Community Calendar

featuring work by the following senior Studio Art majors: Tori Gomez, Veda Hedgepeth, Lan Kung, Sequoia LeBreux, Nikté Lopez-Aleshire, and Risa Watanabe.

JooYoung Choi is an astro-futurist artist whose expansive practice blends autobiography and invention. For over a decade, Choi's work has centered on developing narratives within a highly structured imaginary realm known as the Cosmic Womb.

Adventures of the Quantum Soup Surfer brings together early and recent paintings, a sculptural installation, and video works that chronicle one character's journey of self-discovery. Long known as Nina Blue, the Quantum Soup Surfer first appeared in the Cosmic Womb as a professional imaginary friend, contributing to the journeys of several legendary heroes of the Cosmic Womb.

The exhibition follows Nina Blue's passage from supporting character to protagonist. She emerges as the Quantum Soup Surfer--a celestial superhero and thoughtful navigator who channels the spiritual energy of water to brave uncharted territories and share her story of resilience.

Inspired by the Cosmic Womb's motto--"Have Faith for You have Always Been Loved"--this exhibition foregrounds imagination, curiosity, and art as tools for resilience that have been significant for Nina Blue's transformation into the Quantum Soup Surfer and the hero of this story.

Adventures of the Quantum Soup Surfer is made possible by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

This exhibition will explore movement as an integral throughline in Kwame Brathwaite’s work—one that spans his deep engagement with social and political movements and his keen attention to the body in motion. Brathwaite’s images intimate the powerful and transformative ways that action can convey joy, beauty, strength, and hope, even in charged moments.

Brathwaite (1938-2023) is perhaps most recognized for photographs celebrating Black beauty and excellence in fashion, music, and athletics. His studio portraits and concert photography like his documentation of historic marches, the everyday life of residents in Harlem and The Bronx, and of athletes such as Muhammad Ali convey the power of the body as a symbol of cultural strength, resilience, and pan-African solidarity. Through a selection of original and new prints from archival negatives, the exhibition will offer an opportunity to experience the breadth of his work and its resonance today.

Curated in close partnership with Brathwaite’s son and daughter-in-law, Kwame and Robynn Brathwaite (Amherst College Class of 1996 and 1998, respectively), Revolutionary Movements will expand stories about the artist's work and its international circulation.

Kwame Brathwaite: Revolutionary Movements is made possible by Teiger Foundation.

The Friends of the Westfield Athenaeum is seeking donations of gently used adult and children’s books, DVDs, and jigsaw puzzles for their upcoming book sale. Donations will only be accepted by curbside drop-off at the back door of the First United Methodist Church, 16 Court St., Westfield, during the weeks of April 6-11 and April 13-18 as follows: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10-1; Tuesday and Thursday from 4-7, and Saturday from 9-12.
Please note that we cannot accept musty or damaged books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, textbooks, Reader’s Digest books, or outdated manuals, travel books, or self-help books.
The book sale will be held at the Church on Thursday, April 23, 10-7; Friday, April 24, 10-5; and Saturday, April 25, 10-2. On Thursday only, we are offering a $5.00 discount for educators (bring your ID!) and new Friends members joining at the door.
The Friends of the Westfield Athenaeum is an all-volunteer 501(C)3 not-for-profit organization that supports the programs and services of the Westfield Athenaeum.

Each service includes an uplifting talk that touches on real-life experiences—like relationships, resilience, and personal growth—offering down-to-earth reflections to help you navigate life with clarity, compassion, and a sense of connection.

The healing portion of the service begins with a peaceful, guided meditation accompanied by live harp music, creating a calm and supportive space. Those who wish may then receive gentle, hands-on energy healing from certified Spiritualist healers while seated.

The service concludes with a demonstration of mediumship from the podium, where the medium shares messages from loved ones in spirit. These brief, heartfelt messages are intended to provide evidence of the continuity of life and offer comfort, healing, and connection.

Come join the Smith College Handbell ensemble for a fun afternoon of popular songs arranged for handbells! Under the direction of Anita Anderson-Cooper.

Call for artwork
Science, technology, engineering, art, math, an exhibit inspired by and incorporating the sciences.
Exhibit runs April 3 - May 17, 2026
With special events, demos, and fun activities during the course of the exhibit.
Contact margedvaa@gmail.com by March 20 with your interest.

West Stockbridge Historical Society Presents
Williams College Chamber Music Players Concert
Sunday, April 26th at 3 p.m.
Old Town Hall, 9 Main Street, West Stockbridge
 
Please join us for an afternoon of chamber music by Williams College students. The Williams College Chamber Music Program provides musical opportunities for very high-level instrumentalists who are not performance majors but devote much of their precious time to playing chamber music with their peers.   While most of these students will go on to careers in medicine, law, and the sciences, their music experiences enrich their academic lives.  We are delighted to share their artistry!

Included in the program will be selections from Shostakovich, Ravel and Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

General Admission: $20
Card to Culture tickets available

Organizing businesses into worker-owned cooperatives feels today like an idea whose time has come. A new model is emerging that is productive and profitable and works for everyone, not just a select few.

In fact, this is not a new idea or model, but has deep roots in Valley history. Historian Christopher Clark, author of the Communitarian Moment: The Radical Challenge of the Northampton Association, and Steve Strimer, thirty-year member of Collective Copies, explore a bold experiment that created a democratic workplace in Florence in 1842. Our conversation is moderated by public historian Tom Goldscheider of the David Ruggles Center. Introducing the panel is Larisa Demos, the current Board president of the Valley Alliance of Worker Co-operatives.

The 1840s Worker-Owned Cooperative at the Center of Florence’s Progressive Past

Organizing businesses into worker-owned cooperatives feels today like an idea whose time has come. A new model is emerging that is productive and profitable and works for everyone, not just a select few.

In fact, this is not a new idea or model, but has deep roots in Valley history. Historian Christopher Clark, author of the Communitarian Moment: The Radical Challenge of the Northampton Association, and Steve Strimer, thirty-year member of Collective Copies, explore a bold experiment that created a democratic workplace in Florence in 1842. Our conversation is moderated by public historian Tom Goldscheider of the David Ruggles Center. Introducing the panel is Larisa Demos of Green Mountain Spinnery and Flat Iron Café, two Vermont worker-coops, who is the current Board president of the Valley Alliance of Worker Co-operatives.