Current Art Exhibits
February 2025
James E. Mahoney Foyer
Art Wellesley, along with the Wellesley Free Library, is delighted to host and celebrate the work of guest curator and Wellesley resident Rachael Arauz.
Shelter, abstracted. featuring the art of Andrew Mowbray, Meg Alexander, and Emily Hass.
Shelter, abstracted features three artists who use geometric forms to explore the fragility and resilience of architecture. Meg Alexander’s blue quadrilaterals represent the sky seen through windows, floating in an expanse of white paper and untethered to their domestic space. Often specific to a passage of time or a meaningful location, her drawings propose these transparent structures as both barriers and portals. To create her spare evocations of residential architecture, Emily Hass (image 3) spent time in Berlin archives researching the homes left behind by Jewish artists and intellectuals, as well as her own father, who fled Germany during the Nazi regime. While the titles for each drawing anchor the work to a specific address, Hass’s use of rich black gouache on vintage paper fills these floorplans and building sections with a haunted sense of loss. Andrew Mowbray utilizes actual building materials—the Tyvek wrap that provides a water barrier in housing construction—to create his works. Piecing and sewing cut sections of Tyvek to construct large quilt squares, he proposes an analogy between a home and a human body, each benefitting from the warmth and protection of a textile blanket. Architecture surrounds us every day—the homes we live in, the new construction we observe, the buildings we’ve passed through, the structures we may recall only through memory. By isolating and abstracting elements of the forms we shelter in, these three artists turn the viewer’s attention to the way in which architecture holds meaning.
The exhibition will be on view in the Foyer during open hours during the month of February.
https://artwellesley.org/upcoming/shelter-abstracted-art-exhibit
Wakelin Room
Cristina Farrer
(extended through February)
Cristina Farrèr is a self-taught painter. Her mother refused to let her attend art classes, in spite of her incredible early artistic talent. “Your creativity should not be boxed in!” – she said.
However, her mother made sure that art materials and books were always available to her, as well as the support of the whole family. When it was time for college, art school got a family veto as well. Cristina has graduated with majors in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math, and holds a Masters in International Education. Her creativity was a constant in her teaching, always praised and copied. In 2023 she retired as a school teacher in Framingham, MA, and decided to pursue her first dream of becoming a full time artist. Since then she has had her artwork featured in Boston, Sudbury, Wellesley, Framingham, Concord, and several other towns in Massachusetts. She is a resident of Marlborough, Massachusetts.
Cristina Farrèr enjoys exploring new techniques. She works in acrylics on a variety of canvas sizes. She enjoys laying paint using everything from brushes to fingers, bubble wrap to spatulas. Each painting involves a complex layering process. Flowers are her constant theme of choice.
“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are the sunshine, the food, and the medicine to the mind”
Luther Burbank
Instagram – Cristina Farrer
Venmo – @Cristina_Farrer
Lucky U Display Case
Aesop’s Fables by Nancy Schon
Nancy Schon is a Boston-based sculptor, celebrated for her warm and evocative representation of human and animal figures. Her work, characterized by a profound sense of empathy and detail, captures the essence of her subjects — making them relatable and endearing to viewers of all ages. She is best known for her iconic Make Way for Ducklings sculpture in the Boston Public Garden, which brings to life the beloved characters from Robert McCloskey’s classic children’s book. This charming installation has become a cherished landmark, delighting generations of visitors with its playful depiction of a mother duck leading her ducklings.
Schon’s Aesop’s Fables sculptures are a masterful series inspired, of course, by the ancient, previously enslaved Greek storyteller, Aesop. With a collection of twenty-four sculptures, each piece corresponds to one of the twenty-four letters in the Greek alphabet, creating a symbolic link to the origins of these timeless tales. Schon’s imaginative approach not only pays homage to the cultural heritage of Aesop’s fables, but also serves as a tribute to the universality and enduring relevance of these stories. Learn more about Nancy Schon and her work at schon.com.
Commons Area Entry Display Cases
Historical Photographs of Hunnewell and Hardy Schools by the Wellesley Historical Society
The Wellesley Historical Society proudly houses an extensive collection of over 35,000 historic photographs and negatives, offering a rich visual archive that chronicles the town’s vibrant history. This invaluable collection serves as a window into the past, capturing the people, places, architecture, events, organizations, and countless other aspects that have shaped Wellesley’s unique identity over the years.
Each photograph and negative in the collection is a piece of the larger mosaic that tells the story of Wellesley, preserving the town’s heritage for future generations. The Society’s dedication to maintaining and expanding this archive ensures that Wellesley’s rich history remains accessible and relevant, allowing both locals and visitors to connect with the town’s legacy in a deeply meaningful way. Learn more about the Wellesley Historical Society and its collection at wellesleyhistoricalsociety.org.
Learn more about the history of Wellesley Elementary schools at wellesleyfreelibrary.org/wellesley-elementary-schools!
Commons Area Interior Display Cases
A Place To Sit – Mindfulness Reminder Cards – by Tom Gilligan
I am 68 years old as I write this, and I have meditated off and on for much of my adult life. Early in 2024, I was fortunate to be introduced to the Theravada Buddhist tradition and Insight Meditation(Vipassana). As I read more books and listened to guiding teachers, I began to document short sayings that helped me understand mindfulness and the practice of meditation in a new way. I printed these sayings on post cards and would rotate them on a small easel on my desk at home. They became a part of my daily practice.
These are my mindfulness reminder cards. I hope you enjoy them.
Tom Gilligan
Sources:
1. The Magnanimous Heart by Narayan Helen Liebenson
2. Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh
3. Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana
4. A Still Forest Pool; The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah
Compiled by Jack Kornfield and Paul Breiter
5. The Issue at Hand by Gil Fronsdal