The Beverly Oracle

05/29/2015

News update: "Montserrat College of Art unable to raise funding for Beverly Oracle" —Salem News

BEVERLY — A $250,000 public art project that had been called the potential “centerpiece” of the city’s newly established arts district has been quietly suspended.

07/24/2014

THE ORACLE GOES TO THE WHITE MOUNTAINS

ORACLE ROAD REPORT No. 7
BY KATHRYN DYGON and CHRISTIANA LAUZON

Waking up in a friend's beautiful hilltop cabin in Peterborough, New Hampshire, the Oracle Team was rested + ready to hit the road for another Oracle interview on the morning of July 22nd, 2014. Together with our project dog Finnegan, we (Anna, Christiana, and Katie) set out for Madison, NH, with a few pit stops along the way and an accidental detour to Lincoln, which provided us some fantastic views of the White Mountains.

After our short excursion through the mountains we made it to our destination and were greeted by our author, J. H. Sanderson at his home in Madison. Unlike interviews we have done in the past, this one took place in a recording studio, to correlate with the plot of his book 'Dangerous Gambles', which revolves around a rock band that gets recruited in an espionage plot.

Dubbed the “most interesting man in New Hampshire,” by New Hampshire Magazine, Sanderson lives up to his title as he was telling us amazing stories about his pro-wrestling days as 'The Wolfman', his related travels, and his daily writing practice at the kitchen table. Sanderson, a larger-than-life man, took us to the unexpected in his reminiscing: he pointed out to us a moment of recognizing what a journey can become. We could feel the fullness of him as he unraveled just a taste of his tales of life. He actually transmits some sort of feeling akin to our own project, the Beverly Oracle—of connecting life to art.

After the interview, Sanderson was so kind to show us around his land where he keeps rescued horses, another one of his passions. His answer contribution to the Oracle will be greatly valued, knowing it comes from a natural-born storyteller who is a lover of the arts. It was an amazing day filled with interesting conversation and beautiful sights, and we can’t wait to see where the Oracle takes us next...

—REPORT BY KATHRYN DYGON and CHRISTIANA LAUZON
ORACLE INTERNS

05/19/2014

in which the plans for the Beverly Cultural District, including the Beverly Oracle, were presented and discussed.

05/16/2014

Today our senior intern Christiana Lauzon is graduating! thanks for your amazing work, especially the chairs, and we all hope that you can continue being involved with the project. WARMEST CONGRATULATIONS for your graduation!!!!!! We will miss you! We know you will do great work out in the world! have FUN xo - your Beverly Oracle Team

Welcome to our new research intern, Christiana —

My name is Christiana Lauzon. I am a painter studying at Montserrat College of Art. I am 21 years old, born in Augusta, Maine. I love the smell of dirt and working with my hands. My art involves representational abstraction, working in drawings, paintings, sculptures, and written music. Artists that I admire are Robert Motherwell and the Bay Area figurative painters, for their love of relationships. A writer who has influenced me is Tim O’Brien — he wrote the "Things They Carried". My art finds itself a history: everyone's history and my own history. My work is not about the reward at the end, but the journey, I don’t believe that it is what I create that makes me an artist, it is how I think. I believe that it is about our perception. I want to know people down to their core, and for me to know a person means that I must also make myself vulnerable. I am not afraid of this — I am open. I believe in searching for honesty in all aspects of life, so that I might find a way to help another person move forward.

05/07/2014

Anna Schuleit Haber, Thad Siemasko, Stefano Basso, Sasha Mulcahey, and the Oracle Interns

03/18/2014

Press for the Beverly Oracle project:
April issue of Northshore Magazine

02/27/2014

A class of animation students, led by Professor Blyth Hazen, is currently constructing a fly-through of the proposed oracle and its setting on the Beverly Common. Amazing work! Stay tuned for more —

02/26/2014

This was an introduction of The Beverly Oracle to 1200 students of the Beverly High School — thanks to Paula Borsetti for the invitation! And thanks to Lexi Ortiz-Melo for taking the photos.

02/22/2014

We visited Phil Lowe at The Furniture Institute of Massachusetts (in Beverly!) to consult with him about designing the chair for The Beverly Oracle. His shop and work are utterly impressive, and his warmth and generosity were so great. Thank you for meeting with us, Phil! Thank you for the photos, Lexia Ortiz-Melo.