Jessa Piaia as Isabella Stewart Gardner circa 1908. / Photo by Carol Beggy
UPDATED Jan. 17: Isabella Stewart Gardner, in the form of historical reenactor Jessa Piaia, returned to Arlington Heights to talk about the life of the arts patron, her many connections in Boston at the turn of the last centry, and her commitment to the Episcopal Church, specifically the Anglican Order of St. Anne (OSA), which was founded by Mother Etheldred at her family property on Claremont Avenue.
It was in Arlington that Mother Etheldred built the Chapel of St. Anne in 1915 and she could not have imagined that it would still play a vital role in the community.
The chapel provided a particularly rich backdrop for the inaugural presentation of “Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Then & Now” by Piaia and investigative reporter Stephen Kurkjian t the Chapel of St. Anne’s on Claremont Avenue in Arlington Heights on Jan. 16 before a full house. (The event was dedicated in the memory of Steve Morse, former music critic of The Boston Globe, who was Piaia’s fiance and Kurkjian’s colleague. Morse died in October.)
At the talk, Piaia, as Isabella Stewart Gardner speaking in 1908, recounted the storied life of the socialite, collector, and benefactor and her art collection and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kurkjian, author of “Master Thieves,” discussed the still unsolved 1990 theft of priceless art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood and his hopes for a crowd-sourcing campaign to recover the artworks.
Kurkjian, who first covered the Gardner heist during his long tenure at The Boston Globe, has written and lectured about his belief that the robbery can be solved and that the precious works of art can be returned. He is now seeking the public’s help in getting some answers.
No arrest, recovery
“While the investigators have worked tirelessly on the case, they have gained neither an arrest nor a recovery. A new approach should be tried, one that emphasizes the generosity of Mrs. Gardner and the museum in showing us these masterpieces as well as the conscience of the public that it does no one any good to allow the artwork to remain hidden,” Kurkjian said. “Boston has changed immensely since 1990 when the art was taken: criminal gangs and their coda are no longer in place. Provide the essential information to allow the return of this majestic artwork to the museum’s galleries.”
That’s the “now” of the talk. Piaia presents the “then” in her portion of the program. Her Isabella Stewart Gardner portrayal is set in 1910, seven years after the opening of Mrs. Gardner’s Fenway Court, and the same year the Anglican Order of St. Anne (OSA) nuns was founded by Father Frederick C. Powell, SSJE, and Mother Etheldred (OSA) Breeze Barry.
“For me, portraying Mrs. Gardner is both an incredible pleasure and an honor, to offer a lens, a prism, for the public to capture a glimpse of a strong woman who lived an extraordinary life, during a time when society deemed women should be quiet and unassuming,” Piaia said. “A complex, multifaceted woman with a strong sense of identity, Isabella began collecting art as a concept, which evolved into a shared passion with her husband, and in time her dream of opening a house-museum – filled with art, music and flowers – was realized.”
Chosen for setting
Piaia and Kurkjian picked St. Anne’s at 18-20 Claremont Ave. to give their talk because of its setting, they said. Piaia noted that the history of the Chapel of St. Anne’s is rich with connections to Mrs. Gardner, who died in 1924. It was designed by architect Ralph Adams Cram in the Gothic Revival tradition, along with participation from local residents during its construction. The site is open for all, with the Stations of the Cross, and two special gardens – the Mysteries of Joy and the Angel Garden. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1987.
In the introductions for the talk, it was revealed that a connection between the Order of St. Anne and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum continues. A bound copy of “Gems,” a compilation of tidbits sent out in an OSA newsletter (that was published for decades), can be found on the bedside table of Mrs. Gardner’s residence. Also, since YourArlington first published notice of this presentation, historians have noted that it was “likely the Sisters from Arlington” who provided Mrs. Gardner’s nursing care when she was near death some 100 years ago.
Mother Etheldred sought both an “active and contemplative” spiritual path – her social action was part of her teaching Bible studies to neighborhood children who attended her home-based school; and her contemplative nature was part of her spiritual reflections and meditations in the on-site gardens, according to Piaia. In addition, Etheldred Breeze Barry was a children’s book illustrator, who used her talents to support the nuns and their school.
Father Powell, SSJE, came to Boston as a rector at St. John’s Shrine on Bowdoin Street in Boston at the turn of the 20th century. A devout Episcopalian, Isabella Gardner was an active member of the Church of the Advent in Boston’s Back Bay, soon after her move to Boston as a young bride in 1860, until opening her Fenway Court “house-museum” in 1903, in which she installed her private third-floor chapel, where a Cowley father would come weekly to hear her confession and bring her Holy Communion, according to Piaia.
Piaia notes that Mrs. Gardner was also known to donate sums of money to the Cowley Fathers, the Sisters of St. Margaret, and the Order of St. Anne, when the nuns and priests would identify widows and orphans in need of financial support. Two of Mrs. Gardner’s larger behests included the founding of Children’s Hospital from the Floating Hospital for Children, as well as the Society of St. John, the Evangelist Monastery at 980 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, which serves as a retreat much like St. Anne’s, which hosts monthly writer’s crawls, music performances and art exhibits.
This news summary by Carol Beggy was published Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 and updated Friday, Jan. 17.
