The ArtBeat festival started almost 40 years ago, with each year getting a one-word theme – in the past such concepts as “consumed,” “flip,” “loops,” “migration,” “red,” “rise” and “pulse,” and this year “wild.” The Somerville Arts Council organized ArtBeat 2024 with an eye for performances and activities that are “out there.” Artists and performers were able to interpret the wild theme as they wished, whether it was conveying untouched nature or feral ferocity.
Was it wild? Maybe the most disorienting thing was turning down Elm Street and stumbling into a group of space aliens straight out of a “Men in Black” crowd scene – including a fly girl (literally, with the head of a fly) and one-eyed bloke that was mainly jaw from the neck up, a great illusion because the proportions seemed to preclude it secretly being a human under there. (The human ended at the alien’s misshapen shoulder.)
I ventured to Davis Square (on a red line shutdown shuttle bus, sigh) on a 90 degrees-and-sunny Sunday. Despite being hosted on its rain date because of Saturday’s weather, the crowd was huge and full of energy, and I spent the day wandering through vendor tents, eating food from local eateries and watching performances. As with Taste of Cambridge, which I attended a few weeks back, I found ArtBeat to be a well-organized, feel-good community event that is absolutely worth the time, and I left feeling gratitude and appreciation for the enthusiasm Somerville and Cambridge communities bring to events like these.
Vendors and activities
Davis Square became a temporary home to more than 70 white tents, snaking through the square and stretching down Elm and Holland streets. The vendors ranged from fine artists to sticker makers; it truly felt like there was something for everyone (and every budget). There were vendors selling wooden spoons and vegan bags; one entirely dedicated to cats, and another entirely dedicated to dogs. There were prints from MiraMar Print Lab in Swampscott and color-changing glassware from Lucas Land in Lowell. From Zooguu, you could get “faux taxidermy” pieces, which are effectively stuffed animal heads mounted on wooden bases in a variety of colors and styles ranging from seagulls to anteaters to unicorns. There were ample opportunities to get Somerville and Cambridge-themed prints, tea towels and the like; pottery, including creative pieces such as lemon juicers and garlic grater plates in addition to mugs and bowls; and jewelry of all kinds.
As is often the case at craft fairs, I was impressed by the level of quality available and the number of vendors with something unique to offer.
There were also numerous community organizations tabling – the Elizabeth Peabody House, Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets, Mystic River Watershed Association, Somerville Community Land Trust and lots more – and interactive activities such as group paint-by-numbers and a rainbow hopscotch area with sidewalk chalk up for grabs. With a decline in pollinator population, Dover Street was dedicated to pollination and aptly named Pollinator Alley for the wild-themed event, with tables from Somerville Pollinator Action, Somerville Garden Club, and Tufts Pollinator Initiative.
Multicultural food offerings
Artbeat food offerings included pork katsu on a bun …
The food vendors were arranged in one central location – great for an indecisive person such as myself, who likes to see all the options before making a choice – but with enough space between each vendor that it didn’t feel excessively crowded. There were six vendors from the Somerville Arts Council’s Nibble Initiative, as well as representatives from Waffle Cabin, Mela Modern Indian Cuisine in Boston and a Thai food vendor, plus a couple trucks with the usual festival fare: cotton candy, lemonade, fried dough, burgers. Though I will admit I was tempted by the scent of fried Oreos, this seemed like a good opportunity to try some of our local eateries who are part of the Nibble Initiative.
I started with a katsu dog from Naomi Bento, which had pieces of pork katsu on a bun with slaw and katsu sauce. The pork was crispy and well-fried, the sauce was thick and flavorful and the bun was soft and chewy. I felt the slaw could’ve used a bit more flavor, maybe with a sauce of some kind (overall, the sandwich was a bit dry), but it was pretty tasty and very filling. At $12, it was one of the pricier offerings, and maybe a little steep for what it was, but felt generally worth it.
After walking that one off, I went for elote from Dos Manos Kitchen, which was delicious. It’s hard to get elote wrong, but this one was especially good. The corn was tender and sweet, rolled in an ample amount of cheese and topped with Tajín (a seasoning with lime, peppers and salt) instead of the regular chili powder, which was a nice touch.
After a very hot day in the sun, nothing sounded better than a mango kulfi ice cream from Matki Artisanal Kulfi Ice Cream. At this point, I was ready for something refreshing, and the kulfi absolutely delivered. A frozen dairy dessert that originated in India, kulfi is like ice cream, but unlike ice cream, is not whipped. The result is a denser dessert more similar to frozen custard, and this kulfi was exceptionally creamy and rich with a good mango flavor.
Performances
There’s a particular joy in wandering through streets lined with tents of artists selling their work, but the ArtBeat performers were equally gratifying and covered a similarly impressive range of genres. Across three stages – one at Seven Hills Park, behind the Somerville Theatre; another at Statue Park, in the plaza in front of J.P. Licks; and a third on the corner of Elm and Chester street – performances ran from 11:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. There was also a dance showcase held in the Somerville Theatre, but it remained on Saturday despite the date change of the rest of the festival, so I wasn’t able to see those performances.
There was great local talent in genres that ranged from rock to Latin hip-hop to psychedelic punk. I saw the ABCs, a family band composed of 12-year-old Cora, 10-year-old Audrey and Booker, and their dad, who played songs ranging from “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. Ajda the Turkish Queen, who hails from Texas but has Turkish heritage, aims to strike a balance between Eastern and Western elements in her music, and succeeded with a unique flair. Desmond the Traveling Troubadour had a distinctive style that fell somewhere between rap and spoken word poetry, with a humor and lightheartedness that suggested he was having as much fun as the audience. The same went for Banda da Samba, a group of Brazilians playing samba music that got the audience dancing along with them.
A stronger
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