of July. The literature that accompanies the exhibit says: "We have created 'We Live Here' as a small way of reminding the people of this region that there are human beings living in the shadow of this airport and that it harms our health and quality of life." Even Maverick the cat would respect that. |