December 2015 Newsletter

Dear Friend of The West End Museum,

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving in the West End or wherever else you may have celebrated. Now Christmas is nearly here, and we hope that you are enjoying the holiday season as much as we are.

Speaking of the holidays, in this newsletter, you can read about the 8 Nights, 8 Windows art installation that appeared in the West End Museum’s window during Hanukkah.

We also cover the formal apology from the BRA to West Enders acknowledging the pain and suffering inflicted by urban renewal about 50 years ago.

If you enjoy our upcoming roster of exhibits and events, we hope you’ll consider becoming a West End Museum member. If you’re already a member, please help us spread the word about supporting our ongoing mission to highlight the history and culture of the neighborhood for visitors and residents of our City alike. Corporate and individual members are always welcome (special rates for students and seniors) as are donations . Membership and donations are tax deductible, and members receive discounts on paid Museum programs.

Thank you and best wishes!

Sincerely,

The Membership Team

By Matt Ellis

This year marks Boston’s first seasonal Jewish public art project. Over the course of the eight nights of Hanukkah — often referred to as the “miracle of lights” — eight art installations appeared in windows around the city. Each display featured elements that changed from night to night, including some with interactive components that allowed passersby to contribute. The project titled,  8 Nights, 8 Windows, was designed to bring the miracle, illumination and innovation of Hanukkah to all.

The West End Museum was proud to host one of the windows. Created by local artists  Christian M eade and Nathaniel
Wyrick , “Halfway through the Dark” depicted a room in a home reminiscent of the tenement homes in the old West End. With each night, a new and unexpected light source illuminated the scene, integratin g    “ideas of family, togetherness and embracing the miracle of light in the midst of darkness,” Meade said.

“It’s very cool; I think the layout of the window is interesting. Plus, it brings Hanukkah to the greater community,” said Amy, who walks by the window nearly every evening on her way from her job near the Museum to her home in Cambridge.

While many pedestrians …

By Susan Minichiello

On September 29th, during the opening reception for the  Dewey Defeats Truman/The Housing Act of 1949 exhibit, former West Enders heard something they’ve never expected in the nearly 50 years since urban renewal destroyed their community: A formal apology.

Brian Golden, director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) — the agency that oversaw the razing of the vibrant melting pot of a neighborhood in the late 1950s and early 60s — acknowledged the painful legacy and expressed remorse for the suffering inflicted on more than 10,000 residents all those years ago.

“We offer an official but heartfelt apology to the West End families affected,” said Golden. “The old West End was destroyed in the name of ‘slum clearance.’ Although the damage was done decades ago, it still remains.”

One resident displaced by that so-called slum clearance program, Jim Campano, said he never thought he’d hear such an apology. Campano is the Founder and Editor of  The West Ender newsletter as well as a member of the West End Museum board of directors. Of the BRA apology, he said, “It was good to hear, but …

Thanks to the generosity of people like
you , the West End Museum has had a very successful year. We hosted talks, tours, concerts, film screenings, family events and six rotating exhibits — in addition to our permanent exhibit, The Last Tenement. We also held our first series of West Ender mini-reunions and celebrated Irish, Jewish and Italian Heritage Months.

But we could do so much more.

We are asking for your help to enhance our exhibitions, expand our programs and educational outreach, and protect our archives — all to ensure that the lessons of the past live on in 2016.

Please take a moment to read more about our Annual Appeal and make your tax-deductible donation today here.

Thank you for your support and for making the West End Museum a resource that will stand the test of time.