Thirteen Local Artists Exhibit at North Adams Regional Hospital

Community Artwork Project curator Debi Pendell presents a strong show

By: Michael Miller - Jul 20, 2007

Eric Buddington admires Kelly Lee's photograph of a banana blossom.

Debi Pendell leads a tour.

Participating artists Kelly Lee, Joanna Gabler, and Norman Thomas

Kelly Lee, Gillian Jones, and Brian Jewett examine pastels by Kent Mikalson

Eric Buddington, Debi Pendell, and Kelly Lee

Kaycee meditates and mother relaxes in the hospital meditation room, collages by Debi Pendell.

Joanna Gabler converses with Eclipse Mill artists Ric Harlow, Carl Oman, and Larry Alice.

Kathy Arabia, NBH VP of Guest Services with Debi, Lisa Nilsson, and Rich Remsberg.

Debi presents Berkshire landscapes by Sharon Carson.

Kaycee admires flower paintings by Joanna Gabler.

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New works by local artists are on view at North Adams Regional Hospital as part of the newest phase of the Community Artwork Project. The curator, collage artist and art educator Debi Pendell of the Eclipse Mill, North Adams, presided over the artists' reception Thursday evening. By the time I left, I estimated she had given three tours through the meandering corridors of the hospital, each as focused and good-humored as the last.

According to NARH, "The Community Artwork Project...was launched in the summer of 1999 and has been a consistent success every year since. The project brings works of art into the public corridors and waiting areas of the hospital to bring warmth and pleasure to the environment for patients and their families and friends, as well as for the staff. It is the hospital's desire to complement the healing process with artwork.

"NARH has just completed extensive renovations to patient care areas through the CARE Campaign. 'There are many beautiful spaces for exhibiting art," said Ms. Pendell. 'Approximately fifteen artists will be included. In addition to enhancing the hospital environment,this program can bring many members of our community together – perhaps outside the hospital as well as inside it.'"

Artists in the exhibit, which is on view from July 1, 2007 to January 31, 2008, includes Norman Thomas, Edward Cating, Gregory Scheckler, Sharon Carson, Joanna Gabler, Bill Guild, Gillian Jones, Debi Pendell, Michael Miller, Reza Pike, Kent Mikalsen, and Colleen Williams. It is open to the public with no restrictions, except for anomalous situations resulting from hospital operations. There is no need to make an appontment.

The exhibition is a  handsome one, thanks to Ms. Pendell's thoroughly professional curatorial work. No matter what the purpose of the ward or what the lighting conditions, each wall had power and interest. The works were not hung as decoration, but in such a way that they could speak for themselves, and the strong work in the show could support it. Often community arts projects in public spaces are uneven to say the least, but not this one. It is rather one more sign of what a vigorous arts center North Adams has become.