Image by Handout
PATRIOT LEDGER.com – Weymouth author Stephen Puleo and local jazz great Laszlo Gardony are two of the highlights of the fall arts and entertainment lineup at the James Library and Center for the Arts.
A landmark for well over a century in Norwell Center, the James serves both as a public library and venue for community events, art galleries, live music and more. The 1874 Victorian building is owned by First Parish of Norwell, the town’s oldest church, which is located next door.
Two acclaimed musical acts will visit Norwell this fall. Gardony, a prolific jazz pianist and professor at Berklee College of Music, kicks off the season at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 with a performance that includes new compositions and selections from his solo album, “La Marseillaise.” The chamber music ensemble The Argus Quartet is slated to perform at 3 p.m. Nov. 7. It won first prize at the 2017 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and the 2017 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition.
Puleo, the prolific historical nonfiction author from Weymouth, writes about how Americans united to aid Ireland during the potato famine in his newest book “Voyage of Mercy: The USS Jamestown, the Irish Famine, and the Remarkable Story of America’s First Humanitarian Mission.” He will present his research and talk about the book at 2 p.m. Nov. 21.
The book is the seventh for Puleo, who also wrote about the Boston molasses flood in “Dark Tide.” He came across the story of the Jamestown while researching his book “A City So Grand: The Rise of an American Metropolis, Boston 1850-1900.”
Creativity will be on display in the art gallery for “UnPressedented: Coast Printmakers,” which is a collection of etchings, solar plates and monoprints from more than 13 local artists. The exhibit is on view from Oct. 8 to Nov. 13.
More local artists will be on display in the exhibition “Pastel Gems: Small Works for the Holidays,” which opens Nov. 19 and features “small but exceptional pieces of art perfect for gift giving.”
The art exhibitions are free and open to the public. Tickets to the other events range from $15 to $30 and can be bought in advance. Space is limited due to COVID-19 safety protocols. The James Library and Center for the Arts is at 24 West St., Norwell. For more information, or to buy tickets, call 781-659-7100 or visit jameslibrary.org.
