Martha Friend is preparing sculptures for her upcoming exhibit on the color blue.

By Maile Blume

Martha Friend’s glass-covered home is a community landmark in Somerville, evoking wonder and joy in people passing by. People are often drawn in by the expanse of blue sculptures, said Friend. “If I’m out gardening, people always stop and just start talking to me about blue and how much they love blue,” she said. The positive community response to her art and Friend’s own love of blue inspired her to curate a show on the color, for the Somerville Museum. The show will open on September 21.

When Friend first started building outdoor art instillations on her property, she was newly retired from a career in teaching. “I had free time for the first time ever, so this was my first big chance, and I wanted to do something big,” she said.

She wanted to embark on a project that she could immerse herself in for the entire summer following her retirement, and began constructing the first instillation on her property, Emerald City, a collection of luminous, green sculptures that Friend built with found objects.

Friend creates art with found materials, including glass bottles.

Friend worked on the project for months. “It just got bigger and bigger,” she said. Then, Friend started constructing Sapphire City out of blue glass objects, and other instillations followed, including Dance Party, a collection of plastic horses that Friend spray-painted when she discovered a silver, weather-resistant coating. “It just kind of took off from there,” she said.

Friend’s instillations are shaped by her desire to create art that everyone can enjoy. “I really want it to be something that everybody can relate to, because that’s kind of how it developed. Children love my house. I have started doing all kinds of little things that are under trees and bushes, that are at children’s level,” she said.

“What motivates me is to make stuff that is not obtuse, you know. It’s just clear. It’s just fun,” she added.

When Friend received a grant from the Somerville Museum to do an exhibit on the color blue, she reached out to a network of local artists who participate in Somerville Open Studios, and many agreed to be a part of the show.

Friend said that she expects the Somerville Museum gallery to be filled up with blue items come September, much like her yard is filled with sculptures, large and small.

Around 45 contributors, including artists and other community members, are adding something to the exhibit, said Friend, whether it be artwork, trinkets, or a personally meaningful blue object, such as a periwinkle blue wedding dress.

“Blue is a rich and deep color, and it does represent the calming effects of water,” Friend said, on her own associations with the color, adding, “I think of the sky. At night, it really becomes a little cosmic because who doesn’t lie on their back, looking at the stars and thinking, ‘Wow, you know, there’s just something quite a bit bigger out there.’”

As Friend is preparing for the show, she is also dreaming of ways to create more instillations on her property. She said that because her art has expanded throughout her yard, she is considering building more vertical structures, such as a giant tree sculpture.

Friend also finds joy in naming her instillations, such as a collection of plastic baby figurines riding toy horses. “It’s just called ‘Babies on Horseback’, which, in and of itself is ridiculous, right?” said Friend. “I like the simple words that get connected. Just about everything gets named.”

Friend said that coming up with names for her instillations is a part of the creative process that she enjoys.

Friend is motivated to continue making art in part because of the ongoing, joyful feedback she receives from the community. “I’m really allowing sort of the public response to what I’m doing to kind of direct me to what else I could do,” she said.

The upcoming exhibit curated by Friend, BLUE: The Celebration of a Color, will run from September 21 to December 2 at the Somerville Museum. The exhibit will also include a workshop on making glass art with Friend on November 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., as well as a workshop on producing cyanotypes — blue, photographic prints — with artist Karen Molloy on October 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. There will also be a lecture entitled The History of the Color Blue presented by Richard Newman, the head of Scientific Research at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, on October 17 at 6:00 p.m.

More information on the exhibit and these events can be found on the museum’s website: https://www.somervillemuseum.org/blue.