Westfield on Weekends (WOW) and The Majestic Theater have partnered to present a two‑artist exhibition installed at the Majestic Theater, 131 Elm Street in West Springfield. The show with artwork selected from past exhibits at WOW’s gallery at its WOW Center has been curated to reflect the summer season of shows at the theater.
In the theater’s T. Emerson’s Cafe, visitors will find a selection of works by artist/illustrator and WOW board member James Johnson‑Corwin. The display features highlights from WOW’s popular “Great Dogs and Cool Cats” exhibit, including feline caricatures from Old Westfield’s Book of Uncommon Cats paired with T. S. Eliot–inspired verses written by WOW President Bob Plasse. For this installation, Johnson‑Corwin and Plasse have reimagined several “Cool Cats” pieces as a tribute to the Majestic.
Additional works from Johnson‑Corwin’s “My Favorite Things” exhibit—spotlighting everyday objects and cultural references—round out the café collection.
WOW board member, Johnson Corwin is an illustrator, designer, and co‑curator of the gallery of the WOW Center. He has contributed artwork and design to regional publications including the Valley Advocate, Union News, and Boston’s Lollipop Magazine and currently serves as multi-media manager of Reminder Publications.
In the theatre lobby, attendees can view three works by Don Blanton, WOW’s Artist‑in‑Residence and board member. Two mixed-media works, both entitled “For the Love of Music” capture musicians in performance with their instruments. The third work is his Juneteenth poster graphic, originally designed for the City of Galveston, Texas, the birthplace and historic home of Juneteenth.
Don Blanton is a nationally recognized artist, sculptor, poet, and storyteller whose 1977 Martin Luther King mural in Springfield’s Mason Square is an historic landmark. He has conducted numerous art programs for regional schools, hospitals, retirement communities and at his home studio, and currently paints or sculpts during his “Open Studio” sessions at the WOW Center, Sundays from noon to 2 pm.
The gallery exhibitions from which these works were drawn were originally funded in part through grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Westfield Cultural Council, with generous in‑kind support provided by Reminder Publications.
Founded in 2003, Westfield on Weekends (WOW) is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to enriching the creative vitality of Greater Westfield through accessible programming that inspires, educates, and fosters connections with its many neighbors.
The Majestic Theater building is approximately 130 years old (it was about 100 when we re-opened it in 1997). The theater (back) section of the building sat dormant for years after having been a vaudeville hall in the 1920's and a movie house in the 1950's. In addition to its mainstage season of five productions, it also presents concerts, special limited events, improv comedy, an annual holiday show, children’s theater and education for young actors.
