>> Our client isn't the art.

It's the people and the community that we serve.

>> BOWEN: I'm Jared Bowen, coming up on Open Studio: closed for COVID.

The story of how the Fitchburg Art Museum shut its doors, but became a factory for good.

Then, the director of the Worcester Art Museum on the beauty of the kimono and museums surviving these trying times.

>> It's not only that the kimono was inspired by the print, but also the print inspired the kimono.

>> BOWEN: And a noteworthy music ensemble.

>> The Bach Society of Dayton is really all about choral excellence and bringing that to the local community.

And I also think it's about being able to create collaborations.

>> BOWEN: It's all now on Open Studio.

♪ ♪ With alarming infection rates bearing down on its city, the Fitchburg Art Museum remained closed for a lot of the pandemic.

But all the while, it remained open to a community in crisis.

Which is what we found as we recently met with museum staff and volunteers bagging up food for those in need.

Months into its second closure during the pandemic, the Fitchburg Art Museum's galleries are still, but this studio is humming.

(objects rustling) Right now, the museum is less about pictures on walls than picturing how it can serve the community with regular food distribution.

What's going into the bags this week?

>> It's a combination of food products, some personal care products.

This week, we're doing breakfast, because we haven't done that in the past.

>> BOWEN: Since December, the museum, under the guise of Fitchburg Families First, has partnered with six of the city's community organizations for biweekly distribution days-- handing out bags on Saturday mornings to anyone in need, says Laura Howick.

>> When I get here at 8:00 to unlock, there is already a line of cars down the street waiting.

And we publish that we don't really start until 9:00.

>> BOWEN: Volunteers have now handed out well over 1,500 bags-- each one also featuring an art project, like this weaving lesson that threads its way back to the museum's collection.

>> We all need bread, but we also need roses.

And, you know, as an art museum, we really want to support and encourage creativity, especially with kids.

>> Our client isn't the art.

It's the people and the community that we serve.

>> BOWEN: Nick Capasso is director of the Fitchburg Art Museum.

He voluntarily closed the facility for a second time in November, when the city's COVID positivity rate spiked to 11%.

But sitting in an empty museum didn't make sense-- especially given what was happening just outside its doors.

>> The poverty rate here is higher than most of Massachusetts.

The education rate is lower than most of Massachusetts.

The unemployment rate is about 30%.

And that's a crisis.

>> BOWEN: One that could benefit from deep pockets.

Enter the Cathedral Fund, a private foundation that has bankrolled a lot of the museum's programming.

After Capasso explained that the museum's early pandemic efforts focused on art programming and relief, the fund's director gave him his marching orders.

>> (laughing): She looked at me and she said, "Kids can't eat crayons."

And she challenged me.

She said, "You go back to Fitchburg and you find out "what kids in the public schools need the most and you develop a program to address that."

>> They are struggling a lot.

I think the families needs the food support.

>> BOWEN: Luisa Fernandez is a community organizer and advocate in the public schools who's helped guide the museum's distribution efforts.

Growing up in Venezuela, she never went to the local museum, she says.

But Fitchburg is another story.

>> Everybody knows here where the museum is.

And, and that the museum is supporting this event and is putting all this energy means a lot for the community.

>> BOWEN: For years, Fitchburg has been chasing revitalization, trying to return to a mid-20th-century heyday, when Main Street pulsed.

Today, that pulse is anemic.

But Capasso believes, just as the museum and the arts stepped up during COVID, it can be a beacon for the city's economic future.

>> It's this museum and this community that... are my job... to fix, rejuvenate, make interesting for people.

The people who live here and the people who come here.

>> BOWEN: The museum is behind an effort to transform three abandoned buildings across the street into a campus of 68 artist's studios and apartments-- now in the pipeline for state funding.

Around the corner on Main Street, Fitchburg State University recently purchased this long-shuttered 1920s vaudeville theater and has already begun rehabbing it.

And giving all that a boost, after a $23-and-a-half million renovation, the city just moved back into its own City Hall-- having vacated it nine years ago for safety issues.

>> The bones of the city are great, and we're finally getting to the point where we're able-- economically, and because of these partnerships, and because of all working together-- to be able to hang some flesh on these bones.

>> BOWEN: Although that is a refrain I've heard before.

Nine years ago, in fact, in another story about Fitchburg's hoped-for revitalization.

The new restaurant I profiled then as a sign of economic ingenuity?

It's long gone.

Although this time, with arts at the helm, it feels different.

>> I have a lot of optimism.

>> BOWEN: And you're not somebody who would just give me the PR spin, I know that about you.

>> Oh, no, no, I would not.

(both laughing) Look, I've devoted eight years of my life to this vision.

You know, not just for the museum, because what we all understand is, here and at the university, is that if the city doesn't thrive, we're toast.

♪ ♪ >> BOWEN: Next, in the U.S., brides who want a show-stopping wedding dress often turn to designer Vera Wang.

In Japan, they've shopped kimono designer Chiso for centuries.

A new exhibition at the Worcester Art Museum features a specially commissioned Chiso wedding kimono inspired by the city.

Museum director Matthias Waschek sat down with me in a conversation that ranged from kimono couture to how museums will survive the shutdown.

Matthias Waschek, thank you so much for being here in our socially distanced studio.

We appreciate it.

>> Thank you for having me.

>> BOWEN: Well, you have, you're having a kimono moment at the Worcester Art Museum.

First of all, I didn't realize that it has been so kind of fundamentally the same in form for centuries.

But we see these, these great artisans who give us these beautiful pieces that we see today in print and then in person.

What is it about the kimono that has kept audiences and wearers rapt for all of these centuries?

>> So, in Japan, it's a different thing than in Western countries.

I think the fascination with Japan always goes hand in hand with the fascination of the kimono.

Whereas in Japan, I have the impression that for Japanese, it's, it's part of their roots, because it is such a long, uninterrupted tradition.

>> BOWEN: Well, I was also struck to read that here we think we have these celebrities today who are the influencers.

They dictate so much of what society does and looks like.

But this was the same for kimono, as well?

>> They had their Kim Kardashians, absolutely.

(laughing) So it was actors who were trendsetters.

So, like today.

As well as courtesans, which is the polite word for prostitutes.

Which is so interesting.

You know, we would have never thought that... (laughs) >> BOWEN: They were a little more advanced, I would say.

>> Yeah.

(both laughing) And then fashion shifted when these red light districts were less, less popular.

But for the period when these districts were, were very, were flourishing, everybody was looking there for fashion inspiration, which is fascinating.

>> BOWEN: I guess people sift through social media now to get their, their cues, their fashion cues.

But, but you're showing us, at the Worcester Art Museum, how this was done through prints, is that right?

That's how a lot of notions about kimono and how they look, how they were created, were manifested?

>> They depicted Kabuki actors.

The clothes that they were wearing, the kimonos that they were wearing, became then, due to those prints, knowledgeable to, to everyone, even those who hadn't seen the plays.

And people tried to have a kimono like actor so-and-so.

It's not only that the kimono was inspired by the print, but also the print inspired the kimono.

Because when you know that you can, if you follow certain aesthetic concepts, get onto a print, it'll be another incentive to do so.

And they may have even thought, what in our, in that outfit, in that ornamentation, renders the best in a print?

And maybe just a little, little side to that, when you think the New Look, for instance, in the 1950s and '60s, Coco Chanel, that went along with black-and-white photography.

And so you always have this interaction between the media that promotes and what is promoted.

>> BOWEN: Well, perfect segue into the process that happened for the kimono that you have by one of Japan's most pre-eminent-- or I guess they are the...

They're high atop the kimono manufacturers, and have been for centuries, Chiso, which-- you mentioned Chanel-- is probably the equivalent, I would argue, in the, in the kimono world in terms of brand recognition, name, artistry.

How did that come to be and how did it come to look like what we see?

>> Chiso, just imagine, exists uninterrupted in family ownership since the 1500s.

The mid-1500s.

And they were, specialized in temple garbs, and then, as time went on, worked on kimonos.

And so that's the, the historical part.

They produce per year, just imagine that, something like 25 kimonos only.

>> BOWEN: And you have one in Worcester!

>> And we have one in Worcester.

Their designer came over.

He had done quite some homework on Worcester, as well, which was wonderful, to see that somebody in Japan looks at New England and at Worcester, at the heart of the commonwealth.

It has the maple leaf, stylized maple leaves, and...

Which he associated specifically with Worcester, New England.

And then he also proposed to use seven techniques, as in the seven hills of Worcester.

And Worcester, like Rome, is on seven hills, as we all know-- Rome must have copied us.

So these two connections to our city are represented in that kimono.

>> BOWEN: Well, it's fabulous to be able to see it here in Massachusetts and in Worcester.

So thank you for bringing it to us.

To switch gears a little bit, as museum director, you've had to navigate these waters, uncharted waters, to use every-- I could conjure every cliché.

I don't need to throw them at you, you know it well.

Well, for just starters, how is the Worcester Art Museum doing?

>> So we are doing comparatively well.

To say we are doing well, just as a, as an isolated statement, wouldn't, wouldn't be exact.

And the reason why-- there are two reasons in my mind why we are doing comparatively well.

Number one is that we are much less dependent on earned revenue as other museums are.

>> BOWEN: So earned revenue is ticket prices, retail, that kind of thing.

>> Exactly.

But the very big museums probably have up to 50% of their revenue is, is from, is earned-- tickets and so on.

In our case, it's a much lower percentage, because we are not in a tourist center.

So it's, it's...

It's 20%.

>> BOWEN: How different will the museum-going experience be?

Will it, will it be vastly different going forward, do you think?

>> So we know that we are going to wear face masks for a little bit longer than we had initially hoped.

Many enjoy joining groups for docent-led tours.

That won't be possible any time soon.

>> BOWEN: I don't know that you're doing this at the Worcester Art Museum, but there is a big debate that's been surfacing over the last year about museums deaccessioning, museums selling artwork for a couple of different reasons.

One, to shore up their finances.

But also some museums are arguing they need to do it in order to be able to buy new work by artists of color, and it's the only way they can diversify their collection.

How do you look at this debate?

Because it's very polarizing.

People don't want to see art walk out the door, because so often, it can go into private hands and never be seen publicly again.

>> First of all, the guidelines of the American Association of Museum Directors that, have been relaxed.

Normally, you only sell art to buy art of the same kind.

The very moment you want to generate money, you need to get closer to the crown jewels when you sell them, and there...

There things can get dicey.

You have museums like the Met that has a gigantic collection that they don't show.

So their interest in deaccessioning has to be seen differently from a place like the Worcester Art Museum, where a lot of the works that we have in our basement, we need those to rotate when we give works on loan.

And then there's the question of deaccessioning works to buy works that... That support diversity or promote diversity.

And that, again, you have to be very careful, because the situations are different.

As a European, everything that is European art represents people that look like me.

When you come from Asia, most museums have Asian collections.

So there is a little bit of a connection there.

For African Americans, it's very difficult when they go to museums to see people "like them."

And we heard that very often from visitors that'd say, "But I don't see myself in the, in the museum."

And so we are trying to, to address that.

>> BOWEN: Well, it's... And it's a, it's great to hear that you don't have to deaccession, because I know it's...

The intent is pure, but it's also something that cannot be undone, obviously, especially when it goes into private hands.

Thank you for your insight there, Matthias Waschek.

Thank you so much for being with us.

>> Thank you for having me.

♪ ♪ >> BOWEN: How does your garden grow?

We find out in Arts This Week.

♪ ♪ Ahoy!

On Sunday, visit the Peabody Essex Museum to see Alexis Rockman's oil and watercolor paintings of historic shipwrecks.

They serve as a reminder of migration and the effect it's had on Earth.

Suffolk University Gallery's Poetic Botany: Artists and Plants is a virtual exhibition exploring contemporary artists' passion for the natural world and the connection between science and art that's existed for centuries.

See it Monday.

Now that the I.C.A.

has re-opened, experience Eva LeWitt's hanging wall sculpture Tuesday.

The towering piece, made of vibrant mesh fabric, features a series of overlapping circular shapes.

(playing Handel's Messiah) 206 years ago Wednesday, Handel and Haydn Society of Boston was founded.

Its first concert, in 1815, featured a performance of the "Hallelujah" chorus from Handel's Messiah.

H&H is now the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the country.

(jazz music playing) Sign on for a concert by jazz bassist Christian McBride and his new quartet on Friday.

Stay for a live talkback with the six-time Grammy winner following the premiere.

(jazz continues) Next, we move to Ohio, where the Bach Society of Dayton honors seven centuries of music, from classical to contemporary.

Yes, Bach and Beyoncé and John Legend all have a place among this group of volunteer singers.

(various instruments playing scales) (instruments continue scales and warm-ups) >> And I think a lot of people will tell you, "Bach's not my thing," or, "Classical music isn't really my thing."

>> Okay, here we go, begin.

>> We want to challenge those assumptions.

(performing Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden by Bach) (chorus singing) This is music that was written for kings, for royalty.

Come and listen to some of the greatest music ever written, and maybe what you find is something that really you needed, that you didn't know you were missing.

(chorus continues) The Bach Society is kind of a unique organization.

It is made up of entirely volunteer singers, but we pride ourselves on singing at a professional level.

We come from, literally from all walks of life, and I like to think that we're filling a niche in the Dayton area that isn't already filled in terms of classical music.

>> The Bach Society of Dayton is really all about choral excellence and bringing that to the local community, and I also think it's about being able to create collaborations with other groups within the community.

>> The mission of the Bach Society of Dayton is to perform and promote the appreciation of choral music, both sacred and secular, and to nurture the next generation of choral singers.

>> I think no matter what age you are, we all love music.

The main criteria for anybody is just if you want to sing.

I didn't ever feel any sort of pressure or any sort of, um, constraint because I was younger.

It was just, I wanted to sing just like the person next to me, who might have been older than me, or not.

All sorts of people are members of the choir.

>> ♪ Ewigkeit ♪ (music stops) >> It is not only Bach-- we perform a lot of Bach, but we also perform music of Mozart and Haydn and Handel, folk songs, spirituals, some a cappella.

We also want to provide variety in our concerts, and so we do collaborations.

We bring in dancers.

We bring in choirs of young singers, brass groups.

(performing Shostakovich's Concertino in a minor, op.

94) >> Other cities and countries do have their own Bach societies, and they're all just a little bit different, but we're all, again, a little bit alike.

We all kind of have a common thread about choral excellence and this beautiful music and keeping it alive through the generations.

>> Johann Sebastian Bach is probably the greatest composer.

Now, I'm gonna get a lot of pushback on that, but his music is timeless.

>> His music is so compelling and he was so inventive.

Sure, you can say, "Okay, Mozart was the next generation, and he looked to Bach as an inspiration."

But every musician since then has drawn on Bach's techniques, his instrumentation, his use of harmonies and counterpoint-- those are all found in Western music ever since.

You'll find those influences through jazz, hip-hop, heavy metal music.

If you talk to real musicians in those genres, a lot of them have actually been inspired by Bach's works, because they're so methodical and reliable and so very vital.

>> ♪ Alleluja ♪ (music stops) (applause) Four times a year, we'll have concerts at the Kettering Adventist Church.

Not everybody can make it to a concert, so we try to do a little bit of outreach.

>> Tonight's anthem is being performed by the Bach Society of Dayton.

>> ♪ Oh, say can you see ♪ ♪ By the dawn's early light ♪ >> One of the projects that we started a couple of years ago is called Sing Dayton!

(bell chiming) We'll go to a small venue.

The idea is to bring people from the community to come and enjoy socializing and singing.

There's zero requirement that you know how to sing, that you know how to read music.

>> ♪ What would I do without your smart mouth?

♪ >> And we're not doing lofty music.

We'll do pop songs, and we'll sing for a little bit, and then we'll take a break and have a beer together.

I think it's really special, and I think it really taps into a need.

And not everybody can be a Beyoncé.

And not everybody can sing the high notes with Aerosmith.

But certainly, not everybody is accustomed to singing Bach, either.

We just want people singing-- a joyful, soulful activity.

>> ♪ All right ♪ ♪ My head's underwater ♪ ♪ But I'm breathing fine ♪ >> I was in Bach Society during my gap year.

I loved getting to experience all sorts of new music.

I don't think St. Matthew's Passion was necessarily on my Spotify playlist, but singing it made me love it all the more.

>> ♪ All of you ♪ ♪ Loves your curves and all your edges ♪ ♪ All your perfect... ♪ >> ♪ In excelsis ♪ >> I love music that I've never sung before and struggling with it and learning it and rehearsing it, and then all of a sudden, this amazing thing happens.

I don't know how it happens in your brain, but then your brain just figures it out.

Especially stuff where we're singing in a different language, and it's really challenging with pitch, and really challenging with rhythm, and then all of a sudden, it just comes together into this beautiful masterpiece.

And when that happens, that moment, that is, that's the thing I love the best.

>> ♪ Secundum Scripturas ascendit in coelum ♪ ♪ Sedet ad dexteram Patris ♪ >> It is amazing, it's thrilling, it's satisfying.

I don't know that you can really get that anywhere else, you know, coming together as a group, all of us from different walks of life, different occupations, and we work really hard, and then there we are.

And then you create this beautiful thing, and the audience is just-- you can tell we're moving them.

It's, there's just nothing like it.

It's just indescribably wonderful.

And you may not know Latin, you may not know German, you may not know the piece, but I said, "You are just really gonna be blown away by this."

>> Just give us a try.

Just come.

Come one time, and you'll be hooked.

You'll want to come back.

(music ends) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> BOWEN: And before we leave you now, we take a moment to catch our breath by way of artist Zarah Hussain.

For an installation commissioned by the Peabody Essex Museum, the British artist considered what the sanctity of breathing represents-- especially now.

As you'll see here in works that invoke the calming clarity of meditation through simple geometric forms, relaxing sounds, and animation.

(serene music playing) (people speaking softly) ♪ ♪ (people speaking softly) I could have spent hours in that space.

Well, that is all for this edition of Open Studio.

Next week: do you believe in magic?

You will, after we gain admission to The Conjurer's Club.

And Russian art-- from big pictures to tiny boxes.

Until then, I'm Jared Bowen.

Thanks for joining us.

As always, you can visit us online at GBH.org/OpenStudio.

And you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter, @OpenStudioGBH.

♪ ♪