January 31, 2024

The British artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen forced us to look at the atrocities of slavery in his film, “12 Years a Slave.” An offshoot of that undertaking is “Lynching Tree,” a photograph of a large oak tree, which McQueen took while on location in America’s south. At first glance, it presents as a tranquil landscape. Until you recognize the tree has survived centuries and was used for lynchings on the Deep South plantation on which it’s stood. The image had a profound effect on Boston Foundation President Lee Pelton when he encountered it at the Yale Center for British Art. He then worked with Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Director Peggy Fogleman to bring it here. They both join us to talk about the installation. From there we preview Black History month on film, with Lisa Simmons of the Roxbury International Film Festival and program manager at Mass Cultural Council. Last weekend, puzzle enthusiasts convened in St. Paul, Minnesota for the largest competition of its kind in the nation, where 500 teams assembled to put their speedy puzzling to the test. I’ll sit down with Tiffany Medieros, a nationally ranked jigsaw puzzle competitor.