5 things to do this weekend, including 7 Fingers circus company and the Foundry Festival

We’ve had 60-degree weather and a snow emergency that shut down schools and businesses across the state, so it’s been just another week of February in Massachusetts. We won’t have the spring teasing us again this weekend, but we’ve got plenty of ways to warm your heart all the same. From two simultaneous artist talks to the start of a weeklong festival in Cambridge, there’s more in this list than one person could ever possibly do in four days. (Not to mention the Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown on Sunday!) Now I’m in the mood for dumplings.

For those interested in hearing internationally accomplished artists talk about their work, Thursday is an evening of hard choices. At the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, painter Raqib Shaw joins Curator of Contemporary Art Pieranna Cavalchini for a conversation about the newly opened exhibit “Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West.” His contemporary, hyper-dreamlike works will be interspersed throughout the museum, primarily the Hostetter Gallery, alongside other pieces from the museum’s collection. The talk begins at 7 p.m. and advanced tickets are required, with general admission priced at $20. The ICA will have a similar offering with Worcester-born artist Wu Tsang, whose work “Of Whales” also opens this week. The exhibit, a massive audio-visual installation depicting an underwater journey of a whale, arrives in Boston after wowing audiences at the 2022 Venice Biennale. Tsang will be in conversation with ICA Chief Curator Ruth Erickson and Curatorial Assistant Tessa Bachi Haas at 7 p.m. It should be noted that the talk happens to occur on the ICA’s Free Thursday Night. Advance registration is recommended.

There is a musicality to Martin Luther King Jr.’s words. Anyone who has heard recordings of his voice can attest to the artful builds and crescendos he employed to give his message even more impact. Friday night’s concert at Symphony Hall will bring together a live reading of the words of MLK Jr. and an orchestral accompaniment. It’s a composition from 1982 titled “New Morning for the World” by Joseph Schwantner. Strings and drums swell underneath the words, “How long will it take? I come to say to you, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because truth pressed to the earth will rise again.” For those who haven’t heard a spoken word performance like this in a concert hall setting, this is the perfect introduction. In the past, the part of MLK Jr. has been read by figures such as baseball player Willie Stargell. At this performance, the role of the narrator will be filled by scholar, author and attorney Anita Hill. (The Brandeis professor famously testified about her experiences with sexual harassment before Congress in 1991 during Clarence Thomas’ Supreme Court confirmation hearing.) Tickets for this performance at Symphony Hall are $17 for general admission.

It’s hard to establish a new community space, especially in a city like Cambridge that already has so many of them. But The Foundry, near Kendall Square, has proven itself to be a hustling, bustling place for gatherings in both the arts and sciences. The 2024 festival has too many offerings to list them all, but just to give you a sense of the variety: this Saturday alone, there will be a vendor market, a Lego robotics workshop, a joke writing workshop on the topic of “traumedy,” a tango demonstration and a tour of the four maker spaces at The Foundry. Programming continues throughout the following week, with plenty of educational and fun activities for families during February school vacation. From meditating to building your own toy, it would be hard to peruse the schedule and not find something for everyone. Some events are geared toward specific ages (such as teens or ages 3 to 5), so check the schedule in advance. Additionally, most classes are free and open for drop-ins, but some may require prior registration.

It’s like cinematic speed dating. For some years now, the Oscars have put together collections of nominated shorts into a presentation for moviegoers, organized by awards categories: live action, animation and documentary. Even with streaming, these shorts are often unavailable outside of the festival circuit, so it’s by far the best option to see these standout works. While I’m partial to the animated shorts (which in past years has included adult stories as well as those for children), you can’t go wrong with any of the three options. Documentary short titles include “The ABC’s of Book Banning” directed by Sheila Nevins and “The Last Repair Shop,” a film directed by Kris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot about the joys of music, especially for children. As part of the live action roundup, Roald Dahl’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” comes to life with Benedict Cumberbatch playing a wealthy man who wants to cheat at gambling, directed by Wes Anderson. When you find me in the animated shorts showing, we’ll watch a story about death called “Ninety-Five Senses” directed by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess and “WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko” directed by Dave Mullins. You can find local showtimes on the Oscar website. The AMC at Boston Common and the Alamo Drafthouse both have screenings this weekend of the animated and live action shorts. For the documentary shorts, you’ll need to travel a bit further outside of Boston to Waltham.

The 7 Fingers circus company (or Les 7 Doigts) has earned a reputation across international audiences for its daring acrobatics and use of theatrical narratives. This production at ArtsEmerson tells a reimagined version of “Romeo and Juliet” with a sports aesthetic. There’s pole dancing, acrobatics, people being tossed through the air and more. It’s a creative way to present a well-known story, and at only 70 minutes, it’s sure to be a fast-paced retelling. This run at ArtsEmerson marks the tour’s premier in the United States. Tickets (which start at $25) are still available through the weekend at time of publication.