Is there a difference between art that is reassuring and art that is fluff? To answer that question, consider what Melinda Lopez has been occupying her time with during our age of social distancing.
Lopez, the artist in residence at the Huntington Theatre Company, has gravitated toward “comfortable, familiar things,” she said. But the things she’s been watching, reading and listening to also offer opportunities for introspection.
In search of introspection and inspiration? Lopez and the Huntington’s production of “MALA” is currently streaming for free via WGBH and the PBS app across all devices. Or check out the art Lopez has been consuming in the latest in our series on what local arts leaders are doing during quarantine.
The other White House
After the inauguration in 2017, Lopez started re-watching “The West Wing.”
“Even though the quality of the show diminishes after Rob Lowe leaves the cast in season four, the addition of Lily Tomlin almost makes up for his absence,” she said.
Now up to season six, she said, “The fictional presidency of Jed Bartlett, a New Hampshire Yankee played with scenery-chewing abandon by Martin Sheen, has made the last few years bearable. And it’s amazing how often the series coincides with real life: North Korea, Iran, Supreme Court nominations … I don’t think ‘The West Wing’ has an episode facing a global pandemic though. There are limits to what a television audience will believe.”
No puzzling over playlists
Lopez’s family has been doing a lot of puzzles — always a perfect opportunity to get lost in some music. Bored with playlists, she’s been spinning a different complete album every night. “Blondie’s ‘Parallel Lines’ and ‘Velvet Underground and Nico,’ were early favorites,” she said. “Last week, we got into Dylan and ‘Highway 61 Revisited.’ My daughter, home from college, surprised me by firing up Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ … But best of all, listening to the entire Bowie ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust.’ ”
Meditations over novels
Lopez says she couldn’t pick up a novel for months after 9/11. The same thing happened after her mother passed away. During this tough time, she has felt the same.
“Right now, my concentration is similarly fragmented,” she said. “But I keep a small book of meditations (Thich Nhat Hanh’s ‘How To Sit’) next to my bed. These short, guided meditations help me put aside my anxiety, fear and despair, and simply be into the moment. I read a few before bed. I breathe in. I notice I am breathing. And I breathe out.”
Find out about the Huntington’s Huntington@Home inviative at huntingtontheatre.org.
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Meditation, music key to Huntington artist’s lockdown life - Boston Herald
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