PELHAM – Waterfalls and undisturbed streams, hidden reservoirs and scenic vistas accessed through a network of trails are popular for Pelham residents and visitors alike.
The appreciation for these rural characteristics will be on display during an event called “Picturing Pelham,” a pop-up exhibition and place-making celebration that will be held at several sites throughout the community from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Pelham artist Nora Maroulis, who has organized the event with a $400 grant from the Pelham Cultural Council, said the goal is to raise awareness and support for the town’s historical, cultural and environmental assets.
The main arena for the event will be the Pelham Community Center, 2 South Valley Road, where more than 30 professional and amateur artists will have their works on display inside the town’s library. Most are from Pelham residents whose photographs, and paintings in a variety of mediums, represent the landscape of the community.
A satellite exhibition with additional works will be at the Community Hall, the 1893 building across Amherst Road that began its life as a one-room schoolhouse, while portraits done by schoolchildren in art class this fall are being shown at the neighboring Pelham Elementary School.
Maroulis said “Picturing Pelham” will be interactive.
“There will be an opportunity to create their own pictures of Pelham in the moment,” Maroulis said.
Additionally, the chain-link fence between the library and the school will serve as a kind of wishing tree of artwork.
While centered in one part of town, Maroulis said she hopes visitors will venture to other parts of the community, such as the Pelham Lookout onto the Quabbin Reservoir off the Daniel Shays Highway, Mount Orient off North Valley Road, and Cadwell Forest and Mount Lincoln of Gulf Road.
This includes going to the top of the hill where Amherst Road and Daniel Shays Highway meet, with the Pelham Historical Society museum at the Historic Complex. Also there is Old Town Hall, which was built in 1743 and has been used for Town Meeting at least once a year for four centuries, thus making it to the the longest continuously used town hall in the United States.
Maroulis said Linda Hanscom, a town historian, will talk to visitors about the history of the building and show off exhibitions and artifacts. Hansom is also reaching out to local families to bring old photos of Pelham or their ancestors to share with visitors.
Other artists are undertaking special projects that will be unveiled Saturday. Erika Zekos of Amherst is doing a “Look/Listen,” where she will set up chairs that encourage people to sit and create a conversation with each other. That is tentatively to be held at Hawley Reservoir.
Michael Candito, of Belchertown, will have a sculpture installation at Buffam Falls.
Rosie Porter, a Greenfield singer and Pelham native, will perform classic country songs from the 1950s and 1960s beginning at noon at the library.
Cider, coffee and cider doughnuts, for a small fee, will be available at the school. Any proceeds from sale of art will support continued renovations and restoration of the museum complex and art-making programs in the school.
For more information about the event, visit picturingpelham.com.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
