McGRATHPR.com – The James Library & Center for the Arts, Norwell’s historic community arts center and lending library, presents a fall season 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 in monthly gallery openings and exhibits. Visitors are welcome to attend the openings or view the works on display during business hours.
~ Fall Entertainment and Events Schedule ~
Fall Juried Art Exhibition
Opening Reception: Friday, October 17, 6 to 8 pm
On View: October 17 to November 22
Admission is free, donations gratefully accepted
The James Library’s “Fall Juried Art Exhibition,” showcasing the best in local and regional original art, is juried by Juror Nancy McCarty, a painter who works from observation, imagination, and memory. She is represented by the Larkin Gallery, Provincetown, and shows with Zeuxis, a painters’ group in NYC. McCarty teaches at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and is co-founder of Black Pond in Rehoboth. Her awards include Visiting Artist, Beijing Royal School; residency at Inside Out Museum, Beijing; a St. Botolph Foundation Award; and a Ragdale Foundation Fellowship. Awards will be given as Best in Show, second and third place, and four honorable mentions.
Piano Concert: Einav Yarden
Saturday, October 18, 3:30 to 5 pm
Tickets: $40, adults, $30 seniors, $20 students
Experience an afternoon of expressive brilliance with internationally acclaimed pianist Einav Yarden, praised for her “imagination and exceptionally vivid playing… tempered by gentleness and quiet grace” (The Washington Post) and “glistening rapture… ingenious humor” (Tagesspiegel).
Yarden brings her signature clarity and emotional depth to a program that spans centuries and styles, illuminating the architecture and poetry within each phrase. Her interpretations—shaped by years of study with legendary pianist Leon Fleisher and a career on the world’s most prestigious stages—invite listeners into a space of reflection, surprise, and joy. Join us in the intimate setting of The James Concert Hall for a recital that promises to be both technically masterful and soulfully resonant.
Art Unplugged – October
Tuesday, October 21, 2 to 4 pm
Admission is free, advance registration required
Art Unplugged is a FREE hands-on, immersive art series open to all, no experience needed. Come explore, create, and connect in a relaxed, welcoming setting.
Learn how to needle felt a pumpkin using wool roving and a barbed needle. Pop up Art School will show you the basics of needle felting. You’ll leave the class with the knowledge and basic supplies you need to continue felting on your own! Note: Each patron will make one felted pumpkin.
Art For Your Mind: American Art Explored
Wednesday, October 22, 1 to 3 pm
Admission is $10 per person
Experience paintings from colonial times to today as they tell America’s story – including the Revolutionary War, immigration, industrialization, and more. From folk art portraits to surprising realism, then on to impressionist and abstract images, visualize America’s growth and change as well as its developing artistic styles through time.
Art For Your Mind presentations encourage participants to try new ways to think about what they see. Interpreting art becomes relevant, intriguing, enjoyable – and a great way to learn. “Art for Art’s Sake” has very real value. Even those who rarely, if ever, give any thought to art history or art appreciation are surprisingly energized at finding a new avenue for creative thought. For artists and art enthusiasts, Art For Your Mind is a refreshing reminder of how interesting, enriching and fun it is to challenge your mind by interpreting art.
Art Unplugged – November
Tuesday, November 4, 6 to 8 pm
Admission is free, advance registration is required
Art Unplugged is a FREE hands-on, immersive art series open to all, no experience needed. Come explore, create, and connect in a relaxed, welcoming setting.
Put your phone down, pick your brain up. In this hands-on, team-based event, we’ll transform what’s normally tossed into something stunning—and a little bit weird. Expect strategy, surprise, and serious creativity. Great for anyone of grade school age and up. Show up alone, show up with your chaos crew—either way, we’ll build something together. Note: This event starts promptly at 6 pm – so please pre-register and arrive early!
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.
