SPRING ARTS PREVIEW

March 20 – March 27

It’s an independent record label; it’s a house venue; it’s an artist collective. All three descriptions encompass the dynamic space that makes up the Whitehaus Family Record, but above all it’s an incredibly unique and important asset to the Boston DIY music scene. What started as tiny gatherings in a JP apartment has grown into a solid community of diverse, open, and inclusive art makers who strive to explore the boundaries of artistic experience and showcase local artists, poets, and musicians with “anarcho-open mic hootenannies”—or just hoots, for short. The Whitehaus celebrates its eighth birthday with an eight-day marathon of local performers. You’ll want to check out the Facebook page to keep up with the evolving roster.

Whitehaus Family Record. 10 Seaverns Ave., Jamaica Plain. All ages/FREE. whitehausfamilyrecord.com

The Misadventures of Spy Matthias

March 13 – April 4

Matty Olchak, the protagonist of this new comedy from playwright Joe Byers, is kind of a weird dude—he’s both an artist and a voyeur, in what appears to be the literal sense (he carries a camera with a comically large zoom lens). But when everyone he cares about starts to disappear, Olchak is forced to learn the hard way about what happens when you mix your art and your fetishes. Described as a “smart and sexy comic book for adults,” Spy Matthias is shaping up to be a unique hypervisual performance. If we’ve learned anything from the success of last summer’s Astro Boy and the God of Comics, it’s that audiences are hungry for more genre-bending innovation in theatre.

Charlestown Working Theater. 442 Bunker Hill St., Charlestown. All ages/$10. theatreonfire.org

Spek

April 3

In 2008, the Dig broke a fascinating story on the elusive and troubled graffiti artist Spek, captured by police after more than 10 years of evasion during which he managed to leave a trademark trail of tags from Boston to Salem. Soon, it came to light that he was responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage, and the reach of his art made it as far out as New Jersey and Rhode Island. Today, seven years after his unfortunate arrest, Adam Brandt—the man behind the tag—has transformed into a loving father and fine artist. His art will grace the walls (legally, this time) of a Somerville gallery alongside other emerging New England artists. We think that’s a success story we can all get behind.

The Uniun. 11 Sandborn Ct., Somerville, 7-11pm. facebook.com/theuniun

In the Wake: Japanese Photographers Respond to 3/11

April 5 – July 12

On March 11, 2011, a triple disaster irrevocably affected Japan. An earthquake off of the Pacific coast triggered an incredible tsunami that swept through virtually defenseless towns across the country’s northeast region, obliterating all that stood in its path. The damages were immense, including the terrifying destruction of three of the Fukushima power plant’s six reactors—the biggest nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl. In this new exhibit—the first of its kind—Japan’s most celebrated artists, as well as emerging talents, bring together stunning photos that capture the terrible beauty found within tragedy, and display the enduring strength and dignity of a nation rising up despite disaster.

Museum of Fine Arts. 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. For hours and ticket prices, visit mfa.org