Wistariahurst
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Wistariahurst
Museum
About
Us Calendar Education
Weddings
Exhibits Collections
Spring
Gala
Gardens
Exhibits
Current Exhibits
Sunday, May 11 — 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Gallery Reception for We Are Holyoke: A Series of Family Portraits
On Mother's Day, May 11th, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. join Wistariahurst for the opening of ‘We are Holyoke’, a series of photographs by local photographer Bruce Barone. Bruce will be exhibiting a series of portraits from the local community in a photographic exploration of the rich diversity of life in Holyoke and beyond. Celebrate with your family at Wistariahurst by posing for a family portrait. Portrait sittings will be between 1:00 and 2:30 p.m. and printing will be done by Bruce on Wistariahurst's premises. Sit with your family for a portrait, peruse Bruce's photographs in the gallery while you wait, then leave with the printed picture. Copies of family portraits will be part of the ongoing display in the gallery during the month of May. Families of any size are accepted! The reception will provide an opportunity to meet Bruce and view his work. Admission to the gallery is $3. Family portraits are free. Reservations are suggested. For more information, please call Wistariahurst events at 413-322-5660 ext.5168Upcoming Exhibits
Past History Exhibits
“Connection… and Isolation”: Cultural Identities in Holyoke
November 3, 2007- end of December, 2007
Holyoke’s history holds an even more powerful story than the development of a mill town. It is a story of cultural identities that began with the first wave of immigrants to our fair city. The impact of immigrants and migrants on the city of Holyoke and our continuing identities remains particularly strong today. Many Americans who come from immigrant ancestors no longer identify with a particular ethnic group. Others strongly identify with their ethnic heritage. This exhibit will examine the identity of Holyoke’s past, present and future as well as reflect on what cultural identities remain in today’s Holyoke. Come explore your identity and the identity of Holyoke in the upcoming exhibit, “Connection.... and Isolation”: Cultural Identities in Holyoke, opening on November 3 from 12 - 4 p.m. The exhibit will remain on display through the end of December. This is Wistariahurst Museum’s final installation of a four-part exhibit series on immigration and migration to Holyoke, Massachusetts.
"s'instruire at s'amuser": Holyoke's Social Diversions
Exhibit Three in Series of Four Exhibits on Immigration and Migration to Holyoke
June 2 - July 30, 2007
The world of the Holyoke's working class embraced more than the workplace. Outside the mill existed church, family, benevolent societies, and other institutions which enriched working class life and the culture of Holyoke. Within these institutions workers defined themselves and created a number of distinct cultural worlds. One cultural world was a world of responsibility based on the duty to family inculcated from an early age. Here young workers developed the means and values necessary to maintain families of their own. Before entering this world, some even lingered for a time in the raucous, hard drinking world of saloon culture. The immigrant and migrant impact was particularly strong in contributing to the social and cultural character of the community, reflected in much of Holyoke today.
June 2, 2007 to June 25, 2007 in Wistariahurst Museum's Music Room: Celebrating Puerto Rican History in Holyoke. Click here for more information. Please join us! The exhibit will be travelling to sites in Western Massachusetts starting in the fall. Stay tuned for a schedule!
On display through April: "We did not come to this country to starve": Laboring for Holyoke's Industries
Holyoke's industries were built from entrepreneurship using immigrant and migrant labor. By the 1880s, Holyoke, known as the Paper City, was a booming industrial center. Not only did immigrant labor from Ireland contribute to the booming paper industry, but groups like the French Canadians, Polish and Germans worked in textile factories producing cotton, wool and silk. This exhibit is the second of a 4-part series and examines industries in Holyoke, including paper and textile factories, as well as the immigrant and migrant work force that kept them running. For the opening, live music was performed by Sweetwind, traditional music with hand drums, guitar, flute, pennywhistle and fiddle."…we all are in this strange country": Immigration and Migration to Holyoke
Exhibit One: November 4 - December 31, 2006
Opening Saturday November 4, 2006
There is an early and continuing importance of immigration and migration to Holyoke. By the 1880s, Holyoke, known as The Paper City, was a booming industrial center. Immigrants from Europe and Canada and migrants from Puerto Rico came to work and made the city their home. As each group of people arrived - Irish, French Canadians, Italians, Germans, Poles and Puerto Ricans - an adjustment resulted as newcomers joined the competition for jobs and housing. Holyoke's history holds a powerful story of the development of a mill town into a booming industry. It is also a story of the immigrants and migrants who contributed to a fluid and complex set of new and established cultural patterns. Their impact on the social and cultural identity of the community is reflected in Holyoke today. This exhibit examines the reasons people emigrated from Ireland, Canada, Poland, Italy, Germany and Puerto Rico to Holyoke, Massachusetts. It also features an introduction to ethnic enclaves created when immigrants and migrants moved into the city. Finally, the exhibit addresses some struggles and stereotypes as seen in Holyoke, past and present.
Silk Exhibit
Over the 87 years of operation in Holyoke, the Skinner Silk Manufacturing company produced an array of fabrics from their earliest origins of silk, cotton backed satin, and pure dye taffetas, to washable crepes, rayon, and Tackle Twill. Most popular among the later lines of Skinner materials was their bridal satin, remembered today by many brides of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1961, the Skinner family sold the business, with all of their trademarks and patents, to Indian Head Mills, who immediately closed the mills. The mill buildings were destroyed in a fire in 1980. Holyoke Heritage State Park was built on that site. Click here to see part of the exhibit online
Trump Indicators and The Game of Bridge
November 20 through January 23 - Exhibit What's Trump? Trump Indicators and The Game of Bridge
Exhibit explored the world of Trump Indicators, their history and their unique addition to the game of bridge. Joan Schepps, a resident of Holyoke, and Silver Life Master bridge player, is the foremost collector of trump indicators in the United States. A selection of250 trump indicators and bridge memorabilia will be on display. The exhibit will also highlight the history of bridge in Holyoke. Opening reception is Sunday, November 20. A Bridge Tournament will be held at the same time in the music room. You are invited for an exploration of the game of bridge, an insignt into its history and an opportunity to play in a duplicate bridge game. This unique exhibit features something not only for collectors and bridge players, but Holyoke natives and game lovers as well. For more information on bridge in Western Massachusetts, please check out this website. Click here to see part of the exhibit onlineThe Orchards Golf Course Exhibit
The US Women's Open Tournament was held at The Orchards golf course in South Hadley in July 2004. The Wistariahurst Museum installedg an exhibit which tells the story of Joseph Allen Skinner and his daughter Elisabeth, and their life in South Hadley in relation to this golf course. We also explored The Orchards through the eyes of former pro golfers who worked there and members who cherish memories of knowing Elisabeth Skinner and golfing on a Donald Ross designedcourse. Click here to see part of the exhibit onlineSkinner Coffee House Exhibit
This exhibit celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first opening of the William Skinner Coffee House. Belle and Katharine Skinner established this settlement house in Holyoke to provide educational and social opportunities for women who worked in the factories of Holyoke. The exhibit was created by graduate students of Public History from the University of Massachusetts. This exhibit is funded in part by the Wistariahurst Museum Association and the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Exhibit was on display through August 24, 2003. Click here to see part of the exhibit onlineSkinner Servants Exhibit
An oral history project completed by graduate students at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in the Public History Program that discusses the lives and experiences of the Skinner Family servants. This exhibit was funded by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities. An associated tour, The Servants Tour, uses the oral histories gathered from this exhibit and research. Click here to see part of the exhibit online
Past Art Exhibits
On Display until March 26 Artist Reception and Gallery Opening: Faces of Ireland
Lifelong photographer and Holyoke resident, Edward Lavalle will present a photography exhibition in celebration of Ireland. His love of photography and Irish roots will be displayed in an exquisite show of people of Ireland, captured in everyday life. Visit with the photographer and learn about his experience in photographing people from Ireland. Gallery hours for Wistariahurst are Saturday, Sunday and Monday afternoons from 12 – 4. Admission to the gallery is $3 per person.Existing Light: A series of photographs as captured by local artist and photographer Michael Powers.
Included in the works being shown are exterior views of present-day industrial Holyoke and surrounding landscapes shot in black and white and illuminated with existing light. If you are interested in seeing more art by Michael Powers or are interested in purchasing any works, please click here for more information.
‘Timeless Inscapes’
Exhibition by Vitek Kruta
On Exhibit through October 29, 2007
Vitek J. P. Kruta, born in Prague, is a professional artist, muralist, art restorer, designer and teacher. Mr. Kruta was trained in the old-world techniques of fine and decorative arts in Czech Republic and Germany, where he attended schools and worked as restorer of historical buildings, castles and churches before coming to the United States in 1991. His work has been featured in exhibitions in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the United States and Canada. Vitek Kruta will be showing a series of paintings entitled ‘Timeless Inscapes’ at Wistariahurst from September 1 to October 29, 2007. Inscapes’ are one of a kind, hand built of wood and wood composite. They are finished with acrylic paints and varnishes, and sometimes with gold or silver leaf. The artist explains, “‘Inscapes’ express the ‘inner world’ I live in and explore. They represent peace, solitude, contemplation, meditation, relaxation, and healing. Their doors are wide and open, inviting the viewer into images of places and landscapes drawn from my memory, molded by the feelings and thoughts I experience.” Mr. Kruta’s exhibit also feature works in collaboration with artists Jeff Margolin and John Brickles. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, September 9 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The reception will provide an opportunity to meet Mr. Kruta and view his works. This event is part of an exciting line-up of fall programs sponsored by the Massacusetts Festival of the Arts (MIFA) included in the Fall Festival. Since his arrival to United States, Mr. Kruta continues his carrier as freelance artist, designer and art restorer, teacher, instructor and consultant for various public and not for profit organizations and groups, schools and business associates.
Sunday, January 7 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. - Exhibit Opening Reception: Fine Art and Instruments: Paintings of the Belle Skinner Collection
Artist David Barclay will show paintings of instruments from Belle Skinner's music collection. Although the scale is altered, the paintings capture the striking beauty of the instruments themselves and the enormous craftsmanship of their makers. Admission is $3.The inspiration for these paintings by David Barclay was a photograph of the Wistariahurst Music Room taken in the mid 1900's. The photograph captures a portion of Belle Skinner's collection of over 80 antique musical instruments that filled the large room. Barclay saw it while visiting Wistariahurst and inquired about the instruments in the picture.
"The idea of bringing some of these exquisite pieces home to Wistariahurst as paintings was intriguing for me," Barclay said. "The skill of the luthiers and craftsmen who made these pieces is truly exceptional. The paintings are as much an homage to the makers as to the instruments themselves."
Barclay describes his work as contemporary realism. "I try to capture the beauty of the instrument, the wood and the three dimensional nature of each piece through the use of realistic wood grain representation and extensive shadowing. I am also drawn to more contemporary close-up views that, while only showing a fraction of the whole piece, let the viewer know instantly what is portrayed." The paintings depict a variety of stringed instruments and a harpsichord.
To create the realistic wood grain effect used in these paintings, Barclay applied multiple layers of a specially mixed pigment and binder called glaze. The effect can perhaps best be seen in the transparent shadows cast by the light falling on the instruments. In the triptych painting of the pochette, a similar technique was used to create the highly featured wood grain for the background of the raised panels. In some pieces, nearly 20 layers have been used to achieve the visual effect of graining, depth and shadows.
Belle Skinner's collection includes highly decorated and unusual antique instruments from around the world, although primarily from Europe and Asia. In 1960, the collection was donated to the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where it is housed today. Many of Belle Skinner's finest pieces are prominently displayed in the University's collection.
Barclay visited the collection at Yale to select the subjects for his paintings. His daughter, photographer Claire Barclay, accompanied him and took the photographs displayed in the exhibit.
An exhibition of works by artist Mary Frank entitled "At This Moment" will open for display on Saturday, September 30 at 4 p.m. at Wistariahurst Museum. One of America's leading contemporary sculptors, painters, printmakers and illustrators, Mark Frank will feature her works in the gallery at Wistariahurst Museum in conjunction with MIFA (Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts). Born in London, Mary Frank moved to New York when she was eight and was initially involved in the arts through dance before progressing to the study of the visual arts. Her first one-woman exhibition took place in New York in 1961. Since that time her art has been the subject of exhibitions throughout the United States and in France and Germany. Mary Frank's work is included in major collections such as the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. She has also illustrated several books including Shadows of Africa, The Mature Poetry of Emily Dickinson, Skies in Blossom and Desert quartet: An Erotic Landscape. The exhibit will be on display until October 31, 2006
Made in Montauk
A series of works with Handmade paper by Sheryl JaffeSheryl Jaffe has been exhibiting her artwork throughout New York and New England for more than 20 years. Her metamorphose as a sculptor began with ceramics, and she moved through welded steel, concrete, site specific installation, and she is currently working with handmade paper and mixed media assemblage. She enjoys working with organic materials, such as locally grown plant fibers, beach stones, and she may include found objects in her current work. Her work has a lyrical quality; undulating paper forms reminiscent of the human body, frailty of skin, juxtaposed with the power and strength of scale and materials. Her theme includes loss, forgiveness, erosion, growth, vulnerability and strength.
"I have been fascinated by a specific strength of coastline in Montauk, N.Y. for 30 years. I have followed its contours, its vegetation, rocks, grain of sand, waves and storms, in my infrequent visits and in the pieces in the exhibition. Using impressions and sometimes-actual objects; stones, seaweed, shell I offer you this work for contemplation."
Local and Latino Expressions in Art
This exhibit is meant to reflect and express the cultural identity of the local Latino community. The opening reception was held on June 17 from 2-4 pm and featured the music of Jose Gonzalez. Click here to see part of the exhibit online
Robert Kushner
Works specifically designed for the Wistariahurst Music Room by internationally know Robert Kushner. Kushner has completed several major public commissions. He has exhibited his work widely and is represented in the collections of The Brooklyn Museum, Los Angeles County Museum, The Metropolitan Museum, NY, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Tate Gallery, London, The Whitney Museum, NY and others. In 1997 Hudson Hills Press published the monograph, "Robert Kushner: Gardens of Earthly Delight" by Alexandra Anderson-Spivey. The New Jersey Center for Visual Arts mounted the survey exhibition "Robert Kushner: 25 Years of Making Art" in 1998. Exhibit was on display until January 28, 2005.
Saturday, May 6 through June 5- Bryant Stewart: "Reflections" The Zenith of the Automobile
Wistariahurst Museum will feature an art exhibit on antique cars of the 1930s and 40s this coming spring. Bryant Stewart will display his unique auto images from May 6 through June 5, 2006 in the Museum gallery. Stewart explains, "I am fascinated by the round, fat contours that appear as distorted images in the reflections." Using a technique of reflections and mirrored images, Stewart's artwork is almost always met with wonder and delight.
