Craft Demo Days

To benefit

The Salvation Army

Westfield Service Center Food Pantry

Free Demos will be held at

The Seat Weaver Retail Store, 24 Arnold Street, Westfield, MA

Fridays and Saturdays from 1-3pm

• April 9 & 10 – Quilting

with Karen Callini

• April 16 & 17 – Scrollsaw Woodworking

with Arnie Paye

• April 23 & 24 – Chair Caning

by Mark Remaly

• April 30 & May 1 – Basket Weaving

by Alice Flyte

Please help us stock the shelves at The Salvation Army Food Pantry. Non-perishable food items may be brought to the store during April.

Robert H. Farris, Jr.’s The Painted Garden exhibit will be held at the Westfield State College Downtown Art Gallery April 6 to May 1 in its temporary location at 108 Elm St.  Robert H. Farris Jr. will display his paintings inspired by Stanley Park and other New England gardens.

A free public reception for the artist is set for 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 8 and features classical music of Peter Blanchette and his arch guitar and refreshments.  Normal gallery hours are 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday.

About Robert H. Farris, Jr.

Robert Farris has been painting the objects and scenery of New England  for thirty-two years. He paints in the manner of traditional realism using  a technique of building up layers of glazing over a basic underpainting.

Robert says “Painting is not so much a desire as an obsession.”  The obsession  began as a little boy’s amusement. It was nurtured with lessons from noted  Lynn artist Charles Impel, and grew under the instruction of Ruth Sparks.  Robert then went on to study at Massachusetts College of Art.  Farris has a particular fascination with architecture. He often heads  out with his sketch book to old sections of the North Shore recording  something he saw earlier in his travels. He does finished paintings from these sketches in his studio.  “I’ll paint on anything” states Farris, who once sketched a wild snowstorm  on a napkin while riding in the back seat of a friend’s car. After seeing  what he wants to paint, and then sketching it,  Farris can barely wait to begin putting oil on canvas.  “I get so excited I just start painting,  I can sense it.   It’s almost as if I can smell it.”

As an associate member of Oil Painters of America, Farris participates  in regional and national shows. He is also a professional member of the  Society of Egg Tempera Painters, the American Society of Classical Realism,  North Shore Art Association and Provincetown Art Association and Museum.

Robert has won numerous awards through many local art associations. In  1994, Farris won 11th place in The Artist’s Magazine Competition, In 1996  he was inducted into the Grumbacher Hall of Fame and has received three  prestigious Grumbacher Gold Medallion Awards.

FastFeet presents…

Tuesday Night “Fun Run”

• When:                      Starting April 6^th

• Where:                     @ the Westfield Fast Feet, 26 Elm Street
  
• What time?              6 p.m. sharp

Come ready to run, nice and easy. We will have a 3-mile loop and a 5-mile loop that heads from Fast Feet up towards Stanley Park and back. The course is not hilly and the pace should be comfortable. There is plenty of side walk to run on. You are more than welcome to bring a buddy to run with, the more the merrier.

Hope to see you Tuesday night at six o’clock!!

**If you have questions or concerns, please call us at Fast Feet. (413) 485-0058.

April Classes will be starting soon! Click here for a complete listing of classes.

Nuno Felting with Nancy – April 11th is the date for this One day (10am-4pm) event!

It is a fabulous opportunity to experience the creation of your own one-of-a-kind scarf!  A great Mother’s Day gift for yourself or a loved one!  Cost will be $50 plus materials ($35) and you will leave with your scarf!  A minimum of 6 and maximum of 8 students for this class – registration is a MUST.  No previous felting experience is required.  Just bring your lunch and wear comfortable clothes

Update: There has been a lot of interest in the April 11th Nuno Felting Workshop!  We’re almost at capacity so if you are interested, please let us know right away so we can squeeze you in or set another date with Nancy!

About the instructor Nancy Dorian is a fiber artist residing in Northampton Massachusetts with a degree in Interior Design and Fine Arts minor in Ceramics. Her company now & ZEN art to wear emerged from the belief that joy comes from doing what you love. Pottery, stained glass and jewelry are a few of her mediums, but she now works primarily with fiber. Nancy has taught fiber arts in many venues including New England Felting Supply, WEBS, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke Creative Arts Center and her home studio. She creates one-of-a-kind wearable art garments using techniques such as Nuno Felting, Fiber Etching and Serti silk painting. Her work has been spotlighted in The Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Republican and Preview Massachusetts Magazine and can be found at galleries and boutiques throughout the Pioneer Valley and on Nantucket. Find out more about her at www.nancydorian.com.

On May 5^th, Westfield On Weekends and the Westfield Athenaeum will be conducting another road trip to the Hartford Stage Company production of Tom Sawyer and a visit to the Mark Twain House.

Update:  Sold Out.

The trip includes a motorcoach bus from Westfield to Hartford and back. The bus will depart from City Hall parking lot at 9:45 a.m. and will return at 5:00 p.m.

The tickets include a guided tour of the Mark Twain House, with time for visiting the museum and gift shop, a delicious catered lunch at the Hartford Stage Company, with a private talk by one of the Hartford Stage Company’s staff about their production of Tom Sawyer, directed by Jeremy B. Cohen. Tickets include premium seats for Tom Sawyer, which starts at 2:00 p.m.

This March and April, discover what’s happening in the District, Westfield’s Downtown.  In the restaurants and pubs, enjoy fine food, drink, friends and entertainment.  In the shops, there are sales and promotions everywhere.

WinterGreen Days offers residents and visitors alike  a chance to beat the winter blues and to celebrate the return of spring! Wintergreen Days Calendar of Events

Indefinitely postponed

Keeping Up in a Down Economy,  In the  Art Museum
Wednesday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m.  Presenter: Motivational Speaker Rob Peck.

Popular motivational speaker Rob Peck will present Keeping Up in a Down Economy, co-sponsored by the Athenaeum, the Westfield Business Improvement District (WBID)  and Westfield on Weekends, Inc. (WOW).

Mr. Peck is the Founder of Zestworks, a speaking, training and consulting firm which believes that “the best test is zest!”  He is also an award-winning juggler and entertainer. From Harvard to Hewlett Packard, his customized speeches and seminars have raised morale, re-invigorated commitment, and rein forced the power of collaborative problem solving. Come and partake of some comedic relief in celebration of the end of tax season and learn how to live “zestfully!”

Lieutenant Richard Falley’s Life in Westfield: 1760 –1810,    In the Auditorium
Wednesday, March 24 at 7:00 p.m.  Presenters: Historians Dennis Picard and Richrad Colton.

Dennis Picard, Director of Storrowton Village Museum, will be joined by Richard Colton, a Historian at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, in this talk about the LieutenantRichard Falley’s life in Westfield from 1760 – 1810, and about the Springfield Armory and the U.S. Army Ordinance Dept. The talks will be given in conjunction with the display of two muskets made by Falley (one recently acquired by the Edwin Smith Historical Museum at the Athenaeum and authenticated as a Falley musket), along with other material relating to Lieutenant Falley, who was reported to have had an armory on Mt. Tekoa in  Montgomery.

Classes for April 2010 – sign up now via email Westfield.yarn@verizon.net or phone
(413) 568-0044.  Thank you for your support and your enthusiasm!!

Crochet Basics – 2 options:

4 Saturdays afternoons:  1:00 to 2:30 (beginning April 10)
Or Friday evenings 5:30 to 7:00 (beginning April 9)

Relax and have fun!  Learn the basic stitches of crochet and be on your way to following patterns & creating what your heart desires!
($55 includes beginning supplies)

Taste of Weaving:

4 Tuesday evenings: 5:00 to 6:30 (beginning April 6)
Sit down at a 4-harness loom ready for your creative spirit!  Experience the satisfaction of creating a piece of your very own fabric.  You can make it into a pillow or hang it on your wall but it will be yours – your colors, your creation!  ($55 plus $10 materials fee).

Knitting Basics

4 Wednesday evenings: 5:30 to 7:00 (beginning April 7)

You can do it!  Learn the basic stitches of knitting and be on your way to following a pattern.   A great anti-stress diversion from the daily grind!  ($55 includes beginning supplies)

Learn to Sew

4 Saturday mornings:  10:00 to 11:30 (beginning April 10)

Have a sewing machine and want to put it to use?  Want to know how to cut out a pattern, follow the instructions and put a simple shirt together?  Once you make one, you can feel confident to make another from different material, embellish it differently, make a different neckline.  The possibilities are limitless!  4 Saturday mornings (beginning April 10).  Students will be asked to bring an easy pattern and fabric of their choosing.  You can also bring your sewing machine (if you wish).  Please contact me if you are interested so that we can discuss details of this class.  ($55)

Tatting/Embroidery

Have an interest?  Please contact me so that we can set up the right class for you!  We teach shuttle tatting, crewel, free hand and crazy quilt embroidery!

FYI….We are planning a Ribbon Embroidery class in May with a local artist!  Watch for upcoming news – Saturday mornings are the plan!