Author to discuss new memoir at Broadside Bookshop
Author and poet Cara Benson will discuss her debut climate memoir, “An Armsfull of Birds: A Personal Field Guide to Love, Loss, and Commitment,” on Wednesday, July 8, from 7 to 8 p.m. at Broadside Bookshop, located at 247 Main St. in Northampton. Benson, whose writing has appeared in The New York Times and Orion Magazine, will be joined in conversation by local author Vanessa Chakour (Earthly Bodies). Their discussion will explore the intersection of human and non-human relationships, a core theme of Benson’s book, which Orion praised as a “powerful climate memoir” and has recently been featured on Cheryl Strayed’s Mind Over Mountain podcast. This author talk is free and open to the public.
William Baczek Fine Arts hosts Summer 2026 Exhibition
William Baczek Fine Arts in Northampton is hosting its Summer 2026 Group Exhibition through Saturday, Aug. 29. Located at 36 Main St., the gallery is showcasing more than 75 representational and abstract works from 26 artists, spanning oil paintings, pastels, photography, ceramics, prints and sculpture. Visitors can explore the collection in person during normal gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Some selections can also be previewed online at wbfinearts.com, with further inquiries handled via phone at 413-587-9880 or email at info@wbfinearts.com.
Historic North Hall Arts Festival opens July 12
The North Hall Association will open its 2026 Historic North Hall Arts Festival on Sunday, July 12 at 2 p.m. with a live reading of “Let’s Get Out of Here,” an original family intervention comedy written by Mitch Giannunzio. Held at the air-conditioned, wheelchair-accessible North Hall at 40 Searle Road in Huntington, the season-opening performance features a stellar cast including Ellen Barry, Kenneth Tigar, Raye Birk, Candace Barrett Birk, PJ Adzima and James Cameron Emory. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. with upstairs seating strictly limited to the first 75 attendees, and while admission to this Westfield Bank and Massachusetts Cultural Council-sponsored event is entirely free, donations are welcome at the door.
Zikina brings Ugandan folk fusion to Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum’s Wednesday Folk Traditions
The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum in Hadley will continue its 45th season of Wednesday Folk Traditions on July 8 at 6:30 p.m. with a performance by Zikina in the Sunken Garden. The concert features Uganda native Gideon Ampeire performing on self-built East African instruments alongside bandmates Mike Cardozo, Roston Kirk and Kurt Eisele-Dyrli to create a vibrant fusion of Ugandan folk music, intense grooves and contemporary dance beats. Located at 130 River Drive, the smoke-free museum grounds open to picnickers at 5 p.m., with concert admission priced at $12 for adults and $2 for children 16 and under. For more information, call 413-584-4699 or visit pphmuseum.org.
Amherst’s Gallery A3 to host immersive forest art exhibit
Gallery A3 in Amherst will host “Patterns of the Forest,” a solo exhibition by artist and landscape architect at Berkshire Design Group in Northampton, Rachel Loeffler, featuring paintings and interactive works inspired by Finnish boreal forests from July 2 through Aug. 1. Loeffler, who has a studio in South Amherst, brings paintings and three-dimensional interactive works celebrating the beauty of Norway spruces, Scots pines and silver birches, along with abstract patterns based on the interplay of light, shadow and leaves.
“The experience of the Finnish forest is otherworldly; the moss acts like snow — muting the movement and sounds that surround you, bathing you in light and movement of the trees,” Rachel said. “The trees grow tall and narrow with great density due to the climate, and the dense woods are backlit and full of magical light.”
The exhibit, which includes community-collaborative mosaic projects, features an opening reception on July 3, from 5 to 7 p.m., and an art forum with the artist via Zoom on July 16 at 7:30 p.m. Further details are available at at gallerya3.com.
Flywheel and Forbes Library present concert on the lawn
Flywheel Arts Collective and Forbes Library will present a free lawn concert on the Hess Performance Stage featuring high-energy punk-rock band Trash Panda Kill Kill and alternative pop band Nanny. The event takes place on Wednesday, July 8, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets, with a scheduled rain date set for Thursday, July 9.
Coolidge Museum to screen ‘Heightened Scrutiny’
The Coolidge Museum will host a screening of Sam Feder’s critically acclaimed 89-minute documentary “Heightened Scrutiny (2025)” will take place on Thursday, July 9, from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by a facilitated Q&A with community members and representatives from Transhealth and GLAD Law. Presented in partnership with Transhealth, Bloom Local, and GLAD Law, the urgent documentary profiles ACLU attorney Chase Strangio — the first openly trans individual to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court — during the high-stakes United States v. Skrmetti legal battle against Tennessee’s youth gender-affirming care ban. The film features commentary from prominent journalists and activists, including Jelani Cobb, Lydia Polgreen, Gina Chua and Laverne Cox, to expose how mainstream media bias fuels anti-trans legislation and disinformation.
Elusie Gallery’s ‘N.S.F.Washington’ exhibit opens July 4
The Elusie Gallery’s exhibition, “N.S.F. Washington (Not Suitable for Washington),” will open July 4 and run through July 25. Due to the holiday weekend, the ArtWalk Easthampton event and the exhibition’s artists’ reception have been moved to Saturday, July 11, from 4 to 7 p.m. Located at Old Town Hall at 43 Main St., Tthe show features diverse artwork from twenty-six regional artists, Ellen Koteen, Laura Radwell, Elizabeth Chase, Robert Markey, Ken Gagne, Tim Murphy, John Romanski, Andrea Zax, Katie Hereld, Chris Plaisted, Aldo Cipriani, Riley Ames, Matthew Simons, Elissa Barr, Scott Haag, Ryn Hodes, Jacob Clayton, Agnes MacCraven, Katie Rosenblatt, Rachel Kleyn, Eva Pushkova, Melissa Pandina, Rhea Sutter, Sara Schneiderman, Judith Bowman and Sonia Vaccari.