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Contact: John Crowley   617-635-3245

"Crowley, John (Cultural Affairs)" <John.Crowley@cityofboston.gov>

Celebrate Women's History Month with East Boston artists

Maureen O'Connor

"Masterful Painter of Our Favorite Things"

Exhibits at Boston City Hall

Boston, Mass (January 20, 2005) Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events, in honor of Women's History

Month will open an exhibition of works by Maureen O'Connor.

Maureen O'Connor of East Boston has been called a "'masterful painter of our favorite things" by Randi Hopkins, art critic of the

Boston Phoenix. O'Connor has been living and working in the Boston area since graduating from Massachusetts College of Art in 1981 where she studied

with George Nick, a nationally known landscape painter. 

In her recent work, O'Connor has taken as a subject matter, figurines, sometimes called "tchotskes" and combining them with her

continued interest in lemons, cookies, candy and flowers. She is interested in the retrieval of certain subject matter from the realm of the banal

through direct observation and the power that is found in the objects that reside in the every day world around us. This series has been compared to

the work of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.  

O'Connor's work has appeared in David Mamet's production "Lipservice", filmed in Boston. Her work is in the collections of the

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Fidelity Investments, Very Fine Juices as well as numerous public and private collections. Her work was also chosen

for the Boston Arts Festival in 2003 and 2004, sponsored by the Mayor's Office of Arts Tourism and Special Events. O'Connor is a member of the

East Boston Artists Group.  

see more artwork at moartnow.com

The show will run from March 1, 2005 - March 31, 2005.



The Mayor's Gallery is open to the public at no charge and is handicapped accessible.  The Gallery is located on the 5th floor of Boston City Hall,

and is accessible by T via Government Center (Green and Blue lines) and Haymarket (Green and Orange lines). Gallery hours are Monday through

Friday, 9AM-5PM. For further information call 617-635-3911 or visit

www.cityofboston.gov/arts.



The Mayor's Office of Arts & Cultural Development is responsible for advancing the arts, tourism and culture in the city of Boston by

providing advocacy, support, promotional and technical assistance, and by producing special events and public celebrations that reflect the city's rich

diversity.