Northampton Jazz Festival kicks off season with documentary film screening on June 11
The Northampton Jazz Festival will kick off its 2026 festival season with a documentary film, “The Girls in the Band,” on Thursday, June 11 at 8 p.m. at Northampton Center for the Arts, located at 33 Hawley St.
The 2013 film, written, directed and produced by Judy Chaikin, tells the untold stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists and their groundbreaking journeys from the late 20s to the present day.
After the screening, Chaikin and Grammy-award winning vocalist, Catherine Russell will lead a Q&A session with the audience. Russell’s mother, the guitarist, bassist and vocalist Carline Ray is interviewed in the film as one of the members of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm orchestra of the 1940s.
The film, which holds five awards from film festivals in two continents, tells the stories of talented female musicians who endured sexism, racism and diminished opportunities for decades, yet continued to persevere, inspire and elevate their talents in a field that seldom welcomed them. Interviews with jazz musicians Marian McPartland, Anna Mae Winburn, Dr. Billy Taylor, Clora Bryant, Peggy Gilbert, Herbie Hancock and others reveal the hardships that female musicians endured as they persevered to play and establish all-female bands such as The International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
“As the Northampton Jazz Festival takes shape this year, we are proud that most of our bands will be led by women — instrumentalists and vocalists,” says Ruth Griggs, president of the Northampton Jazz Festival. “Even today, female led bands need to be presented with intentionality, and we honor the brave and determined women who kept playing their instruments and made a name for themselves during those early days of jazz in America.
Tickets for Northampton Jazz Festival Film Night are $15 in advance on Eventbrite (plus online ticketing fees) or $20 at the door. There will be a light dessert reception for guests at 7 p.m. For more information, visit northamptonjazzfest.org/jazz-film-night or facebook.com/northamptonjazzfest, or email info@northamptonjazzfest.org.
Amherst books hosts book launch for author Amy Mittelman
This month, Amherst author Amy Mittelman’s book “Dames, Dishes, and Degrees: Faculty Wives in America” will be published by Cynren Press. In celebration of this, Amherst Books will host a book launch on Tuesday, June 16 at 7 p.m.
The novel explores the overlooked role faculty wives played in building American academic culture despite facing gender discrimination and anti-nepotism rules. Mittelman’s lived experience as the wife of a college professor is the underpinning for the novel. She holds a doctorate in history from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is also the author of “Brewing Battles: The History of American Beer,” which was published by Algora Publishing in 2007. For more information, visit amymittelman.com.
Northampton Center for the Arts to host book launch and cyanotype demonstration on June 12
Western Massachusetts mixed-media artist Madge Evers will celebrate her new book, “Printing with the Sun: Capturing the Beauty of Nature with Cyanotypes,” with a book launch and workshop on Friday, June 12, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Northampton Center for the Arts. Published by Storey Publishing, the step-by-step guide explores the simple sun-printing process using leaves, ferns and experimental techniques like soap bubbles. Copies of the $35 hardcover book are available for purchase. Attendees can secure a spot by emailing madge@madgeevers.com, though drop-ins are also welcome.
Queer Joy Chorus to bring ‘Songs of Joy and Resistance’ to Bombyx on June 20
The Queer Joy Chorus and the Rhythm and Radiance Kids’ Chorus will present “Songs of Joy and Resistance,” a spring sing concert and potluck picnic, on Saturday, June 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity in Florence. Led by director Mara Levi, the 100-plus member LGBTQIA+ and ally ensemble will deliver a high-energy performance followed by a communitywide outdoor picnic. Tickets are available on a sliding scale from $10 to $35, with a suggested price of $20, ensuring no one is turned away for lack of funds. Tickets can be purchased at bombyx.live/events/queer-joy-collaborative-spring-sing.
NCMC to host ‘Maestro Melodies’ on June 14
The Northampton Community Music Center (NCMC) will host its “Maestro Melodies” faculty showcase on Sunday, June 14, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The family-friendly social event will honor long-standing faculty members Eric Roth and Nicole Fizznoglia for their decades of service, while showcasing NCMC’s varied teachers performing original songs, jazz standards, rock classics and classical pieces.
Attendees are welcome to drop in, meet the instructors and stay for refreshments afterward. Tickets are available on a sliding-scale suggested donation of $10 to $25 per individual or $30 to $75 per family, with no one turned away for lack of funds. Tickets are available at nohoarts.org/maestro-melodies.
Wistariahurst Museum to host annual ‘Celebrate Juneteenth!’ event
Wistariahurst Museum and Genuine Culture will host their fourth annual “Celebrate Juneteenth!” event on Friday, June 19, from noon to 3 p.m. at the museum’s gardens at 238 Cabot St. in Holyoke. This family-friendly, community-centered celebration honors the end of slavery with live performances, music, lawn games, hands-on art projects and local organization info booths. The afternoon will also showcase a diverse marketplace featuring Black-owned businesses, independent makers and local artists alongside area food vendors. Sponsored by the Adams Foundation of South Hadley, the entire event is completely free and open to the public.
A.P.E. Gallery presents annual ‘ARC’ summer residency program
The A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton will host its ninth annual “ARC (activate, research, create)” summer residency program through June 28. The gallery serves as an active community space, featuring a rotating schedule of free interactive public hours, showings and workshops.
From June 8 to June 14, Pasqualina Azzarello presents “flowers + fires (and the meaning we make),” featuring daily live bilateral painting and Southern Italian tarantella healing music, alongside an Arts Night Out reception on June 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. Next, from June 15 to June 21, Cordy Joan and Joey Dehais present “Places,” a showcase from the Transmissions project featuring custom gift quilts for trans people, highlighted by a “Quilt in a Day” event on June 16 and a performance showcase on June 20. Finally, from June 22 to June 28, Alexandra Ripp and Daniel Sack present “Imaginary Friends,” an intergenerational, multi-media gallery installation co-created by local artist-parents and their children to challenge the boundaries of age in art, kicking off with an opening reception on June 23, from 4 to 6 p.m. Complete programming updates and specific gallery hours can be found at apearts.org/arc-2026.
Amherst Historical Society to host walking tour
Amherst Historical Society will lead the Women of West Cemetery Walking Tour, which is slated to take place on Saturday, June 13, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Amherst. Led by Sarah Zureick-Brown, cemetery tour guide and creator of The Silent Sod, this 90-minute historical stroll explores three centuries of local history through the lives, deaths and memories of diverse Amherst women, ranging from forgotten figures to the internationally renowned poet Emily Dickinson.
This walking tour is strictly limited to 20 people and registration is required. The cost is $10 for Amherst Historical Society members, $15 for non-members. Fees are non-refundable. Meeting location and information provided upon registration. To register, visit amhersthistory.org/6-13-26-women-of-west-cemetery-walking-tour/?.
