What’s Happening in Amherst?
Photo: istock
by Art & Maura Keene
You can help us make our events calendar more comprehensive by sending us your listings and including contact information and/or a link for more information. Send events listings to amherstindy@gmail.com.
SATURDAY AUGUST 30: CAT VIDEOFEST AT AMHERST CINEMA. 1:30 p.m., Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity Street. Amherst Cinema will hold a screening of “CatVideoFest,” a 74-minute, theater-only curated compilation reel of “the latest and best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and classic internet powerhouses,” The event (described as “A triumph! A spectacle! A fuzzy wuzzy cuddle puddle!”) will also benefit the Dakin Humane Society. Tickets. (The August 9 and 18 shows sold out).
SUNDAY AUGUST 31: SUNDAY ART PROJECT: MOSAIC STEPPING STONE. Mill District Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road. 1 to 4 p.m. Create
something that will be enjoyed for years to come. Join Judy Vazquez at
The Local Art Gallery on Sunday, August 31 from 1-4pm to make a Mosaic
Stepping Stone. Have fun experiencing the freedom and joy of mosaics
as you create a piece of art for your outdoor or indoor sacred space. Tickets
$35, all materials included. Ages 6+ with adult.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 3: HITCHCOCK CENTER GARDEN PARTY AND HERBAL INFUSION DEMO. 5:30 to 7 p.m., Hitchcock Center for the Environment Garden, 845 West Street. Join us for a casual gathering in the Hitchcock Center’s beautiful gardens and enjoy a demonstration on how to make a variety of infusions with seasonal herbs and flowers and learn more about the work of the Hitchcock Center with Executive Director Billy Spitzer. Light refreshments from the garden will be served. Email Shelly Kahan or Kim Snyder to RSVP
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 3: AMHERST COLLEGE JAZZ FACULTY CONCERT. 7 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Members of the Jazz faculty at Amherst College give a performance that is free and open to the public. This year’s program is TBA. See here. See full calendar here.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5: FIVE COLLEGE DANCE ORIENTATION CONCERT AND SOCIAL. 7 p.m., Kirby Theater, Amherst College. The Five College Dance Orientation Concert is an opportunity for students from across the five colleges to gather to enjoy faculty works of choreography and to meet and talk with their dance professors and peers. Free pizza and refreshments are provided! This year’s concert will feature Chris Aiken, Angie Hauser, Jake Meginsky, Laura Joseph, Lailye Weidman, Angelica Monteiro and Neri Torres along with percussionists Jeff Hinrichs, Lee Edelberg and Christine Buchholz. No reservations are necessary and tickets are free.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5: WE ARE SCIENTISTS WITH SEAN MCVERRY. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. We Are Scientists is an American Indie rock band formed in Claremont, California in 2000, known for their blend of guitar-driven rock with 80s influenced keys and beats. The band consists primarily of Keith Murray and Chris Cain with contributions from Keith Carne. They gained significant recognition with their first album “With Love and Squalor.” Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door. See full calendar here.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6: WRITING THE LAND AT THE FOOD BANK FARM. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., The Food Bank Farm, 121 Bay Road, Hadley. Come celebrate the spirit of the land and the power of words with an outdoor poetry writing work shop. No experience required. All participants will receive a copy of the anthology Writing the Land: Wanderings II.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6: LITTLE WILD BOUQUET FOLK TRIO AT PIONEER VALLEY FOLKLORE SOCIETY SONG AND STORY SWAP. 7 p.m., First Church, 165 Main Street. Little Wild Bouquet began as an offshoot of the Leonard Cohen tribute band The Secret Chord, and Cohen’s uplifting music forms a large part of their repertoire. In addition, they offer an array of folk and rock standards that inspire and affirm the goodness of life, from such artists as James Taylor, Lucinda Williams, Dave Carter, Gillian Welch, Paul Simon, and The Beatles -to name a few. Parking is available in the lot behind the church. There is no admission fee – a hat is passed during the guest artist’s performance for donations, all of which go to the artist with a suggested minimum donation of $7.50.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6: LOTS OF HANDS US TOUR WITH DEADHARRIE. 8 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Billy Woodhouse and Elliot Dryden, the core duo behind lots of hands, first connected at age 16. They worked together largely remotely through the pandemic. “Into a pretty room” marks the British duo’s first truly collaborative effort. Tickets $17 in advance, $20 at the door. See full calendar here.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 7: FULL MOON HIKE ON MOUNT NORWOTTUCK. 6:30 to 10 p.m., Kestrel Headquarters, 37 Bay Road. We’ll start our hike at the Kestrel Land Trust headquarters located at the foot of the beautiful Mount Holyoke Range, where we will climb for approximately an hour and a half before arriving to the top of Norwottuck. Once there, we will stop to take in the spectacular views and watch the moon rise over the Pelham Hills. Returning to the trailhead, we will have the unique opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of the forest at night, guided by the light of the moon. Note: If conditions are slippery or icy, the hike will proceed to Rattlesnake Knob. Approximately three hours of hiking including steep rocky terrain on the ridge of the Holyoke Range. Reservations.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 7: EDWARD ARRON AND JEEWON PARK: CELLO AND PIANO. 4 p.m., The Drake, 44 North Pleasant Street. Chamber at The Drake. Cellist Edward Arron has appeared in recital, as a soloist with major orchestras, and as a chamber musician throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. This season marks his 13th season as the co-artistic director with his wife Jeewon Park, of the Performing Artists in Residence series at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Park is a founding member of the Palladium Chamber Players. She has appeared at numerous prestigious festivals and concert series and has presented master classes at Amherst College, among others. Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Students $7. See full calendar here.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 10: KESTREL READS BOOK DISCUSSION: THE FOREST LOVER. 6:30 p.m., Kestrel Land Trust house, 37 Bay Road. The Forest Lover: a Novel, historical fiction by Susan Vreeland, l traces the courageous life and career of Emily Carr (1871-1945), a Canadian artist who was inspired by the monumental art and culture of the First Nations and the landscapes of British Columbia. More than Georgia O’Keeffe or Frida Kahlo, she blazed a path for modern women artists. Registration required. Sliding scale donation appreciated.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12 THROUGH SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 14: AUDITIONS FOR AMHERST COMMUNITY THEATER’S “THE WIZARD OF OZ.” Actors, singers, and dancers ages 7—107 are encouraged to audition. There will be nine performances in January 2026. For more info about auditions, including character descriptions and audition music, or for an audition appointment, please visit amherstacts.org/auditions or contact producer@amherstacts.org.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 13: BRINGING OUR HEARTS TO CLIMATE CHANGE: AN IN-PERSON DIALOGUE. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. , Kestrel Land Trust house, 37 Bay Road. Join the Kestrel Land Trust for an in-person dialogue to help make sense of the complexities confronting us in this era of intersecting crises and to feel supported. Kestrel Land Trust Community Engagement Manager Marilyn Castriotta and Climate-Aware Therapist Sadie Forsythe will facilitate this event. A short presentation to expand our perspectives about the climate crisis will ground our time together, followed by an interactive workshop. Many modalities are emerging to facilitate climate conversations and we will draw on several in our time together, including The Work That Reconnects and Climate Cafes. Light refreshments will be served, followed by an optional mindful walk around Plum Brook Pond (15 minutes). Registration required. Sliding scale donation.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 13: BENEFIT CONCERT FOR PIONEER VALLEY WORKERS CENTER. 7 to 9 p.m., Unitarian-Universalist Society of Amherst, 121 North Pleasant Street. Join us for an evening of inspiring pro-democracy, social justice themed music from area folk musicians Roger Tincknell, Lisa Gaughran, Katie Tolles, One Journey and Friends. The concert will benefit PVWC, a critical nonprofit organization serving immigrant workers in Western Massachusetts.
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 15 THROUGH SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21: TELL IT SLANT POETRY FESTIVAL. Programs and workshops in-person and online sponsored by the Emily Dickinson Museum. The Emily Dickinson Museum’s annual Tell It Slant Poetry Festival is an event with international reach that celebrates Emily Dickinson’s poetic legacy and the contemporary creativity she and her work continues to inspire from the place she called home.This year’s line-up features a talented group of poets from around the world including a reading by National Book Award and MacArthur Genius grantee Terrance Hayes with award-winning poet Krysten Hill, generative writing workshops, poetry panels, an open mic, live music, and more. The cornerstone of the Festival, the Emily Dickinson Poetry Marathon, is an epic reading of all 1,789 of Emily Dickinson’s poems across the festival week. Learn more about the 2025 lineup. Workshops are $25. Free festival access available, but registration encouraged.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 17: JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS WITH SHENEL JOHNS AND WEEDLE BRAIMAH. 7:30 p.m., Tillis Performance Hall, Fine Arts Center, UMass. Join us as we open our fiftieth anniversary season with a truly special performance by the most celebrated and prestigious ensemble in American classical music. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will be joined by extraordinary vocalist Shenel Johns and Ghanaian djembe virtuoso Weedie Braimah for Afro!, an exploration of jazz’s deep roots in African music. This will be the first ever live performance of this new commission by Wynton Marsalis as the Fine Arts Center collaborates on a two-day world premiere event that will conclude at Lincoln Center on September 18. Tickets start at $50, $20 for youth.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 18: 12th ANNUAL CELEBRATE AMHERST BLOCK PARTY. 5 to 9 p.m., North Pleasant Street, Downtown Amherst. Save the date. Details forthcoming.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 18: INFORMATION SESSION ON AFFORDABLE HOME OWNERSHIP AT AMHERST COMMUNITY HOMES. 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. Ready to own your own home in Amherst? Attend one of our upcoming info sessions about Amherst Community Homes. We will have 30 homes ready for purchase next summer, all of them affordable (income restricted)! Learn more by joining a free info session sponsored by Valley Community Development Corporation. Register here. Another session will be held on Thursday, October 23.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20: 2nd ANNUAL READ AND RESIST FEST. Interlink Publishing, 46 Crosby Ave. Northampton. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Rain date 8/21. Interlink Publishing—the Valley’s Palestinian-owned book publisher—will be hosting the second annual Read + Resist Fest This outdoor social justice festival will include a book sale, QTBIPOC vendors, children’s activities, teach-ins, workshops, screen printing, performances, music, food and more. It is free to the public and open to all ages. More information.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20: TELL IT SLANT POETRY FESTIVAL HEADLINER NIGHT WITH TERRABCE HAYES AND KRYSTEN HILL. 7 p.m. on Zoom and in person at the Emily Dickinson Museum garden, 220 Main Street. Join us in Emily Dickinson’s garden or virtually for a celebration of creativity and poetry! Our headlining poets will read from their work and discuss poetic practice and inspiration. A Q&A facilitated by Nicole Callihan and a book-signing with the poets to follow. Books will be available for sale on site. Free. Part of the Tell it Slant Poetry Festival, September 15-21. Information and registration here.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20: DISSECTING THE BEATLES VIRTUAL SHOW: THE VIRTUAL PREMIER OF YOUNG @ HEART CHORUS LATEST CONCERT FILM. 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. In our 43-year history, the Young@Heart has occasionally sung a Beatles song here, there and everywhere. But now we dig in much deeper to really Dissect The Beatles. This concert film features performances by some of our beloved living legends – who are all over the age of 90 and who have all been a part of Y@H for at least a decade: Helen Boston (95), Gloria Parker (96), Steve Martin (96), Anita Shumway (90) and Shirley Stevens (90). We were also joined by a string section – with our very own chorus member Rosie Caine on harp, Angie Shyr on violin and Luna Shyr on cello. We dedicate this film to the late Chris Haynes, Y@H’s longtime accordion player whose inventive and wonderful accordion playing was instrumental to the sound of Y@H for over three decades – and who was a huge Beatles fan. Donations of at least $25 guarantee a ticket.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21: BIGGER THAN SPORTS PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT. Noon, Mill River Recreation Area, 95 Montague Road. UMass fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa is collaborating on the tournament. Founded by Amherst Regional high school graduate Ian Waite, Bigger Than Sports is a fully Gen Z-led nonprofit empowering student-athletes from underserved communities to succeed beyond high school. More information
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21: CRESS DAY. Noon to 4 p.m., Mill River Recreation Area, 95 Montague Road. Join the Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service at Mill River Recreation Area for food, fun, and family!
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BOOK CLUB: KLARA AND THE SUN. 2 p.m., Chapin Hall, Amherst College. Curious about artificial intelligence? Join us for a discussion of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro on Sunday, September 21. Copies are available now to borrow at the Jones Library reference desk. Cosponsored by the Jones Library and Amherst’s College’s AI and the Liberal Arts. Learn more here.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21: FIFTH ANNUAL BANDTOBERFEST. 2 to 5 p.m., 1 Main Street. Celebrate autumn with a concert of band favorites and beverages from Abandoned Building Brewery, Black Birch Vineyard, and Carr’s Ciderhouse. Bring your blanket/chair, a picnic and the whole family.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21: DISTRICT ONE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION 2025 POTLUCK. 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Mill River Recreation Area, 95 Montague Road. North Amherst Community annual potluck. Everyone is welcome. Bring a dish to share (if you wish) and join for a relaxed end-of-summer party. Pizza, hot dogs, ice cream, and drinks, plates and utensils provided. Questions? Email DONA at ContactUs@amherstdona.org.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 2: BALLET HISPANICO. 7:30 p.m. Frederick Tillis Performance Hall, Fine Arts Center, UMass. We kick off an incredible dance series with an engaging, uplifting, and awe-inspiring performance from a company that has been part of the Fine Arts Center’s programming since our inaugural season in 1975-1976. The largest Latino cultural organization in the United States, Ballet Hispánico engages audiences with the work of Latino and Latina choreographers, opens a platform for new cultural dialogue, and nurtures inspiring young dancers of all ages. Tickets start at $40, $20 for students.
ONGOING AND MULTI-DAY EVENTS
EVERY MONDAY EXCEPT HOLIDAYS: AUTOHARP WORKSHOPS. 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Senior Center, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Join Marie Hartwell-Walker and autoharp players throughout the country who participate on Zoom. Participants on Zoom also welcome.
EVERY TUESDAY: RACIAL JUSTICE VIGIL 4:00 p.m. -4:30 p.m., downtown Amherst in front of the Bank of America.
FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: COUNCIL ON AGING SENIOR LUNCH. Noon. Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk.
FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH. RAINBOW COFFEE HOUR. 10-11 a.m. Amherst Senior Center, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. The Rainbow Coffee Hour is a new LGBTIA+ social coffee group for ages 50 and above. Join us for this welcoming space to socialize. No format, no agenda, just community. The July coffee hour will be held on July 11, due to July 4 being the first Tuesday of the month.
EVERY WEDNESDAY : CAFE. Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Are you or a loved one experiencing memory loss? At the Amherst Senior Center, we understand memory changes and have developed a new program based on the popular Memory Café format. Our Café offers fun, relaxation, and of course, snacks. This program is perfect for caregivers, people with mild memory loss, or anyone in the community who enjoys good conversation and strong coffee. Each Café opens with a coffee and conversation hour, followed by a group activity. Join us on Wednesday, November 30th for a performance by our special musical guests, “Healing Hearts with Harmony” at 11:00am. Come for the coffee, stay for the connections! Email seniorcenter@amherstma.gov or call 413-259-3060 with questions.
EVERY WEDNESDAY: WEEKLY WEDNESDAY MARKET. 10 to 11:30 a.m., Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. Since its launch in May 2024, the Wednesday Market has served over 700 community members. The Market is open to all, and there’s no registration and no questions asked. Just come and enjoy. We distribute fresh produce, dairy, prepared food, and delicious treats.
EVERY WEDNESDAY: BEGINNER BIRDING. 9:00-9:30 a.m. Notch Visitor Center, 1500 West Street. For ages 12 and up. An easy, level, 1/4-mile guided hike to discover more about birds: their behaviors, needs, habitats and significance. Listen, observe, sketch, photo or journal. Free
LAST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH (EXCLUDING JULY AND JANUARY): NORTHAMPTON JAZZ WORKSHOP. The Drake. 44 North Pleasant Street. 7:30 p.m. Free (donations accepted). Featuring the Green Street trio with a special guest. Featured set at 7:30 followed by an open jam session. Bring your axe. Full calendar of events here.
LAST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH: CRAFT AND CONVERSE. Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road. 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Are you tired of creating in solitude? Looking to connect with other artistic individuals? Grab your sketchbook, knitting bag, or water color gear and join our monthly coworking group! Craft and converse, hosted by Easthampton artist Kaia Zimmerman, is held the last Wednesday of every month from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. This welcoming, intentional space is designed for community members to come together for a casual, social evening while pursuing their own creative projects. Drop-ins welcome, but registration encouraged for any weather-related changes in schedule. Bring your own arts or crafts project (BYOA) to work on. Ages 16+.
WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS, AND SATURDAYS JUNE THROUGH NOVEMBER: AMHERST MOBILE MARKET. Wednesdays 3 to 6 p.m. in North Amherst, Thursdays 3 to 6 p.m. at Colonial Village, and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at East Hadley Road. The Amherst Mobile Market not only makes affordable produce available within walking distance of residents who struggle to access healthy food, but also puts decision-making in the hands of low-income, BIPOC community members and builds the capacity of those community members to take on leadership roles.
THURSDAYS SEPTEMBER 11 THROUGH OCTOBER 2: INTRODUCTORY DRAWING WITH DAVID DICKINSON. 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Mill District Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road. If you have been craving an in-depth class to learn drawing basics, this is the class for YOU! Students will learn via lectures demonstrations, and homework. Join accomplished artist and instructor, David Dickinson, at The Local Art Gallery Thursday mornings this fall for an Introductory Drawing Class. This class will meet four times on Thursday mornings: 9/11,
9/18, 9/25, 10/2 from 10:30am-12pm. Deadline to sign up: September 1, 2025. Limited seating .$100, includes supplies. Ages: 14+.
EVERY THURSDAY : AMHERST ARTISANS’ MARKET. 3 to 7 p.m., front lawn of the Amherst History Museum, 67 Amity Street. The Amherst Artisans’ Market features local artists, crafters and food vendors.
EVERY THURSDAY: STITCH CIRCLE. 4 to 6 p.m. Mill District Local Art Gallery and General Store, 91 Cowls Road. Grab your needles, venture to the General Store, and join us for our first Stitch Circle. Knitters, quilters, embroidery artists, and crocheters are all invited. Free.
THURSDAYS JULY 3 THROUGH AUGUST 31: LIVE JAZZ AND GLOBAL MUSIC AT THE ERIC CARLE MUSEUM. 5 to 8 p.m., Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art announced its new Sunset Thursdays series, a collaboration with the Northampton Jazz Festival. The first performers in the series are Ben Malnyoski Plus 2 on Thursday, July 3, and Ryan Hollander and Allan Bezama on Thursday, July 10. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and picnic dinners. Music is free with a museum admission. For a full list of performers and for more information about Sunset Thursdays and other summer programming at the Eric Carle Museum, visit carlemuseum.org/visit/events/summer-carle. The concerts are free.
EVERY FRIDAY: HANDS OFF OUR STUDENTS STANDOUT. 4 pm – 5:30 p.m., Kendrick Park, Amherst. https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/778646/
FIRST AND THIRD FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH: VETERAN’S COMMUNITY BREAKFAST FOR ALL -8 a.m – 9 a.m. Large Activity Room, Bangs Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. At each breakfast (bagel/donut/coffee), a veteran or veteran ally, will tell his or her personal story regarding military service. Generation after generation reveals that those going to war to defend our country come back spiritually and morally wounded, regardless of the bodily consequences of combat. We want to bring veterans together for food and friendship to help coalesce a spirit of camaraderie to enable authentic, veteran-oriented communities to flourish. WELCOME: Veterans, Spouses, Caregivers, Amherst Community Members. Let’s Build a Thriving Veterans Community. There are 387 Veterans in town! Sponsored by CRESS. FOR MORE INFORMATION: CALL THE CRESS OFFICE, (413) 259-3370 OR GENE HERMAN, VIETNAM VETERAN, (240) 472-7288 – CRESS VETERAN’S OUTREACH VOLUNTEER.
EVERY SATURDAY THROUGH NOVEMBER 23: AMHERST FARMERS’ MARKET. 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Town Common. Established in 1972, the Amherst Farmers’ Market is widely recognized as one of the best places for local food, fun, and community offering farm to table produce and selections from your local growers and Valley producers. Come out for the food, music, events, and community offerings.
SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS: LIVE JAZZ AND GOOD EATS AT THE BLACK SHEEP. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Black Sheep Deli, 79 Main Street. Frist and third Saturdays: Masala Jazz, Second, Fourth and Fifth Saturdays: Simmer Music Presents, Sundays: the Catalytics. Tip Jar..
THIRD SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH MAY THROUGH OCTOBER: CARS AND COFFEE AT THE MILL DISTRICT. 8 to 11:30 a.m., Mill District, Cowls Road. Cars and Coffee is back—and it’s bigger than ever! This FREE community event invites car lovers of all ages to enjoy an exciting morning filled with cool cars, coffee, and family fun. Spectators get a free drip coffee token and information on entering our raffle for a $50 gift certificate to the Mill District General Store and Local Art Gallery. There will also be an on-site playground and coloring activities to keep the kids entertained. Trophies awarded for the top cars in several categories. Pre-register your vehicle here.
NOW THROUGH AUGUST 30: UNITED WE STAND. ART FOR DIVIDED TIMES. The exhibit showcases 45 works by 37 artists from New England and New York, and media include drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, mixed media, and fiber works. “Gallery A3 began more than two decades ago, as artists in the community responded to the attacks of 9/11,” Hite states. “Now, with our 10th Annual Juried Show coming at another momentous time in our country’s history, it is exciting to see how the responses to the theme of UNITED WE STAND range from personal to political, abstract to conceptual, and humorous to iconic imagery.” Gallery A3 is located at 28 Amity Street 1D. Gallery hours are 2 p.m.- 7 p.m. Thursday – Sunday. There will be an opening recption at the Gallery on Thursday, August 7 from 5-8 p.m. There will be a free, art forum on line on Thursday August 21 at 7:30 p.m. Register here for the link. More information
NOW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 7: PORTRAITS IN RED: MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS PEOPLE BY NAYANA LAFOND. D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield Museums. In her powerful series of portraits, artist and activist Nayana Lafond sheds light on the crisis affecting Indigenous peoples, particularly women, who are eleven times more likely to go missing than the national average. Each portrait depicts a missing or murdered Indigenous person, a family member, or an advocate, rendered in shades of gray and marked by a vivid red handprint—the only color visible to spirits—to raise awareness, inspire action, and honor the lives and stories of those impacted by this crisis. Lafond, a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, graduated from Amherst High School and lives in Western Massachusetts. After studying at the Massachusetts College of Art, she became a full-time painter and has served as a curator and community arts organizer for over twenty years. Visit her website.
NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 1 : A SOMETHING OVERTAKES THE MIND: A MULTIMEDIA VISUAL ART AND POETRY INSTALLATION BY LIGIA BOUTON AND MATT DONOVAN. Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Emily Dickinson Museum, 280 Main Street. A Something Overtakes the Mind is a multimedia visual art and poetry installation created by Ligia Bouton and Matt Donovan for the Emily Dickinson Museum. Through explorations of domestic objects, biographical details, found poetry, and community testimonials, the exhibition seeks to find new ways of engaging with the poet’s life and legacy. The exhibition, free to the public during museum open hours, will be installed in the ground floor of the Homestead in the house’s woodshed, laundry room, and kitchen. Visitors to the installation must first check in at the carriage house tour center.
NOW THROUGH SUNDAY JANUARY 4: RETROSPECTIVE: THE ART OF GRACE LIN: MEETING A FRIEND IN AN UNEXPECTED PLACE. Eric Carle Museum, 125 West Bay Road. Grace Lin’s first picture book, The Ugly Vegetables, was published in 1999 to glowing praise. Twenty-five years later, she has created more than 30 titles, including board books, early readers, and middle grade novels, garnering Caldecott, Newbury, and Geisel honors along the way. Lin is a dedicated advocate for diversity in children’s book publishing, with a popular TEDx talk, “The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf” and created the video essay, “What to do when you realize classic books from your childhood are racist?” for PBS News Hour and New England Public Radio. This career retrospective of more than 80 works celebrates all aspects of Lin’s creativity with original art, sketches, manuscripts, and videos.