Wednesday, Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Mark J. Stock, “a scientist, programmer, and artist who creates still and moving images combining elements of nature, physics, chaos, computation, and algorithm,” speaks about “Generative Art Using Computational Physics” as part of the Art Technology New England Salon Series at Boston Cyberarts Gallery, 141 Green St., Boston. Free.

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 12:15 p.m.
Artist Faiza Butt talks to Tom Bourdon, director of the Tufts LGBT Center, about “gender, politics and sexuality in contemporary Pakistan” at Tufts University, Alumnae Lounge, near 40 Talbot Ave.,
Medford, Massachusetts.

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 6 p.m.
Alison Saar speaks at MassArt’s Tower Auditorium, 621 Huntington Ave., Boston.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 12:30 p.m.
Artist Andrea Geyer speaks at the Museum of Fine Arts’ Alfond Auditorium, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 4 p.m.
Artist Faiza Butt speaks at Tufts University’s Aidekman Arts Center, 40 Talbot Ave.,
Medford, Massachusetts.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 4:15 p.m.
“Are Arts Relevant in a 21st Century World?,” a panel discussion with Jim Bildner, Carol Colette, Lawrence McGill and Dennis Scholl, Harvard’s Kennedy School, Taubman, NYE A, 5th floor, 79 JFK St., Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 6 p.m.
Larua Frahm presents “Gropius Stereoscopic Slide Performance,” a “mini-talk on the Bauhaus and the Carpenter Center,” at Harvard’s Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 6 p.m.
Artists Louise Lawler and Haim Steinbach, along with David Joselit and Helen Molesworth speak about the exhibit “This Will Have Been” at the ICA, 100 Northern Ave., Boston.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m.
Johan Cederlund, director of the Zorn Collections in Mora, Sweden, speaks about “Zorngården: Anders Zorn’s Artist Home” at the Gardner Museum, 280 the Fenway, Boston.

Thursday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m.
Artists Kristin Breiseth, Mark Stock and Laura Wulf speak about their show at 13 Forest Gallery, 167A Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, Massachusetts.

Monday, March 2, 7 p.m.
Reenactment of Boston Massacre at Old State House, State Street and Washington Street, Boston.

Sunday, March 3, 2 p.m.
Artist Stephen Prina speaks at the Institute of Contemporary Art, 100 Northern Ave., Boston.

Monday, March 4, 6 p.m.
“Life in the Art World: Life Magazine and Modern American Art” at the Nichols House Museum of the American Meteorological Society, 45 Beacon St., Boston.

Monday, March 4, 6:30 p.m.
“Designing an Institute for Performance” with Maria Abramovic and Shohei Shigematsu of OMA, NYC, at Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Monday, March 4, 6:30 p.m.
Photojournalist Ellen Shub, who “has been documenting women making history for 40 years,” discusses her work during an opening reception of her exhibit “Women Making History: Portraits and Protests, 1974-2013” at the Connolly Branch of the Boston Public Library, 433 Centre St., Jamaica Plain. Free. The exhibit runs from March 1 to 30, 2013.

Monday, Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m
Sprout holds a spaghetti dinner and discussion on the theme of “Trash” at 339R Summer St., Somerville, Massachusetts.

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 12:30 p.m.
Filmmaker Kevin Jerome Everson speaks at the Museum of Fine Arts’ Remis Auditorium, 465 Huntinton Ave., Boston.

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 1 p.m.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council presents its 2013 Commonwealth Awards at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 5 p.m.
Bruce Brown, Suzette McAvoy and Edgar Beem speak about the exhibit “Maine Women Pioneers III” at the University of New England Art Gallery, 716 Stevens Ave., Portland, Maine. Free.

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 12:15 p.m.
Performance artist Adina Bar-On speaks at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, room b-209, 230 The Fenway, Boston.

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m.
Museum of Fine Arts curator Eliot Bostwick Davis and Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists Director Edmund Barry Gaither speak about “Lois Mailou Jones as Pioneer and Friend” at the Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston.

Thursday, Feb. 21, 6 p.m.
Beatriz Colomina speaks on “Towards a Global Architect” at Harvard’s Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Friday, Feb. 22, 11:30 a.m.
Artist David Gatten speaks at Montserrat College of Art, 23 Essex St., Beverly, Massachusetts. Free.

Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23
“WinterFest” in Lowell, Massachusetts, includes “National Human Dogsled Competition.”

Monday, Feb. 25, 6 p.m.
Los Angeles artist and curator Young Chung speaks at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Room 112, Mission Hill Building, 160 Saint Alphonsus St., Boston.

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m.
French landscape designer Michel Desvigne speaks at Harvard Graduate School of Design, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 12:30 p.m.
Nayland Blake speaks at the Museum of Fine Arts’ Alfond Auditorium, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston.

Thursday, Feb. 12, 11:30 a.m.
Artist Justin Durrand speaks at Montserrat College of Art, 23 Essex St., Beverly, Massachusetts. Free.

Tuesday, Feb. 12, 4 to 6 p.m.
The Camden Philosophical Society meets at the Camden Public Library, 55 Main St., Camden, Maine, to discuss the writings of philosopher Lucian Krukowski and artist Robert Motherwell. The society’s monthly readings this year “are concentrating on philosophy and art in preparation for their 2013 conference on that theme.”

Saturday, Feb. 16, 11 a.m.
Photographers Tillman Crane, Alan Vlach, and Brenton Hamilton discuss “combining the latest in digital technologies with a variety of historic processes available during Winslow Homer’s lifetime to create original photographs” at the Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Portland, Maine.

Saturday, Feb. 16, 1 p.m.
Marc Tyler Nobleman speaks about his book “Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman” at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road, Amherst, Massachusetts.

Saturday, Feb. 16, 1 to 4 p.m.
Artist Daniel Cooney speaks about “The Business of Art: Careers in Comics” at the Norman Rockwell Museum, 9 Route 183, Stockbridge, Massachusetts. $25.

Sunday, Feb. 17, noon and 4 p.m.
The Somerville Arts Council’s “Copy Cat Festival” celebrates “the profound cultural contributions of cats” with cat videos—produced locally and globally—but also cat stories, cat limericks and a slideshow of local cats. At Arts at the Armory, 191 Higland Ave., Somerville, Massachusetts.

Sunday, Feb. 17, 3 p.m.
Pat Hills speaks with Danforth Museum Director Katherine French about artist John Wilson at the Danforth, 123 Union Ave., Framingham, Mass.

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 1 p.m.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council presents its 2013 Commonwealth Awards at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m.
Museum of Fine Arts curator Eliot Bostwick Davis and Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists Director Edmund Barry Gaither speak about “Lois Mailou Jones as Pioneer and Friend” at the Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston.

Unfortunately because MBTA train and bus service “remains suspended on all modes” today, we’re going to have to cancel this morning’s planned snow sculpting “Snow*ennial.” Much to our shame and regret. But the truth is we’d be unable to get there ourselves without public transit as Boston’s Dewey Square is rather far from from The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research’s New England headquarters in Malden. Sorry for any inconvenience. Stay warm and safe.

Update: We’ll have to postpone tomorrow’s snow sculpting “Snow-ennial” if MBTA public transit is not up and running Sunday morning. We contacted the MBTA to ask whether trains will be running tomorrow, and an MBTA spokesman told us right before 5 p.m.: “No decision has been made at this point, but you should not expect it.” We’ll check in with the MBTA early tomorrow morning and then confirm our plans with an announcement here. Stay warm, everyone.

In addition to our Snow-ennial planned for tomorrow, some other snowy events are going on this weekend around Boston.

Banditos Misteriosos, the folks behind annual giant pillow-fight, have invited folks to Somerville’s Seven Hills park today to build “lots and lots of snowmen … to fulfill our destiny: building a snowman army.” (Pre-event model pictured above.)

And some folks are trying to organize the “Biggest Snowball Fight in the World” at noon tomorrow on Boston Common.

And today Artisan’s Asylum got people together for “Post-snowstorm Playtime” in Somerville’s Union Square today.

CANCELLED: Update 8 a.m. Feb. 10: Unfortunately because MBTA train and bus service “remains suspended on all modes” today, we’re going to have to cancel this morning’s planned snow sculpting “Snow*ennial.” Much to our shame and regret. But the truth is we’d be unable to get there ourselves without public transit as Boston’s Dewey Square is rather far from from The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research’s New England headquarters in Malden. Sorry for any inconvenience. Stay warm and safe.

Update Feb. 9: We’ll have to postpone tomorrow’s snow sculpting event if MBTA public transit is not up and running Sunday morning. We contacted the MBTA to ask whether trains will be running tomorrow, and an MBTA spokesman told us right before 5 p.m.: “No decision has been made at this point, but you should not expect it.” We’ll check in with the MBTA early tomorrow morning and then confirm our plans.

Greg Cook and the rest of the staff at The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research
invite you to participate in the

SNOW-ENNIAL!

What is the Snow-ennial?
It’s a winter wonderland community art project. Join us in building snow sculptures on the Rose Kennedy Greenway park at Dewey Square in Boston on the morning of Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. It’s about adding surprise and delight to our (art) community.

How do I participate?
1. Assuming we all survive Snowmageddon, Sunday morning we’ll confirm at The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research whether The Snow-ennial will be taking place.
2. If it’s on, meet up near the giant Os Gemeos mural (pictured above) at Dewey Square, Atlantic Avenue at Summer Street, around 11 a.m. Feb. 10 to make snow sculptures. (You’re also welcome to come independently earlier or later.) Bring your friends. Bring your kids. Pass along this invite.
3. Your amazing snow sculpture designs are up to you. Impress your friends! Make something so awesome that the other snow-artists will be inspired to up their efforts in attempts to catch up to your genius. We recommend sculpting your snow creations along the Atlantic Avenue side of the park so that the snow masterpieces will be visible to passing traffic.
4. Join us for lunch (you must bring/buy your own) around noontime inside South Station.
5. Then more snow sculpting. If we’re not frozen.
6. E-mail us photos. We’ll post them at The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research to share that evening. Be sure to include your name, etc., so we can give proper credit.

How do I get there?
Dewey Square is conveniently located near South Station, which is served by the MBTA’s Red Line as well as commuter rail and coach bus.

Also
Please let us know if you’re thinking of coming. But come regardless.

Update: More snowy art events around Boston.

Our essay on the “Lewis Hine Project—Stories of the Lawrence Children” exhibit at Andover’s Phillips Academy:

The question was: Whatever happened to that girl?

Her name was Eva Tanguay. And she was a “doffer in [the] spinning room of Ayer mill,” according to social reformer Lewis Hine, who photographed her when he visited Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1911 to document child laborers there. “A half hour car ride in a crowded, stuffy car to and from work. Leaves home at 6 A.M. and returns at 6:30 P.M.”

“When you look at that photo and you look at her face, she’s 14 but she’s already worked at the mill over a year,” says University of Massachusetts-Lowell history professor Robert Forrant. “Her eyes look 40.”

From 1908 to ’24, Hine vividly photographed the working and living conditions of American kids to help turn public opinion against child labor as part of the National Child Labor Committee’s campaign to end the practice.

Read the rest here.

“Lewis Hine Project—Stories of the Lawrence Children,” Oliver Wendell Holmes Library, Phillips Academy, Church Street at Main Street, Andover, Massachusetts, through March 15, 2013. Historian Joe Manning and University of Massachusetts-Lowell history professor Robert Forrant speak about the project in the school’s Kemper Auditorium at 8 p.m. Feb. 6.

Pictured above: Mill worker Eva Tanguay photographed by social reformer Lewis Hine in Lawrence in 1911. Below she appears second from left with her family that same year in another Hine photo. Both images are in the collection of the Library of Congress.

From our review of “Midnight to the Boom: Painting in India after Independence” at Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum:

On midnight Aug. 15, 1947, after being under British control since the 18th century, India won its independence. In New Delhi, the government assembly cheered after the clock struck 12.

“India will awake to life and freedom,” Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed. He called for “ending of poverty, ignorance, disease and inequality of opportunity.”

It was a heady moment of promise, but already the division of the subcontinent into mainly Hindu India and Moslem-majority Pakistan had sparked fighting and mass migrations that would leave some 500,000 to 1 million dead. Including Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of nonviolent protests against British rule in the 1920s that grew into the independence movement. He was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist on Jan. 30, 1948.

“Midnight to the Boom: Painting in India after Independence” at the Peabody Essex Museum assembles nearly 70 works by 23 artists to survey the nation’s creativity from 1947 to the country’s economic boom in the 1990s. Drawing on the 1,200-works in the museum’s Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection of modern Indian art, which the museum calls the “foremost public collection of Modernist Indian art outside that country,” the exhibit aims to show how Indian artists, finally free of British colonial rule, began to redefine what it meant to be Indian.

Read the rest here.

“Midnight to the Boom: Painting in India after Independence” at the Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem, Massachusetts, Feb. 2 to April 21, 2013.

Pictured at top: Ranbir Singh Kaleka, “Family – 1,” 1983, oil on canvas. Pictured below: Bhupen Khakhar, “First Day in New York,” 1983, oil on canvas. Images courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum.

Tuesday, Feb. 5, 11:30 a.m.
Artist Zsuzsanna Szegedi speaks at Montserrat College of Art, 23 Essex St., Beverly, Massachusetts. Free.

Thursday, Feb. 7, 5:30 p.m.
Artist Amalia Pica speaks with MIT List Visual Arts Center curator João Ribas at MIT’s Bartos Theatre, 20 Ames St., Cambridge, Mass. Free.

Thursday, Feb. 7, 4 to 7 p.m.
Fitchburg Art Museum, 25 Merriam Parkway, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, holds a free open house to introduce its new director Nick Capasso.

Saturday, Feb. 9, 1 p.m.
Children’s book authors authors Jarrett J. Krosoczka and Jef Czekaj team up for “a performance that combines punk music, drawing and rapping into one epic book reading” at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road, Amherst, Massachusetts.

Sunday, Feb. 10, 1 p.m.
Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, creators of the book “Extra Yarn,” talk at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road, Amherst, Massachusetts.

Sunday, Feb. 10, 3 p.m.
Artist Deborah Bright speaks at the Institute of Contemporary Art, 100 Northern Ave., Boston.

Monday, Feb. 11, 6 p.m.
“The Artists Loop Review” meets with Marina Darlow, founder of Vision Framework, to talk about “organization skills for artists and non-artists” at Rochambeau Library, 708 Hope St., Providence. Free.

Monday, Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m.
Joe Gallo, author of “Boston Bronze & Stone Speak to Us,” a guide to the city’s public art, speaks at Boston’s Adams Street Library.

Thursday, Feb. 12, 11:30 a.m.
Artist Justin Durrand speaks at Montserrat College of Art, 23 Essex St., Beverly, Massachusetts. Free.

In the summer of 1901, a Mr. Richard was apprehended for stealing art in France. Authorities found in his possession a number of pieces taken a month earlier, on July 3, from (what is now known as) the Musée de la Chartreuse in Douai.

But they didn’t find the museum’s small ancient Roman bronze of a nude, young man dubbed “Antinoüs,” despite Mr. Richard including the 6-inch figure on “a list of the objects he had removed,” according to the institution.

And so it stood, until last spring when Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts received “a routine request” from a Belgian museum to borrow its Roman statuette of “Mercury” (pictured above) dating to the first or second century A.D.

Read the rest here.