Continuing its extensive community-building efforts, Newton’s Scandinavian Living and Cultural Center (SLCC) will dedicate its new veranda on October 26. According to SLCC’s Executive Director Joe Carella, “The veranda will be an outdoor theater, a gathering space, and a place for neighbors and residents.”
The Scandinavian Living Center is an assisted-living center unusually committed to community living, and its affiliate, the Scandinavian Cultural Center, presents curated cultural events — including film, live music performances, and art exhibits — all year long in its spacious Nordic Hall, which draws many patrons from the broader community. Saturdays from 10AM-2PM, the SLCC opens its Kaffestugan coffee shop and bakery to the public, offering Scandinavian treats and sandwiches.
On October 27, the SLCC will open a two-month exhibition, “The Search for Truth in Architecture,” displaying the works of acclaimed architectural illustrator and former Newton Lower Falls resident Steve Oles. Mr. Oles is known for his collaboration with architects on such iconic projects as I.M. Pei’s Louvre Pyramid and Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. His rendering of the SLCC’s veranda received the 2022 Award of Excellence from the American Society of Architectural Illustrators. The opening reception on October 27 at 7PM is free but requires registration.
Along with teaching, writing, and executing commissioned drawings for other architects, Mr. Oles practiced as an independent architect, winning regional design competitions in the fields of elderly housing, energy-efficient residential, and bridge design. Mr. Oles has taught at RISD, Yale, MIT, and Harvard.
SLCC Executive Director Joe Carella said the veranda is one of many ways the Scandinavian Living Center connects with the greater community. Mr. Carella said that COVID highlighted the cost of loneliness in our culture, and the SLCC is committed to continuing to create a neighborhood, not an institution.
