Community Calendar

William Baczek Fine Arts, in Northampton, Massachusetts is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of new oil paintings by Robert Sweeney. The exhibition will be on display from Wednesday, March 18 through Saturday, April 25, 2026. The public is invited to an opening reception with the artist on Saturday, March 21 from 4 – 6 pm.

Let’s make paper stars together! There are several different stars that you can make. We will start with the easiest and make as many as we have time for. Most are a form of modular origami. We will cut, fold, assemble, and sometimes glue to create these beautiful stars that make lovely hanging decorations, as well as enhance your gift wrapping. You will be able to select from a variety of papers. All materials are provided.

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.

Laura Holland explores plant life growing inside and outside the glass walls of a greenhouse, in
sequences of photographs assembled into artist books. In lushly textured oil paintings, Nancy
Meagher revisits two favorite themes: flowers in a vase on a pink table and trees in melting
snow on a hillside near her house. Working also with poetry and prose, both artists add stories
about animals to the mix of FLORA & FAUNA. image left, Nancy Meagher; right, Laura Holland

Please join the Friends of the West Stockbridge Library for a fascinating talk with local artist and author, Gail Gelburd, about her book, "The Liberation of Sue Moody", on Friday, 10 April, 6:00 PM at the West Stockbridge Town Hall. The author will read from her book and discuss the extraordinary life of Sue Moody. A young woman living in the early 20th century, Moody hitchhiked across America, rode horses in Wyoming, met Molly Brown, and sought a career as a journalist. She lived with her small child in Paris surviving bombings and starvation as WWII broke out.

Ms. Gelburd spent months going through forgotten boxes left behind in an abandoned home in rural Massachusetts. She was inspired to transform Moody’s lost letters, writings, and newspaper clippings into a first-person fictional narrative. The book portrays a courageous and creative woman determined to write her own story.

A reception and book signing will follow the talk.

El Khat is a homemade junkyard band led by multi-instrumentalist Eyal El Wahab. Named for the drug used so widely chewed across the Arab Peninsula, their original compositions are inspired by the music of the golden age in Aden, Yemen.

Experimenting with DIY, self-made instruments as an expression of a minimalist life philosophy—while remaining loyal to traditional Yemeni percussive roots—the three-piece developed a unique Arabic-Yemeni style. Although their detachment from any nation or flag is a driving force behind the group, the heart of their music and heritage remains deeply rooted in Yemeni culture. The constant divisions created by war and migration have given rise to a reassembled identity, one that resonates strongly throughout El Khat’s music. With a fourth album to be released in 2026, El Khat continues to forge a sound that bridges past and present—keeping Yemeni culture alive while reimagining its future.

With credits including Lincoln Center, SFJAZZ, and the starring role in the 2023 short film “Goodbye Jonathan’s Soul,” trumpeter Jonathan Dely has captured eyes and ears not only for his musical talent on stage and on screen, but also for the story that animates his career: turning down a lucrative career on Wall Street to become a musical artist. Dely performs one of jazz’s most extraordinary live concerts, masterfully interweaving musical styles of jazz, classical, rock, and more – a feat that has garnered praise from both critics and concertgoers alike who are enraptured by Dely’s smooth, virtuosic trumpet sound, the versatility of his razor sharp ensemble, and his live show’s ability to both earn and transcend the label of “jazz”.

“To watch Jonathan on stage balance his identity as a performing artist and former Wall Streeter is like watching a coming-of-age story in concert. He is an extraordinary talent and a remarkable young man. A star in the making.”
– Lincoln Center Future Songbook Series Producer

Celebrate National Poetry Month at Next Stage with an evening of poetry, conversation, and dancing! Join poet Diana Whitney for the release of her new book, Girl Trouble, which readers are calling “unstoppable” and “deeply subversive.”

Girl Trouble excavates the terrain of female adolescence in a brazen journey through rape culture from the 1980s to the #MeToo era. Whitney’s earthy poems spill secrets, make trouble, and reckon with stories of desire and harm while exploring the agency and oppression of women and girls. Deeply rooted in the natural world, the collection grieves the planet’s degradation even as it celebrates queerness and seeks healing for the next generation. By the end, a chorus of voices rises to a full-throated roar, revealing the power and release of truth-telling. This is a book for survivors and advocates, for mothers and daughters, and for anyone moving through trauma with resilience.

Whitney is a queer writer and educator who believes fiercely in the power of poetry to connect us to ourselves and one another. She is the editor of the bestselling anthology You Don’t Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves, winner of the Claudia Lewis Award, and the author of two previous poetry collections, Wanting It and Dark Beds. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Kenyon Review, The San Francisco Chronicle, and many other publications. An advocate for survivors of sexual violence in her Vermont hometown and beyond, Whitney works as a developmental editor and community organizer for a rural LGBTQ+ nonprofit.

Whitney will be in conversation with poet Eve Alexandra, whose prize-winning collection None of Us in White was released in 2025.

Snacks will be provided, a cash bar will be available, and books will be for sale from Everyone’s Books.

The Remnant and The Echo, Ligia Bouton

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.