MuseFlashes

Compiled by BONNIE WELLS

Published on February 15, 2008

Music, poetry and more at UMass celebration of Afro-American history

Live jazz by James Carroll kicks off a wide-ranging celebration of Black History Month next week at the University of Massachusetts. The evening, hosted by the W.E.B. DuBois department of Afro-American studies, features music, poetry and talks by new department chair Amilcar Shabazz, as well as watercolor artist Richard Yarde. The event, Feb. 21, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall, is free and open to the public.

After a keynote speech by Shabazz, department graduate students Jason Hendrickson, Keli Stuart and McKinley Moulton will read from their own poetry as well as works by prominent African-Americans. Next to take the podium will be UMass English professor Ron Welburn, who will read from his poetry.

Welburn, a subject in the video documentary series "Poets of New England," is the author of "Coming Through Smoke and the Dreaming: Selected Poems" and "Roanoke and Wampum: Topics in Native American Heritage and Literatures."

The program continues with a reading by New York poet Aracelis Girmay from her new collection "Teeth," and a talk by by watercolor artist and UMass professor Richard Yarde on the topic of his painting series "Ringshout." The title and inspiration came from an African-American healing ceremony that took place during slavery in the South.

After a blues set by The King Bees, featuring Afro-American studies faculty member Steven C. Tracey on vocals and harmonica, faculty and local authors will be available to sign copies of their books.

Book of essays analyzes Massachusetts economy

A new book of essays edited by University of Massachusetts professor Tom Juravich offers a sobering overview of the current Massachusetts economy.

In "The Future of Work in Massachusetts" (University of Massachusetts Press) the 10 chapter titles contain lots of buzzwords - globalization, outsourcing, work-family challenges, gender and so on - and there's a raft of statistics and charts and graphs, as might be expected from a book written by historians and researchers.

That said, Juravich, a professor of labor studies and director of the Labor Relations Research Center at UMass, Amherst, has put considerable effort into making sure that the essays are clearly written and accessible to readers without advanced degrees.

"Greater-Springfield Deindustrialization: Staggering Job Loss, a shrinking Revenue Base, and Grinding Decline," for example, opens with author Robert Forrant's first-person description of watching a December 2004 fire at the closed American Bosch plant. From his own memories of working there, Forrant moves on to a discussion of what he calls the collapse of the Connecticut River Valley's industrial economy.

"Springfield anticipated that the 1990s boom - in electronics, finance, and biotechnology - would right the ship," he writes. "It did not." By 2004, the city's financial decisions were in the hands of a state-appointed Finance Control Board. The loss of the industrial base, the lack of new job growth, corruption in some state agencies, all lead Forrant to the conclusion that "there is little reason to expect the downward spiral to end."

Forrant says that improving Springfield's plight will require commitment and change, including government policies that reward innovation, heighten skills development and promote collaboration across the state; the success of such projects as the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, a partnership between Baystate Medical Center and UMass that could stimulate a boom in research spending and well-paying work; and a willingness to spend more on education improvements, such as biology laboratories in high schools capable of training future biotechnology workers.

- SUZANNE WILSON

Exhibit offers a view into the looking glass

"Painting is like a freeze frame," writes South Deerfield artist Stephanie Cramer in her artist's statement. "Like Alice, the viewer is invited to step into the drama or the wonderland inside the looking glass."

A collection of Cramer's paintings and monotypes, which all focus around a central figure or image, is on view through Feb. 17 at Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence. An exhibit of Cramer's paintings is also on display at Sienna Restaurant in South Deerfield.

A monotype is made first by drawing or painting on a smooth, nonabsorbent surface, like glass. The piece of glass and a sheet of paper are pressed together, creating a single, unique print, called a monotype.

"My preference is monotype, the most closely related to the process of painting, often called the painter's printmaking process," Cramer's artist's statement reads.

Zea Mays is located in the Arts & Industry Building, 221 Pine St., Suite 320, Florence. Gallery viewing hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays from noon to 8 p.m., and the first and third weekends of the month from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 584-1783 or log on to zeamaysprintmaking.com.

- KRISTINA TEDESCHI

Mothers share stories of their loss of a child

When Joyce Beaulieu's son died suddenly in 1998 at the age of 39, she was more than devastated. "The grief period was horrendous," said Beaulieu, a Belchertown resident. "Losing a child leaves a hole in your heart forever."

She said that even family members do not understand the extent of a mother's loss.

Making matters worse, Beaulieu said, was the death of her 16-year-old granddaughter, Cassandra Silva, just 10 months later. To help deal with her grief, "I wanted to read everything I could get my hands on," she said, "but they were all written by one person." Beaulieu wanted to hear from others who shared her experience.

Not finding books in which mothers shared their stories, Beaulieu created her own. "From a Mother's Heart," is a compilation of stories from 27 mothers she has met through various internet sites, telling about their children and their grief. It is meant to be a tool to help grieving mothers understand that they are not alone, she said.

She and her daughter also contributed stories, said Beaulieu, who also wrote three chapters at the end of the book, discussing the grieving process, the facades people use to cope with daily personal interaction and how family and friends can help a grieving mother.

"It is a very sad book to read, but it is also filled with faith," she said.

Beaulieu will read from the book and sign copies March 1 at 1 p.m. at the Jeffery Amherst Bookshop, 55 S. Pleasant St. in Amherst.

- STEPHEN HILL

The Eric Carle plans a lively roster of events

From live children's theater to illustrator appearances and panel discussions, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst has a lively series of events planned for the weeks ahead.

During vacation week, the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School presents "Annie and Mary, the Pirate Queens," adapted for the stage by PVPA's Brian Marsh from Jane Yolen's book "Ballad of the Pirate Queens."

The show will be presented Feb. 19-22 at 1 and 3 p.m. each day, with a special talkback session with Yolen and Marsh after the 1 p.m. show Feb. 20. Tickets are $6 or $5 for museum members. They can be purchased in advance at the Museum Admissions Desk or by calling (413) 658-1126.

Next up, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. guests are invited to "Meet the People Who Make the Pictures." Artist John Muth, one of the illustrators featured in the museum's exhibition "Children Should be Seen: The Image of the Child in American Picture-Book Art," will be the special storytime guest. Muth will share a tale from his childhood, read a favorite childhood book, share one that he helped to create and will sign copies of his books. The event is free with museum admission.

A little something for the grownups comes up March 1 at 1 p.m. when the museum presents "Read Roger" Live. Horn Book editor Roger Sutton continues a conversation begun on his blog about the imbalance of gender representation among authors and illustrators in the field of children's literature. Panelists include Jane Dyer, Leonard Marcus, Pat Gauch and Robie Harris. The event is free with museum admission.

The regular "First Fridays @ The Carle" takes place March 7 from 4 to 7 p.m., when families are invited to meet, eat and take in the exhibitions, with a storytime at 5:30 p.m. and a film at 6:15.

For more information on the museum at 125 West Bay Road, and an extended schedule of events, call (413) 658-1105 or visit the Web site www.picturebookart.org.

Mead Museum hosts free noon gallery talks

The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College is offering a regular respite of art for the overcommitted starting Feb. 15.

A new series of free lunchtime gallery talks called "Ten Minutes With a Masterpiece" invites visitors to a noon to 12:10 immersion in a single work of art most Tuesdays and Fridays during the spring semester. The talks will be presented by students in the museum's volunteer docent program, and will be followed by light refreshments.

The museum holds a collection of more than 16,000 works of art, including American and European old master paintings, ancient Assyrian carvings, African sculpture, Japanese prints and Mexican ceramics. Five galleries display regularly refreshed selections from the permanent collection.

Starting Feb. 28, the museum presents "The Third Space: Cultural Identity Today," a special loan exhibition of contemporary videos, paintings, photographs and mixed-media works that explore cultural identity in a global society. The show will be on view through June 8.

The Mead is free, fully accessible and open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Thursdays until 9 p.m. For more information, call 542-2551, or visit the Web site www.amherst.edu/mead.

The monotypes will appear at Zea Mays next to her large paintings, both of which are often done in vibrant tones of reds, oranges and blues.