the Best-in-Show juried exhibit winner, 2022, courtesy image
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.
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Spring Entertainment
and Events Schedule
Donna Byrne and the Marshall Wood Trio
Saturday, January 21, 7:30 pm
Tickets are $30 adults, $25 seniors, $20 students
Jazz singer Donna Byrne’s powerful voice, energetic personality, and life experiences give her music an almost spiritual feel, a soft and subtle charge which has brought admiration from jazz fans and the top artists in the industry. She’ll perform with the Marshall Wood Trio, who, together, have been honing their craft for over 27 years. Musical selections include a wide range of American Standards in their signature style. Sponsored by Coastal Heritage Bank, Patty Jackson, Your Local Realtor, Bob Melone Team at Radius Financial Group, SHD Marketing, and Kathy and Michael Vitale.
Harvey Leonard Blizzard of ’78
Sunday, February 5, 1 pm
Tickets: $20 adults, $10 students
Harvey Leonard, celebrity meteorologist emeritus, shares his story as the widely credited first meteorologist to correctly predict the impact and intensity of the infamous Blizzard of ’78. Harvey served as WCVB Channel 5 Boston’s chief meteorologist, starting as co-chief in 2002. After a fifty-year career in meteorology, with more than forty-five of those years forecasting weather in New England and twenty of those at WCVB, Harvey retired in May 2022. In his emeritus role, Harvey continues to serve the community with important information as a periodic contributor to StormTeam 5 coverage and engage in community speaking appearances. Prior to joining WCVB, he served as chief meteorologist for Boston’s WHDH for twenty-five years. He also served as chief meteorologist at WPRI in Providence, RI. Harvey has spoken at educational seminars held by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and is an avid supporter of the Blue Hill Weather Observatory. He has also served as an honored guest speaker at Harvard Business School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sponsored by Hingham Cultural Council, Norwell Cultural Council and Scituate Cultural Council.
Norwell High School AP Exhibition
Opening Reception: Friday, February 10, 4 to 6 pm
Exhibition Dates: On view from February 10 through March 11
Admission: Free and open to the public during business hours
Visit the James to enjoy the best of Norwell High School AP student art. AP Art students’ portfolios are driven by personal research. There is no preferred style, only encouragement to experiment, practice, revisit and revise as they think about the synthesis between materials, ideas, and how to tell their story to the audience they are trying to reach. Student work displayed is always in flux and has the potential to be worked back into and altered again (and again) prior to the submission of the AP exam in May.
Each student has two pieces of work in this exhibit that convey ideas as to where their research is leading them. The James Library & Center for the Arts and Norwell High School are proud to display and showcase work by these accomplished student artists as they continue to find their voice. Sponsored by Norwell Cultural Council.
Mini Golf Vacation Fun at The James Fundraiser
Thursday, February 23, 11 am to 2 pm
$15/person, $45 foursome
Looking for something fun to do during winter break? Join us at 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 a perfect winter activity to let loose and support the James. Sponsored by Gordon Atlantic Insurance. Individuals and teams can register for tee times at JamesLibrary.org.
Fourth Annual Spring Juried Art Show
Open House Art Gallery Opening: Friday, March 24, 1 to 6 pm
Exhibition Dates: On view from March 24 through April 29
Admission: Free and open to the public during business hours
Welcoming artists of all levels and art of all mediums. Ruthie Holland Tredwell, Juror, is Founder & Executive Director of Emerge Foundation for Contemporary Art. Cash awards to best in show, second place, and third place. Full prospectus can be viewed at jameslibrary.org. Sponsored by The Frame Center, the Cordelia Family Foundation, and in part by grants from Hingham, Scituate and Norwell Cultural Councils, local agencies supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Nina Ott Latin Jazz Quintet
Saturday, March 25,7:30 pm
Tickets are $30 adults, $25 seniors, $20 students
Join the Nina Ott Quintet for a night of Afro-Cuban styled Latin-jazz at the James! Nina will be joined by Chris Lopes on bass, Eguie Castrillo on percussion, Bertram Lehmann on drums, and Edmar Colon on saxophone. Guests enjoy lively music rooted in jazz, influenced by Afro-Caribbean sounds, with elements of funk and soul. Sponsored by Lynch Marini & Associates Inc., supported in part by grants from Hingham, Scituate and Norwell Cultural Councils, local agencies supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Exhibit: Artist Sarah Hutt – My Mother’s Legacy
Open House Art Gallery Opening: Friday, May 12, 1 to 7 pm
Exhibition Dates: On view from May 12 through June 17
Admission: Free and open to the public during business hours
Nationally-recognized artist Sarah Hutt’s exhibit “My Mother’s Legacy” features a 1,000-line poem wood-burned into the bottom of 1,000 wooden bowls. “On each bowl is written a line from my memory that reflects a mannerism, advice, or a remark I attribute to my mother. The bowls are piled randomly onto tables, where the viewer must pick up each bowl to read it. The act of lifting each bowl reminds me of my mother, because she had the habit of turning things over to see where they were made,” shares Sarah.
When Sarah was 13, her mother died of breast cancer. Over the years, she carried around so many memory fragments that she could not fit together to fully understand who her mother had been as a person. In 1995, she began to write all the things she could remember. Out of that list came these lines that are “My Mother’s Legacy.”
Sarah Hutt is a mixed-media sculptor whose work uses everyday objects to create interactive content to engage the viewer focusing on memory, dreams and the reality they create. She is a graduate of the Boston Museum School and winner of a 5th year Fellowship (with additional studies at Boston University and Mass College of Art). As a working artist, she exhibits her work and serves as a visiting artist and lecturer to numerous museums, galleries, and organizations throughout the country. Sponsored by The Cordelia Family Foundation.
The James Cabaret Weekend Fundraiser
Friday, May 12, 7:30 pm and Saturday, May 13, 7:30 pm
Tickets: VIP front row seats: $50, general admission: $35
Join us as the James transforms into an intimate nightclub, complete with Emmy-winning pianist, composer, and producer Lenny Williams, and a cast of talented local celebrities. Let us entertain you with music and storytelling that is sure to leave an impression. Come laugh and lament to tunes you know well and songs and lyrics you’ve never heard before. It is sure to be an incredible evening! Seating is limited, so grab your tickets soon!
A History of Paragon Park with Chris Haraden
Sunday, May 21, 3 pm
Tickets: $20 adults, $10 students
Sponsored by Napier Financial and the Hull Cultural Council
Writer Chris Haraden shares his stories of literally growing up in the shadow of Paragon Park’s Giant Coaster. From his home on the hill behind the park, Chris learned the stories of Paragon, and the broader scope of Hull’s history, from his grandfather, a park employee best known for walking the tracks of the roller coaster each morning before the gates opened. Chris’s first job was in the penny arcade, where he might have embellished his age to be hired and where met his future wife, Marilyn – one of the many love stories that began on the shores of Nantasket Beach.
In addition to compiling a history of Paragon Park, he wrote ‘Storm of the Century: New England’s Great Blizzard of 1978” and contributed to “Hull & Nantasket Beach: Then & Now.” He is a writer for The Hull Times and serves on the Advisory Board of the Friends of the Paragon Carousel.
For more information about The James Library’s programs and events, please call 781-659-7100, visit jameslibrary.org or follow The James Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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.
