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Artist Spotlight
ARTTIST SPOTLIGHT
“Infinite Essence Unfolds, #2: Repersonalization,” watercolor, ink and wax on canvas
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DOREEN CONNORS/ARTSWORCESTER
Doreen Connors
Doreen Connors Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
Doreen Connors creates sculptures, 2D works, and altered books reflecting her endeavor to rise out of the ashes of abuse, grooming, and conditioning. She makes it part of her mission to live in semi-reclusion with the aim of transmuting the rapes she experienced in this life. Her artwork can be seen on her website, opentoheal.com.
This Artist Spotlight is presented by Worcester Magazine in partnership with ArtsWorcester. Since 1979, ArtsWorcester has exhibited and advanced the work of this region's contemporary artists. Its exhibitions and educational events are open and free to all. Learn more at www.artsworcester.org.
CITY LIVING
TABLE HOPPIN’
Barbara M. Houle Special to Telegram & Gazette USA TODAY NETWORK
The Sunflower Shanty at Houlden Farm in North Grafton officially opened this month, spotlighting an outdoor beer garden and pizza concept, plus so much more.
It’s all about family, friends and the enjoyment of local food and drinks al fresco in this business venture with owners of the farm, brothers Tyler and Trevor Houlden and the team from Flatbread Company, a Boston pizza restaurant. Thomas Keane of Boston heads Flatbread Company. He’s also a partner with Churchill James LLC, the developer that purchased the former Lucky Dog Music Hall in Worcester.
The dish on Sunflower Shanty:
The six-tap beer garden, hand-built from a storage container, sits within the sunflower fields at Houlden Farm, 139 Old Westboro Road. The sunflowers are expected to bloom sometime in July, according to Chloe King, the Sunflower Shanty’s general manager, who with manager Cindy Swanson helps run the beer garden. “The sunflowers’ bright colors will be an awesome sight,” said King.
The shanty operates from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, weather permitting. It features a wood-fired pizza oven with rotating flatbread pizzas ranging in flavors from Jay’s Heart — Flatbread Company’s take on a classic red sauce with cheese — to a Buffalo Chicken Flatbread with house-made buttermilk ranch. All flatbreads are made with organic, all-natural ingredients with a strong emphasis on sustainable sourcing and seasonality, according to the company.
Houlden Farm’s food truck, Seed to Table, parked nearby, operates throughout summer and fall, offering salads, sandwiches, smoothies, etc. Food is based on ingredients grown on the farm, said King.
The beer garden’s rotating draft list highlights brewers, including Greater Good in Worcester, she said. Guests also can opt for hard cider from Carlson’s Orchards in Harvard. Artic Chill hard seltzer (Harpoon and Polar Seltzer collaboration) and 90 + Cellars wines are available. Live music is “in the works.”
The farm features a variety of family-friendly attractions such as a playground, farm animals and seasonal pick-your-own fruit. There’s also a fall pumpkin patch and corn maze. Pick-your-own flowers at the farm is expected to start up soon, said King. An onsite
See HOPPIN’, Page 21
Cindy Swanson, left, and Ashley Letourneau inside the Sunflower Shanty at Houlden Farm. RICK
CINCLAIR/ TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
