Quabbin Photo Group to host landscape photographer Jamie Malcolm-Brown on May 18
The Quabbin Photo Group will host a presentation by western Massachusetts landscape photographer Jamie Malcolm-Brown on Monday, May 18 at 7 p.m. at the Belchertown Recreation Department, 66 State St., located behind the Belchertown Police Station.
His presentation, “Weather, Light, and Luck: The Reality Behind the Shot,” will offer an in-depth look at the decision-making process behind his images. Attendees will gain insight into how he scouts locations, uses tools such as PhotoPills, tracks weather patterns and adapts when conditions change unexpectedly.
“We’re really looking forward to learning how Jamie puts together his incredible images,” said QPG President Mark Lindhult. “He has an impressive ability to capture absolutely stellar images.” His photographs may be viewed at jamiemalcolmbrown.com or on Instagram at @jamiemalcombrown.
Malcolm-Brown, a self-taught photographer with more than two decades of experience, works primarily throughout the Valley, focusing on capturing wild places shaped by fog, storms, night skies and other fleeting natural conditions. His professional work with Cultural Survival, an Indigenous rights organization, informs his approach to land conservation and visual storytelling.
The event is open to photographers of all skill levels, as well as anyone interested in landscape photography and the natural beauty of the Quabbin region.
NCMC presents 32nd annual Springfest in Northampton
The Northampton Community Music Center (NCMC) will host its 32nd annual Springfest on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., featuring live performances from students and ensembles across three downtown locations. The free event showcases diverse musical acts and supports NCMC’s scholarship program, with a rain location set for 139 South St. For more information, visit ncmc.net/springfest.
Elephant’s Eye Band will host a festival of art and music in Easthampton
Local indie rockers Elephant’s Eye Band will host a free festival of art and live music on Saturday, May 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Easthampton’s CitySpace Blue Room. The event features local artist exhibits, spoken word performances, and a headline set by the band with a suggested $5 donation.
Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares to present the Jerome Sabbagh Quartet
Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares will present the Jerome Sabbagh Quartet on Thursday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Blue Room at CitySpace in Easthampton.
The quartet features Jerome Sabbagh on saxophone, alongside Gilad Hekselman on guitar, Joe Martin on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. Sabbagh, a Paris-born musician based in Brooklyn since 1995, has released nine albums as a leader, including 2024’s “Heart” and 2023’s “Vintage,” featuring pianist Kenny Barron. Tickets are $20 for non-members. For more information, visit jazzshares.org/events/jerome-sabbagh-quartet.
La Mimosa Collective to present chamber music
La Mimosa Collective presents To the Roses, a chamber music program featuring mezzo-soprano Caitlin Felsman, flutist Sarah Swersey and pianist Yu-mei Wei. The repertoire includes works by Lili Boulanger, Jennifer Higdon, Francis Poulenc,and Albert Roussel. Performances take place Saturday, May 16 at 3 p.m. at a Greenfield house concert and Sunday, May 17 at 3 p.m. at Ashfield First Congregational Church. Tickets are available at tickettailor.com/events/lamimosacollective for $25 general admission or $15 for students and low-income attendees.
Valley Jazz Voices performs spring concert at Bombyx
Valley Jazz Voices, the Valley’s longest-running community jazz vocal ensemble, will perform a spring concert at the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity in Florence on Saturday, May 16 at 3 p.m. The program features selections from the Great American Songbook, bringing a blend of swing, Latin and pop-influenced arrangements highlighting themes of love, all arranged and sung in the group’s signature four‑part jazz harmony. Valley Jazz Voices, now 40-singers strong, is directed by Jeff Olmsted and accompanied by a jazz trio led by pianist Dylan Walter, with Wes Brown on bass and Miguel Gomba on drums.
Tickets are $20 in advance or at the door; children under 12 are free. For tickets and information go to bombyx.live/events/valley-jazz-voices-winter-concert. Learn more about Valley Jazz Voices at valleyjazzvoices.org/about.
A.P.E. to host another iteration of ‘Making Ground: Dialogues’
A.P.E. will host another iteration of Making Ground: Dialogues, a series of learning engagements centered around collective study and reparative relationships to place. The Spring 2026 series offers two immersive workshops centered on environmental listening and soil health.
The first offering includes Tracey Cockrell’s “Listening Field” on May 17, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Bramble Hill Farm. The participatory workshop uses listening exercises and collective mapping to understand place. Participants explore how sounds interact and how perception is shaped by environment and power.
All offerings are free, with registration required at bit.ly/4wp9BUC
Gallery and Sculpture Trail in Middlefield opens
Sculptor Andrew DeVries announces the season opening of DeVries Fine Art and the Sculpture Trail located at 36 East River Road in Middlefield. The gallery and trail is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 pm. beginning May 15 and continues through Oct. 18.
The trail features up to 40 life-size sculptures complemented with poetry by various writers. The path traverses through meadows and wooded groves along the middle branch of the Westfield River. For more information, visit andrewdevries.com or call 413-238-7755.
Emily Dickinson Museum hosts annual Poetry Walk
On May 16, in honor of the 140th anniversary of the poet’s death, the Emily Dickinson Museum will host the annual Poetry Walk through downtown Amherst, the town she called “paradise.” This year’s walk explores Amherst’s cultural landscape and its significance to the poet herself, including a visit to the Amherst History Center where visitors can view Dickinson’s original white dress and more.
The Stone House Museum to host a living history event
The Stone House Museum in Belchertown will host an 18th-century living history event on Saturday, May 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
The event will feature The Green Valley Homestead Reenactment Group with demonstrations of colonial life, including militia and musket demonstrations, tinsmithing, herbal medicine, textile production and sewing. Visitors can also tour the museum’s Revolutionary War artifact exhibit.
Family activities will include colonial games, copy book making and visits with heritage breed farm animals.
Admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 18. Parking will be available at Center School, Beers and Story Funeral Home, if available, and the Belchertown Common. For more information, contact Caren Harrington at 413-484-6146 or sallyshattuck54@gmail.com.
Leverett Crafts & Arts will present two exhibits this month
Leverett Crafts & Arts will present two exhibits for the month of May. At the Barnes Gallery, the work of artist and former blacksmith Marty Klein will be on display as part of the “Time Traveler” exhibition. The Hall Gallery will present “Pieced Together,” an exhibition by artists Susan Boss and Mark Brown.
Klein served as resident blacksmith at LCA from 1975 to 1981, creating reproduction ironwork and teaching classes through his shop, Vulcan’s Forge. Since 2006, he has focused on scanograph art, producing digital photographic images inspired by nature, including flowers, mushrooms and vegetables. The exhibit will feature both Klein’s ironwork and his contemporary prints.
The Hall Gallery exhibit features works created from both old and new materials, reflecting the artists’ decades-long careers in making, teaching and selling art. Much of the work is assembled from individual pieces, highlighting a self-taught approach that emphasizes experimentation and personal expression.
A reception for both exhibits will be held Sunday, May 17, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Jacob Augustine to perform at Luthier’s Co-op
On Saturday, May 16 at 7 p.m., Maine-born, Philadelphia-based nomadic indie-folk musician Jacob Augustine brings his North American tour to Luthier’s Co-op in Easthampton. This performance previews his upcoming May 22 album release, “I Love You Forever,” a deeply personal project written while caregiving in Maine. Known for a “gilded” voice and a career that oscillates between bombastic orchestration and raw solo work, Augustine remains one of the Northeast’s most enigmatic and influential songwriters. More information will be available at songkick.com/concerts/43143439-jacob-augustine-at-luthiers-coop
Interlink Publishing hosts event exploring resistance to authoritarianism and inequality at Amherst College
Interlink Publishing hosts a free public conversation, “The World is on Fire! What the F*ck Do We Do?,” on May 16 at 7 p.m. at Amherst College. Featuring journalist Jesse Mechanic and editor Leyla Moushabeck, the event explores resistance to authoritarianism and inequality, centered on Mechanic’s new book, “Don’t Be a F#king Marshmallow: An Illustrated Guide to Revolution.” The will take place in the first floor of the Lyceum Building at Amherst College and is free and open to the public.