LAVA Center launching ‘Black Families of Greenfield’ exhibit

GREENFIELD — The LAVA Center at 324 Main St. will present a new humanities gallery exhibit, “Black Families of Greenfield: A Brief Historical Snapshot,” starting with an opening reception on Friday, July 7, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The exhibit has been researched and designed by Carol Aleman of the Historical Society of Greenfield, and will serve as an introduction to some of the history of Black families in Greenfield as it points to contributions in such areas as music, sports, business and military service. The exhibit will build slowly throughout the month and will be on display until September.

Sara Gately leading classes on collage

GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Senior Center will host a collage art class with Sara Gately on Fridays, July 7, 14, 21 and 28, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Collage is a form of art that uses images from a variety of sources such as paper, photos and fabric. Materials are glued together on a flat surface to create an original art piece.

If you already have an idea about collage materials and a surface (such as a small box) you want to use, feel free to bring those to the workshop. If not, a variety of paper materials will be provided, as well as canvas panels of various sizes and watercolor paper.

Advance registration with a $30 payment is required. The classes are open to all seniors.

Local activists joining international Peace Wave

GREENFIELD — Local activists will participate in Peace Wave 2023, a worldwide series of activities, conferences and public meetings coordinated by peace organizations World BEYOND War and the International Peace Bureau, with a vigil on the Greenfield Common from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 8.

“For me, the Peace Wave is a worldwide continuous call to end all war, beginning with the war in Ukraine, and negotiate peace,” Pat Hynes, a board member with the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, said in a statement.

“On the Greenfield Common we will participate with the international community resisting war and calling for peace,” added Paki Wieland of Western Mass CODEPINK Women for Peace. “The women in Brussels and the people on the Greenfield Common will raise our voices in songs for a peaceful world.”

To find out more about the Peace Wave, visit 24hourpeacewave.org.

Thomas Ratté displaying art in July

GREENFIELD — Local artist Thomas Ratté will hold a reception for his exhibit at The LAVA Center, 324 Main St., on Saturday, July 8, from noon to 3 p.m. The exhibit will be on display throughout July.

Ratté did his undergraduate work at Greenfield Community College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He works with several mediums, including painting, pencil, watercolor and photography. Most of the pieces that are on display were created by blowing the ink from a ballpoint pen onto snack wrappers that Ratté would then wrinkle and press into the paper.

“For the most part, my visual art is more akin to the psychedelic experience than anything else. It’s escapist in a sense and yet immersive,” Ratté said in an artist’s statement. “Historically I have left them open so that they acted as more of a Rorschach inkblot test. These new pieces are fairly playful and were done in lockdown.”

Final in series of Death Cafés set for Monday

GREENFIELD — The Interfaith Council of Franklin County will host a Death Café on Monday, July 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Second Congregational Church, located at 16 Court Square.

According to a notice from Kate Mason, of the Interfaith Council of Franklin County, this will mark the last in a series of four Death Cafés. The previous events have attracted attendance of between 40 and 50 people.

Monday’s gathering will explore questions such as “What is your legacy?” and “Is it time to write your obituary?” However, any topic related to death can be discussed.

Newcomers and seasoned attendees are welcome. The program starts with a large welcome circle, followed by breaking into small groups of five to seven people for listening and sharing for an hour. The group reconvenes before the end of the evening.

For more information, email interfaithCFC@gmail.com.

Greenfield Military Band concert

GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Military Band will perform a concert at Energy Park on Tuesday, July 11, from 7 to 8 p.m.

The concert will include “Captain America March,” “Hands Across the Sea,” “Light Cavalry Overture,” “Blue Tango,” selections from “Grease,” “America” from “West Side Story,” “Military Escort,” “Let It Go,” “The Best of James Bond,” “African Marching Song,” “Colonel Bogey March” and “His Honor.”

Energy Park concerts by the Greenfield Military Band will be a regular occurrence on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in July. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. The July 11 concert will be canceled in the event of rain.

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