You guys tease me about “do I sleep”.

Sure, sleep is wasted time. But not for any longer!

I’m going to start sleep drawing!  Join me!

https://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190719-the-mysterious-case-of-the-man-who-draws-in-his-sleep

On Monday, June 24, 2019 from 5:70-7pm there’ll be an invitation-only event held at the Singh Performance Center in Whitinsville, Mass. This inspiring evening will bring together 20 local community members from all walks of life to learn about each other, explore their creativity, and try out a variety of fun activities.

If you’ve been invited to attend our Unexpected Connections event – welcome! Here’s what we are planning.

5:15pm – arrival period and community sculpture creation. Participants receive colored name tags which sort them into four groups of 5 each.

5:30pm – introduction and song singalong

5:45pm – icebreaker! Each group creates fun “machines” with our bodies.

6:00pm / 6:15pm / 6:30pm – the groups rotate through three stations:

• Creating string art
• Planting edible flowers
• Writing a joint story

6:45pm – light snacks and drinks are provided. People relax and share their thoughts

7:00pm – goodbye song

This event was developed out of a workshop series on “Arts in Complex Community Change” – a series designed to help local community leaders in the Whitinsville area develop new ways for the arts to help foster improvement in community relations. It’s run by EmcArts.

A purpose of tonight’s event is to help play-test the idea of having events which are focused on a particular topic, such as gardening, storytelling, music, and art creation. We’re interested in finding out which types of activities individuals would be interested in attending. We’re also examining if this type of activity helps to foster stronger bonds between diverse members of our community.

We look forward to seeing you there! Ask with any questions!

This workshop is planned and run by:

Donna Blanchard and Alaina Calloway Bolton, Apple Tree Arts
Peter Friedland and Matthew Johnsen, Worcester State University
Phil Marshall, ValleyCAST
Dennis Rice, Open Sky
Lisa Shea, Blackstone Valley Art Association

ValleyCAST and Alternatives in 2019 received a grant through Mass Development to help them access the feasibility of developing inclusive, collaborative workspaces at the Whitin Mill campus that would better meet the needs of the community.

They are interested in responses from people throughout the Blackstone Valley.

Please take a moment to answer these questions. You can print out the two-sided form and do it on the form, or you can submit answers by email or social media to the BVAA. We’ll pass it along.

We all hope to hear from you!

Uxbridge has an amazing new offering! Firefly Gallery and Gifts is an art gallery which has opened up at 15 Mendon Street in Uxbridge, MA.

They have all sorts of paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and other items available.

They offer art classes – check their calendar!

If you’re an artist who would like to teach classes, they are actively looking for teachers. They have a beautiful studio space with a bank of windows overlooking the waterfall. Here are a few photos of the space.

In addition, there are two smaller studio spaces which can be rented by the hour. This is perfect for artists, musicians, authors, poets, and other creatives to have a beautiful space to relax and work. My photos are a bit dark because I wanted to show the scenery outside the window – the rooms are actually well lit.

A message to share with our membership, from Jack Gannon, President of the Foxboro Art Association.

. . . .

I had mentioned during our last meeting that the Artist’s Studio & Gallery at Patriot Place (Foxboro, MA in the shadows of Gillette Stadium) has scheduled a Paint Out for Saturday May 18th 1-5pm.  Artists painting along-side one another.  Artists from all of the surrounding communities (and from the communities represented within this distribution list) are welcome to participate.

Patriot Place is doing their annual Street Art Festival (a chalk art festival managed by the Foxboro High School students) that same day, so there will be many spectators checking out the artwork and it is a great opportunity to gain exposure.

No cost to attend the Paint Out.  Bring your easel and supplies.  And bring something to anchor down your easel in the event of a little wind (empty gallon jug you can fill w/ water while at the art gallery along with a small rope or a bungy cord).  Artists will be both inside and outside the art gallery painting that day.  And you can bring a finished painting to display so the spectators can not only see what you are painting, but can also see what a finished product looks like.  And if you have not yet seen our art gallery, it is a great space in a great location and may be one of the largest local-artist art galleries on the east coast.

You are welcome to share this with your membership.  The more artists attending, the more fun the event will be.

In the event of rain, artists can check the Patriot Place website to see if the Street Art Festival has been rescheduled.  The Paint Out will be held the same day as the Street Art Festival.

Patriot Place is on Rt. 1 in Foxboro surrounding Gillette Stadium.  Park in Lot 23 and walk up between Davios and Bar Louie, turn left into the marketplace, and then right at Dunkin Donuts.  The art gallery is across from Splitsville Bowling and Howl at the Moon Pub and next to Red Robin.  Or, if Lot 23 is full, you can park in front of the movie theatre, go in the movie theatre front entrance, up the escalator, follow the walkway to the end.  Once outside turn left at Dunkin Donuts and we are three doors down on the right.

Hope to see you there!

Regards,

Jack Gannon

President, Foxboro Art Association

Founder & Manager, Artist’s Studio & Gallery at Patriot Place

Founder & Manager, ART Room Today

What a fantastic holiday! Monday, April 8th, 2019, is International Draw A Bird day.

This holiday found its source in 1943 when a young girl in England was cheering up her uncle, a war veteran. To distract him from his worries, she asked him to draw her a bird. The rest is history! Together we all draw birds and celebrate the beauty of life.

In the image above, the leftmost three images are done by Bonnie Frederico. The three on the right are by Frank Robertson. Both artists are amazingly talented. Those images are part of our current Series show at the Uxbridge gallery and are available for sale. Stop on by the gallery and take a look in person!

We’d love to see your bird images for Draw A Bird day. Email them to us, post them as comments, or post them on our social media sites! Join in the birding celebration!

https://www.dabday.com/

The Premier Image Gallery in Ashland, Massachusetts is having its 2019 Summer Show! This is their 30th anniversary of the show! This will be a joint show between the Blackstone Valley Art Association and several other local art groups. There will be cash prizes!

Premier Image Gallery
290 Eliot Street
Ashland MA 01721

You can enter up to two pieces at $8 each. Pieces must be properly wired. The drop off dates are:

Thu May 2, 2019 10-2
Fri May 3, 2019 10-2
Sat May 4, 2019 10-1

If you can’t make it during those times, let us know and we can arrange someone else to coordinate with you to bring them in. You don’t have to fill out any online forms with this. Just label the back with the usual artist name / title / medium / price and then the owner Don will fill out a hand-written inventory sheet when you get there.

The BVAA has historically done quite well at these open shows. It’s well worth entering!

The reception is Thursday, May 16th from 5:30-7:30pm. Bring a snack to share!

The pickup will be on June 29th during the gallery’s normal business hours.

For more about the gallery including contact information visit:

https://premierimagegallery.com/

Hurrah! The Davis Art Gallery in Worcester is finally reopening after their renovations!

They’re celebrating with a new call to art. Here’s the details!

UNCONVENTIONAL

A Juried Exhibit to Reopen the Davis Art Gallery

Entry Deadline: May 13, 2019

Recycled materials, items from a hardware store, found objects, or kitchen utensils are a few examples of the many unconventional materials used to make art. UNCONVENTIONAL is an invitation to use unconventional materials and processes, as well as traditional materials in unconventional ways, to create 2D and 3D art, installations, and media. Submit your work for a chance be a part of the inaugural exhibit in the new Davis Art Gallery space.

We will select approximately 45–60 artworks that will appear in the main exhibition space at the gallery from June 7, 2019 through August 16, 2019. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 6, 2019. 

https://davisartgallery.com/Upcoming-Show.aspx

You might have heard that the Pawtucket Red Sox, a farm team for the Boston Red Sox, is now planning to move into Worcester, Massachusetts around March 2021. The new field will be called the Polar Park and will be a mixed-use, year-round space. It’ll be located on Madison Street in Worcester. The entire Canal district will be revitalized including two new hotels. Even Kelley Square will be revamped.

On Tuesday, January 22nd, 2019, Dr. Charles Steinberg met with about 40 members of the Worcester-area art community to talk with them about all of the opportunities this would present. We met in the Worcester PopUp space. Present were Erin Williams of the Worcester Cultural Coalition, Hank von Hellion of the amazing Worcester PopUp space, Juliet Feibel of ArtsWorcester, and many other local arts luminaries. It was an incredibly animated, creative, and productive session. Kudos to the team who arranged this meeting.

We began with a pair of video presentations laying out what the new WooSox arena would be like. Again, this isn’t just about a seasonal “ball park”. It’s about event space, hotels, and all sorts of other options. The Worcester Red Sox team would like to involve local artists in all aspects of this, even in creating murals and signs while the construction is being done.

Here are my (Lisa Shea) notes. Note that there were a LOT of artists speaking up, so I was scribbling as fast as I could. I apologize if I got anything wrong in my note-taking.

* During the construction period, it would be great if there could be murals of players posted, to build interest. The construction fence could hold some of these murals, and somehow they could be taken off when construction was done so they weren’t “lost”.

* We should focus on local artists and living artists to support them.

* Kelley Square is being redesigned – there’s a meeting on Wed 1/23/2019 to look into this. Steinberg said his group was meeting with the City of Worcester every two weeks to stay on top of things like this.

* They want to make Madison Street far more pedestrian friendly. They want it to be a place where families can safely walk.

* The team needs a nickname. Many like “WooSox” but other ideas are in play. Send all ideas to them.

* Some art ideas with themes are the history of baseball, the Red Sox, Worcester’s baseball history, and so on. But also they want art which showcases the style of Worcester artists, whatever that might be.

* Gallery space will definitely be included in this project. They might have one-night special shows for special events. At other times they might rotate the show weekly to go with themes. It should feature local art.

* They are aiming to draw 5,000 to 10,000 visitors to every single game. Their primary focus is on families and college students.

* They want this area to “look and feel like Worcester”. It should have architecture and art which evokes Worcester.

* They definitely want art galleries and art receptions which just “happen” to be at a ballpark.

* They talked about having local artists curate artwork for the two incoming hotels, so that patrons staying at the hotel can enjoy local artwork in their rooms.

* They want musical performances playing while people are coming in to the ballpark to watch a game.

* They will integrate local breweries and local food options like Table Talk Pies.

* A local baseball player might create a themed park-specific food option.

* Artists should be hired officially and paid well, to respect their efforts.

* Art which is supplied could be digitized and shown on hotel-room channels to help spread the word.

* Shows should be accessible to the low income youth. Not just in tickets, but making sure they have free transportation as well. The park plans to give every single student in Worcester a ticket every year and they’ll work on making sure the students can easily get TO and FROM the park.

* They don’t see this “just” as a ballpark but as an interlocking series of park spaces for Worcester residents (and the region) to use and enjoy.

* Maybe provide family discounts via an existing local coupon system.

* Their bedrock of support will be from families and college students.

* They want to allow families to bring in food, so that food prices are not a hurdle. They then want to make sure their provided (concession) food is both high quality and low price so it is a valid option.

* They plan on 7,200 seats but on 10,000 attendance by having play areas and running-around areas for kids.

* Make sure there are strong vegetarian and vegan options.

* Promote the strong African immigrant community in the art and exhibits.

* Have day games not just on weekends but also on weekdays.

* Allow for pop-up music / spoken word options along the lines of SOFAR.

* Provide internships for students so they can learn about all the great jobs that exist.

* Have opportunities for local musical artists to participate in the Anthem and other things. It was mentioned that Pawtucket has an “O Say Can You Sing” competition so everyone has a chance. Here’s a link to the 2018 one – O Say Can You Sing

They’re planning a 400-500 slot garage opposite the park on Madison street. The plan is not for one gigantic lot but for a bunch of lots all around so that people can easily get to one whichever direction they come from.

Event space options there will hold up to 400 people.

Here is the Facebook page for the Pawtucket Red Sox:

https://www.facebook.com/GoPawSox

I’ll let you know as we hear more information! Ask with any questions!

To learn more about the Worcester PopUp Space –

https://www.worcesterpopup.org/

Three Blackstone Valley Art Association members were accepted into the 2019 “Close Encounters” Photography Exhibit at the Morini Gallery in Mansfield, Massachusetts. These members were Bob See, Lisa Shea, and Mike Zeis.

For this show, as per their release:

“Artists were invited to explore the concept of macro and/or close up photography. There is something magical about seeing a subject up close and personal. Think of an old watch, a flower or even some food items that could be shot on your kitchen table. The shapes, textures and colors come to life in the world of close up photography. This is not strictly a macro exhibit. Close up photography can be loosely defined as larger than life size.”

The juror for the show was Marie Craig.

Here are the images! Be sure to visit the show to see them in person. Contact us if you’d like a print or framed version of any of these.

Show dates:
January 18th – March 24th 2019
The Morini Gallery

377 North Main Street
Mansfield , MA 02048

Show details:
https://mmas.org/close-encounters/