The Blog

Boston Public Library’s new Director of Strategic Partnerships, Ben Hires, has used his multifaceted background to embrace what it means to be an artist as citizen and looks forward toward a future of cross-collaboration.

Buying your first piece of original art can be intimidating. It’s a big commitment and can be a big moment of self-examination. Plus, the art world is a complex (and multi-billion dollar) industry. However, you don’t need to be buying and trading Picassos and Monets to be an “art collector.” All you need is space in your home and your heart for a piece and all the stories, joy, and pride at supporting an artist in their business that comes with it.

Peter DiMuro views art as a window into humanity. He believes art to be a great unifier meant to reach wide bodies of people and bring them together into a shared experience. A little while ago, I spoke to Maria Finkelmeier about the magic of bringing a large group of people together to experience the same thing at the same time. There’s an intimacy and magic in shared experiences. During these fractured times, it seems as if it is more important than ever to be open to sharing experiences and learning to find the commonalities that we all share as humans. In the wake of Anthony Bourdain’s death, let us be reminded that these bonds can be found in the most unexpected and simple of places to create new friendships and open dialogue.