Gallery A3 to exhibit the work of Karen Iglehart
Gallery A3 in Amherst will host “Gesture and Line,” a solo exhibition of recent abstract oil paintings by local artist Karen Iglehart from June 4 through June 27. Located at 28 Amity St., the contemporary fine arts gallery will hold an opening reception on Friday, June 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. Inspired by Buddhist meditation and the human experience, Iglehart’s work utilizes brushwork and palette knife application to create peaceful visual spaces. Regular gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 2 to 7 p.m. Additionally, a free public Art Forum will take place online via Zoom on June 18 at 7:30 p.m., where the artist will discuss her techniques and creative influences. Registration for the virtual forum is available at gallerya3.com.
Northampton Youth Cinema Festival announces 2026 award winners
The Northampton Youth Cinema Festival celebrated its 2026 season on Sunday, April 26 at The Workroom, where it honored independent filmmakers aged 21 and younger. Continuing a nearly two-decade regional cinematic tradition, the student-led showcase featured original youth works across narrative, documentary, and experimental genres.
Top honors went to Javier Barrios Acuna, whose narrative short “Herencia” won Best Film following its recent selections at the 2026 Easthampton Film Festival and the Mass Indie showcase. Jasmine Garcia received the Best Director award for “Always Dreaming,” while the documentary prize was awarded to “Ruffled Feathers: The Story of Mount Holyoke’s Unofficial Mascot,” an exploration of local collegiate lore. The festival’s technical categories were led by “BINOCULARS: A Backyard Adventure,” which won Best Editing, and “Natural Means,” which took home the award for Best Cinematography.
Organized by Northampton Arts Council member Garrett Williams, the event was produced through a collaboration between the Northampton Arts Council, Northampton Open Media, and the City of Northampton Department of Arts and Culture. The 2026 festival received headline sponsorship from Lathrop Communities, alongside organizational support from the Mass Cultural Council, Greenfield Savings Bank, and Monadnock Community Investments.
The Elusie Gallery presents ‘Below and Within’ exhibit
The Elusie Gallery at Big Red Frame in Easthampton presents “Below and Within,” a two-person exhibition by Julie Kumble and Martha Brouwer running from June 6 through June 27. An opening ArtWalk and artists’ reception will take place on Saturday, June 6, from 4 to 7 p.m. Celebrating the world’s oceans and aquatic life, the exhibition explores the unseen underwater world of fish, turtles and frogs to evoke reverence and inspire environmental action. Brouwer draws inspiration from her commercial fishing experiences in Alaska, internalizing natural patterns and placing sea creatures in unique settings. Kumble, influenced by her previous scientific book illustrations, uses acrylics, oils and book-page collage elements to explore humanity’s environmental impact and the hidden mysteries of aquatic ecosystems. For more information, visit bigredframe.com/events/julie-kumble-martha-brouwer-below-and-within.
Artists reception for the People’s Puppet Parade will take place on June 10 at Forbes Library
An interactive exhibit celebrating six years of the People’s Puppet Parade will be on display at the Hosmer Gallery at Forbes Library in Northampton through June 29. An artists reception will take place on Wednesday, June 10, from 5 to 8 p.m. Rooted in Jewish diasporic folk art traditions, this community project creates intergenerational spectacle theater in Northampton using giant puppets built from trash and found objects. The retrospective features past cardboard puppets, banners, props, hands-on activities and a community memory archive highlighting the parade’s history of public performances and original klezmer music. For more information, visit peoplespuppetparade.weebly.com.
New Horizons Brass Ensemble offers free, inaugural concert
The newly formed New Horizons Brass Ensemble, an offshoot of the New Horizons Band of Western Mass directed by Sheldon Ross, will perform its free inaugural concert on Thursday, June 4 at noon. Held at the Northampton Community Music Center at 139 South St. in Northampton, the public event will feature a diverse program spanning the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical periods, alongside a modern arrangement of a traditional sea shanty.
‘The Raga Blues’ Concert features the 12-string blues and Hindustani Slide Guitar of Ryan Lee Crosby & Joel Veena
The Parlor Room at 32 Masonic St. in Northampton will present “The Raga Blues” on Saturday, June 6, featuring masterful guitarists Ryan Lee Crosby and Joel Veena. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the all-ages show begins at 7:30 p.m., showcasing a unique fusion of Mississippi Delta-blues and North Indian slide guitar.
Crosby, an international touring artist and practitioner of the rural Bentonia blues style, plays a 12-string electric guitar. Veena, a globally recognized performer, utilizes a 20-stringed Indian slide guitar to blend meditative classical ragas with original songs. Accompanied by percussionists Grant Smith on calabash gourd and Yousuf Kerai on tabla, the artists will perform individual sets before combining their respective styles for a collaborative finale.
Tickets are available at ParlorRoom.org and JoelVeena.com/tickets. For more information about Ryan Lee Crosby, visit ryanleecrosby.com. For more information about Joel Veena, visit joelveena.com.
Max Johnson Sextet to premiere on June 4
The Max Johnson Sextet will premiere “Without Fear,” a concert-length composition by composer and bassist Max Johnson, on Thursday, June 4, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Drake in Amherst. This genre-blurring piece seamlessly blends jazz, chamber music, folk, free improvisation and progressive rock, drawing creative inspiration from the Green Lantern comic book lore. The ensemble features Max Johnson on bass, Nate Wooley on trumpet, Anna Webber on saxophone and flute, Yuma Uesaka on clarinet, Lester St. Louis on cello and Jeff Davis on drums. Tickets for this Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares event are $20 for non-members and can be purchased online at jazzshares.org.
Acoustic duo to take the Iron Horse stage June 6
Singer-songwriter Jon Pousette-Dart will perform with longtime collaborator and guitarist Jim Chapdelaine on Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m. at the Iron Horse, located at 18 Center St. in Northampton. Pousette-Dart first gained national prominence in the late 1970s captaining the Pousette-Dart Band through four Capitol Records albums and major arena tours alongside acts like The Eagles and Billy Joel. Following decades of session work, solo album releases, and television composing, Pousette-Dart now returns to his musical roots in an intimate acoustic duo setting. Tickets for the performance start at $36 and can be purchased at ParlorRoom.org.
Greenfield Garden Cinemas to screen film by Hampshire College alum
The Greenfield Garden Cinemas will screen the dark comedy “Our Hero, Balthazar” on June 7 at 6:30 p.m., featuring a post-film Q&A with co-writer and Easthampton native Ricky Camilleri.
Directed by Oscar Boyson and featuring a notable cast, the film explores American culture through the story of a teen traveling to Texas to befriend a potential school shooter.
“We love local filmmakers,” said Garden Co-Owner Isaac Mass, who lamented that the closing of Hampshire College is leaving “a real hole in the local film development community.” In addition to Camilleri, Hampshire College alums include Liev Schreiber, Lupita Nyong’o and Ken Burns.