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In Boston News

Manager of Cambridge arts venue Out Of The Blue Too accused of sexual assault

By Michael O'Connor Marottaon

UPDATE June 29 @ 5:34 p.m.: Out Of The Blue owner Tom Tipton has made another statement, writing, in part: “Violence against women happens all too often in this world and all too often it goes unchecked. We recognize now that this act of aggression is not an isolated incident, and that in order to combat any future incidents of this nature, we must actively work to diversify our volunteer staff to receive input from a wider range of perspectives.” His statement can be read in full here.

TJ Edson, venue manager of Out of the Blue Too Art Gallery & More in Cambridge, has been accused of sexually attacking a musician after a recent show.

Morgan Lindenschmidt, 18, performed live at the Central Square music venue and arts space on Monday night (June 27). After the show, she says she was forcibly accosted and restrained by Edson. Lindenschmidt detailed the incident on her website, and the post, titled Out of the Blue is NOT a safe space, had generated substantial attention by Tuesday night, with many demanding an explanation from the venue and for Edson to be held accountable. Many bands with upcoming appearances at the space, like Boston’s Bellwire, attempted to relocate their shows to a new venue.

Lindenschmidt writes, in full:

“I had a pretty disturbing and horrible time last night. I played at Out of the Blue, Too in Cambridge and after the show was sexually attacked by the manager, TJ Edson. He came in for a hug and wouldn’t let go, even after I told him to stop touching me. He pressed me up against the wall and started feeling me up and kissing me, while saying disgusting things in my ear. I literally shoved him off of me with all my might and ran to the bathroom where I had a severe panic attack. I can’t put into words how scared I was to leave the bathroom. I was all alone. I finally built up the courage to leave and quickly grabbed my guitars. TJ Edson started to follow me out but (thank god) stopped after I told him very strongly to get away from me.

I need your help. I don’t have social media. All I have is my website and my mailing list. I’m asking you to please share my story and tell other people that Out of the Blue is not a safe space. This isn’t about me getting justice or revenge; I’m terrified that this could happen again to another young, vulnerable artist. And, make no mistake — this was not a sexual act. This was a display of masculine violence as a form of silencing feminine power. Please help prevent this from happening again and spread the word on your Facebook or even tell your friends. Just please, please talk about this. I don’t want this to be forgotten.”

By 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, Edson had deactivated his Facebook account. Out Of The Blue owner Tom Tipton took to Facebook to address the situation, stating that Edson had been removed from his post.

Tipton writes:

“In light of the serious allegations stemming from an incident that occurred at the gallery, on June 27. Tj Edson will no longer be working at the gallery. The gallery has always striven to make people from all walks of life feel comfortable and supported. In no way should one incident change this setting.

Any questions re shows and booking should be forwarded to myself,Tom Tipton. I appreciate your support in the past and hope for that moving forward. Please understand we are not able to answer questions or discuss the [incident].”

More to come.

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