P E R F O R M I N G T H E C A M B R I D G E C O M M O N

WATERHOUSE ST.CONCORD AVE.

MASON ST.

APPIAN WAY

MASSACHUSETTS AVE.

CAMBRIDGE ST.GARDEN ST.

CAMBRIDGECOMMON

FLAGSTAFF PARK

( A )

( B )

( C )

TO HARVARD SQ. >

IN THIS ISSUE:

CONVERSATION: THE LANGUAGE OF THE COMMON LETTER TO THE EDITOR(DIS)CONNECTFOOD RENTAL LOST / FOUND? WHEN THE WORLD’S ON FIRETAKE WHAT YOU NEED: GIVE WHAT YOU CANMISSED CONNECTIONS: THE ETERNAL AWKWARDNESS OF SUCHWHAT’S YOUR SIGN? HOROSCOPEEVENT SCHEDULE / MAP

What’s Your Sign? horoscope

Common Exchange is a special-edition newspaper that serves as a companion to a series of inter-active public art performances, installations, and exhibitions that present responses by ten contem-porary artists to the historic site of the Cambridge Common.

Situated at the heart of the city, the Cambridge Common, like all public spaces, only acquires meaning when citizens use it. Since its early days dating back to the 1600s, when it was a place for livestock grazing, and during subsequent periods when it be-came a site for military training and housing, a place for concerts and protests, and parkland for contemplation and play, it has remained an important commu-nal space that houses and reflects the changing temperament of public participation in civic life over time.

In 2016, a renovation of the Common brought many improvements and increased its

accessibility and connectivity to surrounding neighborhoods for pedestrians and bicyclists. It is on this occasion that we celebrate an improved civic space at the heart of the city with a unique suite of public artworks.

The four issues of Common Exchange revolve around themes addressed by the public artworks: sound, histories, access, and (dis)connection. The newspaper is available at selected park benches on the Common and in various public buildings around the city.

We hope that you check out the Spring–Fall 2017 schedule of events and exhibitions and all issues of Common Exchange. Visit us online for more information.

CambridgeArtsCouncil.org @ CambridgeArtsCouncil @ CambridgeArts # CommonExchangeCambridge # PerformingTheCommon

—Lillian Hsu, Director of Public Art and Exhibitions, Cambridge Arts

As the city’s official arts agency, Cam-bridge Arts commissions temporary and permanent public art throughout all neighborhoods of Cambridge. We are pleased to present Common Exchange—its exhibitions, performances, installa-tions, and newspaper. The newspaper is produced through a collaboration of the Cambridge Arts Public Art Program, cu-rator Dina Deitsch, and Lesley University College of Art and Design (LUCAD).

SPONSORS: Common Exchange is made possible through multiple partnerships and sources of support, including the National Endowment for the Arts, Cambridge/Agassiz/Harvard Community Culture and Recreation Fund, Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, Artists Resource Trust Fund of Berkshire Taconic Com-munity Foundation, Community Design Studio of LUCAD, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Massachusetts Cultural Council, VIA Art Fund, Carpen-ter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University, First Church Cambridge, Holosonics, and the City of Cambridge.

Introduc-tion

ARTISTS:

ANDY GRAYDON PAUL RAMIREZ JONAS CARMEN PAPALIA AKI SASAMOTOKELLY SHERMAN XAVIERA SIMMONS ALLISON SMITH JULIANNE SWARTZ LEE WALTON & JON RUBIN

EDITORS: Dina Deitsch and Lillian Hsu

ART DIRECTOR: Rick Rawlins

DESIGNERS: Kelsey Arbona, Michael Coleman, Will Currier, Joseph DeSouza, Alexandra Fletcher, Melinda Freund, Joab Garcia, Jacqueline Gold, Caitlin Kalafus, Anya Piatrova, Matthew Reilly, Daniel Seaward, Katherine Shannon, Jaxy Stewart, and Michael Talbot

Event Schedule / Map:

PARK INSTALLATIONS: In addition to the performances and events listed below, look for these park instal-lations in the Cambridge Common, May–September 2017: (A) Kelly Sherman, poetic memory banners; (B) Paul Ramirez Jonas, contributory monument; and (C) Julianne Swartz, interactive bench.

I SS U E 4 / 4

CONNECT

A PUBLIC ART PROJECT PRESENTED BY CAMBRIDGE ARTS, CITY OF CAMBRIDGE

EVENT LOCATIONS: Hong Kong Restaurant1238 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138

Gallery 344Cambridge Arts 344 Broadway, 2nd Floor Cambridge, MA 02139

CCVACarpenter Center for the Visual ArtsHarvard University, 24 Quincy Street Cambridge, MA 02138

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced StudyJohnson-Kulukundis Family Gallery Byerly Hall, 8 Garden StreetCambridge, MA 02138

PLEASE NOTE: The event schedule is subject to change. Confirm at cambridgeartscouncil.org or facebook.com/cambridgeartscouncil

ft

FEATURED ARTIST

AKISASAMOTO

F E AT U R E D A R T I S TS

LEE WALTON & JON RUBIN

MAY

8 / M

ON

6–8

PM

Kelly

She

rman

: Art

ist R

ecep

tion

Galle

ry 3

4413

/ SA

T

OP

ENIN

G CE

LEBR

ATIO

N Co

mm

on

3 PM

Le

e Wal

ton

& J

on R

ubin

: Whe

n th

e Wor

ld’s

on F

ire, W

alki

ng M

usic

al P

erfo

rman

ce

4 PM

An

dy G

rayd

on: G

athe

ring N

ote (

a fac

simile

),

In

terp

retiv

e Cho

ral G

athe

ring

5 PM

Ca

rmen

Pap

alia

: Blin

d Fie

ld S

huttl

e,

Eyes

-clo

sed

Part

icip

ator

y Tou

r 14

/ SU

N 1 P

M

Carm

en P

apal

ia: B

lind F

ield

Shu

ttle

Com

mon

18 /

THU

12–2

PM

Ak

i Sas

amot

o: Fo

od R

enta

l, Co

mm

on

Fo

od/P

erfo

rman

ce C

art

6

PM

Aki S

asam

oto:

Art

ist T

alk

CCVA

20 /

SAT

12–1

PM

Ak

i Sas

amot

o: Fo

od R

enta

l Co

mm

on

1–2

PM

Xavi

era S

imm

ons:

Num

ber 2

2 (O

verla

y),

Colle

ctiv

e The

atric

al P

erfo

rman

ce

4–

5 PM

Xa

vier

a Sim

mon

s: N

umbe

r 22

(Ove

rlay)

JUN

E

1 / T

HU

6–

7 PM

Xa

vier

a Sim

mon

s: N

umbe

r 22

(Ove

rlay)

Co

mm

on4

/ SUN

1–

3 PM

Al

lison

Sm

ith: C

ommo

n Goo

ds, D

emon

stra

tion

Com

mon

/ Con

vers

atio

n wi

th J

udith

Lee

man

n15

/ TH

U

6 PM

Al

lison

Sm

ith: C

omm

on G

oods

Co

mm

on

7:15

PM

Al

lison

Sm

ith: A

rtis

t Tal

k with

Ho

ng K

ong

Cam

brid

ge H

isto

rical

Soc

iety

Re

stau

rant

17 /

SAT

1–

3 PM

Al

lison

Sm

ith: C

omm

on G

oods

Co

mm

on

3–4

PM

Xavi

era S

imm

ons:

Num

ber 2

2 (O

verla

y)

JUL

Y

16 /

SUN

1 PM

An

dy G

rayd

on: G

athe

ring N

ote (

a fac

simile

) Co

mm

on17

/ M

ON

6–8

PM

Andy

Gra

ydon

: Art

ist R

ecep

tion

Galle

ry 3

4420

/ TH

U

6–7 P

M

Xavi

era S

imm

ons:

Num

ber 2

2 (O

verla

y)

Com

mon

AUG

UST

3 / T

HU

6–7 P

M

Xavi

era S

imm

ons:

Num

ber 2

2 (O

verla

y)

Co

mm

on

SEP

TEM

BER

16 /

SAT

12

NOO

N Ak

i Sas

amot

o: Fo

od R

enta

l Co

mm

on

12 N

OON

Allis

on S

mith

: Com

mon

Goo

ds

2

PM

Carm

en P

apal

ia: B

lind F

ield

Shu

ttle

17 /

SUN

CLOS

ING

CELE

BRAT

ION

Com

mon

12 N

OON

Aki S

asam

oto:

Food

Ren

tal

2

PM

Andy

Gra

ydon

: Gat

herin

g Not

e (a f

acsim

ile)

3

PM

Carm

en P

apal

ia: B

lind F

ield

Shu

ttle

DAI

LY E

VENT

MAY

14 –

JUN

12

Lee W

alto

n &

Jon

Rub

in:

Com

mon

12–2

PM

Whe

n th

e Wor

ld’s

on F

ire

GAL

LERY

EXH

IBIT

IONS

APR

24–J

UN 3

0 Ke

lly S

herm

an: W

e Wer

e Her

e—

Galle

ry 3

44

M

emor

ies o

f Cam

brid

ge C

omm

onAP

R 26

–JUL

1 Xa

vier

a Sim

mon

s: N

umbe

r 22

(Ove

rlay)

Ra

dcliff

eJU

L 17–

SEP

8 An

dy G

rayd

on: G

athe

ring N

ote (

a fac

simile

) Ga

llery

344

SEP

18–D

EC 15

Ca

rmen

Pap

alia

: Blin

d Fie

ld S

huttl

e Ga

llery

344

ARIES / March 21–April 20You like to control things, but it’s time to go with the flow. Trust and follow your instincts.

CONNECT: Gemini, LeoDISCONNECT: Cancer

TAURUS / April 21–May 21Listen carefully if someone challenges you, then talk your way out of it. This isn’t a contest. It’s a conversation.

CONNECT: Taurus, ScorpioDISCONNECT: Aquarius

GEMINI / May 22–June 21Conversations in the workplace could escalate into arguments or people may become silent and withholding. Both are harmful.

CONNECT: Aries, LeoDISCONNECT: Pisces

CANCER / June 22–July 22It’s true: Strength lies in numbers. To conquer, people must unite. Accept one another’s differences and work together.

CONNECT: Cancer, CapricornDISCONNECT: Aries

LEO / July 23–August 23Your closest relationship seems to be fraught. You should work extra hard to try and find out what the problem is.

CONNECT: Gemini, LibraDISCONNECT: Scorpio

VIRGO / August 24–September 22You find it difficult to connect with certain people, so it might be best to give yourself some time alone.

CONNECT: Pisces, CancerDISCONNECT: Gemini

LIBRA / September 23–October 23You have strong opinions, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to hear them. Avoid lecturing others if possible.

CONNECT: Gemini, LibraDISCONNECT: Cancer

SCORPIO / October 24–November 22Give yourself time to think deeply about your values and what you want out of relationships. Don’t be hurried into decisions.

CONNECT: Cancer, VirgoDISCONNECT: Libra

SAGITTARIUS / November 23–December 21Your tendency is to give more than you receive, but this may leave you feeling depleted. Do something nice for yourself.

CONNECT: Aries, LibraDISCONNECT: Pisces

CAPRICORN / December 22–January 21Fearful of approaching someone about an important subject? If you overcome your fear, you have a good chance of bridging the gap.

CONNECT: Aquarius, ScorpioDISCONNECT: Libra

AQUARIUS / January 22–February 28It’s best to surround yourself with positive people who believe in you and support your efforts. Bring balance and harmony to your life.

CONNECT: Aries, SagittariusDISCONNECT: Taurus

PISCES / February 19–March 20Emotional ties are strong, but don’t let them bind you to old bad habits. Keep moving forward.

CONNECT: Taurus, CancerDISCONNECT: Gemini

Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest

human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side

by side can grow. —Rainer Maria Rilke

Visitors to the Common enjoy We Complete, by Julianne Swartz. By holding hands while sitting on the park bench, they launch a soundtrack that presents a poignant array of messages about human connection.

TO T H E E D I TO R

(above) From the sole Letter to the Editor we received in the brief but bright life of Common Exchange arguing against policies related to street performers’ permits. Here’s to the scuffle—connection and disconnection—that makes Cambridge the place we all love.

(background) John Bridge statue on the Common pulled down by vandals, an apparent prank; August 25, 1935. Photo: Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.

The

Com

mon

—as

bot

h a

liter

al a

nd c

once

ptua

l si

te—

is d

efine

d by

gat

herin

g, e

xcha

nge,

and

th

e m

ultit

ude

of v

oice

s an

d ac

tions

that

take

pl

ace

with

in it

. In

effec

t, th

e Co

mm

on is

th

e la

ndsc

ape

of c

itize

nry

and

a pl

ace

defin

ed

by d

ialo

gue,

bet

wee

n pe

ople

, cul

ture

s, a

nd

hist

orie

s, th

at c

an e

cho

the

best

and

wor

st

of o

ur c

ivic

sta

tes.

—Dina D

eitsc

h, C

urat

or

Issue: (Dis)Con-nectThe projects that comprise Com-mon Exchange were prompted by the Common’s renovations that focused on the pathways, lighting, access, and general connectivity of the park to the surrounding city. As each art installation and performance explores ideas of social, political, and historic connectivity, we have to ask: In our age of smart-phones and screens, when we are obsessively communicating with one another yet rarely making eye contact, what about moments of disconnection?

In this issue of the Common Exchange newspaper—“(Dis)Con-nect”—we focus on two projects that approach pathways as sites of awkward interactions, missed

connections, and fragmented experiences. AKI SASAMOTO doles out food-based performances to unsuspecting visitors from her pushcart, throwing into question a simple and daily interaction. The seller and consumer relationship is recast as one between a performer and audience. LEE WALTON and JON RUBIN commissioned a pair of fife and drum musicians to play revolutionary songs every day for a month during lunchtime. As they wander the Common, melodies drift through the neighborhood, never quite coalescing into a full song to remind us of the age-old battles that these grounds have seen and will keep seeing.

—Dina Deitsch, Curator

Conversation: the language of the Common The “commons” is a place of shared knowledge and resources while also being a contested area of collective action and possibility; it is the term by which we legally frame our public rights and hold our democratic freedoms. It is the locus of dialogue itself; as philosophers Cesare Casarino and Antonio Negri remind us, “Conversation is the language of the Commons.”1 The

“Common” (notably missing the s) is the physical manifestation of this idea in space, publicly shared and historically a field of grass at a city’s center used for collective livestock grazing.2

The Common—as both a literal and conceptual site—is defined by gathering, exchange, and the multitude of voices and actions that take place within it. In effect, the Common is the landscape of citizenry and a place defined by dialogue, between people, cultures, and histories, that can echo the best and worst of our civic states.

Common Exchange is a series of temporary art installations and performances presented in one of the nation’s oldest common greens, the Cambridge Common. Orga-

nized in honor of the park’s recent pathway renovations, each project that constitutes Common Exchange reiterates the park’s physical and ideological function as a connective space, one defined by the exchange of ideas, words, and things, a space of conversation.

Over the course of the summer, time-based and participatory works will occupy the Cambridge Common to address connectivity and ex-change in the twenty-first century, moving from interpersonal to com-munal and historical relationships. The public remains the central figure in these works to emphasize that it is participation and public discourse that ultimately shape our civic spaces.

—Dina Deitsch, Curator

1 Cesare Casarino and Antonio Negri, In Praise of the Common: A Conversation on Philosophy and Politics (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2008).

2 This history of shared grazing space has also spawned social and economic theories of misused resources in unregulated systems. See Garrett Hardin, “The Tragedy of the Commons,” Science 162, no. 3859 (December 1968).

“We have a new city-produced newspaper celebrating the Common . . . a proclamation of the ‘importance of gathering and coming together for the greater good in public space,’ but these curators can’t really say what that is. That’s the problem with our arts councils. They can’t really support work that has any bite: ‘Politics,’ by definition, comes up when people are NOT in agreement over what the ‘greater good’ is. The ‘ideological function’ of parks is ‘as a connective space, one defined by the exchange of ideas, words, and things, a space of conversation.’ ‘Let them eat participation,’ they seem to say—‘but don’t think you can just start expressing yourself.’”

—I.M.M., May 24, 2017

Well, this is awkward.

AKI SASAMOTOFood Rental

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Food Rental, 2017. Live performance, food cart and menu

Aki Sasamoto presents Food Rental in which she operates a handmade food cart to deliver one-on-one performances for visitors to Cambridge Common. Food Rental uses a familiar park fixture of a pushcart to dispense unexpected and often hilarious acts by the artist. True to its context, Sasamoto features food-related projects that operate on the logic of “mis-use”: wearing lemon glasses, playing oyster-shell castanets, and dancing with vegetable-chopping shoes. Food Rental lives in the space between street performance, theater, and the gallery as it explores the awk-ward, unspoken space of public interactions. Sasamoto replaces an everyday consumer exchange—buying food—with an artistic one, placing us, as visitors, on unstable ground: How are we supposed to act, and what are we to give back, if anything?

ARTIST BIO:

Aki Sasamoto, b. 1980, Yokohama, Japan; lives and works in New York, New York

Aki Sasamoto works in perfor-mance, sculpture, dance, and whatever medium it takes to get her ideas across. Her works have been shown both in performing art and visual art venues in New York and abroad. Besides her own works, she has collaborated with artists in visual arts, music, and dance, and she plays multiple roles of dancer, sculptor, or director. Sasamoto cofounded Culture Push, a nonprofit arts organization in which diverse professionals meet through artist-led projects and cross-disciplinary symposia.

Sasamoto’s performance and installation works revolve around gestures on nothing and everything. Her installations are careful arrangements of sculp-turally altered found objects, and the decisive gestures in her improvisational performances create feedback, responding to sound, objects, and moving bod-ies. The constructed stories seem personal at first, yet oddly open to various degrees of access, relation, and reflection.

Sasamoto’s work has been exhib-ited in the 2010 Whitney Biennial, 2012 Gwangju Biennale, 2016 Kochi- Muziris Biennale, and in a solo presentation at SculptureCenter, Long Island City, among others.

F E AT U R E D A R T I S T

Airport Bathroom

Diseases with Com

plications X • Y = 1 Pickling Pot Difference Test Bully Cliché of Rom

ance Fork Field

LOST / FOUND?

Once, we didn’t think we could live without them—a favorite stuffed animal, a warm scarf, a bicycle, keys to the house and car, an ID and wallet. Then they slipped out of our grasp. Not gone, exactly, they reside somewhere else—disconnected.

Here we focus on a few of these displaced objects in the Cambridge Police Department and Public Library lost-and-found. Let’s hope they find their way home.

— Submitted anonymously to Common Exchange / I lost my beanie in Cambridge Common looking for Pokemon. Would you look at that—I found a Pikachu but lost my hat. It’s a gray Neff skull cap. Actually, if you find it—keep it. God only knows where it’s been by now.

F E AT U R E D A R T I S TS

LEE WALTON & JON RUBIN When the World’s on Fire

ARTIST STATEMENT:

When the World’s On Fire, 2017. Musicians play protest songs

For thirty days, two musicians dressed in Revolutionary War regalia parade through the Cambridge Common playing contemporary protest songs. With military precision, the per-formance begins the moment the duo gets off the train at Harvard Square. Their route leads them through the Common and back to the train station two hours later. When the musicians board the train, the music stops and the performance ends—until the next day. The relentless consistency and precision of this daily spec-tacle accumulates presence and power over time. In the course of a month, this 60-hour perfor-mance imprints on the memory of the public, a reminder of the radical history of the Common and its contemporary potential as a site for resistance.

The project’s title comes from a Baptist gospel, recorded by the Carter family, that also supplied the melody for Woody Guthrie’s iconic anthem This Land Is Your Land. Played on this country’s oldest civic grounds, songs such as these remind us of the precari-ous nature of freedom and our responsibilities as citizens.

FIFE / Eva Redamonti DRUM / James Knoerl

ARTIST BIO:

Lee Walton, b. 1974, Walnut Creek, California; lives and works in Greensboro, North Carolina

Lee Walton’s art practice includes drawing, performance, and social practice. His experiential artworks employ systems of rules, chance, and open collaboration. Lee works with museums, institutions, uni-versities, and cities around the world to develop participatory public events, lead workshops, ex-hibit, and educate. He is currently codeveloping the Greensboro Project Space (GPS), a site for celebrating public life through art, culture, and education.

His work on paper is exclusively represented by Kraushaar Gal-leries Inc., New York, and his experiential work is represented by Alexandra Lawson Gallery in Toowoomba, Queensland. Walton is an Associate Professor of Art and Director of Interdisciplin-ary Art and Social Practice at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

ARTIST BIO:

Jon Rubin, b. 1963, Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania; lives and works in Pittsburgh

Jon Rubin is an interdisciplinary artist who creates interventions in public life that reimagine individual, group, and institu-tional behaviors. His projects include starting a radio station in an abandoned neighborhood that only plays the sound of an extinct bird, running a barter-based no-madic art school, operating a res-taurant that produces a live video talk show with its customers, and codirecting another that only serves cuisine from countries the United States is in conflict with.

He has exhibited at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Mercosul Biennial, Brazil; Shanghai Biennale; Muse-um of Contemporary Art, Denver;Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; Museo Tamayo, Mexico City; Rooseum, Malmö; and Park-ingallery, Tehran, as well as in backyards, living rooms, and street corners. Rubin is a recipient of the Creative Capital Award and a final-ist for the International Award for Participatory Art. He is an Associate Professor and Graduate Director in the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University.

What’s Going On[ MARVIN GAYE ]Fight the Power[ PUBLIC ENEMY ]They Don’t Care About Us[ MICHAEL JACKSON ]I Will Survive[ GLORIA GAYNOR ]War[ EDWIN STARR ]Killing in the Name[ RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE ]American Idiot[ GREEN DAY ]Get Up, Stand Up[ BOB MARLEY AND

THE WAILERS ]

You’ve heard the expression, “It’s the thought that counts.” Even a simple offer of goodwill, posted anonymously, has meaning and

power. Give it a try: Cut along the dotted lines to separate the flyer from the newspaper. Carefully cut the offerings into thin bands

leaving them attached to the flyer at one end. Post where allowed. What will your community need most—A PET or DEBATE?

We posted several flyers here in Cambridge and recorded what was taken over a month. We found that some people need ARGUMENT

(presumably not the same folks looking for SILENCE), more want RULES, and many high achievers need MOTIVATION(see below).

LOVE

COM

PASS

ION

UNDE

RSTA

NDI

NG

ADVE

NTU

RE

HOP

E

NAT

URE

COUR

AGE

PEAC

E

FORG

IVEN

ESS

PATI

ENCE

MOT

IVAT

ION

HEA

LIN

G

REST

DEBA

TE

CON

TACT

FEED

BACK

A H

ELLO

CON

VERS

ATIO

N

RESO

LUTI

ON

ARGU

MEN

T

CLOS

URE

SOLI

TUDE

A PA

REN

T

A FR

IEN

D

TRAN

SPOR

TATI

ON

ADVI

CE

RULE

S

A PL

AN

SILE

NCE

VOIC

ES

LAUG

HTE

R

TOUC

H

A H

UG

RECO

GNIT

ION

HEL

P

FOOD

INDE

PEN

DEN

CE

A PE

T

DESS

ERT

Take What You Need: give what you can

LOVE

TOUCH

RULES ADVICE

A PET

COURAGE

PATIENCE

A PARENT PEACEINDEPENDENCE

MOTIVATION

HOPE

Some of my best friends are fictional. —Siri

Bye

— Greg / I saw you walking your corgi near the corner of Mass. Ave. and Cambridge St.. I just want to say how cute your pup is—and so is his owner. Lucky pup. / Cambridge

— Jeff / Our kids were playing in the park a few days back and our eyes met. Swallowing my pride, I approached and we had a brief conversation about living our lives singly with children. Ahh, the trials and tribulations. I hope to see you again. / Cambridge

— Kelsey / You put money in my meter out in front of the park. Still not sure if it was on purpose, but thank you. I’m paying it forward. / JP

— Anonymous / Are you a really pretty dude with a bleached mohawk? I see you out my window near the suites. If you’re reading this, I just want to say you have a beautiful profile.

— Garrett / We chatted near the park (on the corner where people nearly get run over) and it turned out my dog’s name is Taco—a 120 lb. lab—and your chihuahua is named Bear. I think it’s a sign. Talk again soon? Maybe Mexican and a walk in the park? (Sorry for the dog-dad joke.)

— Anonymous / Hey Dad, it’s been a while. Why’s that? / Cambridge

— Julia / You have held the door for me in three different boutiques and bodegas this week, randomly (I think). Thank you. And thank you for being a complete gentleman. / Cambridge

— Anonymous / Saw you in the Cambridge Common last Tuesday when I was heading to Lizard Lounge for a gig: semi-tall, long brown hair, brown eyes. I should have just said hi. Dammit. / Cambridge

— Chuck / Cute Asian boy yelling sassiness near Lesley University—I like your style. Maybe when you shut up you can love me? / Newton

— Abigail / Saw you jammin’ to T Swift and when you noticed me noticing, you shut it off. Girl, take pride! #TeamTaylor / Watertown

— Anonymous / Kid in the orange T-shirt and cute glasses—keep your head up. Everyone cares.

— Dan / I swear I saw you at the Sox game (Bleacher 21) and then again walking by Hi-Rise this morning. Coincidence? I hope not. You had on a blue sweater and a gray skirt; brown eyes, I am almost sure. Sorry, I sound like a total creep! Maybe next time I’ll say hi. / Watertown

— P / A little happy action happened near the church in Harvard last night and I am definitely down for round two. Let’s meet up? / Cambridge

— Hailey / You were on your way to Soul Cycle with my coworker. I later (sarcastically) told her “Hey, thanks for introducing me.” Kind of hoping she doesn’t tell you, kind of hoping she does. / Framingham

— Anonymous / Dancing on the stage, tossing pineapples back and forth with the crowd, we killed it. Going out on a limb to connect in real life. If you don’t know who you are yet, you were with a friend in a blue wig and tutu.

— Amy / I could listen to you sing all day. Play that piano again—all of your intertwined melodies of “today’s hits.” Hot, no joke. So sexy. / Cambridge

— Anonymous / Saw you in a plaid shirt with a band tee underneath—Beatles, maybe? Just wanted to tell you your drawing skills are incredible. Keep it up! / Cambridge

— Anonymous / I saw you trying to listen to my music through the door. It was awkward but I’m glad you have good taste.

— Anonymous / Here’s a shout-out to the security officer who brought my friend and me home and searched for our drunk friend on the streets.

— Anonymous / I saw you on the island between Cambridge Common and the Square: guy wearing a “Beat Yale” T-shirt. You seemed to be in a hurry and were carrying a case of water, but you still went out of your way to offer a bottle to a homeless guy on the street. Thanks for being a good person. / Cambridge

— Christine / We were talking outside while a lovely piano duet was going on. I was so nervous I don’t remember much but I walked away thinking,

“Well, he was interesting and so good looking.” Regardless, thanks for the smile—it lasted all day. / Arlington

— Anonymous / Passed a girl in a green hoodie today. Thanks for smiling!

— Nick / To the girl in a wheelchair at the Harvard T: You’re courageous and so exciting to talk to. I’ll keep an eye out for you at the Head of the Charles. Hoping you’re well! / Boston

— Anonymous / Talked to a girl yesterday and couldn’t have asked for a better new friend. I can tell she is genuine and kind. I’m too shy though. I don’t know if she’ll like me. God, why the f*ck do I feel so undesirable?

— Anonymous / Girl in a white sweater on Floor 2: You are insanely adorable and so is your bear backpack. / Cambridge

— Anonymous / 9:32 on the Common. You were wearing a Gap 70% cotton 30% polyester red shirt with denim blue jeans. You were approximately 5'3" 5/8 tall, and I’d say 114.75 lbs. You were talking on the phone to your mom, complaining about all the work you have this weekend. Hang in there, you’ll get through it.

— Anonymous / I saw the Loch Ness monster and she was a QT. Call me!!

— Q / Skinny scene, hipster kid who goes by “they” with the round glasses and always wearing plaid—you make me all red. / Dorchester

— Anonymous / I have a crush on “DB” but I’m too nervous to let her know. Sometimes I feel like no girls like me or would ever be attracted to me. Feel so lonely.

Missed Connec-tions: the eternal awkwardness of such

SILENCE

REST

ARGUMENT

P E R F O R M I N G T H E C A M B R I D G E C O M M O N

WATERHOUSE ST.CONCORD AVE.

MASON ST.

APPIAN WAY

MASSACHUSETTS AVE.

CAMBRIDGE ST.GARDEN ST.

CAMBRIDGECOMMON

FLAGSTAFF PARK

( A )

( B )

( C )

TO HARVARD SQ. >

IN THIS ISSUE:

CONVERSATION: THE LANGUAGE OF THE COMMON LETTER TO THE EDITOR(DIS)CONNECTFOOD RENTAL LOST / FOUND? WHEN THE WORLD’S ON FIRETAKE WHAT YOU NEED: GIVE WHAT YOU CANMISSED CONNECTIONS: THE ETERNAL AWKWARDNESS OF SUCHWHAT’S YOUR SIGN? HOROSCOPEEVENT SCHEDULE / MAP

What’s Your Sign? horoscope

Common Exchange is a special-edition newspaper that serves as a companion to a series of inter-active public art performances, installations, and exhibitions that present responses by ten contem-porary artists to the historic site of the Cambridge Common.

Situated at the heart of the city, the Cambridge Common, like all public spaces, only acquires meaning when citizens use it. Since its early days dating back to the 1600s, when it was a place for livestock grazing, and during subsequent periods when it be-came a site for military training and housing, a place for concerts and protests, and parkland for contemplation and play, it has remained an important commu-nal space that houses and reflects the changing temperament of public participation in civic life over time.

In 2016, a renovation of the Common brought many improvements and increased its

accessibility and connectivity to surrounding neighborhoods for pedestrians and bicyclists. It is on this occasion that we celebrate an improved civic space at the heart of the city with a unique suite of public artworks.

The four issues of Common Exchange revolve around themes addressed by the public artworks: sound, histories, access, and (dis)connection. The newspaper is available at selected park benches on the Common and in various public buildings around the city.

We hope that you check out the Spring–Fall 2017 schedule of events and exhibitions and all issues of Common Exchange. Visit us online for more information.

CambridgeArtsCouncil.org @ CambridgeArtsCouncil @ CambridgeArts # CommonExchangeCambridge # PerformingTheCommon

—Lillian Hsu, Director of Public Art and Exhibitions, Cambridge Arts

As the city’s official arts agency, Cam-bridge Arts commissions temporary and permanent public art throughout all neighborhoods of Cambridge. We are pleased to present Common Exchange—its exhibitions, performances, installa-tions, and newspaper. The newspaper is produced through a collaboration of the Cambridge Arts Public Art Program, cu-rator Dina Deitsch, and Lesley University College of Art and Design (LUCAD).

SPONSORS: Common Exchange is made possible through multiple partnerships and sources of support, including the National Endowment for the Arts, Cambridge/Agassiz/Harvard Community Culture and Recreation Fund, Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, Artists Resource Trust Fund of Berkshire Taconic Com-munity Foundation, Community Design Studio of LUCAD, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Massachusetts Cultural Council, VIA Art Fund, Carpen-ter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University, First Church Cambridge, Holosonics, and the City of Cambridge.

Introduc-tion

ARTISTS:

ANDY GRAYDON PAUL RAMIREZ JONAS CARMEN PAPALIA AKI SASAMOTOKELLY SHERMAN XAVIERA SIMMONS ALLISON SMITH JULIANNE SWARTZ LEE WALTON & JON RUBIN

EDITORS: Dina Deitsch and Lillian Hsu

ART DIRECTOR: Rick Rawlins

DESIGNERS: Kelsey Arbona, Michael Coleman, Will Currier, Joseph DeSouza, Alexandra Fletcher, Melinda Freund, Joab Garcia, Jacqueline Gold, Caitlin Kalafus, Anya Piatrova, Matthew Reilly, Daniel Seaward, Katherine Shannon, Jaxy Stewart, and Michael Talbot

Event Schedule / Map:

PARK INSTALLATIONS: In addition to the performances and events listed below, look for these park instal-lations in the Cambridge Common, May–September 2017: (A) Kelly Sherman, poetic memory banners; (B) Paul Ramirez Jonas, contributory monument; and (C) Julianne Swartz, interactive bench.

I SS U E 4 / 4

CONNECT

A PUBLIC ART PROJECT PRESENTED BY CAMBRIDGE ARTS, CITY OF CAMBRIDGE

EVENT LOCATIONS: Hong Kong Restaurant1238 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138

Gallery 344Cambridge Arts 344 Broadway, 2nd Floor Cambridge, MA 02139

CCVACarpenter Center for the Visual ArtsHarvard University, 24 Quincy Street Cambridge, MA 02138

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced StudyJohnson-Kulukundis Family Gallery Byerly Hall, 8 Garden StreetCambridge, MA 02138

PLEASE NOTE: The event schedule is subject to change. Confirm at cambridgeartscouncil.org or facebook.com/cambridgeartscouncil

ft

FEATURED ARTIST

AKISASAMOTO

F E AT U R E D A R T I S TS

LEE WALTON & JON RUBIN

MAY

8 / M

ON

6–8

PM

Kelly

She

rman

: Art

ist R

ecep

tion

Galle

ry 3

4413

/ SA

T

OP

ENIN

G CE

LEBR

ATIO

N Co

mm

on

3 PM

Le

e Wal

ton

& J

on R

ubin

: Whe

n th

e Wor

ld’s

on F

ire, W

alki

ng M

usic

al P

erfo

rman

ce

4 PM

An

dy G

rayd

on: G

athe

ring N

ote (

a fac

simile

),

In

terp

retiv

e Cho

ral G

athe

ring

5 PM

Ca

rmen

Pap

alia

: Blin

d Fie

ld S

huttl

e,

Eyes

-clo

sed

Part

icip

ator

y Tou

r 14

/ SU

N 1 P

M

Carm

en P

apal

ia: B

lind F

ield

Shu

ttle

Com

mon

18 /

THU

12–2

PM

Ak

i Sas

amot

o: Fo

od R

enta

l, Co

mm

on

Fo

od/P

erfo

rman

ce C

art

6

PM

Aki S

asam

oto:

Art

ist T

alk

CCVA

20 /

SAT

12–1

PM

Ak

i Sas

amot

o: Fo

od R

enta

l Co

mm

on

1–2

PM

Xavi

era S

imm

ons:

Num

ber 2

2 (O

verla

y),

Colle

ctiv

e The

atric

al P

erfo

rman

ce

4–

5 PM

Xa

vier

a Sim

mon

s: N

umbe

r 22

(Ove

rlay)

JUN

E

1 / T

HU

6–

7 PM

Xa

vier

a Sim

mon

s: N

umbe

r 22

(Ove

rlay)

Co

mm

on4

/ SUN

1–

3 PM

Al

lison

Sm

ith: C

ommo

n Goo

ds, D

emon

stra

tion

Com

mon

/ Con

vers

atio

n wi

th J

udith

Lee

man

n15

/ TH

U

6 PM

Al

lison

Sm

ith: C

omm

on G

oods

Co

mm

on

7:15

PM

Al

lison

Sm

ith: A

rtis

t Tal

k with

Ho

ng K

ong

Cam

brid

ge H

isto

rical

Soc

iety

Re

stau

rant

17 /

SAT

1–

3 PM

Al

lison

Sm

ith: C

omm

on G

oods

Co

mm

on

3–4

PM

Xavi

era S

imm

ons:

Num

ber 2

2 (O

verla

y)

JUL

Y

16 /

SUN

1 PM

An

dy G

rayd

on: G

athe

ring N

ote (

a fac

simile

) Co

mm

on17

/ M

ON

6–8

PM

Andy

Gra

ydon

: Art

ist R

ecep

tion

Galle

ry 3

4420

/ TH

U

6–7 P

M

Xavi

era S

imm

ons:

Num

ber 2

2 (O

verla

y)

Com

mon

AUG

UST

3 / T

HU

6–7 P

M

Xavi

era S

imm

ons:

Num

ber 2

2 (O

verla

y)

Co

mm

on

SEP

TEM

BER

16 /

SAT

12

NOO

N Ak

i Sas

amot

o: Fo

od R

enta

l Co

mm

on

12 N

OON

Allis

on S

mith

: Com

mon

Goo

ds

2

PM

Carm

en P

apal

ia: B

lind F

ield

Shu

ttle

17 /

SUN

CLOS

ING

CELE

BRAT

ION

Com

mon

12 N

OON

Aki S

asam

oto:

Food

Ren

tal

2

PM

Andy

Gra

ydon

: Gat

herin

g Not

e (a f

acsim

ile)

3

PM

Carm

en P

apal

ia: B

lind F

ield

Shu

ttle

DAI

LY E

VENT

MAY

14 –

JUN

12

Lee W

alto

n &

Jon

Rub

in:

Com

mon

12–2

PM

Whe

n th

e Wor

ld’s

on F

ire

GAL

LERY

EXH

IBIT

IONS

APR

24–J

UN 3

0 Ke

lly S

herm

an: W

e Wer

e Her

e—

Galle

ry 3

44

M

emor

ies o

f Cam

brid

ge C

omm

onAP

R 26

–JUL

1 Xa

vier

a Sim

mon

s: N

umbe

r 22

(Ove

rlay)

Ra

dcliff

eJU

L 17–

SEP

8 An

dy G

rayd

on: G

athe

ring N

ote (

a fac

simile

) Ga

llery

344

SEP

18–D

EC 15

Ca

rmen

Pap

alia

: Blin

d Fie

ld S

huttl

e Ga

llery

344

ARIES / March 21–April 20You like to control things, but it’s time to go with the flow. Trust and follow your instincts.

CONNECT: Gemini, LeoDISCONNECT: Cancer

TAURUS / April 21–May 21Listen carefully if someone challenges you, then talk your way out of it. This isn’t a contest. It’s a conversation.

CONNECT: Taurus, ScorpioDISCONNECT: Aquarius

GEMINI / May 22–June 21Conversations in the workplace could escalate into arguments or people may become silent and withholding. Both are harmful.

CONNECT: Aries, LeoDISCONNECT: Pisces

CANCER / June 22–July 22It’s true: Strength lies in numbers. To conquer, people must unite. Accept one another’s differences and work together.

CONNECT: Cancer, CapricornDISCONNECT: Aries

LEO / July 23–August 23Your closest relationship seems to be fraught. You should work extra hard to try and find out what the problem is.

CONNECT: Gemini, LibraDISCONNECT: Scorpio

VIRGO / August 24–September 22You find it difficult to connect with certain people, so it might be best to give yourself some time alone.

CONNECT: Pisces, CancerDISCONNECT: Gemini

LIBRA / September 23–October 23You have strong opinions, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to hear them. Avoid lecturing others if possible.

CONNECT: Gemini, LibraDISCONNECT: Cancer

SCORPIO / October 24–November 22Give yourself time to think deeply about your values and what you want out of relationships. Don’t be hurried into decisions.

CONNECT: Cancer, VirgoDISCONNECT: Libra

SAGITTARIUS / November 23–December 21Your tendency is to give more than you receive, but this may leave you feeling depleted. Do something nice for yourself.

CONNECT: Aries, LibraDISCONNECT: Pisces

CAPRICORN / December 22–January 21Fearful of approaching someone about an important subject? If you overcome your fear, you have a good chance of bridging the gap.

CONNECT: Aquarius, ScorpioDISCONNECT: Libra

AQUARIUS / January 22–February 28It’s best to surround yourself with positive people who believe in you and support your efforts. Bring balance and harmony to your life.

CONNECT: Aries, SagittariusDISCONNECT: Taurus

PISCES / February 19–March 20Emotional ties are strong, but don’t let them bind you to old bad habits. Keep moving forward.

CONNECT: Taurus, CancerDISCONNECT: Gemini

Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest

human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side

by side can grow. —Rainer Maria Rilke

Visitors to the Common enjoy We Complete, by Julianne Swartz. By holding hands while sitting on the park bench, they launch a soundtrack that presents a poignant array of messages about human connection.