A&E Editor
The William Blizard Gallery is looking to wow students, faculty and visitors with unique and thought-provoking art this semester. With exhibits from local artists, recent SC graduates and current students the gallery is expecting to have a very successful semester.
Currently, Easthampton local Angela Zammarelli has her “I Will Swallow It” exhibition running at the William Blizard Gallery from Sept. 6th through Oct 7th.
“Angela is a fairly new, young artist,” Gallery Director of The William Blizard Gallery Holly Murray said. “Her installations are a little bit different. She has a larger concept of her work.”
For the “I Will Swallow It” exhibit, Zammarelli chose to use installations because it was the best way for her to express how she felt on a large scale.
“I think that installation is the best way for me to express things that I can’t always put into language,” said Zammarelli.
“I Will Swallow It” is also the sixth installment in a series called “All the Trappings.”
“I would say the work is an exploration in desire, compulsion and anti-social behavior,” Zammarelli said. “The structure ‘I Will Swallow It’ seems to be the beginning of a change in direction for these characters. The structure seems to have been opened up and is in the process of being dismantled or maybe it is being reconfigured.”
Zammarelli’s main reception to show off her work will be Sunday, Sept. 25 from 2-4 p.m.
While Zammarelli’s installations will be at the Blizard Gallery until early October, starting in the middle of October, Pat Hayes, a Springfield College graduate of the Graduate Art Therapy program will be facilitating workshops geared toward breast cancer survivors.
Hayes works for the Rays of Hope organization, which is a walk that occurs in Springfield every year to help raise awareness and money for breast cancer. Through Rays of Hope, Hayes started the “Art From the Heart” program which facilitates free workshops for breast cancer survivors. Hayes does mainly handcrafted pieces to help lead breast cancer survivors through recovery.
Hayes and her “Art From the Heart” workshops will be at the Blizard Gallery, Oct. 17 through Nov. 18, with the main reception being on Thursday, Oct. 20 from 3-5 p.m.
Another Springfield College, Art Therapy graduate, Halley Studer-Sweetman will also have an exhibition running at the Blizard Gallery this semester. Studer-Sweetman curates the “Influences” exhibit, which features pieces created by adults with developmental disabilities.
Studer-Sweetman does her work through Riverside Arts, a nonprofit program based out of Riverside Industries, which helps people with disabilities learn life skills and gain employment.
Studer-Sweetman and her “Influences” exhibition will run at the Blizard Gallery from Nov. 30 through Dec. 16.
To finish off the semester, the Blizard Gallery will have their Undergraduate and Graduate Art Therapy Exhibitions in December.
“At the end of the semester all of our students, computer graphic students, art education students and art therapy students will put their paintings, sculptures and digital imagery on display,” said Murray. “It nicely sums everything up for them.”
The Undergraduate and Graduate Art Therapy Exhibition’s main reception to recognize all of the student artists will be held on Dec. 4 from 2-4 p.m.
Murray and the rest of her colleagues are looking forward to a successful semester of talented artists and inspiring exhibitions.
Each exhibition that will be featured at the Blizard Gallery uniquely shows how art education and art therapy can further educate and even help heal those that are in need.
Gabby DeMarchi may be reached at gdemarchi@springfieldcollege.edu