McGRATHPR.com – The James Library & Center for the Arts, Norwell’s historic community arts center and lending library, presents a spring season of a variety of music, art, and literary programming, serving the South Shore community, at 24 West Street, Norwell. The James is also home to a beautiful art gallery featuring the works of local and regional artists for monthly gallery openings and exhibits. Visitors are welcome to attend the openings or view the works on display during business hours.
The James Library’s new public art project features new works created and installed monthly on The James’ grounds, viewable by the public. Throughout 2024, large scale sculptures created by local Artist Jake Basso will be installed monthly. The series launched recently with Basso’s sculpture, “OK,” a mixed media piece of found items of metals and other materials.
Jake Basso is an interdisciplinary artist living in Norwell, who creates sculptures, drawings, paintings, and poetry. His abstract and figurative sculptures are made from reused materials that he collects at construction and industrial sites. Jake is a graduate of Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design. His work has recently been featured at the Brickbottom Gallery in Somerville, the James Library’s gallery, and at South Shore Art Center in Cohasset. Follow @JakeBassoArt on Instagram.
Norwell High School’s Senior AP Art Show
Opening Reception: Friday, February 9, 6 to 8 pm
On View: February 9 through March 11
James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
Admission is free, donations gratefully accepted
Showcased work by accomplished Norwell High School student artists as they continue to find their creative voice. AP Art students’ portfolios are driven by personal research. There is no preferred style, only encouragement to experiment, practice, revisit, and revise, as they contemplate the synthesis between materials, ideas, and communicating their story to their prospective audience. Displayed student works are always in flux, with potential continued development prior to AP exam submission in May.
Each student has two works in this exhibit that convey their research and direction. Sponsored by Joseph’s Garage of Norwell and the Norwell Cultural Council, a local agency supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Jane Austen: Who Dares to be an Authoress? ~ Actress Laura Rocklyn
Sunday, March 10, 3 pm
James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
Tickets: $20, general admission, $10 students
*A limited number of free tickets for seniors are available, courtesy of the Cordelia Family Foundation
The year is 1815, and Miss Austen has just returned from a visit to the Prince Regent’s London residence. The honor of this invitation prompts her to reminisce about the events that led the daughter of a country clergyman to a position of such notoriety. She shares her thoughts and feelings about her novels and how their publication changed her life forever.
Playwright and actress Laura Rocklyn portrays Jane Austen, with discussion and Q&A about Regency deportment and etiquette. Boston-based actor, writer, and first-person historical interpreter Laura Rocklyn writes and performs one-woman historic character portrayals for educational groups throughout the east coast. Generously sponsored by Cheever Tavern.
Edmar Colón Quartet ~ Original works by Colón, and selections from the Puerto Rican Songbook
Saturday, March 16, 7:30 pm
James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
Tickets: $35 general admission, $30 seniors, $20 students
*A limited number of free tickets for seniors are available, courtesy of the Cordelia Family Foundation
Puerto Rican saxophonist, pianist, and composer Edmar Colón explores the connections between the West African musical heritage in the Americas and the idiosyncrasies of classical music from Europe and beyond. By amplifying the similarities of these and other musical traditions, Colón achieves a distinctive homogenous blend of sounds, textures, and rhythms in his original work. This program features selections from the expansive and ever-so-beautiful Puerto Rican songbook by composers such as Bobby Capó, Julio Guitiérrez, and Sylvia Rexach.
The concert features award-winning musicians Edmar Colón on saxophones, Alain Mallet on piano, Ian Ashby on bass, and Julian Miltenberger on drums. Sponsored by Patty Jackson, your local realtor, Lynch Marini & Associates, and Napier Financial. Also sponsored in part by the Norwell and Scituate Cultural Councils, local cultural councils supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Fifth Annual Spring Juried Art Exhibition
Submission deadline: February 18, 2024
Opening Reception: March 22, 6 to 8 pm; On View: March 22 through April 27
James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
Admission is free, donations are gratefully accepted
Welcoming artists of all levels and art of all mediums. Juror Larisa Grollemond is Assistant Curator of the Manuscripts Department at the Getty Museum. Cash awards to winners. More information and detailed prospectus can be viewed at jameslibrary.org. Sponsored by The Frame Center, Cordelia Family Foundation, Norwell Chamber of Commerce, and Hanover, Marshfield, Norwell, and Scituate Cultural Councils, local agencies supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Mini Golf for the Whole Family
Tuesday, April 16, 11 am to 2 pm
James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
Admission is free, donations are gratefully accepted
Looking for something fun to do during spring school vacation? Join the James for an indoor round of mini golf. The entire building will be transformed into a 10-hole mini golf course with greens and holes winding through the stacks, around the art gallery, and through the concert hall. Everything is provided, including clubs, balls, scorecards, and fun! This is the perfect activity to let loose and support the James. Sponsored by First Parish Preschool of Norwell and The Liz McCarron Team at William Raveis.
International Piano Soloist Einav Yarden
Friday, April 19, 7:30 pm
James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
Tickets: $40 general admission, $30 seniors, $20 students
*A limited number of free tickets for seniors are available, courtesy of the Cordelia Family Foundation
Pianist Einav Yarden is praised for her “imagination and exceptionally vivid playing…sense of immense majesty, tempered by gentleness and quiet grace” (The Washington Post), and “glistening rapture…ingenious humor” (Tagesspiegel, Germany). She is a frequent recitalist at top venues around the world, and as soloist with orchestras including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester and the Rundfunkchor, Berlin, Germany, Minnesota Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Bradenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt, Bucharest Philharmonic, and Jerusalem Symphony. Sponsored by Acella, South Coastal Animal Health, Owens Corning Basement Finishing Systems, KAF Financial Services, and the Douglas Perry Fund. Also sponsored in part by Norwell and Scituate Cultural Councils, local agencies supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Jedi Knight Training with Jungle Jim ~ May the Fourth Be With You
May 4, 1 to 2 pm
James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
$10 per Padawan Learner, accompanying adults attend for free
Bring your young Padawan Learner for a Jedi Knight Training! Children are led through a series of challenges including Jedi Force Magic, the Laser Balloon Barrage, Jedi Teamwork Training, and of course, Lightsaber Dueling. Recommended for ages 3 to 11, limited to 35 children and their accompanying adults. Star Wars apparel encouraged.
Roll out the red carpet and cue the Star Wars theme for the Jedi Knight, who’s not just any ordinary space warrior, but the galaxy’s most entertaining and charismatic guide! Watch as he takes your young Padawans on a whirlwind adventure, filled with Jedi Force magic that’ll make Harry Potter jealous, a laser balloon barrage that’s more thrilling than a carnival game, and Jedi Teamwork Training that even Yoda would approve. Let’s not forget the pièce de résistance: Lightsaber Dueling! Sponsored by the Bob Melone Team at Radius Financial Group and SHD Marketing.
Artist Marcia Ballou ~ Kaleidoscope
Opening Reception: Friday, May 10, 6 to 8 pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, May 18, 1 pm
On View: May 10 through June 15
James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
Admission is free, donations are gratefully accepted
On a sparkling summer day, Artist Marcia Ballou was sitting on a bench in her field enjoying the bright light and beautiful summer flowers, when a dance of nature appeared before her eyes. A swarm of dragonflies, diving, circling, and chasing each other, displayed wings sparkling in the sunlight. Monarch butterflies appeared, many of them, floating into the scene and joining the dance. It was enchanting. “This scene is held in my memory as a treasure. It is a scene I paint, always trying to portray the feeling I had of joy,” shares Ballou.
Collage is Ballou’s medium. She incorporates a palette of painted papers, cloth, paints, and threads. The process is slow, while she employs deliberate and spontaneous application. Her colorful gestures and intuitive patterns are accented by paint for atmosphere.
She then assembles papers, cloth, and threads with acrylic mediums or by hand stitching, assembled like a jigsaw puzzle, enlivened by unexpected material and shape combinations. Occasionally a realistic painting of a favorite creature appears against the abstract dance of color. Ballou’s patterns always seem to create blossoms of texture on the surface of each finished piece, with a goal to evoke joy. Sponsored by Marshfield Cultural Council, a local cultural council supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
The Great Abolitionist: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union ~ Author Stephen Puleo
Tuesday, May 21, 7 pm
James Library & Center for the Arts, 24 West Street, Norwell
Tickets: $20 general admission, $10 students
*A limited number of free tickets for seniors are available, courtesy of the Cordelia Family Foundation
For a quarter of a century, including twenty-three consecutive years in the Senate from 1851 until his death, it was Charles Sumner – not Lincoln, not William Lloyd Garrison, not Frederick Douglass, Lydia Maria Child, or anyone else – who was the nation’s most passionate, vociferous, unrelenting, and inexhaustible anti-slavery, and equal rights champion.
Before and during the Civil War, at a great personal sacrifice, Sumner was the conscience of the north and the strongest and most influential voice in favor of abolition. Throughout Reconstruction, no one championed the rights of the emancipated Freedmen more than Charles Sumner. Through the force of his words and his will, he first moved his state, and then the nation, toward the twin goals of abolitionism – which he achieved in his lifetime – and equal rights, which eluded him and the country, but for which he fought literally until the day he died. In so doing, he laid the cornerstone arguments that civil rights advocates would build upon over the next century as the country strove to achieve equality among the races.
Author, historian, teacher, public speaker, and communications professional Stephen Puleo has published seven narrative history books. His eighth book, The Great Abolitionist: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union, is due for publication this April. Sponsored by Norwell Historical Society, the Edward and Estelle Mosher Fund, and Napier Financial. Also supported in part by Norwell and Scituate Cultural Councils, local agencies supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
About The James Library & Center for the Arts
Since 1874, The James Library has served the South Shore community as a warm gathering place. Housed in a landmark Victorian in historical Norwell Center, The James is dedicated to serving the community by providing high-quality programs, resources and materials through a concert hall, art gallery and the operation of a free lending library. As an independent, non-profit arts center we foster a mission for the creation, appreciation, and enjoyment of the arts for residents of all ages on the South Shore, while preserving the historic character of our home. The James Library is located at 24 West Street, Norwell and is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 pm and on Saturday from 11 to 1 pm. For more information, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
