Yesterday was an Afternoon of Culture, as I got to go to both an art exhibit and a music performance.

Going to the musical performance was spur of the moment, though as it was (a) free, (b) during a block of time I had to kill, and (c) out in the open on BU's Marsh Plaza, thus allowing me to enjoy the sunny afternoon, the decision wasn't that hard to make.

So I wound up listening to part of a concert by students from the Academy of Performing Arts of Detroit. It was founded by Marvin Winans, a member of the noted Winans family of gospel performers. The venue wasn't the best (they had to compete with traffic noise and the T), but they did pretty well.

The art part of things came at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where we went the exhibit Gondola Days: Isabella Stewart Gardner and the Palazzo Barbaro Circle. The Barbaro was the Gardner's home in Venice, which attracted artists like Sargent and Whistler. Most of the works were by them (and Anders Zorn, who I'd not heard of before but whose work I really liked). Monet even makes an appearance, with a work from his first trip to Venice (and Gardner's last).

Adding to the exhibit was its location, the fourth floor of the museum, which was Gardner's living space. This is the first time they've used the space for an exhibition, which is interesting even though it's hard to get much of a feel for it as living space. You do get a great view into the museum's courtyard, however.