Looking for ‘Wow’ factor at Create Boston
Photographer Natasha Moustache has been shooting Boston’s party scene for 12 years, recently branching into fine art and portraits. The Palo Alto, California, native moved to the area to attend Simmons College, and she attributes her ability to stick around to covering the growing, evolving restaurant and nightlife scenes through her work.
“I’m constantly around people who appreciate art and food, so it’s been easier for me to be seen than if I weren’t connected,’’ she said. “If I weren’t doing these events I would be seeking out them to network with people on my own.’’
Chef Louis DiBiccari said he noticed the complications faced by the artist community—many of whom were leaving the Fort Point area as the neighborhood developed in 2002—in a city that doesn’t necessarily splatter its front pages with art. In addition to housing and studio space that had become sparse or expensive, the Tavern Road restaurateur noticed a clear disparity in the hype surrounding the producers in the art scene versus the food scene in Boston.
“We’ve found that there’s an incredible pool of artists to pull from in Boston that are doing, in a creative sense, above and beyond what any other chef is doing in this city, and they’re not usually in Boston magazine or the Improper, or getting an article written about their show,’’ he said. “But if a new restaurant is opening up, everyone wants to write about it and get it first.’’
While Boston’s booming restaurant scene has gained national traction, consideration of the city as an “art city’’ (despite being home to multiple highly regarded museums and a budding public art program) is still up for debate. It’s this conversation that has led DiBiccari to debut Create Boston, an immersive dining experience that pairs Boston-area chefs and bartenders with artists to create collaborative installations. It returns for its fourth year to Battery Wharf Hotel this Sunday.
“Create’s become a stage for young art using Louis’ influence in the restaurant industry,’’ said painter Kevin Stanton, who will also showcase his work at the event. “When there’s a new restaurant in town, you almost always see, ‘Look at this young new chef’ in the paper. So it’s nice of him to take some of these chefs that are in the spotlight and make it a shared platform for young artists to be seen.’’
Stanton graduated from MassArt in 2012, with a degree in fine art and painting, and he balances creative pursuits with bartending and odd jobs. He thinks Boston has “good room for improvement’’ when it comes to keeping art grads in the city, but he has seen a small influx in galleries and platforms to showcase independent artists from the area. However, whether these events are enough to cause the general public to take notice is another concern.
“You really have to be dialed into that scene,’’ said Moustache. “Personally, I don’t find out about things unless someone presents it to me, or I’m working it. You have to make an effort to search things out artistically, as opposed to other cities where it’s just out there. Chefs and mixologists are easier to find, but the other forms of artists are there, and it’s a matter of putting them at the forefront of conversation.’’
DiBiccari first brought Create—with 12 regional artists and chefs—to the Boston Center for Adult Education in 2012. The event has since outgrown its original venue and intertwined local musicians into the mix, which this year includes North Shore-based band Tigerman Woah! and hip-hop artist Moe Pope.
“Hopefully, in the long run, this will create a level playing field between artists and restaurateurs and show that creativity is creativity and art is art,’’ said DiBiccari. “All of these people have things in common, and they’re very unique in the way they use their skills and deserve recognition for it.’’
DiBiccari culled his artist talent from all genres, pairs them “instinctively’’ with their culinary counterparts, and hopes for the best. “Sometimes it works great, sometimes it works, but it’s not great, but they pull it off.’’
Since Create’s inception, DiBiccari says artists have reached out to him asking to become involved, and he chooses his participants across a range of mediums. This year’s event includes Moustache and Stanton, as well as visual artists Markus Sebastiano and Kenji Nakayama and sculpture collective, !ND!V!DUALS.
“We look for a ‘wow’ factor,’’ he said. “We call it the ‘holy shit factor.’ We don’t want you to move from one installation to another without thinking, ‘Wow. That’s something you won’t see at the MFA.’ We don’t want it to feel like a museum. We want artists who are cutting edge and modern in the sense that they’re creating art for themselves.’’
And while Create only comes once a year, its intent may be permeating the industry. Lennox-based Sebastiano said he has noticed a difference in the work commissioned by restaurateurs in the area.
“I can see a change in the fact that [restaurants] are now looking for something more original,’’ he said. “Opposed to the past when they just wanted anything that went with their palette.’’
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com