Trace Meek debuts ‘Lost Town’
The ECA Gallery at Old Town Hall in Easthampton is currently hosting “Lost Town,” a new exhibition by artist Trace Meek that explores the haunting history of the Quabbin Reservoir. The show, which runs through Feb. 28, features a collection of landscape paintings and portraits inspired by the four Massachusetts towns evacuated and flooded in the early 20th century to provide water for metropolitan Boston.
Meek’s work delves into themes of displacement, sentimental attachment, and the profound sense of loss surrounding the “lost towns.” The gallery, located at 43 Main St., is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from noon to 2 p.m. For more information, visit tracemeek.com/lost-town or contact the artist at tqm@tracemeek.com.
Call for entries: Northampton Youth Cinema Festival
The Northampton Youth Cinema Festival invites filmmakers ages 21 and under to submit work for their 2026 season. The festival will be on Sunday, April 26 at 6 p.m. at 33 Hawley.
The festival accepts films under 30 minutes in length, and a movie’s director, cinematographer, or editor must be 21 or younger to be eligible. Films can be in any genre, including animation, documentary, narrative, and experimental. Films created for school assignments are allowed.
“This festival is more than just a screening; it’s a platform for the next generation of visual storytellers to see their work on the big screen,” said Brian Foote, director of arts and culture at the Northampton Arts Council. “By partnering with local students, we are ensuring that the city’s rich history of independent cinema continues to evolve with new, diverse voices.”
The early bird deadline for submissions is Sunday, March 1; the regular deadline is Wednesday, April 1. The final deadline is Tuesday, April 21. Applicants will be notified by Friday, April 24.
Submissions are free. To submit a movie, visit filmfreeway.com/NYCF.
Parisian-inspired jazz, performed in Whately
Dutch fiddler Tim Kliphuis and Los Angeles jazz musician and studio guitarist Jimmy Grant will perform at Whately Town Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 7 to 9 p.m, as part of the “Watermelon Wednesdays” series.
According to their press kit, the two perform in a way that seeks to emulate the 1930s Parisian jazz scene: “Drawing inspiration from current-day classical and folk music as well, they alternate moments of dazzling interplay with melancholy and sheer exhilaration, in an inspired conversational journey that is different every night.”
Tickets are $32.46 via watermelonwednesdays.com. For more information about Tim Kliphuis and Jimmy Grant, visit timkliphuis.com and jimmygrant.net, respectively.
Craig Ferguson to perform at the Academy
Comedian, actor, writer and director Craig Ferguson will perform at the Academy of Music on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. This show replaces the show originally scheduled for Dec. 4 last year.
Ferguson, who is originally from Glasgow, Scotland, was formerly the host of the television shows “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” “Join or Die,” “Celebrity Name Game,” and “The Hustler.” He’s also known for playing Nigel Wick in “The Drew Carey Show,” “Owl” in the 2011 Disney movie “Winnie the Pooh,” Lord Macintosh in “Brave,” and Gobber in the “How To Train Your Dragon” movies, among other roles.
Tickets to $44.42 to $66.44, fees included, at aomtheatre.com, by phone at 413-584-9032 ext. 105, or at the Academy of Music box office. VIP tickets are $108.43 to $206.98.
‘Light Being’ art installation on display
Western Massachusetts artists Elizabeth Stone, Rosalyn Driscoll and Tori Lawrence are presenting an art installation, “Light Being,” through Saturday, Feb. 28 at A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton.
The show, according to a press release, is about “light in the darkest time of year”: “Veils of translucent fabrics lead visitors through a space inhabited by sculptures, lighting effects, and videos. Different kinds of illumination radiate, flicker, and pulse from various sources: outside ambient light; theatrical lighting; video projections; light within the artworks. The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through conditions that change over the course of the day and the month, reflecting the seasonal transition from winter to spring.”
The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. and Friday from noon to 8 p.m. Admission is free.
DCR honors Indigenous history with new initiative
Visitor centers at Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls and the Quabbin Reservoir in Belchertown now have children’s libraries with books by Native American authors.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) recently announced the First Peoples First Stewards Children’s Library initiative, which places more than 20 works of fiction and non-fiction by Native authors at nine DCR properties around the state.
“Massachusetts’ history began long before the arrival of colonists, with Indigenous communities who cared for the land and continue to do so today. As stewards of this land, DCR has a responsibility to preserve and uplift the stories of our first and continuing stewards,” said DCR Commissioner Nicole LaChapelle in a press release. “By making this history accessible at DCR properties, we hope visitors gain a deeper understanding of what these lands represent — and the people who have been connected to them for generations.”
“Developing the First Peoples First Stewards Children’s Library for DCR visitor centers is a project that has brought me joy and is near and dear to my heart. As a former educator specializing in Indigenous content, it is vital that the Indigenous visitors see themselves represented at DCR properties, and that non-Indigenous visitors can be introduced to Indigenous literature and experience in a matter of minutes an Indigenous perspective on life, the environment and community,” said DCR Indigenous People’s Partnership Coordinator Leah Hopkins, who is a citizen of the Narragansett Indian Tribe, in the release.
To learn more about the First Peoples First Stewards Partnership, visit mass.gov/info-details/dcr-first-peoples-first-stewards-partnership.
Forbes Library staff exhibit creative works
The staff of Forbes Library in Northampton have artwork on display at the library as part of the group show “What We Do In the Shadows,” which is on view through Friday, Feb. 27. The show will have a reception on Thursday, Feb. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Participating artists include EJ Hinton, Jill Emmons, Joshua Vrysen, Julia Cornick, Harrison Greene, Heather Diaz, Lisa Downing, Nola QC, Pamela Acosta, Priya Charry, Rebecca Morgan, Robin Williams, Steven Stover, Timi Antonio, and Zoe Kruger.
Admission is free.
UMass to host 40th High School Honor Band Concert
The University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Music and Dance will host its 40th Annual High School Honor Band on Saturday, Feb. 21. The program brings together hundreds of New England’s top wind and percussion students to rehearse with UMass faculty and perform high-caliber literature.
This year’s event features guest composer and conductor Michele Fernández, a world-renowned clinician and retired educator whose award-winning ensembles have gained international acclaim.
The Honor Band schedule for students will also feature master classes with UMass faculty, a concert with the UMass Wind Ensemble, and a forum to interact with UMass music students. The concert in the evening, which will feature performances of works by Fernández and others, will take place at 7 p.m. in Tillis Hall and is free and open to the public.