Gallery M Virtual Experience
Some images may have a slight glare. The gallery pieces on this website are digital images of the actual display. We encourage everyone who is interested to come to view the galleries in person to see them in their best form! Gallery M is located at 165 Chestnut Street in Brookline, MA. It is just off the main lobby and is part of a main thoroughfare through Goddard House—this makes it hard to miss. Each exhibition runs for about 6-10 weeks depending on artist schedules and resident interests.
September – October 2023
The Artists Studio – Celebrating Works by Florence Spool, Musia Watkin and Arlene Williamson
Florence Spool, Musia Watkin and Arlene Williamson are all artists living at Goddard House. While each has their own individual story and background in the arts, they enjoy creating in each other’s company. The artists can often be found working in the Country Kitchen on Saturday mornings.
This exhibit showcases the varied styles and approaches of each artist. The pieces that are featured include recent works created here at Goddard House, as well as past works from various times throughout the artists’ lives.
Florence Spool describes herself as being artistically inclined from a young age, and has created works of art throughout most of her life. Pastels and watercolors are her preferred mediums and she often finds inspiration from nature.
Musia Watkin began as a sculptor, but now primarily creates abstract paintings. She states “involving myself in a painting is the way I can express my love of forms, shapes and colors, and at the same time feel fulfilled by having expressed myself. …Losing myself in a painting that has just really emerged can be very satisfying.”
Arlene Williamson’s career as an acrylic artist began when she moved to Goddard House in 2015 and joined the Open Studio art group. “All in the Family” is how Arlene describes the works she has shared in this exhibition. A fitting phrase, as a couple pieces include work by her children. Reflecting on her paintings, Arlene shares “It is fun being an artist, you never know what’s going to happen when you put your brush to the canvas!”
July – August 2023
Mixed Media Works & Photography by Sarah Deckro
Sarah Deckro is a photographer, mixed media collage artist and poet with a passion for nature, mythology and the imaginal reals. Sarah’s photography has appeared at Boston City Hall as part of the Fay Chandler Emerging Art Exhibition. Her visual art has appeared in a number of publications including The Esthetic Apostle, Camas Magazine, Arkana Magazine, Fearsome Critters, Alchemy Literary Magazine, Lily Poetry Review and the anthology “Take a Stand: Art Against Hate.” For more information please visit www.sdeckro-art-poetry.com.
June – July 2023
Layered Possibilities: Collages by Margo Ezekiel
Artist Statement
I’ve spent my life balancing technology and art. As a Computer Science Major, I was the only one carrying a portfolio into class. Over the past 40 years, technology won out as I pursued a career as a User Interface Designer. The balance tipped in 2021, when I found my rhythm and dedicated myself to making art. Printing and collage became my keys to exploring color, shape, texture and composition.
All my pieces start by printing with acrylics on a Gelli plate on paper. Some of the pieces end up being the base of a collage; others are collage papers. I’ve also incorporated purchased hand-made paper, punches, rubber stamps, gel pens and oil sticks.
I feel like I have finally integrated both sides of myself. My computer background has helped me with all the ‘back office’ parts of being an artist. My creative side is loving using my hands again, and letting each piece reveal itself through the process.
About Layered Possibilities
Layering is essential to my work. Something on my table will catch my eye as a starting point. A few large pieces will form a base; I then cut different sizes/shapes of paper, adding and weaving them through the piece. I strive for a balance of shapes, lines, colors and a strong center of interest. I rarely start with a vision; rather the piece speaks to me as I work on it. Knowing when a piece is done is always a challenge.
This show is a compilation of work I’ve done over the past two and a half years. It encompasses a lot of exploration of different techniques, textures, color palettes and styles.
May – June 2023
About the Artists: Philip McAlary and Holly Guran
Phil McAlary studied visual art at schools in New York City and Michigan. He earned a Master of Fine Arts from Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. He has been a photography enthusiast since his early teen years and was influenced by his mother Adelia who enjoyed photographing and filming family events. He has exhibited works of digital art based on photographs and mixed media, shown at The Sloan School at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and The Cambridge Art Association. He has created performance work using chemiluminescent light on Upper Mystic Lake, Winchester, MA (Mystic Luminescent Eve), and at the Christian Herter Center in Brighton, MA (Festival of Light). He employed variously colored smoke during First Night 1977. Phil interned at Cambridge Community Television, Cambridge, MA in the mid-1980’s where he taught and produced original videos. He has taught printmaking at the MIT Student Art Association and has shown both digital prints and traditional prints at MIT. He has also taught visual art courses at The Art Institute of Boston and Mount Ida College. He participated in the Boston Camera Club and displayed artwork and photography in several galleries. His photos have appeared on-line in Postcard Poems and Prose, and on websites including Massachusetts Cultural Council, Wagner Society of Boston, and Carpenter Poets of Eastern Massachusetts. Phil enjoys making photographs of varied subject matter, many of which include the natural environment or abstract imagery that combine natural forms.
Several works in this exhibition feature poetry by Holly Guran, author of Twilight Chorus, River of Bones and two chapbooks. Now Before and Ever will appear early 2024. She enjoys coordinating a popular Boston poetry series, Rozzie Reads Poetry and OpenMic. Her work has appeared recently on-line in Panoplyzine and Grim and Gilded, and in Blue Unicorn and Round Table Literary Review.
March – April 2023
About the Exhibit: Building Community Through Art
“Building Community through Art” Exhibition Showcases Artwork Created by Goddard House residents and participants in three, Boston-based Goddard House Community Initiatives (GHCI) Programs. Building genuine connections through art is the theme of the first combined Goddard House and Goddard House Community Initiatives art exhibition. Currently showcased in Gallery M are more that 40 pieces of artwork created by Goddard House Olmsted residents and GHCI participants in the Opening Minds Through Art (OMA) programs offered at Anna Bissonnette House (South End), Mt. Pleasant Home (Jamaica Plain) and Ruggles Assisted Living (Roxbury).
January – February 2023
From the Artist: Ben Achtenberg
“We are not alone. We may not know or often think about it when we’re a walking down Centre Street in Jamaica Plain or at the beach on Cape Cod, but we still share our everyday habitats with some of the abundant wildlife that the Pilgrims encountered (and often ate) so long ago. Coyotes, foxes, and deer still flourish here, along with a variety of smaller creatures and our wealth of native and migratory birds. In fact, many species have become more visible in recent years, as climate change and urban sprawl have brought humans and animals into greater proximity and territorial conflict.
Not long after my wife and I bought our Jamaica Plain home in 1976, we were startled to see a deer walking through our backyard. Today, local social media feature daily postings—both respectful and hostile–about coyote sightings. Many of the photos in this show document the wildlife we have encountered during our frequent walks around the Pond, the Arboretum, and other nearby locations—including, most recently, a fisher cat!
After we bought our second home in Wellfleet, I began exploring the fringes of the Cape’s natural world on our hikes and through photography, not just with conventional cameras but using inexpensive motion-activated cameras. These “robo-cams” have picked up some pretty amazing “self-portraits” of the deer, coyotes, and other wildlife that pass through our yard and down-slope through the woods, when we’re absent or asleep. Our walks have also enabled my wife to pursue her obsession with snowy owls, accounting for their several appearances in this show.
For background: I was, for many years, a documentary filmmaker and owner of a small independent production and distribution company, Fanlight Productions, which handled over 400 titles dealing with healthcare, parenting, and disability issues. Many of my own films were festival award-winners, including the Oscar-nominated documentary Code Gray about ethical dilemmas in nursing (produced in collaboration with nurse-ethicist Christine Mitchell), and Healthcare for the Homeless, documenting Boston’s nationally-recognized program. My most recent film, Refuge: Caring for Survivors of Torture, explores the difficulties faced by immigrant survivors of torture now living in the United States.
As our friends are aware, I am experiencing some degree of memory loss these days, which makes the exercise of pulling together this show and being able to share these memories and images with you especially meaningful for me.”
November – December 2022
About the Artists: The Residents of Goddard House
Opening Minds through Art (OMA) is an art program that is founded on the principle that people who are living with dementia are highly capable of creative expression. The exhibition features multi-layered, abstract works of art in a variety of mediums created by 22 artists from our Olmsted community. Quotes from some of the artists are included in the exhibit to highlight the impact this program has on those who participate. The works on display were created in small group settings with individual support from Lesley University interns and/or Goddard House’s community Art Therapist, adding social and intergenerational components to the art-making experience. Most of the artworks are available for purchase, all proceeds support the OMA program.
“I never knew how you made these things. I never thought of making one myself!” – Helen, OMA Artist
“Color is fascinating. When you find it, it’s so exciting!” – Marie, OMA Artist
“I haven’t painted anything for a long, long time. I used to love doing it.” – Mary, OMA Artist
“I get carried away. I’m going crazy with the paint!” – Mary, OMA Artist
September – October 2022
About the Artists: Naomi Wilsey
Naomi Wilsey, a working artist for over 30 years, paints primarily in watercolors. Her subject matter from nature includes traditional landscape, still life, and florals. She also uses watercolors and inks in the manner of Japanese brush painting called “sumi-e.” Naomi is an artist and art teacher with a background in graphic design, marketing and art education. She is a resident of Needham where she paints and teaches art in her home studio. Her award-winning work has been shown in community, gallery and national exhibits.
July – August 2022
The Reunion Project™ – Celebrating the Remarkable Women of Goddard House
The Reunion Project gives senior women a voice for speaking to young women about life choices and decisions. This interactive, trans-generational presentation uses photographic images, text and the spoken word to create an environment that invites and facilitates reflection and meaningful discourse between women at both ends of the age spectrum.
Then & Now
May – June 2022
About the Artists:
This exhibit celebrates the work of 32 Goddard House residents from both our Traditional and Olmsted Communities. The art pieces were created in community with our 2021-2022 Expressive Arts Therapy Interns from Lesley University, Gabrielle Lopez, Isabelle Olsson and Rachel Rogalski. This exhibit also includes work made alongside Chantal Cautley, an undergraduate intern who is majoring in Psychology at Lesley University.
The works that appear in this exhibition were created in a variety of group and individual settings. Artworks from our Open Studios and Opening Minds Through Art (OMA) programs are featured, along with Collage, and intern-run groups such as Express Yourself with Gabrielle and Rachel, and Book Making with Isabelle.
Our therapeutic art groups at Goddard House follow a client-centered, Art as Therapy approach. The emphasis is on the inherent value of the creative process. Art techniques and mediums are specifically chosen and adapted as needed to highlight the strengths of individual resident artists. All of our arts programs are designed to promote connection by creating together in community, and sharing the intrinsic joy of creation.
March – April 2022
About the Artists: Jon Truslow & Kai Foster
It is a duo show featuring the photography of landscapes near and far by local photographers, Jon Truslow and Kai Foster. Please see their artist statements below. The exhibit will be on display until April 27th.
Jon Truslow is a photographer whose work ranges from landscape, architectural, interior design, and street photography to portrait photography. He is most at home hiking outdoors and capturing the glory of magnificent natural landscapes. Jon learned photography from his father who used 35 mm and large format film cameras and developed black-and-white prints in his home darkroom. He and his father were inspired by Ansel Adams and created many beautiful images with the same attention to tonal contrast. Jon began his career as a digital photographer after he retired in 2008. He took courses at the New England School of Photography (now closed). He has had multiple exhibits at J.P. Open Studios, at the Uforge Gallery in J.P. (now closed), and at regional exhibits outside of Boston. His large photographs are installed in many local senior living facilities, including the Farnsworth House (see his 8’x12’ murals on floors 2-7), Springhouse, Rogerson House, Rogerson Adult Day Center, Cooper House, and Hale House. Jon grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Jamaica Plain since 1976 where he raised his family. He lives with his wife in the Jamaicaway Tower and loves to spend time with his three grandchildren. During the past few years his travels have been limited, but as Covid lifts, he plans to take more trips to National Parks.
Kai Foster is a photographer and darkroom printmaker in Boston, Massachusetts. Creating stark images in monochrome or limited color, Kai often photographs sparse traces of urban life as part of comparatively vast natural landscapes. They also examine the constant change and impermanence of the outdoors, capturing the seasonal deviations of our normal surroundings – beach dunes under a blanket of snow, or clear water saturated in leaf litter.
Their work emphasizes that the human landscape – physical and cultural – is as ephemeral as the natural world it is constructed upon.
February 2022
About the Artist – Ariel Kessler
Ariel Kessler is an artist who works in a range of media including painting, collage, printmaking, and ceramics.
Ariel’s work uses lively, colorful imagery to create a whimsical world. Combining traditional art media with an emphasis on color and texture, she explores
themes of memory and storytelling, home, nature, and isolation. Ariel showed a fondness for art at a young age, and was mentored by Boston-based artist Evelyn Berde. She built her first darkroom at age twelve, where she developed photos taken with her late father’s Nikon F. At eighteen, she moved to New York City to attend the School of Visual Arts. There she became enraptured with small camera, street-like photography. After two years focusing on this style, she moved back to her hometown of Boston to attend the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she was mentored by some of the masters of the large-format camera and was given the opportunity to work with the famous Polaroid 20×24 camera. She graduated with her BFA in 2010. She also studied advanced alternative photographic processes in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Savannah, Georgia. While Ariel’s formal education was in photography, she found that combining other traditional media truly elevated her work.
In 2019, Ariel was invited to be an artist in residence at the Fish Factory Creative Centre of Stöðvarfjörður, Iceland. She has exhibited her art all over the U.S., as well as in Mexico and Japan. Her work can be found in public and private collections throughout the world.
Ariel lives and works in Watertown, Massachusetts. She spends her days creating in her studio and traveling throughout the Northeast exhibiting and selling her art. For questions regarding pricing, commissions, or anything else please contact: ariel.kessler@gmail.com and check out more on her website www.arielkessler.com
January 2022
About the Artist – Linde Eyster
Beginning in 2011, Linde Eyster photographically documented the diversity of insects and spiders in her small Boston backyard. All images were captured using only natural light and a close-up [macro] lens. The insects were photographed wherever they were found…in their natural habitat, unrestrained and unharmed. By sharing some of her colorful and intriguing images, she hopes to encourage others to look more closely at nature and to enjoy the variety of insects and plants that can be found.
December 2021
About the Artist – Arlene Williamson
I painted my first and only oil painting titled “CREATION” while living in New Seabury, Cape Cod, MA in 1975. A clear vision of that bursting blue-green sky surrounding a pair of soaring white seagulls had lived in my mind for two years prior to ever picking up a paintbrush. Sometimes creation is worth the wait.
My career as an acrylic artist began when I moved to Goddard House, Brookline, MA in 2015.
I joined the Open Art Studio taught by Nancy March upon my arrival, and I have been painting one day a week ever since. My inspiration comes from infinite sources. Sometimes it comes from a song, a thought or just a passing feeling. I take endless photographs to capture what moves me in the moment – and I also have a secret muse!
“You’ll always find some creative project taking place in my studio, and in my life. I’ve been called an “idea factory” on many occasions. Designing is in my DNA!”
I like to use primary colors when I work, and enjoy mixing my own paints to create new hues and shades to use within my compositions. As I paint, I disconnect from the world…it’s a solitary and quiet experience. However, during exhibits, I find it most interesting to share how we interpret a painting – to discover how others view the Art and perhaps see it from a different perspective.
Many times I will edit objects in and out to create different narratives.
Arlene has a BA in Liberal Arts from Northeastern University, Boston. She attended the School of Fashion Design, Boston. She wrote a column entitled “Great Looks” in the publication THE CAPER, Cape Cod. She owned a fashion boutique “Ab Roberts” in Mashpee Commons, Cape Cod.