Worcester Magazine July 9 - 15, 2020

JULY 9 - 15, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CULTURE • ARTS • DINING • VOICES

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Keeping them on their toes Dance studios adjust to crisis

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IN THIS ISSUE

J U LY 9 - 15, 2020 • V O L U M E 45 I S S U E 46 Find us on Facebook.com/worcestermag Twitter @worcestermag Instagram: Worcestermag

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the cover Mia Pierre, 4, left, and Zajaira Fearon, 5, members of the PZ Dance Academy’s “Magnificent Monarchs” dance group, perform on stage during a dance recital held in the dance academy’s Grove Street parking lot.

Story on page 10

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Photo by Steve Lanava; Design by Kimberly Vasseur

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FEATURED

The ‘Gravity’ of the moment

ArtsWorcester reopening gallery with all-sculpture show RICHARD DUCKET T

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or ArtsWorcester, its “Gravity/Levity: A Juried Members’ Exhibition” opening July 9 in its main galleries at 44 Portland St. represents “our first foray into the new normal,” said executive director Juliet Feibel.

July 9 will be the first time ArtsWorcester’s galleries are open to the public since closing down March 16 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are new gallery days and hours, Thursdays through Sundays noon to 5 p.m. Gallery capacity will be limited to 10 visitors at any time, and all visitors will be required to wear masks or face coverings.

ArtsWorcester’s “Gravity/Levity” will run through Aug. 16, and the free exhibition itself represents something new as the first all-sculpture show at ArtsWorcester.

To put it another way, “We can’t wait,” Feibel said of the first foray as she and Allie Heimos, ArtsWorcester marketing and communications manager, were being interviewed at 44 Portland St. last week.

“We miss our artists’ audience more than they know. Art is social and we have really felt that very keenly. There’s no substitute for looking them in the eyes and greeting them when they come through the door,” Feibel said.

Still, there will also be a virtual opening of “Gravity/Levity” at 6 p.m.

July 9 when ArtsWorcester will announce exhibition prize winners and share remarks from the juror. The event will make it seem more like a regular opening reception with “a little celebratory fun,” said Heimos.

“Gravity/Levity” had already been installed last week with 29 sculptures by 25 artists that capture approaches to weight and weightlessness.

Works employ materials ranging from cast glass, carved stone and wood, ceramic and steel, to paper, recycled electronics, fishnet tights, zippers, and twigs and toothpicks mirroring industrial machinery. The approaches can be both earnest and light-hearted, reflecting “levity” in a different connotation. Similarly, the pieces are large and small. J-Me Johnson’s “Lunar Rover” from mixed media is what it says it is, while Rachel Chamber’s “All Zipped Up” is made from designer cast-off zippers, wire and thread.

It is the first exhibition at

Juliet Feibel, left, executive director for ArtsWorcester, and Allie Heimos, marketing director, in the gallery for the new exhibition “Gravity/Levity: A Juried Members’ Exhibition,” opening July 9.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

ArtsWorcester since “In Transition,” a members’ exhibition of 127 artworks that was supposed to run March 20 to April 18 and had already been installed before ArtsWorcester closed.

It was the exhibition that no one got to see in “real life,” as Feibel previously had put it, although it was put online. A solo exhibition by Marlboro artist Gloria Gogeun, “Botanical Dreams,” that was set to open March 18 at The Franklin Square Salon Gallery at The Hanover Theatre, also went online. Indeed, since March 16 ArtsWorcester has been devoting itself to a number of popular online activities across its social media platforms. They will continue and “Gravity/Levity” will be available for viewing on ArtsWorcester’s website — artsworcester.org — and its social media outlets so everyone can see it, Heimos said.

As for physically reopening, “We didn’t honestly have any expectations (as to when),” Feibel said. “First,

it was wait on the (state) government and then what we think as an organization was safe and right. When the government laid out the phases of reopening we first had to determine how we would get the previous exhibition (‘In Transition’) out. We were still under strict limitations.”

Compared to 127 works of art for “In Transition,” “Gravity/Levity,” with 29, was “relatively easy” to install,” Feibel said. Artists dropped off their works by appointment.

Tim Johnson, an expert in such matters, oversaw the installation for ArtsWorcester, deciding which piece would go where in the galleries. “He’s very thoughtful, calibrated, precise,” Heimos said.

“Gravity/Levity” had been planned before the pandemic hit, Heimos noted.

The idea for a sculpture exhibition, and the theme, come from Webster sculptor and ArtsWorcester member Madeleine Lord.

“She said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we had a sculpture show,’” Feibel said. “And we’ve never had a sculpture show.”

Heimos said Lord “had a great vision not just for the theme, but how to structure the call and time it right for the sculptors. The call went out in the beginning of 2020. It was always supposed to be a summer opening, which is a much larger chunk of time (than usual for artists).” Feibel said, “sculptors need more time.”

The juror for “Gravity/Levity” is Lisa Crossman, curator of American Art and Arts of the Americas at the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College. After the call for artists, ArtsWorcester sculptors sent photos which Crossman viewed online to select the works for the exhibition.

Lord’s “Old Friends,” welded and repainted scrap metal taking on a new life, was one of the works chosen.

A few days ago, Crossman came to ArtsWorcester to see the chosen

sculptures in person and award prizes, which will be announced July 9.

“I really want to stress how exciting it is that ArtsWorcester has a membership to support a sculpturespecific exhibition,” Feibel said.

“It’s not that ArtsWorcester never wanted to support a sculpture show, it’s just that we need the strength of the artists behind us.”

It turns out that a sculpture exhibition represents good timing for ArtsWorcester in the current situation, Feibel said. “It’s a threedimensional show. People have been looking at flat screens. They’ll be able to come in, they’ll be able to walk around the pieces and view,” she said.

Online, “We’ll try to make it as immersive as possible with threedimensional views,” said Heimos.

Because “Gravity/Levity” takes up less space than a members’ exhibition, which might have over 100 pieces, “we are glad to try our hand

FEATURED

at this before we have a larger show,” Feibel said.

As for future shows, “we’ll be going one exhibition at a time,” she said.

Ten people at a time. “That’s way below our legal requirements,” Feibel

But if letting people in as others leave proves problematic, ArtsWorcester will do advance signups instead, Feibel said.

The new gallery days and hours include a new day that ArtsWorces-

Nomination Period: Above, Katie Dye, created “Stick” using wood, glass and sugar. Below, Eugenie Lewalski Berg’s “This Way No That Way (Diptych)” is made of concrete, hardware cloth and Japanese woodblock.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

July 12 - 31

Nominate online at:

telegram.com/contests

ter will be open — Sundays.

“Crises create new kinds of thinking. It (Sunday) is more convenient.

People have more time on the weekends, and more than ever people need this — a thing they can do out of their homes,” Feibel said.

Going to “Gravity/Levity” may be the first arts activity for a lot of people since the pandemic started.

“Our job is to provide contemporary art as accessible as possible, so if we can provide access, we’re happy with that,” Feibel said.

Nominate online at:

telegram.com/contests

*OFFICIAL RULES: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. To vote and be eligible for the $250 prize, at least 25 categories must be fil ed in. $250 prize is a Gift Card. For complete official rules go to: telegram.com/contests. *OFFICIAL RULES: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. To vote and be eligible for the $250 prize, at least 25 categories must be filled in. $250 prize is a Gift Card. For complete official rules go to: telegram.com/contests.

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said. “If we need to ask people to wait outside we will do that. Happily, from our windows they’ll be able to see the galleries.”

ArtsWorcester is on the first floor at 44 Portland St., its home since officially opening there March last year after moving from its previous longtime space at the Aurora Gallery, 660 Main St. Its large, plate glass windows are a good vantage point to get a look in at the new place. Inside, it’s “a sleek, easily cleaned, well ventilated facility,” Feibel said.

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Nomination Period:

FEATURED

Comic Con Confidential CoronaCrisis on Infinite Earths

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

“We were thinking, if I have a 1,000 people in line and they have to be six feet apart from each other, that’s 6,000 feet,” Hallock said. “I’m no mathematician but that’s over a mile. How are you going to wrap that around a couple times?”

John and Claire DiCicco are copromoters of the New England Super Megafest and Comic Con, which is being postponed until 2021.

“Even if everything is lifted, there are a certain percentage of folks that don’t want to unnecessarily put themselves at risk,” John DiCicco explained. “I’m not willing to do it.”

“Even if we decided to do something on a smaller scale, even if we did everything right, how do you police that?” Claire DiCicco added.

“To me, it’s just not worth it.”

Keith and Amy Gleason are promoters of the Plastic City Com, which has been postponed to July 17, 2021.

“This whole year’s a wash to be honest with you,” Keith Gleason said about the comic con circuit. “It’s been devastated.”

“We go and vend at comic cons,” Amy Gleason added. “Almost every weekend had something coming up, and we have a kitchen calendar with big black X after X after X, scratching off the dates that have been canceled.”

The Gleasons said that as soon as Gov. Charlie Baker revealed his threephase plan to reopen the state, they realized that Plastic City Comic Con wasn’t going to happen this year.

“In a supermarket or a Walmart, you go in and get your stuff and leave. But, at a comic con, people like to stand around,” Amy Gleason explained. “Your vendors are all going to be in the same room for 10 hours, and all attendees are going to be in there from a hour to two, three, four or five hours, depending on what they’re looking for or who they’re talking to.”

Although “Rock and Shock” is no more, co-founders Kevin Barbare and Leah Urbano have been working on a new horror and hard rock convention.

“We had the dates reserved for the fall, but then the virus took a serious turn around here and the venue (the DCU Center) became a temporary hospital,” Barbare said.”Now, we’re starting to see things in other states slowly getting back. As for New

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hat the coronavirus did to the comic con circuit had all the makings of a multi-comic book crossover event with eye-catching titles such as “CoronaCrisis on Infinite Earths,” “Age of COVID-19,” “The Coming of the Coronavirus,” “The Killing Virus,” “The Dark Social Distancing Saga,” “Days of Social Distancing Past,” “The Coronavirus Returns,” “COVID-19/Common Sense War,” “Secret Coronavirus Wars,” “The Coronavirus Gauntlet” and “Special Origin Issue: Whatever Happened to Dr. Fauci?”

For the first time in its 50-year history, the San Diego Comic-Con was canceled.

Clockwise from right: John and Claire DiCicco are copromoters of New England Super Megafest and Comic Con.; Keith and Amy Gleason are promoters of the Plastic City Com.; Mitch Hallock runs TerrifiCon at Mohegan Sun Arena.

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Closer to home, ACE Comic Con Northeast in Boston, FAN EXPO Comic Con in Boston, TerrifiCon at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., Plastic City Comic Con in Fitchburg, Rhode Island Comic Con in Providence, and New England Super Megafest and Comic Con in Framingham were all canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Furthermore, the NorthEast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza in Boxboro has been canceled twice so far this year.

NorthEast Comic Con creator Gary Sohmers yells out a line

from Bill Murray’s “Stripes” to best describe what the coronavirus pandemic has done to the comic con circuit.

“Blown up, Sir!” Sohmers exclaimed. “That’s the only way you can really say it.”

Back in March, the state put the kibosh on large gatherings of people a day before the NorthEast Comic Con was supposed to start.

“PAX East (gaming convention) was two weeks before us, and they had 80,000 people. Well, if that’s OK, why can’t our show happen?” said Sohmers, who hopes to have a show on Nov. 27-29. “I said to the (Boxboro) Board of Health, if Walmart can be open and have long lines of people all next to each other, we can.

And the hotel shut us down, so we didn’t have a choice.”

Sohmers, who also regularly sets up at Brimfield (which has also “Blown up, Sir!”), said he lost about $25,000 in March and estimates the Boxborough Regency Hotel and Conference Center (where the NorthEast Comic Con is held) lost about $40,000.

“The hotel had to lay off almost their entire staff,” Sohmers said, “So, being closed every week they’re

closed, they’re losing about 40 grand because they were booked with weddings, dog shows, gun shows, stamp and coin shows, antique shows and our shows.”

When he gets the OK to hold a comic con, Sohmers said he plans to do temperature checks at the door, and sell specific time entry tickets, while enforcing social distancing and requiring masks.

“First off, a comic con, we are nerds. We wear masks. That’s not a problem,” Sohmers said. “It’s almost like a badge of honor to have a great mask and, at the same time, to be showing kindness, instead of being an (expletive).”

Mitch Hallock runs TerrifiCon, which has been rescheduled to July 30-Aug. 1, 2021.

“The comic con circuit just evaporated. There are no shows that I know of going on,” Hallock said.

“Nobody’s going to any conventions, no exhibitors, no guests, no artists, no writers, none of that.”

After months of trying to figure out how to space all the tables apart a minimum of six feet and administer temperature checks, Hallock said he realized they couldn’t put TerrifiCon on this year.

FEATURED

Bad times, good times (and great music) Coronavirus pandemic makes the creative juices flow for Bad Marriage CRAIG S. SEMON

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C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 6

Worcester and it was packed to the rafters.

Approaching four months, Bad Marriage couldn’t play out and, for a bulk of those months, couldn’t even practice.

“For the first couple of months our actual practice facility was closed,” Fitz said. “Even if we did get the green light to be around each other and practice, which we didn’t for a while, our building wasn’t even opened up yet.”

Fitz and Paquin started emailing back and forth with song ideas. As a result, Bad Marriage almost has a full record of new material ready to go.

“A lot of folks don’t realize it’s not just about live concerts for us. In fact, I would say the most important part of Fitzy and my relationship is the songwriting and tracking process,” Paquin said. “Our songwriting has been so fruitful over the last few months. It has been really astonishing. Quite a blessing, I would say.”

While we’re talking classic, kick-

ass rock ‘n’ roll one would expect from Bad Marriage, fans might be surprised at the themes permeating under the heavy riffs and the kicking backbeats in songs of late.

“Obviously, all the negative, confusing thoughts that have been going through our heads are coming out. I can almost sense the melancholy in Fitzy’s music that he’s been writing lately and that resonates with me,” Paquin said. “So, I’m naturally writing things that are asking questions of my own … What is life? I’m not George Harrison or anything, but when you have time for real introspection, you come up with some surprising answers.”

With the shutdown, Fitz and Paquin said they learned how loyal their diehard fans are.

“It’s more of a family than a fan base. When times are clear, we hang out at each other’s houses for barbecues and stuff. We know each other as family. This is the real deal.

These are real relationships with

real people with a lot to add to each other’s life,” Paquin said. “It’s a rich group of people that we consider to be our fan base. It’s almost like they do the work for us.”

In the heart of the pandemic, Bad Marriage released a new song, “Together,” a hard-rocking, neo-hippie, borderline peaceful protest song.

“The overall message of the song about getting united and getting together is very relevant and fitting for now,” Fitz said. “This song needs to come out because if it can help people cope with what’s going on, let’s do it.”

While the song seems perfect for the time, “Together” was actually recorded back in August, way before the coronavirus pandemic and the “Black Lives Matters” protests.

“First of all, I’m not a fortune teller. I didn’t travel time. It just happens to be how I was feeling or what world I was living in when my songwriting head or my poem writing head while the song was going

Probably, yes, because they would be dying to get to a convention. Do I think we would be able to get good guests? Yes, because they don’t have anywhere else to go, and they have been dying to get out themselves,” Barbare said. “I think it depends on when we are given the word. Anything is possible.”

One of the big attractions,

especially at the bigger comic cons, are the celebrity photo ops that are not big on social distancing. While Sohmers think photo ops will be fine, Hallock and Barbare disagree.

“I would be pretty miffed if I paid $250 and I had to stand six feet apart from a guy wearing a mask,” Hallock said. “Why even bother?”

“Nobody’s going to want to pay

the same amount of money they paid before to get a photo op with somebody if they are standing six feet away from them,” Barbare added.

Then you have the celebrity guests and legendary comic book artists and writers who are in their 60s, 70s, 80s and, in some cases, 90s.

“That will be their choice when we are ready to book their flights,”

Sohmers said. “And I’ll tell them all: It’s not up to me. I don’t care if we have a contract or not. It’s up to you.

You feel comfortable? I will do my best to make it safe and entertaining and profitable.”

“Personally,” Barbare said, “If I was famous and I was somebody who could catch something and die, I wouldn’t be traveling to a show.”

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England, there isn’t anything (comic book or horror conventions) through the end of the year.”

If the word is given (and given soon), Barbare and Urbano said they could still do a show in 2020.

“Do I think people will come?

PHOTO/ROBB DUCHEMIN

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

COMIC CON

Bad Marriage is, from left, Michael Delaney, Mike “Fitzy” Fitz, Johnny Paquin, Todd Boisvert and Ian Haggerty.

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ad Marriage was red hot.

The original rock ‘n’ roll outfit was packing rooms, selling plenty of merch, growing its fan-base and, in February, touring cross-country with multi-platinum ’80s rockers Tesla.

“This was our second big support slot opening for Tesla across the country,” Bad Marriage’s lead guitarist Mike “Fitzy” Fitz said. “We were definitely gaining steam and gaining traction coming off of that.”

Then, in mid-March, everything turned ice cold for Bad Marriage (and everybody else in the music industry) due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Bad Marriage had booked a series of hometown shows, a few more Tesla dates (in Peoria, Illinois, and Wichita, Kansas), a show with former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee in New Bedford, Laconia Motorcycle Week in Laconia, New Hampshire, and, in September, an opening slot for Krokus at the Palladium in Worcester, all of which have been canceled due to the coronavirus.

And, on top of that, Bad Marriage was hoping to double the number of dates already booked.

“It is not just Bad Marriage that came to a screeching halt. It’s everybody,” Fitz said. “That’s what we continuously have to keep reminding ourselves.”

“It wasn’t like we got taken out of the race. There was no race,” Bad Marriage’s singer Johnny Paquin added. “It’s not like anyone got any advantage or disadvantage. It went down to point zero, which means everybody, everybody had to deal with the sudden change in lifestyle.”

In addition to Fitz of Milford and Paquin of Worcester, Bad Marriage consists of guitarist Ian Haggerty of Attleboro, bassist Todd Boisvert of Medway and drummer Michael Delaney of Milford. One of their last shows in the area was at Rascals in

on around me,” Paquin said. “And I just spat that stuff out and Brian (Wheat) kicked in with a certain part of the chorus and Fitzy helped with the verses and bam! It was done.”

Recorded in Sacramento, California, “Together” was produced and co-written by Tesla’s bassist, songwriter and co-founder Brian Wheat.

“Brian’s taken us under his wing.

He seems to really dig Bad Marriage,” Fitz said. “We spent some time together, being on tour for a couple of months. My God, we’ve done almost 30 shows with them.”

Later this month, Bad Marriage is flying out to Sacramento to record four more songs for a five-song EP (which will include “Together”) with Wheat producing and co-writing.

Also during the pandemic, Bad Marriage’s one-year deal with Fanatics to use the band’s catchy crowd-pleaser “Nay-Sayin’ Blues” in a series of TV commercial spots has been extended for an additional six months through the end of the year.

“It’s very cool,” Fitz said. “Fanatics has been a huge help and it has been a lot of exposure for us to have that song on all the commercials.”

If that wasn’t enough, Bad Marriage is also working on another album with Fitz producing.

With 20 brand spanking new songs to choose from (and none of which have been played out live), fans can expect the band’s sophomore album to be another healthy platter of hard-rocking tunes that has become synonymous with the band, at the same time, showing a progression of growth in musicianship and songwriting, Fitz and Paquin said.

“Most if not all of the songs were written after the whole lockdown.

Our main problem is we have so much music to put out,” Fitz said.

“We’re trying to stay creative, keep busy, engage with our fans and just keep writing. And, hopefully, sooner or later, we can get back on the road because that’s where we’ve found our most success.”

CITY VOICES

HARVEY

FIRST PERSON

Call me Rip Van Winkle The mask helps reveal the person JANICE HARVEY

this debacle, but I read much of the doom and gloom speech he gave. It had the Duke of Darkness Stephen ake me when 2020 is Miller’s claws all over it. over. I’m easy to find: Is it me, or does promoting haI’ll be curled up in a ball tred and racism seem like a negain the same corner of tive when it comes to campaigning my living room that I’ve occupied for reelection? Trump is his own since late February. worst enemy. A no-brainer like I’ve lived through some strange “racism is bad” seems easy-peasy. times, but this year takes the cake — and shoves it up your nose How hard is to say “Hating each other isn’t a good thing”? This guy like a chunk of wedding frosting. whiffs every time.

Life under Donald Trump wasn’t I can’t remember a Fourth of July weird, scary and painful enough? without a cookout to attend, even Along comes a pandemic for him in the rain. This year my friend to screw up. And when it comes Rick and I took a ride in the directo the art of screwing up, nobody tion of Barre and Petersham. We does it better. took the top off the Jeep, since the First up: my job. I’m a teacher. weather was perfect. We stopped The catastrophic toll coronavirus in the center of Petersham, where has taken on education can’t be we bought the last two turkey and stressed enough. And speaking of stress … being a teacher during this avocado sandwiches at the Country Store and sat in the grass on the disaster feels like jumping from town Common. It was the eeriest a plane with a parachute sewn experience. together in one of Ivanka Trump’s The bandstand was vacant. No Vietnamese sweatshops. Is this people walked the streets. An occathing going to open? sional car rode by. When we were I know that the Worcester Pubfinished with our lunch, we walked lic Schools took a stinging slap in past some of the stately homes that the Boston Globe regarding readiline the Common. We didn’t see a ness. I winced reading it. I’m sure there were mistakes made in every single person on a porch, or in a back yard. Finally, a young woman school system since “Pandemic walking a dog passed us. That was Preparations” was below “ Raising it for humans — and she didn’t say MCAS Scores” on most superinhello. The light at the intersection tendents’ to-do lists. Do I have answers? Nope. I have a classroom flashed red, but no cars stopped for it. If Rod Serling emerged from that you could fit inside a Yugo. behind a tree to explain that the Social distancing is going to be “a world had come to an end and we challenge.” ( I love that word! No word has ever been thrown around were the only survivors, I would not have been surprised. more than that one.) Notice that If all this wasn’t enough, my very little regarding education childhood is being tampered with. during a pandemic has been utI was raised in the Columbus Park tered by the stunningly inept and neighborhood of Worcester. We unqualified Betsy DeVos, United States Secretary of Education. She celebrated Christopher Columbus like he was Elvis every October. tweeted some blah blah about rural students embracing technol- Our streets were named Isabella, Genoa, and Ferdinand, for goodogy on July 1st and wished us all ness sakes. Now he’s Eurotrash! a happy Fourth of July, probably from the upper deck of some yacht. He’s getting yanked down and scrapped as a marauding scoundrel Meanwhile, teachers are wonder— which he was — in cities and ing if they will get the chance to towns across the nation. Go figure. change out of sweatpants and First Bill Cosby, and now this. meet students mask-to-mask.

I return now with a sigh to the Ah yes! The Fourth of July. This corner where I have been hunkered one went down as the weirdest down for most of the past four ever, with no fireworks (unless months. I ask that you poke me you were among the crammedwith a stick in November so that together maskless “lucky” ones I can vote. Other than that? Wake attending Trump’s Mt. Rushmore me when it’s over. extravaganza). I avoided viewing

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JAMES J. FOYLE

with the ferocity of a shark, wolf or even lion mouth. Other masks were made from clothing and bed am just passing on some coverings. Then there are those thoughts I have had regarding with the tranquility of flowers, the mask scenario we are all pastels, and some that are just going through. When I was out and out pretty. The venue for growing up there were only two people that wore a mask: the Lone masks has become unlimited in its Ranger and Zorro. Some others did creative display and possibly shows the character of the wearer. wear bandanas but they were the The masking concept for me ones that would rob stage coaches has also taken on an audio/visual and hold up the local town bank. application. In the audio spectrum Then TV brought on a couple of I have noted that the mask muffles medical programs, Ben Casey and one’s speaking/enunciation ability Dr. Kildare, both wore medical and we become difficult to hear masks. The next mask concept I remember came out of the Far East and understand. However, even before the mask era began I have showing some citizens of large been told by a very close, reliable, cities like Hong Kong or Tokyo wearing masks due to air pollution. and trustworthy source that I “hear but do not listen.” I guess therefore And here we are now, with people that corrective action needs to be worldwide wearing masks to help taken on both sides of the masked prevent the spread of a virus and communication. For the speaker; its deadly effect. talk directly to your listener, use a As inconvenient as it is to don little higher volume with crisper the mask I have gleamed some enunciation (can’t discount our positive and interesting results Boston accent). The listener needs from the process. The first thing to pay better attention/listen to that comes to mind is the ingenuity and imagination used in making what is being said.

The video segment I find the masks. Aside from the typical most interesting. Because the medical mask I’ve seen there are mask covers the mouth/nose masks with sports team logos, or

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area all that is left to look at are the persons’ eyes. When speaking with another “masked” person you literally/figuratively are seeing eye to eye with them. One of the first things that really struck me was actually seeing the color of the other person’s eyes. There are so many amazing eye colors out there that we have just not taken the time or cognizant effort to recognize. The multiple shades of blue run from a deep night blue to a sparkling blue radiance. There are brown eyes that cover the spectrum of polished chestnut, a smooth suede/leather, to an almost ebony black. And then the other rainbow of colors includes misty greens, grays, hazel, an unrelenting array of colors that we have never really taken the time to see before.

Continuing with the video portion, it has been said that the “eyes are the window to the soul.” I find this to be so true. When only looking into someone’s eyes you get a glimpse of their state of being. You can see joy, happiness, sincerity, sadness, well-being, complacency, anxiety; their/our emotional state is exposed. It is really gratifying C O N T I N U E D O N N E XT PA G E

CITY VOICES

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Murals, statues and other battlegrounds VICTOR D. INFANTE

WELL-DESERVED PRAISE: With all the cultural gloom it was nice last week to see someone get the public recognition they deserve.

No, not City Manager Ed Augustus – although, wow, that “job review” at last week’s City Council meeting was effusive – but rather local poet and activist Rushelle Frazier, who was singled out by Senator Ed Markey for her work, which includes “organizing campaigns affecting #QTPOC lives. Rush’s work on the 2018 #YesOn3 campaign with Freedom for All Massachusetts was instrumental as MA became the first state in the nation to uphold transgender equality at the ballot box. They are currently working with Shades Worcester on bringing together more QTPOC community leaders to broaden capacity.”

Asked about the recognition, Frazier said, “It was cool,” but added, “I’m not comfortable yet with people singling me out,” they said. “I’m always saying, teamwork, teamwork, teamwork.”

Frazier said they were already a fan of Markey for his support of trans rights and marijuana legalization, and said they were particularly happy that Shades Worcester, of which they are a member, was name-checked.

“I’m really proud of the work they’ve been doing,” said Frazier. Shades Worcester, according to the nascent organization’s Facebook page, “is dedicated to enriching the lives of LGBTQ+ people of color in Worcester and throughout Central Massachusetts. Our aim is to reflect, amplify, and center QTPOC voices in organizing and facilitating community spaces.”

Shades Worcester will be hosting an online “QTPOC happy hour,” and a session of “Know Your Rights” training later in the month. For information, visit the organization’s Facebook page. Frazier will also be involved in a call-in day of action in support of the PEACE Act on July 9. For more information, visit the event on Facebook.

and heartwarming to see a person smile with only their eyes and knowing they mean it.

My overall eye contact observations have led me to believe that the vast majority of people are in a state of contentment and well-being in spite of the present circumstances. I also found that another’s voice and intonation may say one thing but the eyes never lie.

Some of the other good things I have found while wearing a mask: I don’t need to shave as often because the mask hides the beard, I don’t have to go to the store because I can’t find my mask, I don’t need to go out socially because I can’t find a mask

to match my ensemble, I have to go home because my mask is getting old/worn out/dirty.

The benefit list is only limited by your imagination, just like the mask style/design.

In closing please consider a few concepts: the ingenuity/design of a mask speaks volumes about the wearer, talk a little louder/clearer, be a better listener, and when communicating always look the other person in the eye for a full perspective of who they are.

Stay safe and healthy.

James J. Foyle lives in North Brookfield.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY Letters to the editor are a great way to share your thoughts and opinions with thousands of readers and online viewers each week. A full name and town or city of residence are required. Please include an email address or phone number for verification purposes only. Send them to Worcester Magazine, 100 Front St., 5th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 or by email to WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com.

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PAINT THE TOWN?: It’s hard to say what it is about times of national crisis to lead us to knockdown, drag-out arguments about public art, but … well, it’s not the worst side effect. On the one hand, you have the debates over statues of Christopher Columbus and Confederate generals, which we’ve gotten a taste of locally. There’s not a whole lot left to say, but Worcester poet Tony Brown had a great reply on Facebook to the argument that removing these statues was “erasing history.” “The Confederate statues ARE the erasure,” he wrote. “Columbus statues ARE the erasure.” The first put a gloss over the legacy of slavery, the latter over the legacy of colonialism and genocide that Columbus delivered.

The other side of public art in political moments like this one can be seen in the street murals of variations of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” that have appeared across the country, starting in Washington, D.C., on Pennsylvania Avenue, then in other cities. They’ve been powerful statements and have become a conversation of sort between artists and activists across the country, but many have wondered why nothing in that vein has emerged in Worcester. It’s also been pointed out that the city doesn’t have a mural celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride.

“It’s telling that a city that ‘revels so much in its murals’ doesn’t have a pride or BLM mural,” said Worcester drag performer Just JP, who believes that it’s something that’s been lost in the city among other recent concerns, such as arguments about the police’s funding. Local activist and writer Deb Powers, in the same Facebook discussion, added, “There’s a whole background conversation to be had about the subject of murals and who gets to paint them and who gets left out.”

Fair point. If artists from some communities feel excluded, that obviously needs to be addressed. Moreover, public art has issues that other forms don’t, such as the need for permits. Of course, many politically engaged artists in other communities haven’t waited for permission, but some of the most visible BLM street murals have been done in cooperation with city governments.

Could that happen here? Che Anderson, the city’s deputy of cultural development, said the Pride mural would just have to go through “the usual sign ordinance process in order to procure a wall,” which the Office of Cultural Development could assist with. As to the BLM mural, “A street mural has actually never been done in the city, so I believe a conversation with the city would be held and a maintenance plan would be developed.”

That doesn’t mean the door is closed, though. There are roads for that sort of thing, even without running afoul the law. It looks like really the only thing that needs to happen is for someone to step up and lead the conversation, both locally and with fellow artists and activists around the country.

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COVER STORY A dancer from Jo Ann Warren’s studio performs in downtown Worcester before the pandemic.

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Taking a leap Pandemic forces dance classes to adapt

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in some yoga and stretch classes, games and a choreography contest. n mid-March, when COVID-19 Teachers pre-recorded videos of became a harsh reality, dance recital choreography so students could practice on their own time. studios everywhere were At The Hanover Conservatory quickly shuttered — at the worst time possible. Competitions for the Performing Arts, the first inkling came when staff heard from were canceled one by one, performance dances were left unfinished people who were uncomfortable coming to class due to COVID-19 and studios’ annual recitals were concerns. “It gave us an indication left hanging in the air. this was going to be a big impact,” As news about COVID-19 said Hanover director of education heightened, dance studio owners Meghan Montaner. across the state had to change That week, conservatory staff everything they knew about teachcalled students’ families and ing. Studios and conservatories distributed a survey to see if they in Worcester were no exception would be able to access classes — each finding their own best online. It took one week to set up methods to keep their businesses everything on Zoom and thoralive and staying connected with oughly train the teachers before students.

At first, many studios temporar- launching 100 classes online for all of the conservatory programs. ily canceled classes to assess the “We strongly felt we had to situation and plan. But then, the get back in the virtual studio. We governor ordered all nonessential didn’t want to lose that learning,” businesses closed from March 24 until April 7 — a timeline that was Montaner said, giving credit to the teachers who were fully on board extended again and again, to the with the plan. “I was so appreciadismay of studio owners, staff and tive of the job they did to continue students. to take care of our students.”

“I’ve been in business 40 years, Pamela Moscatelli, owner/direcand this is probably the most concerning time,” said Jo Ann War- tor of PZ Dance Academy, said her dancers were scheduled to comren, owner/director of the Jo Ann pete Saturday, March 14, but when Warren Studio. event directors canceled Friday, Warren and her staff — includshe went straight to work on her ing daughter and artistic director studio’s backup plan. That Monday, Cybill Reese and assistant artistic director Brianne Marshall — closed she began a full schedule of Zoom the studio for two weeks originally classes for her students, with no before starting Zoom sessions. “We down time. Even so, she said, “We are dealing with a crisis that we didn’t know we had our last class don’t know how to deal with.” in March,” Warren said, adding Other studios — Charlotte Klein that she never could have imagDance Centers, New England ined this scenario — “not in my Dance Academy and the dance wildest dreams. Not in my wildest team from Burncoat High School nightmares.”

— were also supposed to attend Melissa Singley, owner/direccompetitions that weekend. All tor of Greendale Dance Academy, were canceled. agreed, saying, “I think we knew For the Burncoat Dance Departsomething was coming and we had ment, director Kellie Shea said that to plan for it, but we didn’t know once schools were closed, she had where to start or how to begin.”

Singley and her staff transferred to offer a pen-and-paper assignment, pre-recorded “on-demand” classes to Zoom after five days of lessons and Zoom sessions — beplanning. “The initial shock was cause not all students had computhard,” she recalled. “But within a ers at home. After Chromebooks week, we were back up and runwere distributed, she transitioned ning.”

Allie McLaughlin, director of The into a schedule of live classes. “A lot of kids preferred that because of Dance Place Studio, echoed those sentiments. “People started cancel- the interaction,” she recalled.

Shea also owns Central Mass ing, and I didn’t know how long to Academy, which she initially closed close for,” she said. “It was a thing for a week. Her curriculum was none of us had ever experienced already pre-recorded, so students before.” were able to access that. When McLaughlin opted for a drop-in she added Zoom, she scheduled schedule on Zoom, while mixing

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Students perform in The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts’ Zoom dance class.

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classes by age groups that allowed dancers to take any of the offerings in that range, rather than just their regular lessons.

Over at Charlotte Klein Dance Centers, owner/director Rachel Rubin also started the first week off with loading video classes onto Google Classroom. Although she said it took away from interaction with the students, it gave her time to put together a long-term plan of a full Zoom schedule.

“The kids appreciated it. I think the parents appreciated the stability in the schedule,” Rubin said.

Similarly, Chickee’s Dance World closed that first week, but then, recalled artistic director Ariana Sacco, “our hope and expectations started to get lower and lower. So, we decided we had to take it one week at a time.”

Sacco, her mom, Chickee — who is owner of the studio — and the staff began pre-recording and post-

ing videos on Vimeo. In late April, they began having live classes with a modified schedule, and then in May, switched to full Zoom. All the live classes — more than 250 — were stored in a virtual classroom.

Not all the studios, however, converted to full-out virtual learning. Nikki Baris, owner/director of New England Dance Center, did online meet-ups with her team dancers. When Phase 2 started, she began having outdoor meet-ups

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with those team dancers, 10 at a time, at various locations.

“They kick, they leap, they jump, they’re nowhere near each other,” she said.

It was then, she said, “you saw a difference, you saw a happiness” in the students. “These outdoor classes have been the best thing.

We were enclosed in houses and not seeing anyone and in fear of breathing the air outside of our door at one point, and this is so nice. This is something we should do anyway.”

Giguere Dance, which canceled classes starting March 16 for what was supposed to be two weeks, also used Zoom for online meetups and Facebook Messenger with team dancers. “They were really missing a connection,” said Sarah Nugent, director.

For all the studios, teaching virtually did provide that much-needed connection between teachers and students, but was challenging as well.

“Zoom is not the same,” Warren said. “The studio is a home away from home.”

Studio directors cited space limitations for dancers; lower at-

Proud parents line up to photograph their daughters during PZ Dance Academy’s dance recital, held June 21 in the dance academy’s Grove Street parking lot.

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tendance rates, including students who dropped classes altogether; internet connections and, by the end, frustration with Zoom. “Once June hit, I felt this shift,” Sacco said.

“Everyone had technology fatigue.

Everyone felt done.”

Another big hurdle was safety issues, with students dancing on non-studio surfaces, such as base-

ments, carpets and in kitchens.

Jennifer Agby, Hanover’s director of dance, said leaps and turns were temporarily removed from the curriculum to keep students and spaces safe. “I’m really proud of us that we took that approach. It’s so easy to get injured,” she said.

Shea made sure that everything taught on Zoom could be danced

in a 6x6-foot setting, but, she said, “some of the kids didn’t even have that space.”

Singley described the virtual process as a “lot of highs and lows.”

She said she would often tell her students, “Embrace it for the now, because you’re living through history.”

Beyond those complications were the losses — some concrete and some more emotional. “Every day you wake up, and it’s a different story,” Baris said. “It’s the worst. It’s the worst for the arts. It’s heartbreaking. This will definitely be something they’re going to remember.”

Many of the students lost out on competitions that were canceled.

Some studios attended one competition before the shutdown; others weren’t as lucky. Twenty-eight students from New England Dance Center were supposed to perform at Disney World in April; the trip was rescheduled to August and then canceled by event directors.

Giguere Dance also had a June trip planned to Pennsylvania for its first national competition.

“The families are really disappointed,” Nugent said. “There was a lot of buildup. We’d been talking about it for two years. There was a lot of fundraising.”

Many studios also had numerous seniors this year, and for those students, the end of their high school dance career was not what they expected. At Burncoat, Shea had 13 seniors, and she said it was heartbreaking when she told them the spring performance — a dance version of the Broadway musical “Wicked” — was canceled.

“This was a tight-knit group, too.

You wait six years to be the lead in that show, and it’s gone,” Shea said.

Also extremely difficult for studio owners was the uncertainty of things to come, as well as revamping recital plans. With large gatherings prohibited, venues closed and social distancing measures in place, owners and staff had to find creative ways of presenting their annual performances.

“I always say, if I can plan for it, I can handle it. And we couldn’t plan,” Sacco said. “All of a sudden, everything was ripped away. I didn’t start to breathe again until we decided to do a virtual recital. It was a big sigh of relief.”

Chickee’s dancers were sent a virtual recital guide and videos of the teachers dancing the routines. Over two weeks, students could dress in their costumes and perform their recital dances at home, using the videos to help them. Parents were asked to record the dances, and Sacco is working with a company that will package the videos together into one show, titled “Choose Joy.” “I wanted the kids to have an opportunity to wear their costumes.

I wanted the kids to feel special,” Sacco said. Plus, she added, “it’s my mom’s legacy. She’s been around for 36 years. We wanted to do it justice.”

Rubin, whose shows were scheduled for June 6 and 7 at The Hanover, also chose to do a virtual recital. The week of June 1, the students performed their dances on Zoom, and a professional videographer will package it together.

“Each class will have a collage.

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I think it’s going to be pretty cool.

We tried to keep it as positive as possible,” Rubin said. “It was so great to see the kids in costume and smiling and parents sending pictures.”

Greendale Dance Academy also opted for Zoom for this year’s recital, “Dancing in the Great Outdoors,” Singley said. The final Zoom classes were recorded, put together in six videos, with teachers introducing the routines, and

to Disney gave a small performance on June 20 — the original recital date — outside the home of an instructor’s family. On July 11, the team members will perform at that same location. Baris said she hopes to have the recital, with all dancers including the recreational students, in November.

The Hanover was able to begin rehearsals and complete choreography on Zoom for two 45-minute ballets, “Peter and the Wolf ” and

Students perform in Chickee’s virtual recital.

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“Hansel and Gretel.” One advantage was that Zoom allowed them a chance to work in depth on character development, Agby said. The ballets will be performed at a later date, as the summer curriculum is exclusively online, and they want to have in-person rehearsals when The Hanover reopens in the fall.

The conservatory also has a student spring choreography recital that this year was held virtually.

Students submitted videos, and it was put together and released online.

The Dance Place Studio postponed the recital until late summer, when it will be held outdoors at Indian Ranch in Webster. Shea said she will make a final decision in mid-July as to the new date for the Central Mass Dance recital.

Warren was set to have her 40th anniversary recital, and two shows had already been sold out. When the venue canceled performances, she refunded everyone’s admission tickets.

“We promised our students,

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shown online. The studio also had a drive-up awards presentation in the parking lot on June 12 and 13, which was supposed to be recital weekend.

PZ Dance decided to have an outdoor parking lot recital on its original show date, June 21. “It was not an option to not have a recital,” Moscatelli said. “I was not willing to end the year and hand out costumes and start new in September.”

None of her classes had more than nine students, and she had the proper square footage required, so once dance studios were classified as Phase 2, she opened her studio for two weeks to prepare.

“I rented a stage. I rented a tent. I set it up in my parking lot,” Moscatelli said. “We pulled off a full recital with two groups at a time. The children were so excited to put on a costume and get on stage. It gave us closure to a very strange season.”

At New England Dance, the students who were supposed to travel

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teachers and myself that we will have a recital. How, when, where, what kind will be announced,” Warren said. “I will get through this; the studio will get through this. We’ll get to the other side stronger, better and more energized. Sometimes you have to go with the flow and keep reinventing.”

Giguere Dance hopes to have a fall show. With the Phase 2 opening, the studio has started classes again for the dance team at the main location in Leicester. Because that building is the home of the

Warren is taking all of July off and will then reassess. “I am taking it as slowly as cautiously as possible,” she said. As other studios did, she pointed out the need to adhere to all local and state guidelines.

“The safety of our children is the most important thing to us at this time, and our families,” she added.

But for all the setbacks and struggles this season, studio directors were quick to point out the highlights, as well.

“Being able to connect the students with teachers — who they know and love and trust —

Students from the New England Dance Studio perform.

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gymnastics center, it is larger than the Worcester dance studio and gives them more space to move around.

“It has been good to have the kids back and see them and see their friends — and not on Zoom,” Nugent said.

Even though dance studios have been permitted to reopen starting June 8, following strict guidelines, deciding exactly when to return has been another huge decision for studio owners.

PZ Dance normally takes a short break after recital, but some dancers are already back. “Because they haven’t been in the studio, they want to dance,” Moscatelli said. “They still have to stay in their 6-foot box, but at least they can be in the presence and in the movement.”

has been a big reason to keep this going during this time,” Montaner said of online classes.

For many, it also allowed teachers to offer lessons outside of technique — segments on dance history or a trailblazer artist, for example — or to have a themefocused class. At the Hanover, the students took an online master class from Boston Ballet and then another from the Rock School in Philadelphia.

Said Singley, “Dancers are creative by nature, but it taught us to think outside the box more so than usual.”

Sacco agreed, adding that even though this time has been a whirlwind, “I hope, as a community, we can look back at this and say, ‘Wow, we did this.’”

CITY LIFE If you are an artist, or know of a local artist, email WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com. Fair warning, in order to publish your work, you’ll need to provide a small bio and high resolution digital copies of some of your art. We reserve the right to choose what will run, based on resolution and what will reproduce best on newsprint.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

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County. After selling antiques for over 14 years, she fell head over heels for vintage. It’s all about style, color, and whimsy! Just about this time she was missing creating, building and art. Always thinking outside the box Nikki started putting vintage and found objects together, hence ... Nikki’s Rabbit Hole Co was born. Nikki always enjoys listening to people

explain their own memories of the pieces that she incorporates into her art. People say “Hey my grandmother had that!,” “That was in my mom’s kitchen!,” “Oh I remember that tool!,” “Hey is that a carburetor?” It’s art that makes you think and smile! You can find her creations at: www.nikkisrabbitholeco.com/; www.instagram.com/nikkis_rabbit_hole/; www.facebook. com/NikkisRabbitHoleCo/; www.pinterest.com/NikkisRabbitHoleCo

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Nicole Bourgeois Williams is an assemblage artist living in Worcester

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CITY LIFE

LIFESTYLE

I dismissed the Defund WPD organization; here’s where I went wrong SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

My initial impression was that they came to the conversation unprepared esterday, some guy stopped and unwilling to put in the work. me in the parking lot and said, One of my friends had a different “Aren’t you the girl who writes take. She told me she could practicalall those dirty articles for the ly hear my interviewee’s eyes rolling. newspaper?” I laughed and threw She felt my assertion that “positive him a thumbs up. policing exists” had undermined the “That’s me,” I told him. centuries of oppression experienced I’m not sure who reads this colby black people. She was correct — I umn. That’s important to acknowlwas so locked in on my own relationedge up top, because what I’m about ships that it never even crossed my to say is something a lot of people mind to shut up about incremental in this city don’t need to hear. Black reform and listen to what our guests organizers shining a light on the were saying. The intent of my quesremnants of slavery, Jim Crow and tioning was to learn, but the impact segregation shouldn’t be subjected to was counterproductive. my grappling with the ways I center I think of myself as very liberal. I whiteness. But, maybe that guy who had no trouble putting my supreads my “dirty articles” every week port behind the Black Lives Matter could use a frank reminder. movement and demanding justice I spoke with two representatives for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. from the Defund WPD organization I chanted, “No justice, no peace, on a recent episode of the “Pop It” no racist police,” and somehow I podcast. The interview is pretty painful thought that precluded me from conto listen to because I basically dismiss demning individual officers whom and then badger our guests with ques- I had deemed well-intentioned. I tions about “good cops” until they com- had missed one very fundamental pletely disengage from the exchange.

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tenet of BLM’s rallying cry. To say “Black lives matter” is to demand the reallocation of funds for members of a systematically racist institution who I may view in my whiteness as guardians, but many marginalized communities view as threatening.

Yesterday, my horoscope read, “Instead of manufacturing drama, get your hands dirty.” It reminded me of spoken word artist Sonya Renee Taylor, who encourages her followers to, “Divest from whiteness by getting out of ‘either-or’ thinking.” She applauds messiness. When Taylor discusses whiteness, she is referring to the incorrect assumption that everything has to be in relation to white people — including black joy.

This is a delusion. “The white imagination can only understand us as supernatural or in deep struggle,” she tells her Instagram viewers. Taylor likens the centering of whiteness to a cloud obstructing the sun. And, you know what? I don’t want to be a big fat feminist cloud anymore.

Rachel Elizabeth Cargle has been

To say “Black lives matter” is to demand solutions for the systemic issues that persist in law enforcement.

SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

a tremendous resource for me during this period of self-doubt and fragility.

Her 2018 article for Harper’s Bazaar, “When Feminism Is White Supremacy in Heels,” called out my lifelong tendency to tackle racism by trying to “love and light it away.” I have been so incredibly focused on my own emotions in racist situations that I can’t see anyone but myself as the main character. This is an embarrassing and uncomfortable realization, but I’ll bet it’s not that uncommon.

I hope someday in the not too

distant future, I can look back at this piece with jaw-dropping mortification and say, “I can’t believe how much the world has changed.”

It is not in my nature to embrace radicals or extremes. Nevertheless, I am beginning to understand that the cry to “defund” is not a path to lawlessness, but rather a demand for specialized response teams and social workers. It is an investment in education and healthcare. It is the de-centering of whiteness to clear clouds from the sky.

LISTEN UP

Prateek hits with wistful ‘Band’s All Gone’

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n the intro to the song “(You’re No One) ‘Til Someone Breaks Your Heart” — deep into the live debut album, “The Band’s All Gone” — Boston-area singer-songwriter Prateek says it’s “the closest thing I’ve ever written to a country song.” And make no mistake, it is a country song, a twangy, Hank Williams-style song best suited to crying in your whiskey. It’s an example of classic country styling, certainly, but it’s still in an odd sentiment, because what Prateek has put forward here is basically a country album. Moreover, it’s very good country album.

Sure, here in the Northeast it would probably get tagged as “folk,” or maybe “blues,” but without getting into the porous barriers between those genres, “The Band’s All Gone” has all the hallmarks of a country album, most notably its ability to capture slow-burn heartache and a sense of being left behind as time

marches forward. There’s a stoic everyman quality to Prateek’s personas, a sort of earthiness that makes each song instantly relatable.

Really, it’s the songwriting that takes center stage here. “‘Cause stars ain’t diamonds, rain ain’t tears,” he sings in the opening number, “Diamonds,” “And love don’t last a thousand years/We build our walls, we lock our gates/But we’ll all be in the dirt someday.” Turning romantic language in on itself in a sort of

reverse metaphor, transforming love into death, makes for an arresting, multilayered verse.

By another turn, Prateek takes an earthier approach to his song of small-town decline and self-destruction, “The Gang’s All Gone,” where he sings “So find a bar, find a girl, drink your beer, rule the world/Stay up late, drive home high.” It’s a song where Prateek manages a modicum of empathy for a somewhat unsympathetic subject. That causes a spark of connection in the next song, “Hard to Say,” in which he makes an observation that’s both cynical and humanizing: “No one gets what they deserve.”

That really is the idea at the crux of the album, this feeling of being lost amid the flotsam and jetsam of bad breaks and worse decisions. Everyone in Prateek’s songs remains indelibly human, flawed and, ultimately, real. Including Prateek himself.

It’s a strange decision for an upand-coming artist to have their first

full-length album be recorded live in front of an audience, but it suits the body of songs well, and when things happen, such as when Prateek messes up the lyrics on “When You Were Loved,” the rough edges just make the album more endearing. It does get a bit talky, though.

A good 15 minutes or so of crowd banter throughout could probably go and make for a more streamlined listener experience. Still, there’s a good energy to the audience interaction, which puts the heavy growl of the vocals and slow, delicate guitar picking of songs such as “Emma” into stark relief.

There are also a couple of crowdpleasing cover songs on the album: Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” and George Michael’s “Careless Whisper.”

Both demonstrate the distinctiveness of Prateek’s vocals and guitar arrangements, the first bringing a scratch twang to the song, making it more of a honky-tonk number, and the latter finding a soulfulness

where he transposes the vocals into a lower register and replaces the infamous saxophone with beautiful guitarwork.

The album ends on a bittersweet note with “Springtime,” a song about seasonal depression, where he sings, “when the world starts getting colder, I’ll feel a decade older you know I will/So give me blue skies in a bottle and give me sunshine in a pill.” It’s one of those lyrics that doesn’t tell the listener how to feel, but rather has sorrow and happiness entwined. The encore number, “I’m Glad We’ve Grown Apart,” does much the same.

“And somewhere between two empty glasses,” he sings, “And you asking the next city I’m bound/I remember a glimmer, a flicker, a ghost of a spark/That burned up too brightly/The last time around.”

It’s a sad, beautiful and honest sentiment, one that’s wistful, roughhewn and human, and maybe a little bit country, in the best way possible.

CITY LIFE

TABLE HOPPIN’

Veggies on the menu at Nourse Farm’s Veg Out food trailer BARBARA M. HOULE

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“Culinary creator” Chef Mike Banks with “Head Veg” Catherine Nourse at Nourse Farm’s new Veg Out food truck in Westboto.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

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we have things like peas, cukes, squash and an assortment of berries to use. We’ll go from summer into the fall with an amazing crop of fresh, healthy food.”

Veg Out @ Nourse Farm offers smoothies, soups, sandwiches, salads, snack and sweets. The trailer is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, weather permitting, for “grab-n-go or strolln-sip” until fall. On-site orders, only; cash and credit accepted.

A recent menu: Smoothies: EncourageMint and Berry Good; Soups: Sweet Pea (vegan) and Nourse Farm “9” (vegan/nine vegetables); Sandwiches: The Up-Beet burger; The How Ya’ Bean burger; Hugo’s Hummus Wrap; Jam’s Buddy. The farm to plate experience also includes Farm Salad, Polenta Fries and Sugar Snap Pea Dippers.

Prices range from $6 for a 12-ounce smoothie to $9 for the Up-Beet Burger.

Nourse and Banks review food items with staff before the trailer opens. Nourse, “the head veg,” said the group brainstorms names for new menu items.

Hugo’s Hummus Wrap, for example, is named after the farm’s newest bull, Hugo, born in April. Hugo was grazing in his “bachelor pad” ( field behind the farmhouse) when we

owners David and Hazel Nourse.

David Nourse’s brother Jonathan Nourse manages the farm.

Nourse Farm is located at 70 Nourse St., Westboro ; Nourse Farm Store and the Veg Out food trailer, 80 Jasper St., Westboro. The farm store is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday: Telephone: (508) 366-2644. Visit www.noursefarm.com for more info about the property, hiking trail, the community-supported agriculture program and more.

Note: Nourse Farm’s pick-yourown blueberries began this week.

Enjoy Veg Out’s farm to plate experience!

Catherine Nourse and Michael Banks offer a recipe for Up Beet Burger, a Veg Out favorite served with a side of polenta fries.

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he family-owned Nourse Farm in Westboro is one of the local go-to places for fresh produce and pick-yourown fruit, in addition to a farm store fully stocked with fresh produce and made-from-scratch food items.

Parked next to the farm store is a brand spanking new Veg Out food trailer!

“A food trailer that serves up a plant-forward menu with a side of nutrition education and a smile,” says founder Catherine Nourse, registered dietitian/nutritionist and educator.

Self-described as “someone who loves food — eating it, making it, studying it, connecting with it,” Nourse likes to explore ways that combine (stir, mix, blend, marinate) all her food loves, and finally found it, she said. “Veg Out @ Nourse Farm is truly a vehicle (pun intended) that combines all her food loves and affords her more opportunities to connect folks with foods that nourish them in fun and yummy way.”

The food trailer is a perfect fit with the business, especially when now, more than ever, people enjoy getting out to farms and being outside, said Nourse. People should know where their food comes from, she said.

The Veg Out menu incorporates the farm’s in-season produce and fruit at their peak flavor. Nourse and executive chef Michael Banks, a chef/instructor at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School (Monty Tech) in Fitchburg, develop and test recipes.

Banks, who will work at the farm until school reopens, said the trailer’s kitchen has “top of the line everything” a chef really needs.

FYI: Banks has been at Monty Tech for more than 20 years and is among the chef/instructors in the school’s culinary arts program that help plan the menu for the annual Superintendent’s Dinner, a sold-out fundraiser for the school.

“We’re happy to be here on the farm showcasing our menu right through the growing season,” said Nourse. “There’s so much coming in from the gardens, and this month

were at the farm last week.

Daily meetings are upbeat and Nourse said she always tells a joke at the end. “I may have told the same joke once or twice,” she said, giving the staff a wink.

No surprise that Banks is the trailer’s culinary creator.” Wait staff, Sophie Protanto and Juliette Coatsworth, are “plant promoters;” Luke Capello, “The Closer; “Amanda Portis, “Marketing Marinade.” The staff is friendly and knowledgeable.

Customers enjoy food and social distance at tables (with umbrellas) near the trailer. There’s food talk on a video screen, and a children’s “book nook.” The farm recently built and installed a bike rack nearby and the trailer and has offered a special 10% discount on a food purchase if you’ve “biked” over to the farm.

Catherine Nourse is married to Timothy Nourse, son of farm

CITY LIFE

FILM

Remembering Carl Reiner, crazy comedic mentor to Steve Martin JIM KEOGH

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hen I was a kid, staying home sick from St. Matthew’s Elementary meant not only did I avoid a day spent under the withering gaze of the Sisters of Mercy, but I could indulge my love for old television shows.

These reruns typically were broadcast in the morning before the airwaves were hijacked in the afternoon by soap operas. (The only saving grace to the afternoon was the racy brilliance of “The Match Game” and its roster of Cheese List celebrities.)

Morning viewing was all about “Gomer Pyle: USMC,” “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Gilligan’s Island,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” and my all-time favorite, “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”

I enjoyed how Van Dyke and gang brought me into the world of clever, funny adults — not buffoons — and how much the actor reminded me of my father. They had the same wiry

Carl Reiner died of natural causes on June 29.

He was 98.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

build, same hair, and my dad liked to sing and dance just as much as Van Dyke still does at 94.

It was only as an adult myself that I came to appreciate the creative motor behind “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” Carl Reiner, who played Van

Dyke’s vainglorious boss. Indeed, Reiner, who died last week at 98, based the show on his own life and career as a comedy writer for Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows” and then made a series of relentlessly silly film comedies. He also helped turn Steve Martin into a movie star.

I’ve been a fan of Martin’s since the days when he sold out out arenas doing standup with an arrow through his head — I saw him kill at the then Providence Civic Center — and I still have great affection for the four Martin-Reiner film collaborations that helped turn Martin into a star.

Both men seemed to reach a point in every movie where they said, “Screw it, let’s just see if the audience will buy this,” and then followed with something outlandish and inspired. Some examples of my favorite moments: “The Jerk” (1979) — The aggressively idiotic Navin (Martin) is working at a gas station when a sniper played by M. Emmet Walsh fires at

him with a high-powered rifle. The bullets puncture a display of quarts of oil. As oil spills from the holes, Navin concludes the assassin is purposely firing at the cans because, you know, he really hates cans. At one point, Navin scrambles to hide behind a soda machine. When it’s riddled with gunfire, he lurches away from the machine, marveling at the consistency of the gunman’s intentions: “There’s cans in there, too!”

“Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” (1982) — In this spoof of the great noir films, Martin’s detective, Rigby Reardon, pays a visit to Swede Anderson (Burt Lancaster), who’s hiding out in a dingy apartment (Lancaster’s footage is cut in from the 1946 classic “The Killers”). Swede is looking bad, so Rigby whips him up some of his famous java, which entails emptying a seemingly bottomless bag of coffee into a pot — a high-caffeinated, go-for-broke bit whose excess makes it work.

“The Man With Two Brains” (1983) — Widower Michael Hfuhruhurr (Martin) is hopelessly smitten with seductive gold digger Dolores Benedict (Kathleen Turner).

He stands before a portrait of his late wife and asks that she give him a sign if she objects to his pursuit of a romantic relationship with Dolores.

The portrait begins spinning, the wall cracks, papers fly through the air, and a ghostly voice wails, “No! Nooooo!”

Michael waits a beat. “Just any kind of sign. I’ll be on the lookout for it.”

“All of Me” (1984) — This is rare film whose closing credits are worth sticking around for. Lily Tomlin plays a dying millionaire whose soul is accidentally transferred into the body of her lawyer, played by Martin. They engage in an ongoing and hilarious interior dialogue through the movie, but only share the screen when the credits roll as they playfully dance to Frank Sinatra’s version of “All of Me.” It’s worth the wait.

NEW ON DVD

‘Trolls World Tour’ fun, but misses a few beats

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KATIE FORAN - MCHALE TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

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rolls World Tour”: Its theatrical release an early victim of the coronavirus pandemic, Universal offered “Trolls World Tour” as a digital rental in April, which the studio said broke records as its biggest debut for an original digital release. The colorful animated family flick reunites the main characters from the 2016’s “Trolls,” as Queen Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) once again set off to save the kingdom.

This time the threat comes from the Queen of the Hard Rock Trolls (Rachel Bloom), who aims to take over all the Troll kingdoms, each of which represent a different musical genre: Pop, Funk, Classical, Techno, Country and Rock. As Poppy and the gang witness the ravaged Symphonyville and later become imprisoned in Lonesome Flats (turns out a bunch of sad country-singing trolls

aren’t wooed by the “rad medley” Poppy et al sing to cheer them up), Cooper (Ron Funches) embarks on a quest to find trolls that look like him, and is found to be royalty in the Funk kingdom (unsurprisingly the most fun, out-of-this-world Troll kingdom).

Eventually the threat becomes an existential one. What happens when one tribe wants total domination, destroying all other types of music?

Is it better to have separate tribes in separate kingdoms, or does the Troll universe achieve harmony in coexistence?

It’s a nice, especially timely message for kids and parents, though a clunky one at times via the script, written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky and Elizabeth Tippet.

We encounter subgenres like K-pop, reggaeton, smooth jazz and yodeling via rogue characters, not quite knowing where they fit in (one character points out that Poppy’s kingdom map, which contains disco, is “outdated”).

The Queen of the Hard Rock Trolls

eventually reckons with the fact that forcing the homogeneity of hard rock on all the kingdoms makes it impossible to be unique. Branch’s seemingly unrequited love plotline takes a backseat to the tunes. But in the end, the music of the six strings makes the music of the spheres, and that’s something worth singing about.

ALSO NEW ON DVD JULY 7 “Belzebuth”: After losing a child to a hospital killing spree, a detective (Joaquin Cosio) teams up with an excommunicated priest (Tobin Bell) to investigate mysterious deaths of children on the U.S.-Mexico border.

In Spanish and English.

“Blood and Money”: A retired veteran (Tom Berenger) makes a startling discovery while hunting in rural Maine.

“Hope Gap”: A woman (Annette Bening) struggles to find her independence after her longtime husband (Bill Nighy) leaves her.

“The Lost Husband”: A widow (Leslie Bibb) moves her family to an estranged relative’s Texas farm.

“Murdoch Mysteries, Season 13”: The turn-of-the-20th-centuryset Canadian detective series based on novels by Maureen Jennings continues.

“Proximity”: A NASA scientist (Ryan Masson) becomes obsessed with proving that he was indeed abducted by aliens.

“Slay the Dragon”: Documentary examines gerrymandering in the U.S. “Sorry We Missed You”: A delivery driver (Kris Hitchen) and his family struggle to financially survive in the gig economy.

“Sweetness in the Belly”: After escaping from Ethiopia, an orphan (Dakota Fanning) works to reunite displaced immigrants with their families in England. In English, Amharic and Arabic.

“The Wild Goose Lake”: Neonoir thriller follows a criminal on the run. Ge Hu, Lun-Mei Kwei and Fan Liao star. In Mandarin.

OUT ON DIGITAL HD JULY 7 “Battlefield 2025”: An Arizona town faces horrors when a sinister

otherworldly presence lands. Jose Rosete, Anna Harr and Dustin Leighton star.

“Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo”: Documentary follows the life of the infamous actor.

“The Medicine”: This documentary examines the scientific properties and spiritual potential of the hallucinogenic ayahuasca.

“Mighty Oak”: A music manager (Janel Parrish) encounters a guitar prodigy (Tommy Ragen) and believes he’s the reincarnation of her deceased brother.

“Where Sleeping Dogs Lie”: A robbery goes wrong for two brothers and a friend in this dark dramedy.

OUT ON DIGITAL HD JULY 8 “Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly”: Documentary follows the artist’s transformation of Alcatraz while being detained by Chinese authorities.

OUT ON DIGITAL HD JULY 10 “Deany Bean Is Dead!”: In this comedy, a woman (Paulina Lule) attempts to win back her engaged ex while hiding her boss’ body.

CITY LIFE

THE NEXT DRAFT

New chefs at Greater Good imbue kitchen with flavor, culture MATTHEW TOTA

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Good wants to move away from the typical taproom service model of letting customers fend for themselves.

“We made a strategic decision at the end of last year to staff up the front a little more and give each customer a little more attention.”

But just as Greater Good planned to roll out the new kitchen and menu with Sal and Ana at the helm, the pandemic hit. The brewery offered takeout for a while, then decided to shut the kitchen down completely.

Wengender gave Sal the opportunity to stay at home while still collecting his salary during the shutdown, only he refused, saying he wanted to earn his pay.

“I helped can beers. I almost became a brewer,” he said. “Paul said

you can go home and relax, but I thought it wasn’t fair. I told him I’m here to help, whatever you need. I don’t want to let you down.”

With breweries open to the public again, Greater Good is slowly restarting its test kitchen. Sal and Ana have picked up where they left off, exploring new dishes and challenging our idea of brewery food.

“During those two or three months we were closed, I was thinking, ‘What do we have to do when we finally reopen?’ My first thought was, ‘I have to get rid of these sandwiches and do something more,’” Sal said. “I started to try new things. Some were good, some were not. Now I see this as a new start for everybody. I think our energy is better than before.”

½ cup red or yellow onion, minced 2 eggs 1½ cups cooked quinoa 2 cups breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons garlic, minced 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons pepper 2 teaspoons cumin 2 tablespoons olive oil

Shred beet using a food processor or hand held grater. Slice baby Bella mushrooms and weigh 8 ounces.

Mince the onion and the garlic. Cook quinoa, according to preparation instructions on the bag.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in pan. Saute mushrooms and onions together until soft, about six to seven

minutes. In a food processor, blend chickpeas until smooth. Add cooked onions, mushrooms, quinoa, garlic and all spice to food processor. Pulse together five times. Add eggs and breadcrumbs to all other ingredients and process on low speed of food processor for 30 seconds. Form mixture into 4-ounce patties. Heat

on greased flat top griddle or use sauté pan. Serve on whole grain bun, or desired roll. Suggested toppings: Mixed greens, tomato, onion, tzatziki dressing.

PHOTOS/MAT THEW TOTA

If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

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UP BEET BURGER (Makes 15 patties) 12 ounces shredded red beets 1 can (15 ounces) cooked, drained chickpeas 8 ounces sliced baby Bella mushrooms

time, Greater Good was struggling to define the food portion of its business; it had a limited menu and a kitchen without a fryer.

“We didn’t do a lot of publicity around the kitchen. It was small, kind of like a snack bar,” said founder Paul Wengender. “We weren’t taken seriously, and maybe that’s because we weren’t really investing in it and driving it.”

Greater Good went through two chefs before promoting Sal to lead the kitchen. He brought in Ana to help transform the menu, scrapping the premade, prepackaged dishes to build meals from scratch.

Along with investing more in the kitchen, Wengender told me Greater

Sal and Ana Garcia are transforming the kitchen at Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. with culture and home cooking.

Left, The short rib quesadillas are one of the newer menu items coming from Greater Good’s test kitchen.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

TA B L E H O P P I N’

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 17

my country did not translate here.”

She started making more Salvadoran dishes at home — pupusas, pasteles and tamales — and had the idea to start cooking for more than just her three children. Eventually, she opened Mami’s Kitchen (www. instagram.com/mamiskitchenworcester), a pop-up restaurant. Its popularity now is a testament to the love she puts into each of her dishes.

Sal Garcia landed at Greater Good in 2018, first only part time. At the

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hen the melty ball of fried goat cheese arrived, the chef came to my table to instruct me on how to best enjoy it.

Asdrubal “Sal” Garcia told me I must first cut a chunk of the gooey cheese sitting in honey and place it on a small slice of bread with a bit of thick, gelatinous quince paste. Once the crostini is assembled, I take a bite of it with a Peppadew pepper. That way, I taste the complexity behind the seemingly simple plate: the richness of the goat cheese melding with the sweetness of the honey and quince and subtle heat of the pepper.

I still had to try the crispy beef pastelitos — El Salvador’s version of an empanada — and the quesadilla with peppers and short rib that he’d brought me, but I’d already forgotten I was at a brewery in Worcester.

Garcia and his wife, Ana, are the new chefs at Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. And they have taken the tiny room that the brewery used to store a couple of panini presses and turned it into a kitchen. Sal brings the culinary chops honed over more than a decade of working in some of the busiest restaurants in Central Massachusetts, while Ana the home cooking that imbues food with flavor and culture you can feel.

Together, they are helping Greater Good move into the gray area between brewery and restaurant.

“I want to have fun with the food,” Sal Garcia said of his cooking philosophy. “I worked in fancy restaurants and a barbecue place, but never a brewery. It requires a totally different menu. I can’t put fancy dishes here.

You have beer here — heavy beer — so what do you need? Burgers.

Wings. But you can also include

some fun stuff along the way.”

Sal and Ana emigrated to Worcester from El Salvador in 2003. Six years later, he started working part time in the kitchen at Niche Hospitality’s Bocado Tapas Bar. He had no intention of becoming a chef; he just needed another way to make money between running to construction jobs.

“I had no interest in cooking,” he said. “I had to make a couple of bucks to survive.”

And yet he would find a passion for it by watching some of the best chefs in Worcester, like Niche’s Steve Champagne. He picked up part-time jobs in kitchens across the city, from Piccolo’s to BirchTree Bread Company, before finally landing at B.T.’s Smokehouse in Sturbridge, barbecuing with the likes of Brian Treitman and Billy Nemeroff. He learned something new from every chef he worked under.

“They all are different people with different skills, but I tried to take the best of them,” Garcia said.

Meanwhile, Ana Garcia traveled a different path to the kitchen. In El Salvador, cooking was the last thing she wanted to do for a living. When she moved to Worcester, she found it hard to do anything else, though.

“My family — my mom, my grandmother, my aunt, all of them — work in kitchens,” she said. “It’s funny because I thought I have to go to college to do something different than my family. But when I came here, to this country, it changed.

Because when you’re outside of this country you imagine everything will be totally different — it’s all fun and free. But when you come here, it’s totally different. What I studied in

CITY LIFE

ADOPTION OPTION Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes.

WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at (508) 853-0030.

Sheba

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EAST DOUGLAS PHOTO

Mimi and Sheba’s owner died, and the cats were removed from the apartment they lived in for years. You can imagine how upset they are. Mimi is a large, 12-year-old, gray cat. She likes being pet, and you can pick her up. When you release her, she’ll probably retreat to a hiding spot. Sheba is a small, 14-year-old tuxedo cat who does not want to be picked up. She’s a loner who will come to you for an occasional pet but prefers doing her own thing. Mimi and Sheba are comfortable with one another. You will earn their trust by giving them space and time to adjust to you.

They don’t want to live with other animals or children.

They want a quiet home with one or two people. They qualify for our Senior for Senior Program. They must be adopted together for a fee of $100 for both cats.

Mimi EAST DOUGLAS PHOTO

GAMES

J O N E S I N’

“Sugar Free” – let’s do away with that sugary suffix.

By Matt Jones

Across 1 4 7 13 15 16 17 19 20 21 23 24 26 27 29 32 33 34 38 Fun By The Numbers Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test!

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

41 42 45 48 49

66 67 68 69 70 71

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 18 22

43 44 45 46 47 50 52 54 55 58 59 61 64 65

Last week's solution

©2020 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #996

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23 25 28 30 31 35 36 37 39 40

Turntablists, familiarly Receipt One with a mission Geller who claims to be telepathic “The Metamorphosis” character Gregor Profundity Coffeehouse order Innocent fun Harvard and Princeton, e.g.

Came to a close Video game company with a famous cheat code Fasten securely, perhaps “Born,” in some announcements Ginseng or ginger, e.g.

Like video games for the 13-19 set Like almost all primes Sparse Dos times dos times dos Piece of cake Papal topic Devoted Day-___ Stunned Doc for head colds Vegetable part that can be

served in a salad (as opposed to a gumbo) Paved the way for Sit-up targets International agreement “Well said” State gambling games High-priority notation City, in Germany A as in “Aristotle” Lament Bon ___ (“Holocene” band) Prone to butting in 151, in Roman numerals Color meaning “stop” internationally Dinosaur in the “Toy Story” movies

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

60 62 63

Down

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51 53 56 57

Movie in a case, e.g. $, at a currency exchange Web traffic goal Sign up for “Insecure” star Issa Wear Boss of all mischievous sprites?

Singer Grande Jazz singer Laine How a typesetter turns a president into a resident?

“What’s this now?”

Nebraska’s largest city Cross-country hauler Reduce in rank “Miracle Workers” network Racket Fanged movie creature, for short Largest country bordering the Mediterranean Expensive version of an East Asian board game?

Narrowest possible election margin Neighbor of Tex. NHL division Numerical prefix The last world capital, alphabetically Dove sounds Roster listing YouTube interrupters Removing the word before “and behold”?

Voting rights org.

Certain book page size Good publicity for characters like Grimace, Amethyst, and Twilight Sparkle?

Late WWE wrestler Dusty Charlemagne’s domain, briefly “It must have been something ___” “___ Rides Again” (classic western) “Then what?”

Vulpine critter

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LAST CALL

Elaine McKenna-Yeaw executive director of Worcester Center for Crafts E

laine McKenna-Yeaw has had an eventful first year leading the Worcester Center for Crafts. Amid a global pandemic, WCC has continued to fulfill its mission of supporting and connecting the community through craft. You can browse the online gallery store from home at https://www.worcestercraftcenter. org/gallery-store.

Can you start by telling me about your career trajectory and what led you to the Worcester Center for Crafts?

I’ve been in nonprofit administration for about 30 years. I started a nonprofit visual and performing arts center in Rhode Island called Artists Exchange, which is still running. When my husband and I were considering moving to Massachusetts, I looked to see if there was something comparable because I loved my old job.

Sure enough, I saw the listing at Worcester Center for Crafts; I applied and the rest is history. That was about a year ago.

were able to make an additional 6,000 shields with that funding.

All together, we created 9,000. The face shields all went to Worcester’s first responders, health care workers, nurses and doctors. We heard back from many of the folks that they loved the high quality of our artists’ work. We were happy that, if we couldn’t do what we ordinarily do, we could still contribute to the community in some way.

What will the summer bring?

We had been looking forward to our summer schedule, including 6 full weeks of youth programming in theater, stop motion

animation, clay and metals. We had an amazing lineup of classes.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t launch that program in its entirety, but we were able to put together a few online classes for youth like paper puppet making, animation, and claymation. We’re hoping that next summer, people will remember we’re here and will explore our expanded youth programming.

Our Gallery Store has expanded its online offerings and we are back open now for in-store shopping on Fridays and Saturdays.

– Sarah Connell Sanders

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partnered with Technocopia, another makerspace in Worcester.

We were actually approached by founder Lauren Monroe.

First, she made a number of face masks. And then, someone asked about face shields. She came to us because our glass studios were sitting empty. We decided to transform them into a manufacturing place for face shields.

We gathered some volunteers I heard that you were creatand started working. Then, we ing face shields for Worcester realized there was an even greater County first responders. How did need. We applied for a grant from that come about? Who did you the Greater Worcester Commuwork with? nity Foundation and we received Worcester Center for Crafts $35,000 to create even more. We

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Have your courses also pivoted to online programming? As a STEM educator, I had a very hard time teaching my handson classes virtually.

It’s been challenging. I mean, we’ve asked our faculty to pivot and change curriculum to deliver something online that is usually an in-person experience. The teachers have also had to learn to be their own filming, lighting and audio crew. We’re not teaching the same amount of classes that we typically do, but we have been able to continue to offer a decent variety. Your readers can check out our class offerings at worcestercraftcenter.org.

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Sounds like it was meant to be.

I’d love to hear a brief history of the Center and then how you’ve had to evolve a little bit during this time.

The Worcester Center for Crafts is actually the oldest educational craft center in the nation. It began in 1856 as a place for immigrant women to learn craft so they could sell the craft in our store to support their families. Since that time, it has grown quite a bit. The center is such an important place in so many people’s lives — there are students who have been here for decades. In 2009, during that last economic recession, the center definitely ran into financial issues. The most amazing group of people stepped forward and decided, “WCC is a state treasure — even a national treasure, on many levels.” Due to the longevity and the importance of what the center contributes to the community, Worcester State University and Worcester State

DYLAN AZARI

Foundation stepped in and forged a strategic partnership with WCC. The center was literally saved from closing. We’ve maintained a strong relationship with WSU ever since. Worcester State Foundation covered our mortgage loan and allowed us to pay it back slowly.

Last June, we made our final payment after 10 years, we are happy to say. WCC houses most of WSU’s visual and performing arts studios and WSU provides WCC with resources and expertise in many areas. WSU has been an amazing partner. Currently, we still have a very large, state of the art ceramic studio with the capability for different firings and varied classes and workshops. We also have our metals and enameling studio, which is growing, and our glass studio, which is off site in an additional 8,000-square-foot facility with both a cold shop and hot shop. Finally, we have our gallery and our gallery store, which continues to represent craft artisans and sell one-of-a-kind handmade pieces from makers around the country. People can now also shop online.

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