Westfield on Weekends will present Old MacDonald’s Farm: Rustic Charm and Country Critters E I E I O! a summer exhibition celebrating barnyard animals and life on the farm from July 18 through September 9 at The WOW Center, 105 Elm Street in Westfield’s Downtown Cultural District.
“For the past two summers, we have featured extremely popular exhibits that have spotlighted dogs and cats." said Kathi Bradford, Director of The WOW Center. “This year we have chosen to expand the scope to include other animals of the farmyard - from horses, cows and pigs to even bees and mice.”
“The WOW Center has been transformed into a veritable barnyard of color, and creativity, as our exceptional artists reimagine the scenes and animals of the New England countryside,” Bradford added.
Anchoring the exhibition are more than thirty works by award-winning artists, Susan Tilton Pecora and Dawn Allen, complemented with artists, who are affiliated with the WOW Center.
Susan Tilton Pecora has spent her life painting life in New England, capturing the region’s character. A signature member of the New England Watercolor Society, Pecora is also known to many as the host of the WGBY/PBS television program Reflections Through Watercolor.
Her work has been exhibited nationally, earning awards from the National Art League in New York, the San Diego Art Association, and the Rocky Mountain Art Association, among others. In 2007, Pecora was selected by Congressman Richard Neal to create a hand painted ornament for the White House Holiday Tree, a national honor recognizing her artistic contributions. Her paintings have also reached a wide audience through Willie Nelson’s Farm Aid, which used thirteen of her works to create a special calendar.
Pecora is represented by Bakker Fine Art and Antiques in Provincetown and Michelson Gallery in Northampton, while
Having created fiber art for more than thirty years, Dawn Allen embarked on her professional artistic journey in 2015, bringing a fresh and innovative voice to contemporary textile art.
She has pioneered a modern technique that blends digital illustration with traditional quilting: her hand drawn digital designs are printed on fabric and finished with expressive free motion quilting, resulting in richly textured works.
Animals have long been central to Dawn’s art, and she has authored and illustrated several books. Her work has been exhibited widely, including two solo shows at the New England Quilt Museum and exhibitions at Highfield Hall and Gardens, Fuller Craft Museum, and the Houston International Quilt Festival.
The exhibition is further enhanced by a talented group of regional artists associated with The WOW Center. These include artist James Johnson Corwin, co curator of the exhibition; Don Blanton, Westfield on Weekends’ artist in residence; and WOW art instructors Cathy Guidetti, watercolorist, and Richard Nowak, oils and acrylics artist.
The show also features work by WOW Gallery Committee members — studio artist Marie Flahive, fabric artist Galina Sidoryk, and craftspersons Kris Hedblum and Julian Fleron.
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“Old MacDonald’s Farm” is funded in part by grants from the Westfield Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council and in kind support from Reminder Publications.
Westfield on Weekends is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating community through events, programs, and collaborations that celebrate the arts and our neighbors.
