“I remember when I was in fifth grade art class we had to create a design so that we could illustrate the concept of monochromatic harmony.  I decided to use a flower with twelve petals.  I then continued to sketch in between the petals, tilting my paper in a circular style.  The design continued to grow, and I was fascinated by its intricacy and beauty.  I just kept going until I had a huge multi-petalled circle.  The class was ending and I hadn’t put a drop of paint on paper.  When I tried to explain my fascination with how complex the circle had become, my art teacher had little patience for my excitement and told me I had to finish it on my own for a reduced grade.  But I didn’t care because something had come alive in me, a fascination with circles.  I drew twelve pointed designs at every opportunity.  I was constantly doodling on everything.  I moved from circles to Ojos de Dios (God’s eyes) and mandalas.  I began to equate the geometry of the circle with a sacred symbol as I...

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The Apple Tree on the Abandoned Railroad Line An Exhibition by Elin Noble and Lasse Antonsen Opening Reception: Saturday, November 12th 1 – 3 PM The artist couple, Elin Noble and Lasse Antonsen, have long careers as artists, but this exhibition marks the first time they are presenting work they have made together. Noble and Antonsen had a residency in September 2018 in the town of Assens, on the Island of Fyn, in Denmark. While there, they discovered an apple tree on an abandoned railroad line, and began to dye cloth with the apple leaves, apple tree bark, and the apples themselves. In 2019 they returned to the island, and dyed additional cloth. Compositionally they decided to focus on the test strip, the small strip of cloth with which a dyer tests the color before dying a larger piece of cloth. The test strips Noble and Antonsen created have been partially dipped in an iron solution, darkening and expanding the color range. These “test strips” have then been arranged into...

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Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Artist and Art Instructor Vania Noverça had to adapt; brilliantly, Vania continued to teach via “live” video painting demonstrations that were free to the public and took place in her studio at the Narrows Art Community at the Narrows Center for the Arts. The demonstrations were made available to the public on Facebook Live and through other social media platforms. The classes were expressive, educational and uplifting! They featured the brightness of blooms and brilliance of birds within  their natural habitat. The viewers learned color theory and the fundamentals of painting through Vania’s style and techniques. Viewers were encouraged to go outdoors to study nature and enjoy all of its beauty and breathe! At no time did folks need this respite more from the chaotic world around them, and the opportunity to learn new skills within a calming environment; it was perfect timing of circumstance. Vania also used this unique “classroom” to remind people...

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The Narrows Center is excited to share a walk back through time, displaying an array of original vintage posters used to advertise Grateful Dead concerts from back in the 1960’s until the band’s final year in 1995. “The spirit, vibe and music of the Grateful Dead have a special place in the hearts and minds of Narrows’ patrons, volunteers and staff,” states Patrick Norton, Executive Director of the Narrows. “It is an honor to host this one-of-a-kind exhibition.” The Grateful Dead were major players in the utopian psychedelic swirl of peace and love, music, art, and experimentation that was San Francisco in the late 1960s. In the spring of 1966, the posters advertising “dance concerts” became increasingly psychedelic themselves, reflecting the music and recreating the psychedelic experience in print. Early Grateful Dead posters were often a minefield of barely decipherable lettering, clashing colors, and surreal images with no seeming relationship to what was being advertised –...

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Joined together by Design, Imagination, Satire and Experience, eight women artists bring a collection of contemporary artworks to the Narrows Center. Working in and through a combination of materials including painting, drawing, mixed media and photography expect a peek into a diverse creative process. Artwork speaks for itself and this exhibit does. Something for everyone, this work brings it direct from the artist to the viewer …. there will be no servings of “sugar, spice and everything nice.” Several works by artist, Alison Horvitz are included with the permission of the Horvitz Family.                                                    – Sheila...

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Remedy: How We Heal is a four-person group show of artists who are linked together by their interpretations of how art can be a healing force for the self as well as individual viewers, communities, and the planet. The idea for this show started with artists Kristen Palana and Stacey Piwinski, two close friends (now living thousands of miles apart) who first met at Massachusetts College of Art in 1994. Over the years because of their similar high-energy personalities, they’ve jokingly referred to themselves as two halves of the same brain or, “the digital artist” and “the fine artist.” In recent years however, these labels have started to blur and shift. Stacey Piwinski is an interdisciplinary artist based in the Boston area who speaks to painterly concerns using textiles and found materials to create intricate weavings that consider the passage of time, the tactility of the material, and interpersonal relationships. Through material and personal explorations of memory, she weaves...

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