Bringing an artistic angle to the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes was the “7 Artists & 7 Fishes” exhibition celebrating local artists and sustainable seafood at the brand new pop-up museum by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.
Held on December 6th at the Boston Harbor Pop-Up Museum, 226 Causeway Street, the “7 Artists & 7 Fishes” exhibition includes North End artist Robyn Reed’s environmental art installation Changing Course. It features fish made from painted plastic water bottles collected from the neighborhood and produced by participants in Save the Harbor’s free youth and beach programs to spark discussion about reducing the amount of plastic in the ocean.
The exhibition opening also featured a selection of seven sorts of sustainable, affordable, available and delicious seafood prepared by Chef Basil Freddura of the Daily Catch restaurant on Hanover Street that Save the Harbor suggests you include this year in your traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve.
This year Save the Harbor’s annual list of seven sustainable species to serve at the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve includes farmed oysters, mussels, shrimp and salmon raised in the USA, Gulf of Maine or Georges Bank haddock, black sea bass caught by hand line, rod and reel or fish pots, and northeast long fin squid – better known as calamari.
“The northeast longfin squid fishery is the big winner this year,” according to Save the Harbor’s spokesman Bruce Berman. “It is the first squid fishery in the world to be certified as sustainable and well managed. They reach market size quickly, are delicious, and appear to be one species that may actually benefit from the warmer ocean temperatures associated with climate change.”
In addition to Reed’s piece, the interactive exhibit includes rope sculptures from Alex Buchanan, paintings by Helen Kamins, drawings, sculpture and music by Justice McDaniel, intertidal art by Andres Amador, visual art by Olga Karyakina, and Boston Harbor Mural by Guillermo Erice.
“There is simply no better place to celebrate the sea and the “Feast of the Seven Fishes” than Boston’s North End,” said Save the Harbor’s Vice President of Operations & Programs Chris Mancini. “All of us at Save the Harbor would like to thank Robyn Reed and the artists who donated their time and work, Chef Basil Freddura and the Daily Catch, and our partners at Rockpoint Group and Rockhill Management for their enthusiastic support for this celebration of the sea and sustainable seafood.”
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit, public interest, Boston Harbor advocacy organization with 5,000 members and supporters whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, and the marine environment and share them with the public for everyone to enjoy. Each year Save the Harbor brings its free programs to 30,000 youth and teens on Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands and the region’s public beaches.
The new Boston Harbor Pop-Up brings the harbor, the islands and the beach to the heart of the city for everyone to enjoy. Kids of all ages can explore the harbor, create sand art, color murals, sing sea shanties, and pose for a selfie with a big striped bass. It also includes fish prints, photographs and videos created by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Youth Environmental Education program staff.
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Boston Harbor Pop-Up Museum is located at 226 Causeway Street, right next to Title Boxing Club, at the corner of North Washington Street. It is open daily from 10-4pm, and Sundays from 12-4pm.
For more information, or to arrange to bring your school or youth group to the museum, send an email to info@savetheharbor.org or call 617-451-2860.
