Finding His Way Back to Art David listens as Robin describes what she sees BOSTON—All around him, the museum is in motion, with people walking up to sculptures, and stepping back from them, and absorbing them from different angles. David Kingsbury, 53, holds his ground. He is standing in a hallway at the Museum of Fine Arts, facing a piece of stone he cannot see, waiting for the woman beside him to send some words his way. This is the rhythm of their relationship: She starts the story of what she sees, and he chimes in with any questions. And so she begins, shaping the piece of stone into a portrait, and placing a young boy inside. She chisels the child’s fine features, then moves over to his long flow of curls. “And there’s this little tuft of hair,” says Robin Ty, 30, a volunteer guide with the MFA. “Almost like a rooster’s, right at the top of his forehead.” David considers this. “Reminds me of my first son,” he says. This Saturday marks something of a milestone for David. He’s back where he began, with the work of Italian Renaissance sculptors, the first art he experienced in the MFA’s program for people who are blind or visually impaired. He was beginning a new life then. Nothing felt right. It took time and practice to get here, as things do for David these days. But more than two years later, he is standing in a space he once thought was lost—one visitor among many, facing the work of an artist, feeling something stir in him again. | About This BlogWelcome to The Small Story, a blog about the lives of everyday people in Massachusetts- the challenges they face, the celebrations they make, and the communities they like to call home.
It’s a natural extension of the eight years I spent as a newspaper reporter, first at The Hartford Courant, then at The Seattle Times. Time and again, the small story pulled me in: the first day of school for a boy displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the final months of foster care for a tired teenager, the slow road to recovery for an injured Iraq War veteran and his mother. I work full-time as an editor now, and write this blog on the side. In the rush of reality TV, and minute-by-minute media coverage, the small story still says something important to me, about who we are, and how we live in this country. Here’s hoping you feel the same. - Cara Solomon Email:cara@thesmallstory.com Twitter: csmallstory Become a fan of The Small Story on Facebook, or shoot me an email and I'll put you on a "new story alert" list! Thanks for reading...  CategoriesAll ArchivesFebruary 2010 |
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