The Asian American Ballet Project (AABP) has announced that it received a $1,000 grant from the New England Dance Fund. With this sum, the organization appointed two dancer representatives, Mollie Petrizzo and Amane Takaish, who will serve as intermediaries between the dancers and artistic staff while continuing to perform in the company.
“I am deeply grateful that Mollie and Amane are stepping into these additional roles at AABP,” Beth Mochizuki, Artistic Director of AABP, said in a press release. “Their leadership and care for our artistic community will strengthen how we work together and allow us to create even more powerful art.”
Founded in 2022, the AABP features an entirely Asian American team, including dancers, choreographers, and administrative staff. Since their inception, the company has held three annual performances, presenting a diverse array of ballet performances, including pieces from “Sleeping Beauty” and original choreography representing folktales.
The 2026 grant marked the organization’s second endowment from the New England Dance Fund, which comes from the New England Foundation for the Arts. — Annie Sarlin
FAM for free
To celebrate its centenary, the Fitchburg Art Museum is now offering free admission through the end of 2029 – and, it hopes, for good. Admission had been $9 for adults, with seniors, students, and those in certain other categories charged less. Why now and why for four years? It’s an extended centenary: FAM was incorporated on Dec. 31, 1925, and opened to the public on April 17, 1929.
In an email, museum director Nick Capasso wrote that “We have long believed that as a community-oriented museum, we should try to eliminate all barriers between our community and our mission and programs – just like public libraries!”
Capasso added, “If the Centennial free admission program is a success, we will adopt it permanently.” On March 7, FAM will hold a gala centennial launch event. - Mark Feeney
‘Dice-K’ stops by popular Somerville bakery
Former Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka paid a visit recently to Komugi Bakery & Cafe, a popular new Japanese bakery located in Somerville.
“Dice-K,” who won a World Series with Boston in 2007, posed for a photo with the bakery’s staff, which Komugi shared on its Instagram page on Thursday.
“The legendary baseball pitcher, formerly with the Boston Red Sox, Daisuke Matsuzaka came to our store!” the bakery wrote in the Instagram post’s caption. “Thank you so much for coming. We hope you enjoyed the bread and pastries!” – Matt Juul
Noah Kahan gets his own soda
Fans are still patiently waiting for Noah Kahan to release his next album, but in the mean time, they can enjoy the Vermont crooner’s new soda.
The New England star is collaborating with Watertown-based Culture Pop Soda on a limited edition “Sparkling Black Cherry” flavor, available for purchase online and at major retailers. The new soda coincides with a $100,000 donation from Culture Pop Soda to Kahan’s The Busyhead Project, the singer’s mental health nonprofit.
“The best part about this collab is that it’s in support of The Busyhead Project, an initiative I founded to provide resources and information needed to end the stigma around mental health,” Kahan said in a press release statement. “Having a partner that supports that mission means the world to me.” – Matt Juul
Emerson Colonial Theatre announces 125th anniversary shows
Emerson Colonial Theatre announced a star-studded lineup as the venue celebrates its 125th anniversary, featuring acts from Boston native Alex Edelman, Darren Criss, and writers Anne Lamott and Neal Allen. They join previously announced acts Sutton Foster and Fran Lebowitz.
The year-long celebration is designed to highlight artists and shows that have previously performed at the Colonial.
The Colonial is Boston’s oldest continuously operated theater, opening its doors in December 1900. It debuted iconic Broadway shows including “Anything Goes” and “Oklahoma!,” making it an important part of theatrical history.
Today, the Colonial is living up to its legacy, hosting the pre-Broadway premieres of contemporary shows such as “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” “David Byrne’s American Utopia,” “Plaza Suite” starring Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Tickets for the 125th anniversary acts go on sale to the general public Friday, Jan. 16 at 10 a.m. — Gitana Savage
An evening of poetry and magic
Ploughshares, the literary magazine based at Emerson College, is celebrating its Winter 2025-26 issue with a reading at Trident Booksellers.
Four of the writers whose work is included in the new issue will be there: poets Bridget Lowe (“My Second Work”), Shara McCallum (“No Ruined Stone”), and Maggie Dietz (“That Kind of Happy”) join beloved fiction writer Alice Hoffman (“Practical Magic,” “When We Flew Away”) to present their work. Refreshments will be available for purchase, along with copies of Ploughshares and the readers’ latest books.
The event is at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at Trident Booksellers at 338 Newbury St. Arrive by 5:30 to get a good seat. Registration is free but requested; visit https://tridentbookscafe.com/events for more information and to register. — Kate Tuttle
Bob Ross sale to benefit public television
Later this month, Bonhams Skinner will auction three paintings by the late artist and television host Bob Ross, the latest installment in an ongoing series of sales that will ultimately feature 30 artworks by the genial painter.
The three paintings up for sale, “Valley View” (1990), “Change of Seasons” (1990), and “Babbling Brook” (1993), will be offered at the auction house’s Jan. 27 sale in Marlborough, Americana: Crafting a Nation: Art, History & Legacy.
Net proceeds from the sale, which is being held in collaboration with American Public Television, will benefit public television stations across the country, which have faced severe budget cuts under the Trump administration.
The paintings, two of which Ross completed on-air during his instructional television show, “The Joy of Painting,” are individually valued at between $25,000 and $60,000.
But hammer prices could soar well above those estimates: During the series’ first installment last fall in Los Angeles, Ross’s 1993 “Winter’s Peace” sold for $318,000, a record for the artist. All told, the three Ross paintings fetched a combined total of $662,000 at the LA auction.
Following this month’s sale, the remaining 24 works will be sold later this year through Bonhams in New York, Boston, and LA. -Malcolm Gay
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