🌊 This MFA exhibit is making waves

It's Tuesday, Boston.

💸 Reminder: Tax Day is a week from today. So if you haven’t filed yet and make less than $60K a year, Boston is offering free tax prep for residents to maximize their refunds. Money, please!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Mifepristone delivery

• Pickleball at Fenway

• Lights up on Revere High

Up first...

ARTS & CULTURE

A LEGO masterpiece at the MFA

The MFA’s latest exhibit is making waves. Literally. “Hokusai: Inspiration and Influence” celebrates the work and impact of artist Katsushika Hokusai, best known for his iconic woodblock print, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” Even if you’re not an art buff, you’ll definitely recognize this painting. It did inspire Apple’s wave emoji, after all.

Here’s what you need to know about the exhibit:

🌊 The program highlights Hokusai’s influence. The exhibit includes over 100 of his woodblock prints, paintings, and illustrated books from the MFA’s collection, along with over 200 pieces by his teachers, students, rivals, and admirers. The juxtaposition of Hokusai’s work from the 1700s and 1800s against more contemporary pieces, like Roy Lichtenstein’s “Drowning Girl,” is particularly striking, showcasing the strength of his influence in the modern world.

🌊 And if art isn’t your thing, the exhibit’s LEGO installation might change your mind. LEGO-certified professional (yes, that is a real job!) Jumpei Mitsui created a stunning, 50,000 piece LEGO replica of “The Great Wave” that sits next to the Hokusai original. Mitsui spent over 400 hours over the course of six months to construct the sculpture.

🌊 But is LEGO really art? When Mitsui started building as a job, he didn’t think so. But he changed his mind when he began using LEGO to “express [his] thoughts and vision.” For Mitsui, a material like LEGO is “very accessible and universal,” transcending age and experience. It allows people to “feel the process of the building,” something that might be harder to feel with traditional art.

🌊 And modernizing classics can enhance understanding of the original. “People think of Hokusai’s work as two dimensional,” Mitsui said, “but I wanted to make it three dimensional. It’s kind of a low-resolution art because LEGO bricks are very limiting. But it also makes it simple … People can feel the main essence of the structure by making it low resolution.” In some ways, the LEGO sculpture gives visitors the unique experience of feeling like they’re inside the wave, something you can’t quite experience with Hokusai’s 2-D original.

🌊 Thinking of going? The exhibit is open now through July 16. You can get tickets here.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

💊 Mass. is expected to receive about two years' worth of mifepristone, about 15,000 doses, according to Gov. Healey. This announcement comes days after a Texas judge ordered the FDA to take the drug used in medication abortions off the market. These doses will preserve the state’s current supply as the country waits to see if the Texas ruling will stand. Healey also issued an executive order clarifying that a state law protecting abortion providers from out-of-state prosecution also extends to the pills.

🏠 COVID-era eviction protections could make a comeback. Mass. House leaders are attempting to revive a COVID-era renter protection law preventing landlords from evicting financially struggling tenants who have applied for rental assistance. The expiration of the protection dovetailed with an increase in evictions. Local landlords filed almost 5,000 eviction cases in January and February for nonpayment of rent, compared to around 2,500 cases for the same period in 2022. The proposal will be part of the House’s budget plan, which will be unveiled Wednesday.

🤔 Healey who? A new poll from UMass Amherst and WCVB found voters feel unfamiliar with her policies and opinions. While 57% of poll respondents said they approve of her job as governor so far, another 19% were unsure how they felt about Healey. When asked to describe Healey in one word, “new” emerged as the most common response. Many respondents also said that they didn’t know how to rank her handling of key issues like education, taxes, child care, and health care.

🏓 A pickleball festival is coming to Fenway Park. The collab between the country’s fastest-growing sport and oldest ballpark will feature 12 pickleball courts in the outfield while the Sox are away for a stretch this summer. The general public and private companies will be able to rent the courts to play, though the exact dates, pricing, and additional details will be announced later this month. Plus, players will be able to indulge in food, drink, and live music at the park, too.

ONE LAST THING

Lights up on Revere High

The Revere High School drama club got a video surprise from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The drama club is performing “In the Heights,” a musical written by Miranda, so he sent the club a video telling them to break a leg ahead of their performances.

Revere drama teacher Kristina Menissian connected with the Tony Award winner while unknowingly ordering T-shirts for the production through Miranda’s brother-in-law. Menissian surprised the students with the video, which she said was just the morale boost the students and faculty needed after exhausting rehearsals.

You can find the video — and the students' reactions — here.

🎭 Thanks for reading! My inner musical theater nerd is wildly jealous.

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