I want to thank everyone who helped make and/or joined us for the “Starting Over Festival” at Somerville’s Quincy Street Open Space today. The city’s tiniest urban wild served as the site of the Arbor Day and Earth Day festival that I organized with the Somerville Arts Council. The festival’s title is meant to evoke the new beginnings of spring as well as turning over a new leaf socially and politically.


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Planting a tree at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Planting a tree at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Planting a tree with City of Somerville Urban Forestry and Landscape Planner Vanessa Boukili at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Planting a tree with City of Somerville Urban Forestry and Landscape Planner Vanessa Boukili at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Planting a tree at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Planting a tree at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Worm found while planting a tree during the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Worm found while planting a tree during the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Planting a tree with City of Somerville Urban Forestry and Landscape Planner Vanessa Boukili (right) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Planting a tree with City of Somerville Urban Forestry and Landscape Planner Vanessa Boukili (right) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Eddy Toussaint Tontongi, a Haitian immigrant, read his poem responding to Donald Trump’s insults of his homeland at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Eddy Toussaint Tontongi, a Haitian immigrant, read his poem responding to Donald Trump’s insults of his homeland at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Eddy Toussaint Tontongi, a Haitian immigrant, read his poem responding to Donald Trump’s insults of his homeland at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Eddy Toussaint Tontongi, a Haitian immigrant, read his poem responding to Donald Trump’s insults of his homeland at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Eddy Toussaint Tontongi, a Haitian immigrant, read his poem responding to Donald Trump’s insults of his homeland at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Eddy Toussaint Tontongi, a Haitian immigrant, read his poem responding to Donald Trump’s insults of his homeland at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Spoken-word poet Marshall Gillson performs at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Spoken-word poet Marshall Gillson performs at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Jef C. Taylor (center in green hat) leads a nature walk at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Jef C. Taylor (center in green hat) leads a nature walk at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Jef C. Taylor (right) leads a nature walk at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Jef C. Taylor (right) leads a nature walk at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Jef C. Taylor found insects while leading a nature walk at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Jef C. Taylor found insects while leading a nature walk at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Jef C. Taylor (kneeling center) leads a nature walk at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Jef C. Taylor (kneeling center) leads a nature walk at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Andy Pepper installs his sculpture "Timber" at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Andy Pepper installs his sculpture “Timber” at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Visitors chat with Rajiv Raman (right), who designed a subway-style map of the park. (Greg Cook)
Visitors chat with Rajiv Raman (right), who designed a subway-style map of the park. (Greg Cook)
Festival co-organizer Nina Eichner helps paint mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Festival co-organizer Nina Eichner helps paint mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche (right) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche (right) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche (in red at right) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche (in red at right) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Painting mosaic-style animals designed by muralist Liz LaManche at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird mask made with artist Kari Percival (center) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird mask made with artist Kari Percival (center) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Making bird masks with artist Kari Percival (right) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Making bird masks with artist Kari Percival (right) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird costume made with artist Kari Percival at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird costume made with artist Kari Percival at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird mask made with artist Kari Percival at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird mask made with artist Kari Percival at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird costume made with artist Kari Percival at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird costume made with artist Kari Percival at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird costume made with artist Kari Percival at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird costume made with artist Kari Percival at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird mask made with artist Kari Percival at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Bird mask made with artist Kari Percival at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Cartoonist Ansis Purins (left) with his banner-mural (and Jennifer Aubin) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Cartoonist Ansis Purins (left) with his banner-mural (and Jennifer Aubin) at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Learning about worm-bin composting from Groundwork Somerville at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Learning about worm-bin composting from Groundwork Somerville at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Marshall Gillson (from left), Eddy Toussaint Tontongi and Greg Cook at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
Marshall Gillson (from left), Eddy Toussaint Tontongi and Greg Cook at the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
City of Somerville Urban Forestry and Landscape Planner Vanessa Boukili waters a newly planted tree at the end of the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
City of Somerville Urban Forestry and Landscape Planner Vanessa Boukili waters a newly planted tree at the end of the Starting Over Festival, Somerville, April 22, 2018. (Greg Cook)
"Starting Over Festival" poster by Kari Percival.
“Starting Over Festival” poster by Kari Percival.

Help Wonderland keep producing our great coverage of local arts, cultures and activisms (and our great festivals) by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon. And sign up for our free, weekly newsletter so that you don’t miss any of our reporting.