Somerville artist Adam Leveille’s painting “Nissenbaum, Midday” is back on display at the Prospect Union Square apartment building’s ground-floor retail space a month after its apparent theft from the building. Along with Melissa London’s “Laundry Boy” photograph – the second stolen work – Leveille’s painting is part of the “Visions of Somerville” exhibition organized by Somerville Open Studios.
Last weekend, both pieces were returned mysteriously to the Brickbottom artist building. Organizers wasted no time reinstalling the exhibition Tuesday. The original show was hung from the ceilings with wire in the residential part of the complex; this time it’s behind glass in an unoccupied storefront.
“Visions of Somerville” is a charming love letter to the city. Works range widely in form – with paintings, photographs and even glass – but throughout, there’s a sense of sustained attention to this place we call home.
The Leveille and London pieces are a highlight, documenting deftly the quirky storefronts and spaces that make this city unique. Likewise, Stan Eichner’s photographs show slices of life at a point in time. “Hair-gineer” shows a scene outside a now-closed barber shop, and “Davis Square During Covid” is a striking view of the Somerville Theatre over the shoulders of the square’s iconic statues. The theatre’s marquee in the background displays the words “Stay home and be safe,” a reminder of the early pandemic days nearly five years ago.
Unfortunately, the exhibition is in an unfinished room with construction materials littering the background and, given the glass, it’s hard to get a good look at the art. While the visions of Somerville are nice, their setting is not doing them any favors.
It’s great that Prospect Union Square has made room for a gallery exhibition, but that’s not an act of charity given the city’s 2019 zoning ordinance that requires new developments to dedicate 5 percent to 10 percent of their space for “arts and creative enterprise” uses.
Ultimately, it seems that the building was unprepared for the realities of hosting an exhibition. In both attempts, proper display and protection of the artwork seemed to be an afterthought.
This may be just a rocky start, and future exhibitions will get the preparation and care they deserve.
“Visions of Somerville” through early April at 50 Prospect St., Union Square, Somerville. Free.
Share your own 150-word appreciation for a piece of visual art or art happening with photo to editor@cambridgeday.com with the subject line “Behold.”
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