converted church on college ave?

[thenelenasays.livejournal.com]

does anyone know anything about the converted church on college ave with the giant stone face sculpture? is it some sort of monastery? just curious.

Comments

[zenala.livejournal.com]

I was inside there about 3 years ago during Open Studios. I believe it used to be a Masonic Temple, and now it has a lot of murals based on Slavic mythology. Worth a look if they're part of the schedule again.

[ron_newman]

It is a former Masonic temple, not a former church. The two Russian artists who now own it have filled it with their own fresco art. They have named it the Museum of Modern Renaissance. If you click on that link and wait for it to load, you can see what is inside.

The building is rarely open to the public but they do host concerts from time to time. If you send e-mail to shaplyko@comcast.net they will put you on their mailing list. Here's the most recent announcement I got from him:

-------------------------
MUSEUM OF MODERN RENAISSANCE

Introduces
The Modern Quartet

Presenting
Mother’s Day Concert
An Evening of World Music

Nune Hakobyan (piano)
Sylvie Zakarian (marimba)
Sargis Karapetyan (violin)
Andrei Sobchenko (alto saxophone)

Music by: Khachaturian, Maurice, Kolarov, Schubert, Mozart

Saturday, May 9, 2009
7 pm

Tickets sold at the door $20, $10 seniors/students,
« Free for children under 12 «

115 College Avenue, Somerville, MA 02144

[ron_newman]

Here are a couple of old posts about them, from when they exhibited at Somerville Open Studios in 2005 and 2006:

http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/515389.html
http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/284343.html

Unfortunately they weren't part of SOS last year, and I don't see them on this year's list either ;-(

[heliopsis.livejournal.com]

They weren't officially part of SOS last year, but they were open anyway. They might do the same this year.

[siderea]

Ooo! I want to see them again.

[alphacygni]

That place was incredible when I saw it at open studios a few years back. I just sat in there for the longest time, completely enraptured.

[fefie.livejournal.com]

Recent article about the artists:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/goodlife/good_looks/x599208603/-The-house-where-the-muses-live

[ron_newman]

Thanks for the link. If this article ever ran in the Somerville Journal, I missed it. Any idea what this 'Goodlife' magazine in Needham is?

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

From the interior photos, I'm disappointed I never got to see the inside when it was still being used as a Lodge