Category: Uncategorized

ROOTED will be hosting an exhibition by Clem Aurelius entitled “Darkness, Warmth, and Miscellaneous Items” through May/June 2021.

Artist Statement by Clem Aurelius:
I hope my art brings you a feeling of movement, peace, sadness, tranquility, or something that maybe I myself have never felt. But, I hope you receive a feeling of something, because we are dying from the moment we are born and while we are stuck between one period of nonexistence and another, it’s nice to feel alive once in a while. 

Statement by Hank Fay, Curator:
We don’t often see outsider art in this area. The proliferation of drawing studios, adult-ed plein air safaris, art schools and the art programs of major universities tips the scale in favor of the cognoscenti. Many of us have been taught at some point how to paint. Not so for Clem Aurelius, self-taught artist. He has taught himself to depict vivid emotion with graphite and charcoal on plain white paper, where the places he paints seem happier than the people. 

I sincerely hope that you can face the challenge of spending some time with these portraits, but be warned: the feelings are intense.

Kitauna Parker is an emerging artist who recently graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Kitauna is a fine art oil painter who has been shown in local galleries and in public spaces with Artists for Humanity. She is also a Martial Arts instructor at Northeastern University as well as a United Cerebral Palsy Personal Care Assistant, and an Artist’s for Humanity alumna. 

About her own art she has this to say: “Growing up in the urban streets of Boston has sculpted my resilience, empowering my voice to be as big as my art. As an artist, I celebrate the human connection with marks, color, shapes, and sometimes even language. From making an art club in grade-school to selling my first painting at 15, art has always been my still small voice, not only for me but for my community. My art is my freedom, its my way to fight back. With my art, I want to bring people together, connecting individuals from all different cultural backgrounds to share in the beauty of the same thing: the human mark.”

Visit Kitauna’s work at ROOTED Armory Cafe & Farmstand through March and April, 2021.

Dear Friends,

We hope you’ve been well while we had to hit the pause button due to financial hardship brought on by the pandemic. It’s been a winter slog but we have great news to share–we are bringing back furloughed staff and reopening ROOTED Armory Cafe & Farmstand on Tuesday, March 2nd as hoped! 

This is made possible in large part because of our community’s generosity, including critical COVID relief grants from the MA Cultural Council and the City of Somerville. Thank you to all who are enabling us to keep holding on so that we can continue to serve our community as a nexus of arts, cultural and community. 

We are going to need your continued support to keep going. If you would like to make a donation to Arts at the Armory, you can do so here. We are also counting on your patronage of ROOTED in order to stay open. Please plan to stop by frequently for delicious takeout menu items (including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and coffee drinks made at our espresso bar), and groceries featuring produce, dairy and pantry items, and beer and wine. Order online so that your order is ready when you come in. Open hours are M – F 8:30am – 6pm, Sat 9am – 6pm, Sun Closed. We know you’ve been missing our reinvented menu, and grocery featuring local and organic products!

As we look towards Spring, we will be seeking to serve our community in new and innovative ways. Stay tuned for updates, to learn what we’re up to, and how you can engage with us.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Scherpf
Executive Director