2018 was an amazing year for the arts in Greater Boston. There were so many cool projects, exciting public commissions, new arts venues, and significant exhibitions and performances that showcased artists and ideas overdue for critical acclaim.
We feel inspired and proud to be a part of such a vibrant arts community, and want to celebrate the artists and institutions who represent the best of Greater Boston's creative ecosystem. So, we decided to hand out some awards...
This year's HUBweek Art Awards will recognize 39 projects in 10 categories, from innovative art spaces to provocative performance art to fresh new murals. Nominated and voted on by the Greater Boston arts community, the nominees showcase the vibrancy of this region. Stay tuned for the announcement of this year's winners on February 25, 2019!
Get to know the nominees for Art in Motion below, and see all nominees here.
ANIKAYA Dance Theater, The Conference of the Birds, Boston Center for the Arts
Through the contemporary elements of video projection, original sound score, and an ensemble of dancers from across the globe, ANIKAYA Dance Theater invites you to experience an ancient tale about the soul’s search for meaning. Inspired by the Persian literary masterpiece The Conference of the Birds, this world premiere shares stories of modern epic journeys collected from members of local Muslim, immigrant, refugee and dance communities in a magnificent allegory about the human spirit and the quest for the divine. A global work incubated and developed in Boston, The Conference of the Birds is a major original movement theater piece commissioned by Boston Center for the Arts.
Boston Dance Theatre, ICA Boston
Under the co–artistic direction of Jessie Jeanne Stinnett and award-winning Israeli choreographer Itzik Galili, Boston Dance Theater (BDT) is a Boston-based contemporary dance company committed to presenting relevant works by acclaimed choreographers. BDT showcases the talents of Boston-based dancers and has performed the Boston premieres of works by Itzik Galili, Sidra Bell, and Yin Yue.
Abby Z and the New Utility, abandoned playground, ICA Boston
In Abby Zbikowski’s abandoned playground, nine dancers rip through the theater performing complex sequences of hyper-physical dance that push them to the brink of their capabilities and endurance. In this evening length work, Zbikowski highlights each dancer’s unique strengths and forges an intense ensemble connection through vocalizations and the channeling of communal energy. Performing such extreme and virtuosic movement at a relentless pace, the dancers invigorate and push each other to overcome their physical and mental exhaustion.
