Beth Barry has always loved the beach, spending her younger days biking there from her hometown of New Bedford. She loved to swim and feel the sand between her toes, but she especially loved the combination of the rhythmic sounds (or roar) of the ocean, as well as the colors and the way the sunlight could change them. It wasn’t until she flew in an airplane for the first time in her early teens that she felt a deep, personal connection to the light and movement of the beach that she loved so much. Moving across the land and viewing it from a unique perspective, she could see light move with the objects, changing the shapes and colors of what she saw below. This resonance that she felt was exciting and highly informative to developing her style, and it changed her life forever.

Ms. Barry now resides in New York City and often goes to Central Park to paint “en plein air.” She always brings her portable easel, paints and chair with her whenever she travels, and typically paints a scene inspired by what she sees — and feels! For Ms. Barry, a painting starts with an emotional response to either light, or a color, or a shape: “integrations of what I see externally, or what I see in my mind’s eye.”

Often her paintings are her expressionistic interpretation of landscapes or seascapes — real and imaginary. Painting is like an impulse to Ms. Barry, and brings her great joy in life. For her, “the images, the light, the movement … create a sense of pleasure. That’s what I want people to feel when they look at my paintings.” Displaying and sharing her artwork is something that she looks forward to time and time again. If someone responds to her artwork, then she feels that she has succeeded.

One of her main influences is the work of expressionist painter Richard Diebenkorn, who had an apparent passion for Edward Hopper’s work. You can see the Diebenkorn influence in Ms. Barry’s muted yet colorful canvases, as well as the stark strokes made. In her painting, “Couple,” you can see the emotion Ms. Barry clearly felt when creating this abstract art, from the organic shapes to the colors used and their placement. In “Cappadocia,” there is no doubt that Ms. Barry painted her interpretation of the volcanic formations and the emotions she felt from viewing such spectacular natural phenomena. When it comes to abstractions, she paints “integrations of what I take in from the world — what I see and what I feel.”

The show will open on Saturday, April 22 (Earth Day!), 2 – 4 p.m., at Gallery Sitka, 454 Main Street in Fitchburg, and will run through Memorial Day. The show is fittingly entitled “Earth’s Magic,” and reflects on the ethereal complexity and wonder that is Mother Nature. We invite everyone to come and be inspired by the richness of the earth through Beth Barry’s paintings, and to celebrate the lush beauty we get to take in every day.

Active Shooter — Civilian Response Training

 

NEW CLASSES SCHEDULED:

DATE:             April 26, 2017
LOCATION:   Hampton Inn & Suites
65 Prescott St.
Worcester, Massachusetts  01605

 

DATE:             April 27, 2017
LOCATION:  DoubleTree by Hilton
                         99 Erdman Way
Leominster MA  01453

TIME:             6:15pm – 9:00pm
COST:             $49.99
REGISTER:   Call A+ Firearms Training of MA at 508-864-7473

 

You hear about active shooter drills for emergency services so they will be ready should an active shooter event occur.  But they typically are not there at the time it starts.  In fact, they likely won’t arrive on scene for five to fifteen minutes, or more.

So what do you do when the shooting begins until they arrive to better your chances of survival?

This interactive presentation, with hands-on exercises, explains what the term “Active Shooter” means, history of past active shooter events, why it is so important today, and what civilians can do to better their chances of survival.

There are no live firearms utilized in the class.

Central MA Science Festival

Fitchburg Historical Society Receives Massachusetts Cultural Council Planning Grant For Continued Development of Phoenix Building Headquarters

Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund Awards $24,250 for Historic Fitchburg Building

The Fitchburg Historical Society has been awarded a planning grant of $24,250 from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilities Fund for the continued development of its Main Street headquarters, which are located in an historic H.M. Francis building that the Historical Society purchased and renovated over the last decade. The grant funding is a matching grant, and the Fitchburg Historical Society has received generous matching funds of $15,000 from the Douglas and Isabelle Crocker Foundation, $9,000 from the Rollstone Foundation, and $1,000 from Historic New England.

The funding will be used to create concept plans for the further development of the Phoenix Building for collections storage, program facilities and exhibition spaces. Since its grand opening in 2012, the Crocker Family Center for the Study of Fitchburg History has attracted a growing audience to Fitchburg’s downtown for historical exhibitions, educational talks, films and conferences presented by the Fitchburg Historical Society.

“Since we opened on Main Street four and a half years ago, we have been able to offer larger programs and marquee exhibitions that are attracting large new audiences to the Historical Society,” says Fitchburg Historical Society Past President William McSheehy. “We are proud to serve as one of Main Street’s most important institutions, enlivening the Upper Common area and attracting tourists and other visitors to Fitchburg.”

“This funding will set the stage for new building projects, in order to update our collections management and move part of our collections out of temporary storage into their permanent home,” adds Board President Jay Bry. “We are continuing the project that began with the acquisition of the Phoenix building itself: specifically the expansion of our audience and membership. We will continue to offer programs and exhibitions that draw a new audience to Fitchburg from all over New England.”

The Fitchburg Historical Society will celebrate its 125^th anniversary in 2017. Home to popular events like the annual Holiday House Tour and popular recent exhibitions like “Healing Hands: the History of Medicine in Fitchburg” and “Felix Leger: A World War II Soldier from Cleghorn,” the Historical Society is currently presenting an exhibition on the history of firefighters in Fitchburg.

“Institutions like the Fitchburg Historical Society are central to the quality of life in our community,” according to Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale. “This investment in an important local cultural resource by the State of Massachusetts and Massachusetts Cultural Council creates tangible results in both economic activity and community vitality.”

The Cultural Facilities Fund was created to increase investments from both the public sector and the private sector to support the sound planning and development of cultural facilities in Massachusetts. It provides capital and planning grants to promote the acquisition, design, repair, rehabilitation renovation, expansion, or construction of nonprofit cultural facilities in Massachusetts. All grants from the Fund must be matched with cash contributions from the private or public sector.

The funding agency is the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency supporting the arts, humanities, and sciences to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts and its communities. The MCC pursues this mission through grants, services, and advocacy for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists. The planning grant is being administered by
MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, which works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2015, MassDevelopment financed or managed 294 projects generating investment of more than $2.5 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are projected to create about 6,100 jobs and build or rehabilitate about 2,000 residential units.

For more information on the Fitchburg Historical Society, its exhibitions, educational programs and research library, contact the Fitchburg Historical Society at 978.345.1157, e-mail at welcome@fitchburghistoricalsociety.com or visit http:www.fitchburghistoricalsociety.org.