Category Archives: Arts

The Grubbs Gallery 2014-15 Season

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2014 Grubbs Gallery Marlene Rye, “The Ascent”, pastel on paper, 2014
Marlene Rye, “The Ascent”, pastel on paper, 2014

A slate of painters and artists who draw inspiration from the land and the air, from architectural forms and memories of childhood, will fill the Grubbs Gallery for the 2014-15 season.

The nine shows this season will include work by Marlene Rye, Lise Lemeland, David Marshall, Karen Iglehart, Rhys Davies, and Amanda Barrow and Co.

“It is going to be a year of very impressive exhibitions because they are all so talented with such distinctive styles,” noted Natania Hume, Grubbs Gallery director and curator, in an email about the upcoming season.

Ms. Hume, who also teaches ceramics, design, and drawing at the school, said she looked for artists who not only had exemplary work, but who could teach Williston students about techniques, materials, and the creative process.

“Although the Grubbs Gallery artists are mostly painters this year, they all get inspiration from very specific subjects and will all give very interesting gallery talks,” Ms. Hume noted.

The following are the upcoming slate of shows at the Grubbs Gallery for the 2014-15 season:

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Posted in: Arts, Grubbs Gallery

A Lesson on Vessels and the Art of Celebration

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Robbie Heidinger Visit 1If there are trophies for athletics, why not have one for art as well?

That was the premise of a recent hands-on workshop by ceramic artist Robbie Heidinger P ’14 in the Grubbs Gallery. During her May 7 visit, she worked with two dozen students from Williston Northampton School’s Arts Intensive Program to craft just such a vessel.

In her own work, which was on display in Grubbs through mid-May, Ms. Heidiger said she has been inspired by the shape, colors, and textures of plants. She began her recent visit to Williston by passing around a vase of spring flowers and urging students to examine the shapes.

“There are really no rules,” Ms. Heidinger told them. “I just want you to start thinking about structure.”

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Posted in: Academics, Arts, Reed Campus Center, Special Programs, Visiting Speakers

Williston Students Create, Curate Easthampton’s New [SHOWCASE]

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IMG_1783The paintings in the hallway of the Reed Campus Center were stacked a dozen deep—parrots, the depth of an eye, a set of surreal white teeth, a royal crown, and spray painted koi—all piled together.

Behind the canvases were another stack of intricate drawings, placed carefully below a laminated sign: “Artists: Drop your art here for [SHOWCASE].”

This stack of artwork, solicited over the past year and collected this week, was headed to the Eastworks Building for a new art exhibit. [SHOWCASE], which opens on May 10 and will run through May 17, will feature work from 23 Williston students. The show is curated by someone who knows the ins and outs of the school’s art community best—student artist Gabriel Jacobson ’15.

[SHOWCASE] will be held in the single, large, multi-room storefront of Suite 136. Mr. Jacobson said the show will include sculptures and a range of photos and paintings, as well as an installation piece from Brenna Quirk ’15.

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Posted in: Arts, Special Programs, Williston Northampton News

A Million Voices

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IMG_1497Dr. Felicia Barber couldn’t get over the sound in the Phillips Stevens Chapel.

“What a great hall!” she said to Joshua Harper, choral director at the Williston Northampton School. She gestured to the large, sunlit room. “What an awesome space!”

Behind her in the chapel nave, her accompanist, Scott Bailey, launched into a resonant tune on the organ.

Dr. Barber, a conductor at Westfield State University, had just finished leading her Chamber Chorale in a private concert for the Widdigers and Caterwaulers. Her group, some 20 college students dressed in formal black, performed a short program of new and known works, including pieces by Troy Robertson, Benjamin Britten, and Moses Hogan.

Mr. Harper said the idea behind the concert had been to give Williston students a chance to hear counterparts at the college level and talk to them about technique.

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Posted in: Arts, Visiting Speakers, Williston Northampton News

Faculty Show Puts Great Moments on Display

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Hume
Bud Vases by Natania Hume

From December to January, the Grubbs Gallery will display work by the Fine Arts faculty. Included in the exhibit are pieces by fine arts teachers Susanna White, Natania Hume, and Rachel Chambers; photography teacher Ed Hing ’77; costume designer, Ilene Goldstein; and art intern, Kate Verdickt ’05.

The exhibit features bud vases, in the style of contemporary ceramic artist Edmund de Waal, by Ms. Hume, who is also the gallery curator; costumes and jewelry designs by Ms. Goldstein; and landscapes and abstract paintings by Ms. White. Also featured are a selection of photographs from Mr. Hing’s Ten Years/Ten Countries, celestial paintings by Ms. Verdickt, and Ms. Chamber’s work, an installation made completely out of cardboard that covers part of the gallery in undulating 3D forms. Read statements from each artist here.

“It is a first for me, a genuine, humbling thrill. It is one of those great moments in my profession, when I literally see what it is that I love about my job,” Ms. White noted in her artist statement about the show. “Our gallery is an educational gallery and I think it will be interesting for my students to see the different types of work I enjoy doing most.”

The Visual Arts Faculty Show runs through January 6, 2014. There will be a reception with the artists on December 18 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Grubbs Gallery. Located at 40 Park Street, Easthampton, in the Reed Campus Center, the gallery is open on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Posted in: Arts, Events, Williston Northampton News