Waltham Artist Spotlight: An Interview with Spectacle

You may have seen his art on telephone poles. Colorful, cheerful; circles of thought, encouraging passers-by to look up and see things in a different light. This is the art of Waltham artist, Spectacle.

I was disappointed when the thoughtful record albums were taken down. The artist was at the time anonymous, but with public outcry over the missing art, Spectacle stepped forward. Rather than be saddened by the removal of his art, he was thrilled!

The vinyl records had been up for a year. Only recently, Eversource was called by an anonymous neighbor who reported that the albums were against the rule of posting anything, including yard-sale signs and lost-cat posters, onto telephone poles. Eversource reluctantly complied to the complaint, and then hand-delivered the albums back to the artist.

Spectacle expressed how that made him feel. He said, “I won!” The community noticed the art, and it made people think. Most importantly, it stirred emotion, which he said is part of what makes art, art.

Having the records returned to him has given him the opportunity to share the collection again, in a different way. He is donating the entire collection to the Waltham Museum, and they will be sold at Waltham Riverfest on June 15. All proceeds will go towards supporting the Waltham Museum’s quest to bind Waltham’s past to the present. What better way to promote Waltham’s legacy of art?

I was delighted to interview Spectacle this week. Over a double order of onion rings at Bison County, we commiserated about Waltham's art culture. Humble, kind, and honest, the artist in person was as colorful and thought-provoking as the art he creates.

Where do you get inspiration for your art?

When I hold a substrate in my left hand and a mastic in my right, then fuse them together, is my inspiration; with infinite possibilities and outcomes.

Is there a theme or message in your art?

Themes are constricting and messages are oft misunderstood. Art is a vast ocean of colours-immeasurable.

Why did you create the album art?

Why did I create the pole records-hmm. I've long had an intense affinity for records-78-45-331/3.
I've incorporated records into my art in various ways-thing is I ran out of space and had to purge some records. How better a way there wasn't: sneaking around like a prowler on the make, two or three in the morning usually. What fun!

How did you come up with the idea for your vinyl record installation?

I was choked with them-the records on poles was an inevitable graduation, a Cosmic Must.

I noticed the albums are from a variety of genres including comedy. Did you choose the particular albums on purpose or was it random?

At random is an understatement. I have several pictures of the stages of preparation, from a lonely and blank piece of yesterdays listening, forever silenced then resurrected and appreciated all over again in a completely different venue.

Does anything in your art surprise you?

Nothing I create surprises me. It's nonsense to me, but when someone is surprised by my rumbling and rambling art, the payoff is paid in full.

What would you like the Waltham Community to know about your art?

I make and I pray they take. I have no lofty goals. I want to make art that causes people to smile and think and frown, and tell their friends about what they have experienced via my meager colors.

Spectacle expressed his zeal for performance art, because it encourages people to look at things differently and encourages conversation and connectedness. He often brings his performance art to the Moody Street bridge, and children beg their chaperones to stop and look. The children ask questions, and see the art as realistic at first, before they investigate and understand it is a connection between make-believe and reality. Because the children notice the art first, the adults in essence learn from the children to pause and look around, and to appreciate the art all around them.

Spectacle has a Facebook page that includes samples of his art. He is currently working on a few projects, including brightening Moody Street with uplifting murals, creating a new vinyl record art collection, and restoring the nostalgic Nativity Scene that formerly graced the Grover Cronin’s window display at Christmas time.

To learn more about Spectacle's art and his devotion to Waltham, tune in to Sally Collura's Thursday "Around Town" show on Waltham Cable Access. Special guests (yup, I'm one of them) investigate the link of Waltham's art history to the present, including the Waltham Museum's new Grover Cronin exhibit.

If you would like to support his work, visit the Waltham Museum’s table on Saturday and find more information about this valuable Waltham artist.