Westfield Cultural Council awards grant to WSU Downtown Art Gallery
WESTFIELD – The Westfield State University Downtown Art Gallery has received a grant of $2,000 from the Westfield Cultural Council, a local program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Faith Lund, curator, submitted the request for the grant. The grant will be used for “Open Mic” evenings, a series of artistic events at the gallery.
The “Open Mic” events will establish “a link between the University and the community by bringing noted performances to the gallery, which enhances the community culturally and creates an event that both the University and the community can enjoy,” Lund explained.
“The grant will enhance the cultural life of the community by bringing literary and musical performances to the gallery,” Lund continued, “The grant also gives the gallery a chance to reinforce its importance and presence in downtown Westfield.”
The Westfield State University Downtown Art Gallery has been in existence since Fall of 2008. The mission of the gallery is to establish a closer link between the community and the University by putting on events that enhance the cultural diversity of the Westfield community.
The gallery is located at 105 Elm Street in Westfield, MA and is open from 2 to 5 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 2 to 7 pm on Thursdays, and 1 to 5 pm on Saturdays. There is parking space available in the rear of the gallery. The current exhibit is titled Impressions: Night and Day, and features calligraphy and prints by Mary Teichman, and paintings by Barbara Johnson. The next exhibit is titled Temporal and Terrestrial, and features egg tempera and drawings by WSU alum Diane Savino, Carol A. O’Neill, Banjie Nicholas, and Leslie Anderson.
For more information on the gallery, visit http://www.westfield.ma.edu/offices-services/art-galleries/ and for the latest updates on current and future events and exhibits, visit http://www.westfield.ma.edu/offices-services/art-galleries/downtown-art-gallery/
Kane performs in “Big George” (Photo submitted)
“Big George”— a one-woman show performed by Kelli Stevens Kane
WESTFIELD. – Westfield State University will end its celebration of Black History Month with “Big George,” a one-woman show performed by Kelli Stevens Kane about her grandmother, Georgetta Holmes Stevens. The show will take place on Monday, February 24, from 7:30 to 9 pm at Dever Stage.
“Big George” is about connections that span generations—to family, to community, to our authentic selves, and between the past and the present. Throughout the show, Kane performs as herself and a host of real-life characters which include members of her family and important members of her grandmother’s community. Kane incorporates poetry, oral history, movement, and sound collage in her one-woman show.
Kane’s grandmother, Georgetta Holmes Stevens, was a small woman with a big personality. Known for her humor and frankness, she took her family to visit funeral homes in Pittsburgh’s Historic District, regardless of whether or not she knew the deceased. She was a free-speaking matriarch and a role model, and her story brings audiences together in a celebration of love.
Georgetta’s story is integral to the mission of Black History Month.
“It’s important to celebrate the histories of everyday people during Black History Month, and every month, alongside traditional historical figures,” Kane said, “‘Big George’ was an extraordinary African American woman whose story can’t be found in a history book:—most of our stories can’t. But our stories are valuable.”
Kane said that she is excited to perform at Westfield State, because the university understands that Black History Month is not only about celebrating the typically studied figures, such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, but is also about celebrating the average person: the everyday man or woman who plays a role in creating history.
The event is free and open to the public. The performance runs for forty five minutes, followed by a Question and Answer session after the show. This event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the English Department, the Office of Student Activities, and the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education. For more information on Black History Month at Westfield State University, visit www.westfield.ma.edu/bhm . For more information on Kelli Stevens Kane, visit her website at kellistevenskane.com . For more information on “Big George” at Westfield State University, please contact Professor Vanessa Holford Diana, Professor of English, at [email protected] or (413)572-5687.
Westfield State Musical Theatre Guild confronts relationship clichés
WESTFIELD – Westfield State University’s student-run group the Musical Theater Guild (MTG) will put on a production of the Off-Broadway musical “I Love You…You’re Perfect…Now Change” in Juniper Park Elementary School from February 20 through February 22.
“I Love You…You’re Perfect…Now Change” is the second-longest running Off-Broadway musical. The show is comprised of a series of vignettes that depict the difficulties and clichés of romantic relationships.
Wilson Belbin ’14 and Ryan Pound ‘15, the co-directors of the show, gravitated toward this musical for that very reason.
“‘I Love You…You’re Perfect…Now Change’ is a good complimentary show to the club’s fall production ‘RENT’ because it is a contemporary piece about human relationships,” Belbin said. “This is a similar theme in ‘RENT’ but ‘I Love You’ has a different, contrasting take on those relationships. It’s also a different type of show than the club has ever done before because it’s a series of small plots instead of one big plot.”
While the Off-Broadway production of the show consists of four characters total, two men and two women, MTG has expanded to a cast of fifteen, giving two or three different characters to each actor.
“Expanding the cast allows us a different variety of talent, voice range, and acting style that will make for more convincing characters,” Pound said. “It’s also easier than people learning ten different roles and putting too much stress on the actors.”
Beyond the beneficial technical aspects of the larger cast, expanding the show also speaks to the heart of MTG’s mission.
“Not only does the larger cast add variety, but it gives people more opportunities to be in the show,” Belbin said. “That’s what MTG is all about: getting as many people as possible involved in shows in any way possible.”
The cast will also have to work in a different space than their fall shows, which are held on Dever Stage on the Westfield State campus. Each spring, MTG has their show in the auditorium of Juniper Park Elementary School, a much smaller and differently shaped space than Dever.
“Juniper Park offers an intimacy that Dever simply cannot provide,” Pound said. “With the seats so close to the performers, the subtle expressions and themes within the costumes and set can really be appreciated.”
MTG has four weeks to put up a full musical, including learning a full score and script, movement during each scene, dancing, and constructing a full set for the show. Beth Teague ‘15, the props manager and a cast member of the show, is not worried about the time constraints.
“We are getting through everything quite quickly and more efficiently than usual in the spring,” Teague said about the show’s progress. “Sometimes we come right down to the wire and find ourselves in a time crunch, but we’re a group that loves what we do. MTG always comes through with an incredible product in the end.”
“I Love You…You’re Perfect…Now Change” will run February 20th, 21st and 22nd at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee show February 22nd at 2 p.m. Tickets are $2 for students, children under 12, and senior citizens and $4 for the general public.
The Musical Theater Guild (MTG) is the oldest student-run club on campus, and was founded in the 1972. MTG puts on two musicals a year. For more information on MTG and their production of “I Love You…You’re Perfect…Now Change”, please contact Stage Manager Alex Potter ’14 at (508)341-0121.
