We asked up-and-coming Boston artist Andrew Witkin (read more about him in our interview, here), currently partner-director at Barbara Krakow Gallery, to take us out on the town in Boston for a day, and he indulged us. The multi-talented Jamaica Plain resident is the subject of the Currier Museum of Art's latest exhibition, "Exploring the Currier Inside Out: Andrew Witkin, Among Others," but he also has work in the permanent collections of the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston and the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Witkin loves exploring Boston's green spaces and art museums, and he's got one jam-packed day for like-minded appreciators.
10:30 am: Brunch at the Haven
Witkin frequently eats brunch and/or dinner at the Haven. "Jason Waddleton runs the only Scottish restaurant in Boston and luckily, it’s not far from where I live in Jamaica Plain. The brunch seems to knock my socks off every time."
2 Perkins St., Jamaica Plain, 617.524.2836
11:30 am: Quiet Time at Forest Hills
"Forest Hills Cemetery is one of the first [garden] cemeteries in the U.S. ee cummings 'resides' here along with many beautiful grave markers and an elegant, but simple, pond."
95 Forest Hills Ave., Boston, 617.524.0128
12:15 pm: Bikes & The Emerald Necklace
While New York’s Central Park, created by landscape artist Frederick Law Olmsted, offers a single focus, in Boston Olmsted's rambling series of parks and paths known as the Emerald Necklace connects the outlying areas to downtown. "[Biking through the Emerald Necklace is] a wonderful way to transition to the city."
Boston, 617.522.2700
1 pm: Seeing New Things at the Gardner Museum
"I have been going monthly to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for over 20 years, and even though nothing has moved in the original palazzo, I still see new things." There are also incredibly thoughtful contemporary art exhibitions and performances that should never be missed.
280 The Fenway, Boston, 617.566.1401
2:30 pm: Get Lost at the MFA
"Each time I go to the Museum of Fine Arts, I choose a different section and just get lost in the riches of the collection. Recently, I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at Egyptian standing statuary. Mesmerizing!"
465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617.267.9300
4 pm: Back on the Bike & Headed for Chinatown
Witkin loves to grab a late lunch at Taiwan Café. "The delicious dumplings and spicy eggplant always make me happy."
34 Oxford St., Boston, 617.426.8181
5:15 pm: Gravestone Hunting
"It’s so lovely to contrast the simplicity of the early carvings at the Granary Burying Ground with the more ornate ones at Forest Hills Cemetery."
Tremont Street at Bromfield, Boston
6 pm: ICA Jaunt
"The Institute of Contemporary Art always offers variety when it comes to its exhibitions," and is open until 9 pm on Thursday and Friday. This is one museum where Witkin can see one of his own works!
100 Northern Ave., Boston, 617.478.3100
8 pm: Evening Stroll on the Greenway
From the ICA, Witkin likes to walk along the Rose Kennedy Greenway over to the North End. "It is amazing to think that this green area was once an elevated highway. What a gift to the city and its people."
Boston, 617.292.0020
10 pm: Dinner at Vinoteca di Monica
"There’s plenty of traditional-style Italian food in the North End, but food from Monica's tastes the best [to me]."
143 Richmond St., Boston, 617.227.0311
11:30 pm: Finding Calm
Ending the night at Long Wharf, he says, "There’s nothing more mesmerizing than watching planes take off and others land. It’s a beautiful dance in the sky, an amazing feat of human engineering. And to have the subtle waves of Boston Harbor lapping beneath your feet while watching is just so calming."
Long Wharf, Boston
You might like: My Boston: A Q&A with Artist Andrew Witkin