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History 9: Jamaica Pond and Olmsted Park
By: Katie Koenig Jamaica Pond Jamaica Pond was initially a kettle hole, which is a term for a body of water that was formed by glaciers. In Boston, a slab of ice buried under other sediment remained when the glaciers retreated. The slab of ice formed a depression in the ground, creating the pond. This…
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History 8: Riverway
By Katie Koenig The Riverway is the last location in the Emerald Necklace in this article series. It is right in the middle of this chain of parks, connecting Olmsted Park and Jamaica Pond with the Back Bay Fens. It follows the snaking path of the Muddy River, surrounded by vegetation, in order to complete…
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Museum 7: Black Heritage Trail
By Katie Koenig If you’ve spent some time in Boston, you have probably already crossed paths with the Black Heritage Trail! It circles between the State House and the Charles/MGH stop on the red line, centered on Beacon Hill. The Black Heritage Trail is displayed in a different color on the same maps as the…
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Halloween Costume Swap
By Katie Koenig Emerson has a large Halloweekend culture, and many of us feel the drive to come up with different costumes for each party. Last Halloween was especially big, with people dressing up for both the weekend before and the weekend after Halloween itself, which lands on a Thursday. Although fun, having several costumes…
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Teach-In: Writing as Activism
By: Katie Koenig On Friday, six speakers, from WLP faculty to Emerson MFA candidates, led by Christine Casson, a WLP assistant professor, hosted the Environment & Sustainability Writer’s Panel: Create/Communicate/Convince. This Writer’s Panel exemplified the Teach-In as a whole—a diverse panel of perspectives on how different people in different positions bring sustainability into their work…
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Teach-In: 2024 Retrospective
By: Katie Koenig Thanks to everyone who participated in the Teach-In on Sustainability this year! Emerson hosted it from November 20th to the 22nd. Thanks to all the faculty, alumni, and guests who presented, we got a glimpse at how the Emerson community is examining sustainability in different ways. We were lucky to have Boaz…
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History 7: The Back Bay Fens and Charlesgate
By Katie Koenig The Back Bay Fens In my last post, I covered the inland end of the Emerald Necklace. This time, I’ll explain the Back Bay Fens and Charlesgate, jumping back towards the Charles River. The Back Bay Fens is a 100-acre park located in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood. The area hosts a myriad of…
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Museum 5: Harvard Museum of Natural History
By Katie Koenig The Harvard Museum of Natural History is a medium-sized museum, comfortably larger than the Institute of Contemporary Art, but much smaller than the behemoth that is the Museum of Fine Art. It’s just one floor, but there are many sprawling rooms with different exhibitions. The museum typically hosts a few different special…
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Teach-In: Self-Care with Fresh Air
By Katie Koenig On Friday, November 22nd at 1 pm, Senior Executive-in-Residence Brenna McCormick is hosting a workshop called “Sustain Your Brain! Care for Your Creativity” as part of the Teach In On Sustainability. Our current climate challenges are best confronted by thinking outside of the box. Creative problem-solving and communication are at the heart…
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History 6: Arnold Arboretum and Arborway
By Katie Koenig Arnold Arboretum The Arnold Arboretum has a slightly different history compared to some of Boston’s best known parks. Instead of the city, Harvard University established it as part of their campus in 1872. Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Sprague Sargent, the first director of the Arboretum, co-designed and constructed the park over…
