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Keeping art turned on and running

Richard Duckett

Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

WORCESTER – The Sprinkler Factory Gallery at 38 Harlow St. has a lot of space to view art.

That’s always been true but it is now especially so since the Sprinkler Factory reopened in October after closing in March last year because of the pandemic. The entire approximately 7,500 square feet of exhibition space, which for a while had two galleries and usually includes a performance stage, has now become one big gallery.

“We have a lot of space to spread out so people feel very comfortable in the Sprinkler Factory because it is such a large venue,” said Luis Fraire, managing director of the Sprinkler Factory art gallery.

People have also been able to take their time with the current exhibition on view.

After all, it is the Sprinkler Factory’s “SlowRaiser.”

The arts space is operated by AGSF Inc. (Artists’ Group of the Sprinkler Factory), a nonprofit arts organization. “SlowRaiser” is what the Sprinkler Factory calls its “6.5th annual ArtRaiser” art auction event.

Actually, time is now speeding up as the “slow auction” that started May 1 ends May 15.

Artists have donated their creations to the “SlowRaiser” for the auction that will support the Sprinkler Factory’s intent to serve the Worcester arts community.

There are more than 115 works of art to be bid on. The art can be viewed online (www.sprinklerfactory.com) and bids sent by email, as well as people registering to come to the Sprinkler Factory to bid in-person.

Most of the works are paintings, but there are also sculptures and photographs, all in a variety of styles.

“There’s something for everyone,” Fraire said. “People can come in, look over everything, and think about what they really liked.”

The “SlowRaiser” can also just be enjoyed as an art show in and of itself, regardless of whether you make a bid or not.

“The auction items turned into a great gallery show, too. It’s a great show to enjoy,” said Birgit Straehle, creative consultant to the Sprinkler Factory art gallery. Fraire and Straehle are also husband and wife.

“Looking is welcomed,” said Fraire of the “SlowRaiser” show. “We encourage people to come in and at least take a look.”

“SlowRaiser” will be on view in-person May 13 and 14 from 5-8 p.m. and May 15 from 1-8 p.m.

You must schedule a free pretimed ticket at eventbrite, which can be accessed through www.sprinklerfactory.com.

“SlowRaiser” would normally be called the Sprinkler Factory’s sixth “ArtRaiser,” dating back to when the event was first held in 2015 and taking into account that it wasn’t held last year.

Fraire said the “.5 represents the half a year we lost when we were closed.”

The Sprinkler Factory had started March 2020 in a big way. On March 7, 2020, four exhibitions opened all at once, showing its reach and appeal to artists. The shows included “Today and Tomorrow — Worcester Public Schools Visual Arts,” a selection of works in various media from 33 artists-educators of the Worcester Public Schools; “Dual Nature — Across Mediums, Encaustic Plus One,” work by Linda Bigness, Joanne Holtje and Doreen LaScola; “Sum Girls — Crushes 12x12ss,” by Don Hartmann; and “Jumping the Shark,” new work by Peter S. Wise.

The opening reception was packed, albeit that word was also buzzing about the coronavirus.

A few days later the Sprinkler Factory was closed.

“We had a full schedule (for 2020),” Fraire noted.

The Rockwood Sprinkler Company of Worcester was founded in 1906 by George I. Rockwood, an inventor of firesuppressing sprinkler systems. In its heyday the factory at 38 Harlow St., just off Lincoln Street, had 325 employees and annual sales of $1,500,000. By the mid-20th century, the factory had ceased production.

The big old brick building became an aspiring arts center in 1987 after the then Worcester Artist Group moved in. There were ups and downs (and rows) and different nonprofit incarnations and name changes along the way, but there has been stability and growth now for several years with the Sprinkler Factory Gallery and AGSF. The Sprinkler Factory is also home to independent artist studios and creative businesses spread throughout the former Rockwood Sprinkler Company complex.

The stated mission of AGSF Inc. is “to provide a welcoming multifaceted venue to nurture and promote the visual and performing arts communities of Central Massachusetts.”

The Sprinkler Factory has become “one of the most active and massive exhibition spaces for contemporary art in Central Massachusetts.”

Up until the pandemic, the two galleries had openings every month, and the space featured a performance stage for theater, music, talks, spoken word and film with an 85-seat capacity. 4th

Luis Fraire, managing director, and Birgit Straehle, creative consultant, in the Sprinkler Factory Art Gallery, where artwork being auctioned in the gallery’s

fundraiser is being exhibited. RICK CINCLAIR/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Continued from previous page

Wall Stage Company, Worcester Country Poetry Association (which makes its home at the Sprinkler Factory) and cinemaworcester are some of the groups that have performed, put on readings or had screenings there. However, the gallery “always was one big space,” Fraire said. A 16-foot wall divided it into two galleries. “Now the wall is down,” he said. It was knocked down over the summer. “It’s just one big space (again).” The first exhibition after the Sprinkler Factory reopened was “Solos: artists on a mission,” which ran Oct. 17 to Dec. 5 in-person Thursdays and Saturdays. There was a call for artists and 29 were selected for their own individual show featuring nine works of art each for a total of 261. Each solo show had its own title, its own mission and its own distinct discipline. After registering in advance, people were given a 90-minute free pretimed slot. There was a maximum of 25 people per time slot (with face mask and social distancing requirements). The exhibition could also be seen online “to a certain degree,” Fraire said, as a lot of photos and videos were posted on Facebook and Instagram. “A lot of people did view it online,” he said. Meanwhile, “about 700 people came in. It was actually quite a long run,” Fraire said. “The pretimed slot ticket by Eventbrite is a very good system and it worked out well for us. And I think people enjoyed it, too. We had a limited crowd in the gallery, and a lot of time to look at the art. With the space, you could really spread out and be with the art,” he said. (Time slots for exhibitions are free, but donations can be made in-person. Time slot donations are also accepted online at www.sprinklerfactory.com/gallery/donate/) Following “Solos,” the next exhibition at the Sprinkler Factory was “Trios: A Balance of 3,” which ran from March 6 to April 12.

“Trios” featured the work of 80 artists, each presenting three works of art that unify together as a whole. The show was on view Thursdays and Saturdays. Again, a maximum of 25 people per timeslot had 90 minutes to take everything in.

“The ‘Trios’ show had about $11,000 in sales and all that went straight to the artists,” Fraire said. “Sales have actually increased at the Sprinkler Factory. A little more time with art leads to more sales, so it’s all very interesting,” he said. The in-person viewing time for “SlowRaiser is shorter at 45 minutes for 25 people at each timeslot. Previous “ArtRaiser” silent auctions to benefit the Sprinkler Factory have raised between $8,000 and $11,000, Fraire said. “That would be wonderful,” said Straehle of the 6.5th falling within that range. “We’ll see how it goes,” Fraire said. The Sprinkler Factory will also wait for now to see what to do about the performance space. “So far there’s nothing going on in terms of performances. We’re using the space to show art,” Fraire said. “I think that’s going to take some time,” he said. “There were a whole number of things that were happening in the performance venue. I think seated audiences is on a different perspective than people wandering through looking at art. But we’re patient. When the time is right we’ll certainly be ready for it.” As soon as “SlowRaiser” concludes, work will begin on getting the next exhibition, “In Tandem: An exhibition of counterparts,” ready for its run June 4 to July 10 on Thursdays and Saturdays. The concept of the “In Tandem” exhibit is for each participating artist to show two works of art that are counterparts to each other, bonded together by material, theme or technique. Fraire hadn’t decided at the time of writing how long the time slot would be for in-person visitors to this show. Still, “It really works well with the pre-timed ticket system. Most likely the pre-timed ticket will remain in place for the near future,” he said. “In years past we’d have well attended receptions and then it was relatively quiet. Now we’re spreading it out evenly. I think the attendance is actually greater. The distribution of attendance is spread out over a longer period of time.” Another silver lining of the new way of having to do things at the Sprinkler Factory during the pandemic is that people are discovering or rediscovering the art venue, Straehle said. “It’s relaxing. It’s good for mental health.” “We have a lot of new artists exhibiting,” Fraire said, and they, in turn, will have friends coming to the exhibition. New visitors have been coming from “everywhere in Massachusetts,” Straehle said. And New Hampshire and Vermont, Fraire noted. “And there were certainly a lot of familiar faces,” he said In turn, Fraire said he and Straehle have enjoyed visiting cultural venues that have been open, such as ArtsWorcester. “I think it’s hard to say what motivates people, but because we were open they were able to come,” he said.

Ceramics from artist Mark Spencer are on display in the

Sprinkler Factory Art Gallery. RICK CINCLAIR/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

For more information, visit www.sprinklerfactory.com.

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800.581.5363 Art in Bloom flowers at Fitchburg Art Museum

Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Fresh blooms are everywhere this spring, even in art museums. Fitchburg Art Museum is bringing back its inperson annual Art in Bloom event from May 14 to 16, welcoming spring into the galleries with the pairing of art and flowers. The unseasonably cool temperatures of the last few days may not have felt like spring but the floral art inside will keep its spirit alive.

Events like these, in which gardeners, florists and artists of all kinds interpret their chosen artwork with flowers, are the high point of the spring season in art museums all over the country.

Julie Palioca, of Laurelwood Garden Club in Fitchburg, who has been doing interpretations for the past 12 years, freely admits she may have made an unusual choice this year.

“I must have been in a bad mood when I picked it,” Palioca speculated. The inspiration for her floral arrangement is a mid-20th-century woven sculpture pig from the African gallery. How she will interpret the essence of the work as flowers is unclear, but Palioca has picked out her materials in the form of gerber daisies, brown pods and protea from Africa. The original medium will be represented in the arrangement’s container as a weave basket.

For the last 23 years, FAM has partnered with Laurelwood to organize Art in Bloom. This year is extra special to the museum staff, as it’s “basically our first live event after a year of closing,” said Jessie Olson, membership and events manager at the museum. “It’s such a thrill to see people again and not on a Zoom screen.”

What’s unique about FAM, Olson explains, “is that our large galleries turn over three times a year so there is new artwork every spring and we work with the garden club to choose pieces that will be interpreted.” They use the process to draw attention to different pieces and try to create a balance in all the galleries by selecting pieces that have not been interpreted in a while — though there are favorites that make repeat appearances. The event provides an insight into how people see art.

“We all look at it and see things differently, so when you see an interpretation, you often notice a color that you hadn’t seen before, or when they choose the container, you see a texture that might not have been noticed,” said Olson.

One of the tricky parts is selecting flowers that will last at least four days, said Palioca, and the varying needs of the

Art in Bloom interpretations

NORMAN EGGERT/ NORM EGGERT PHOTOGRAPHY