We’ll Be Back

As happens each year, BU Today is taking a short August hiatus. We’ll return on Monday, August 23, just in time to report on the Class of 2014’s arrival on campus. Classes begin on Thursday, September 2.

In the interim, we leave you with a list of some fun things to do during the dog days of August.

Have a story idea for the new semester? Send us an email at today@bu.edu. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and on Twitter @butoday.

Othello on Boston Common
In the mood for a tale of love, jealousy, and betrayal? Nobody does it better than Shakespeare, so head over to the Boston Common and spend a summer evening under the stars. The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, now celebrating its 15th season, is presenting Othello through August 15. One of Shakespeare’s most renowned tragedies, Othello is the story of a Moorish prince and Venetian general undone by the machinations of a rival.

Othello is directed by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company founder and artistic director Steven Maler and stars Seth Gilliam as Othello, James Waterston as Iago, and Marianna Bassham as Desdemona.

Othello plays Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. at the Parkman Bandstand on the Common through August 15. Food and beverages are allowed, but alcohol is prohibited. Performances are free, but donations are encouraged.

Spying on the Past: Declassified Satellite Images and Archaeology
From Watergate to WikiLeaks, the public’s fascination with declassified information hasn’t waned. At Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, student archaeologists display ancient sites in Northern Mesopotamia and South America using U.S. government spy satellite and aerial images. Visitors can view locations in Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Peru that reveal complex early cities, intricate irrigation canals, and even traces of nomadic journeys.

The Peabody Museum, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Massachusetts residents: free on Wednesdays from 3 to 5 p.m. (September through May) and Sunday mornings (year-round) from 9 a.m. to noon (excluding commercial groups).

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While Charles LeDray’s exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art shows tiny examples of work-related accoutrements, it also represents an artist’s tireless work. LeDray painstakingly fashions smaller-than-life formal suits, embroidered patches, ties, and hats, as well as scaled-down chests of drawers, doors, thousands of unique, thimble-sized vessels, and even complex models of the solar system.

The exhibition, which runs through October 17, gathers approximately 50 sculptures and installations, from seminal early works to the first U.S. presentation of MENS SUITS (2006-2009), his project presenting small-scale vignettes of second-hand clothing shops. The ICA also shows his exhibition Throwing Shadows (2008-2010), which includes more than 3,000 vessels made of black porcelain, each less than two inches tall.

The ICA, 100 Northern Ave., Boston, is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; free admission for all after 5 p.m. every Thursday for Target Free Thursday Nights.

Weird stalk, too!
Last year, the Whitehaus Family Record, a community of artists, musicians and poets in Jamaica Plain, celebrated the 40th anniversary of Woodstock with a three-day, 50-band festival. This year, they’re marking the anniversary with a one-night-only event on Friday, August 20, featuring a number of New England–based performers. The eclectic event includes Preggy Peggy and the Babymakers, the Ashcan Orchestra, and Providence-based artist Glenna Van Nostrand’s project Omnivore.

Weird stalk, too! is on Friday, August 20, from 8 p.m. to sunrise, at Temple Sound and Stage, 670 Centre St., Jamaica Plain.

Art Fridays
Art doesn’t have to stay on a gallery wall.

Art Fridays at Downtown Crossing is a juried show where art is hung and sold directly from artist to buyer.

Every Friday through October 1, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., artists fill Boston’s Summer Street with works of art, including paintings, handcrafted clay, blown glass, stained glass, wood, furniture, photography, wearable art, kids’ clothing, metal, handcrafted toys, and jewelry. Locally produced food is also available.

Musicians play from noon to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. Today, August 6, local outdoor performer Ken Freeman takes the stage at noon, and rock and classical violinist Clara Kebabian at 4. On August 13, Thea Hopkins will perform at noon, and on August 20, Keith Dickerhofe plays at noon.

The weekly event is sponsored by the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Downtown Crossing Partnership.

Kimberly Cornuelle can be reached at kcornuel@bu.edu; follow her on Twitter at @kcornuel.