Fitchburg
Massachusetts
Fitchburg Art Museum - October 2023
Arts and Entertainment
October 4, 2023
From: Fitchburg Art MuseumOpening this month
Dialogues, Diasporas, and Detours Through Africa
October 14, 2023-January 14, 2024
This exhibition, guest curated by Dell Marie Hamilton, features work by seven artists—Archy LaSalle, George Annan, bashexo, Digi Chivetta, Sharon Dunn, Reginald Jackson, and Lou Jones—in conversation with works from FAM’s Permanent Collection of African Art. These artists participated in the Black Artist Residency at FAM over the past year, which was created by a partnership between the Museum and artist-collective
WHERE ARE ALL THE BLACK PEOPLE AT (WAATBPA).
Opening Reception
Saturday, October 21
2:00–5:00pm
Join us to celebrate the opening of Dialogues, Diasporas, and Detours Through Africa. Enjoy a performance by Crocodile River Music and West African refreshments. Free for all FAM
Members and free with museum admission.
Capital Vice: Politics of the Seven Deadly Sins
October 14, 2023-January 14, 2024
Capital Vice highlights a variety of artforms in the Fitchburg Art Museum’s Permanent Collection (including street photography, silverware, and weaponry) to question how outdated notions of archetypal sin fit within a modern sensibility.
Community Gallery
Open Sky Community Services
October 4 – October 29
Expressions is a celebration of the ways creative arts can serve as a means of communication for individuals living with dementia. This exhibition features a variety of expressive art forms that allow an individual living with dementia to make connections to their identity and environment. In creating these works of art, residents show they have lived a life
full of experiences and continue to have
more to give and share to those
willing to look and listen.
The Community Gallery is supported by a generous gift from
Dr. Roderick and Donna Lewin
Now on View
La bodega de mis sueños (The bodega of my dreams)
Also on view
In this inaugural installation of public art on the museum’s façade, Cuban-American artist and educator Gabriel Sosa considers the stories of Spanish-speaking residents in Central Massachusetts, contemporary visual culture in downtown Fitchburg, and the complexities of the American Dream
Ari Montford’s Freedom Arrows
Also on view
Ari Montford’s Freedom Arrows amplifies the arrow’s symbolism as tool, weapon, and message to explore Indigenous Black themes through the lens of the Native American experience of genocide. Within the museum lobby, a volley of hand-beaded arrows is suspended midair (as if just unleashed from unseen bows) and embedded in the walls. Dual concepts of protection and service, aggression and power blend with the arrows’ spiritual presence to create a space that provokes conversation about racial justice and narrative-making. Montford’s installation engages with the impact of structural racism, Indigenous trauma, and the process of creating safe spaces for restorative justice through their own voice as a Black Two Spirit Indigenous cultural practitioner.
Rania Matar: Oceans at My Door
Now through January 7, 2024
This exhibition celebrates FAM’s recent acquisition of Rania Matar’s portfolio SHE by placing it into the context of Matar’s recent work. Matar is a
Lebanese-American photographer
internationally renowned for her explorations of cross-cultural
identity and femininity.
Programs
Yoga in the Galleries
Experience the combination of going inside to see the beauty within and coming into the gallery to see the beauty around you. Join the practice of yoga with Dianne Tousignant where you are guided through breath awareness, warm-up poses, strengthening, and relaxation. Beginners are welcome. Instruction can be adapted for new students as well as those with more experience.
$15 drop-in per class payable in class. Fall session multi-class discount: register for 13 classes $169, FAM members discount: $143. If you prefer to register in advance call 978-345-4207 or email [email protected]
Hidden Treasures
Thursday, October 19
1:00-3:00pm
Hidden Treasures is a specialized art appreciation program for individuals with early to middle stage Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia and their caregivers. Programs are limited to 16 participants and require a caregiver with each individual adult with Alzheimer’s and professional staff with a group. Hidden Treasures is free, and participants must pre-register with the Fitchburg Art Museum by calling
978-345-4207 or by emailing [email protected]
Free First Thursdays
Thursday, October 5
12:00 – 7:00 PM
Every first Thursday the museum is FREE for all visitors.
Free First Thursdays is supported by an endowment given to the Fitchburg Art Museum in memory of Martha Malm.
A Night at the Museum:
Evening in Red
Save the Date
Saturday, November 18
6:00-9:00pm
A night to celebrate FAM and Fitchburg connect with exhibiting artists; enjoy music,
refreshments, and specialty cocktails. Red, white, and black attire encouraged. Watch for more details at www.fitchburgartmuseum.org or contact [email protected] for
more information.
Your Support Makes a Difference!
Whether you visit, attend an event, spread the word, or contribute, you make a difference at the Fitchburg Art Museum – for yourself and for the lives of others. You are impacting our community, our region, our artists, and our families.
Thank You!