Organized in collaboration with "Elevating Arlington's Voices of Color", an archive collecting and preserving the experiences and perspective of people of color living (or having lived) or working in Arlington. Too often community members of color are spoken for or about; the purpose of this project is to restore the power of sharing one’s own narrative. An acute observer and master storyteller, poet Charles Coe is also an engaging teacher who has worked with people all of all ages. For any person of color considering a contribution to the archive, join an interactive workshop providing inspiration and coaching. Conducted in collaboration with Robbins Library and Arlington's Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  Limited to 12 participants, ages 16 and up.

Members of ArtLinks Arlington were given the unique opportunity to collaborate with Arlington’s Poet Laureate, Steven Ratiner. Steven shared several of his poems and invited the ArtLinks community to create works in response.

Jillian Harvey, Town of Arlington’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director, hosts a conversation with Margaret Credle Thomas, Director of the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) Program in Arlington. Thomas has led the program for the past 8 years and has gained significant insight into the experiences of students of color in town. Thomas and Harvey will discuss the history of the METCO program, its impact in Arlington, and Thomas’ unique role in leading the program and supporting students of color, as well  as the experiences Boston-resident students face navigating the challenges and concept of belonging to a community--as an outsider.

Join us for a month of programs and events focusing on race and identity supporting the 2021 Arlington Reads Together book pick, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum.  The Robbins Library Queer Book Group/Social is proud to host a panel discussion where LGBTQ+ people of color will share  personal stories exploring the intersections of their identities. SpeakOUT Boston tells the stories of LGBTQ+ lives to raise awareness and create safer spaces for LGBTQ+ people by opening up a dialogue with its audiences.   Support for this program comes  from Arlington’s Rainbow Commission.

Celebrate the end of a long winter and travel the world from your living room at the 12th Annual Ciclismo Classico Bike Travel Film Festival.  Our collection of bicycle travel films will warm you up and give you some perfect motivation for getting out on your bicycle this spring!  While COVID-19 keeps us from enjoying the films together in person, we’re excited to make our festival accessible to adventure-lovers anywhere in the world.

Live Stream: March 18, 2021, 7:00 EDT (festival access is available for 72 hours after the event concludes)
Tickets: $15-$20
Ticket Sales: www.regenttheatre.com
A portion of the proceeds will go to the Adventure Cycling Association

Presented by Ciclismo Classico and the Regent Theatre, the 12th Annual Ciclismo Classico Bike Travel Film Festival is a celebration of travel and human-powered adventure on wheels, and it is the only event of its type in the world.

There is truly something for everyone at our festival, and you don’t need to be a cyclist to enjoy these tales of adventure! 

Join “The Mads” from Mystery Science Theater 3000, Frank Conniff (TV’s Frank) and Trace Beaulieu (Dr. Clayton Forrester and Crow from Seasons 0-7), as they screen some of the worst movies ever made and live “riff” them in the same style as the Peabody Award-winning TV series. The Mads will be happy to meet, greet and sign autographs before and after the show.

NOTE: Due to language, this performance would be considered PG-13.

Hear from two of the Boston area's most thought provoking practitioners -- Michelle Lougee and Samantha Fields -- joined by Charlotte Milan, Recycling Coordinator for the Town of Arlington.

While serving as ArtsArlington's 2020 Artist-in-Residence, Michelle Lougee led hundreds of volunteers in transforming thousands of plastic bags into sculpture warning of the deadly effects of plastic in the world's oceans. Entitled Persistence, the installation is on view on the Minuteman Bikeway through October. Lougee's exhibition of recent work incorporating discarded plastic packaging is on view at the Boston Sculptors Gallery through March 28.

In 2019, Now+There Accelerator Artist Samantha Fields created Desires Not Even Our Own, a storefront where she and her team meticulously disassembled one ton of used clothing. Fields created a welcoming space with lush plants, recycled furniture, antique sewing machines, and bold infographics to tackle issues of fast fashion and the devastating environmental impact of the textile industry at home and abroad.

Charlotte Milan will bring a policy perspective to the discussion and speak about the innovative ways Arlington is working to reduce waste. This event is co-sponsored by the Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture, the Public Arlington Library – which hosted Michelle Lougee's residency at the Fox Branch – Sustainable Arlington, Zero Waste Arlington and the Boston Sculptors Gallery, and is moderated by Cecily Miller, Public Art Curator for the Arlington Commission for Art and Culture.

Join Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum for a moderated discussion on race and racism based on her book, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria.  Borrow a copy of this year’s community book choice by stopping by the Robbins Library lobby during drop-in pick-up hours.   Support for this program comes from the Arlington Libraries Foundation and the Arlington Education Foundation.

Tim Hall brings you Trust The Process - performance about creative expression, self love, and artistic exploration. Tim Hall is an award winning musician and performance poet from Detroit, MI, now residing in Boston. His poetry draws inspiration from his lived experiences - charting the nuances of blackness, masculinity, and the beauties of life. He’s an Assistant Professor in the Professional Music Department at Berklee College of Music, won Session Musician of the Year by the Boston Music Awards 2020, received a 2019 Artist Luminary Award from local youth arts non-profit Zumix, and was honored by WBUR’s Artery 25 as 1 of 25 millennials of color impacting Arts and Culture in Boston. Hall’s virtual performance will be followed by a live Q&A.  

The 25th Anniversary performance of "On A Winter's Night" brings five of the brightest stars in the singer/songwriter movement for the past three decades together again and for the first time at Arlington's Showplace of Entertainment, Christine Lavin, John Gorka, Patty Larkin, Cheryl Wheeler, and Cliff Eberhardt will appear for this one-night-only concert that you cannot miss!