Counting this Body: Embodying the Omer
Spanning the 7 weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, the Jewish Omer season invites self-study through a sacred practice of taking inventory. We are invited to count each day, marking the ancient accounting of the grain to be offered in honor of receiving Torah on Shavuot. During these weeks, we might also take inventory of our own strengths, resources, dreams, and inquiries in service of getting clearer about what we value & offer in the manifestation of collective liberation. One pathway for this exploration is through the sephirot, the mystical Kabbalistic anatomy that is overlaid on the Omer.
In this 7-week Omer series with LB, we will feel into the sephira of each week by exploring some of its energetic, spiritual, and embodied qualities.
Week 1 (April 16) – Chesed / compassion / right shoulder & arm
Week 2 (April 23) – Gevurah / justice / left shoulder & arm
Week 3 (April 30) – Tiferet / balance / torso
Week 4 (May 7) – Netzach / possibility / right hip & leg
Week 5 (May 14) – Hod / beauty / left hip & leg
Week 6 (May 21) – Yesod / foundation / expressive erotic self
Week 7 (May 28) – Shekhinah / presence / receptive erotic self
Practice will include invitational explorations of breath, movement, imagination, rest, reflection, and creative expression. If you have an active creative practice of any kind (e.g., journaling, drawing, collage, songwriting, poetry, dance), please feel free to bring your materials. Basic writing and drawing materials will be provided.
Open to all - no experience with Omer, Kabbalah/sephirot, somatic practice, or creative expression required! This series is structured to facilitate individual exploratory and expressive practice within a hybrid collective container, and will not include group discussion. There will also be an opportunity at the end of each session to mark the night of the Omer together (in English).
You’re welcome to join any number of sessions either in-person (masks required) or online.
LB Marger Moore (they/them) is a neuroqueer Jewish somatics practitioner and experimental earth-based ritualist interested in weaving justice-focused contemplative practices into the weft of bodies, land, and ancestral magic in service of collective liberation. Feel free to learn more at altarofearth.com.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Wednesdays, April 16 - May 28, 7:30-9:00pm (in-studio & online).
Pay-what-you-can: $5–36 per session. 18% of proceeds will be redistributed equally between 1for3 and No Loose Braids.
Queer & Trans Yoga (6-Week Series with Fran Astino)
This series is designed especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community-oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans folks can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement.
A certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, Fran’s yoga teaching style is a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a space to explore and celebrate their unique identities. She finds it most important to foster an environment where yoga not only nurtures the body but aligns with principles of equity and justice. She has spent years studying to learn more about the needs of marginalized communities within the yoga space and has made it her mission to ensure that she creates as safe a space as possible for BIPOC, trans, and gender diverse folks.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Drop-ins are welcome!
Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180. Drop in class rate: $20 - $30.
A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:
Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.
Inner Harmony with Gentle Yoga and Sound
This offering is designed to promote self-soothing through singing or humming while simultaneously moving through a gentle yoga practice. Instruction includes mudra, gentle yoga, and chanting mantra to tone the vagus nerve and promote the experience of inner calm.
Indë COME ON HOME Music Video Shoot
Indë will be filming a music video for their queer anthem COME ON HOME on 4/20/25, and you're invited to be a part of the ensemble, alongside the Queer Joy Chorus! The song is a love letter to queer people whose families don't accept/support them.
Wistariahurst Book Discussion Group: “Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed” by Kim McLarin
Event dates and times:
Week #1: Tuesday, March 11 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 13 - 71
Week #2: Tuesday, March 25 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 72 - 115
Week #3: Tuesday, April 8 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 116 - 158
Week #4: Tuesday, April 22 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 159 - end
Week #5: Saturday, May 20 6:00pm- Culminating Event with Guest Speaker Author Kim McLarin
Join fellow readers for engaging conversations covering aging, feminism, and racial identity. Kim McLarin's "Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed" captures the endless cycle of progress and backlash that has long shaped race and gender. Readers will investigate McLarin's narrative and delve into conversations on these topics. This book discussion group will end with a culminating Meet and Greet featuring Kim McLarin, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, which will take place at Wistariahurst on Tuesday, May 20th at 6 p.m.
Kim McLarin is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, several essay collections, and James Baldwin's Another Country: Bookmarked. Her work has appeared in the New England Review, The Sewanee Review, The Sun Magazine, The Root, Slate, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others. She is a former staff writer for The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. Her book, Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me And Has Failed reflects on the experience of being an older Black woman in "periracial” America through the lens of McLarin's personal experiences. McLarin's writing has been described as a "wake-up call" and as "unrestrained" by authors and reviewers. Her unique bibliomemoir sheds light on the pain and power in aging, feminism, and Blackness.
When signing up for the discussion group, please let us know if you want to borrow a book by reaching out to us at info@wistariahurst.org or calling us at (413) 322-5660. Thanks to the generosity of the Massachusetts Center for the Book, 10 copies of the book are available to borrow. Participation in this group and the culminating event is free and open to the public.
Event location:
Wistariahurst Museum 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA 01040
Registration
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Rooted Resilience Community Dialogue Circle
Rooted Resilience Dialogue Circles are an invitation to explore resilience, identity, and community as you define them through your unique creative and personal history.
As a small group, we will engage with themes stemming from a recent episode of the (NEW) Rooted Resilience podcast and blog series. The Intention: to foster a culture of reflection, care, joy, and vulnerability among 2SLGBTQIA+ creatives and our allies as an act of resistance in these times.
Come as you are. Create a grounded and quiet space for yourself and others. Stray from doom-scrolling into a place of connection and rooting.
Counting this Body: Embodying the Omer
Spanning the 7 weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, the Jewish Omer season invites self-study through a sacred practice of taking inventory. We are invited to count each day, marking the ancient accounting of the grain to be offered in honor of receiving Torah on Shavuot. During these weeks, we might also take inventory of our own strengths, resources, dreams, and inquiries in service of getting clearer about what we value & offer in the manifestation of collective liberation. One pathway for this exploration is through the sephirot, the mystical Kabbalistic anatomy that is overlaid on the Omer.
In this 7-week Omer series with LB, we will feel into the sephira of each week by exploring some of its energetic, spiritual, and embodied qualities.
Week 1 (April 16) – Chesed / compassion / right shoulder & arm
Week 2 (April 23) – Gevurah / justice / left shoulder & arm
Week 3 (April 30) – Tiferet / balance / torso
Week 4 (May 7) – Netzach / possibility / right hip & leg
Week 5 (May 14) – Hod / beauty / left hip & leg
Week 6 (May 21) – Yesod / foundation / expressive erotic self
Week 7 (May 28) – Shekhinah / presence / receptive erotic self
Practice will include invitational explorations of breath, movement, imagination, rest, reflection, and creative expression. If you have an active creative practice of any kind (e.g., journaling, drawing, collage, songwriting, poetry, dance), please feel free to bring your materials. Basic writing and drawing materials will be provided.
Open to all - no experience with Omer, Kabbalah/sephirot, somatic practice, or creative expression required! This series is structured to facilitate individual exploratory and expressive practice within a hybrid collective container, and will not include group discussion. There will also be an opportunity at the end of each session to mark the night of the Omer together (in English).
You’re welcome to join any number of sessions either in-person (masks required) or online.
LB Marger Moore (they/them) is a neuroqueer Jewish somatics practitioner and experimental earth-based ritualist interested in weaving justice-focused contemplative practices into the weft of bodies, land, and ancestral magic in service of collective liberation. Feel free to learn more at altarofearth.com.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Wednesdays, April 16 - May 28, 7:30-9:00pm (in-studio & online).
Pay-what-you-can: $5–36 per session. 18% of proceeds will be redistributed equally between 1for3 and No Loose Braids.
Queer & Trans Yoga (6-Week Series with Fran Astino)
This series is designed especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community-oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans folks can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement.
A certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, Fran’s yoga teaching style is a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a space to explore and celebrate their unique identities. She finds it most important to foster an environment where yoga not only nurtures the body but aligns with principles of equity and justice. She has spent years studying to learn more about the needs of marginalized communities within the yoga space and has made it her mission to ensure that she creates as safe a space as possible for BIPOC, trans, and gender diverse folks.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Drop-ins are welcome!
Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180. Drop in class rate: $20 - $30.
A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:
Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.
Art & Flowers at the Wadsworth Atheneum
Join Small Victories at the 42nd annual Art & Flowers event at this historic art museum. See breathtaking arrangements inspired by artworks across the museum, enjoy live entertainment, and visit the exhibition Paper, Color, Line: European Master Drawings. We'll be in the Artisan Boutique with our handmade plantable seed cards and other Small Victories creations.
Counting this Body: Embodying the Omer
Spanning the 7 weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, the Jewish Omer season invites self-study through a sacred practice of taking inventory. We are invited to count each day, marking the ancient accounting of the grain to be offered in honor of receiving Torah on Shavuot. During these weeks, we might also take inventory of our own strengths, resources, dreams, and inquiries in service of getting clearer about what we value & offer in the manifestation of collective liberation. One pathway for this exploration is through the sephirot, the mystical Kabbalistic anatomy that is overlaid on the Omer.
In this 7-week Omer series with LB, we will feel into the sephira of each week by exploring some of its energetic, spiritual, and embodied qualities.
Week 1 (April 16) – Chesed / compassion / right shoulder & arm
Week 2 (April 23) – Gevurah / justice / left shoulder & arm
Week 3 (April 30) – Tiferet / balance / torso
Week 4 (May 7) – Netzach / possibility / right hip & leg
Week 5 (May 14) – Hod / beauty / left hip & leg
Week 6 (May 21) – Yesod / foundation / expressive erotic self
Week 7 (May 28) – Shekhinah / presence / receptive erotic self
Practice will include invitational explorations of breath, movement, imagination, rest, reflection, and creative expression. If you have an active creative practice of any kind (e.g., journaling, drawing, collage, songwriting, poetry, dance), please feel free to bring your materials. Basic writing and drawing materials will be provided.
Open to all - no experience with Omer, Kabbalah/sephirot, somatic practice, or creative expression required! This series is structured to facilitate individual exploratory and expressive practice within a hybrid collective container, and will not include group discussion. There will also be an opportunity at the end of each session to mark the night of the Omer together (in English).
You’re welcome to join any number of sessions either in-person (masks required) or online.
LB Marger Moore (they/them) is a neuroqueer Jewish somatics practitioner and experimental earth-based ritualist interested in weaving justice-focused contemplative practices into the weft of bodies, land, and ancestral magic in service of collective liberation. Feel free to learn more at altarofearth.com.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Wednesdays, April 16 - May 28, 7:30-9:00pm (in-studio & online).
Pay-what-you-can: $5–36 per session. 18% of proceeds will be redistributed equally between 1for3 and No Loose Braids.
Radical Futures
Travel from the world we live in today in the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts, to a future in this same place 100 years beyond the fall of capitalism. The River Valley Radical Futures exhibit shares the future visions co-created by members of at least 14 local groups who enact alternative ways of being in the Valley today.
Counting this Body: Embodying the Omer
Spanning the 7 weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, the Jewish Omer season invites self-study through a sacred practice of taking inventory. We are invited to count each day, marking the ancient accounting of the grain to be offered in honor of receiving Torah on Shavuot. During these weeks, we might also take inventory of our own strengths, resources, dreams, and inquiries in service of getting clearer about what we value & offer in the manifestation of collective liberation. One pathway for this exploration is through the sephirot, the mystical Kabbalistic anatomy that is overlaid on the Omer.
In this 7-week Omer series with LB, we will feel into the sephira of each week by exploring some of its energetic, spiritual, and embodied qualities.
Week 1 (April 16) – Chesed / compassion / right shoulder & arm
Week 2 (April 23) – Gevurah / justice / left shoulder & arm
Week 3 (April 30) – Tiferet / balance / torso
Week 4 (May 7) – Netzach / possibility / right hip & leg
Week 5 (May 14) – Hod / beauty / left hip & leg
Week 6 (May 21) – Yesod / foundation / expressive erotic self
Week 7 (May 28) – Shekhinah / presence / receptive erotic self
Practice will include invitational explorations of breath, movement, imagination, rest, reflection, and creative expression. If you have an active creative practice of any kind (e.g., journaling, drawing, collage, songwriting, poetry, dance), please feel free to bring your materials. Basic writing and drawing materials will be provided.
Open to all - no experience with Omer, Kabbalah/sephirot, somatic practice, or creative expression required! This series is structured to facilitate individual exploratory and expressive practice within a hybrid collective container, and will not include group discussion. There will also be an opportunity at the end of each session to mark the night of the Omer together (in English).
You’re welcome to join any number of sessions either in-person (masks required) or online.
LB Marger Moore (they/them) is a neuroqueer Jewish somatics practitioner and experimental earth-based ritualist interested in weaving justice-focused contemplative practices into the weft of bodies, land, and ancestral magic in service of collective liberation. Feel free to learn more at altarofearth.com.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Wednesdays, April 16 - May 28, 7:30-9:00pm (in-studio & online).
Pay-what-you-can: $5–36 per session. 18% of proceeds will be redistributed equally between 1for3 and No Loose Braids.
Radical Futures Opening Reception
Travel from the world we live in today in the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts, to a future in this same place 100 years beyond the fall of capitalism. The River Valley Radical Futures exhibit shares the future visions co-created by members of at least 14 local groups who enact alternative ways of being in the Valley today.
Counting this Body: Embodying the Omer
Spanning the 7 weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, the Jewish Omer season invites self-study through a sacred practice of taking inventory. We are invited to count each day, marking the ancient accounting of the grain to be offered in honor of receiving Torah on Shavuot. During these weeks, we might also take inventory of our own strengths, resources, dreams, and inquiries in service of getting clearer about what we value & offer in the manifestation of collective liberation. One pathway for this exploration is through the sephirot, the mystical Kabbalistic anatomy that is overlaid on the Omer.
In this 7-week Omer series with LB, we will feel into the sephira of each week by exploring some of its energetic, spiritual, and embodied qualities.
Week 1 (April 16) – Chesed / compassion / right shoulder & arm
Week 2 (April 23) – Gevurah / justice / left shoulder & arm
Week 3 (April 30) – Tiferet / balance / torso
Week 4 (May 7) – Netzach / possibility / right hip & leg
Week 5 (May 14) – Hod / beauty / left hip & leg
Week 6 (May 21) – Yesod / foundation / expressive erotic self
Week 7 (May 28) – Shekhinah / presence / receptive erotic self
Practice will include invitational explorations of breath, movement, imagination, rest, reflection, and creative expression. If you have an active creative practice of any kind (e.g., journaling, drawing, collage, songwriting, poetry, dance), please feel free to bring your materials. Basic writing and drawing materials will be provided.
Open to all - no experience with Omer, Kabbalah/sephirot, somatic practice, or creative expression required! This series is structured to facilitate individual exploratory and expressive practice within a hybrid collective container, and will not include group discussion. There will also be an opportunity at the end of each session to mark the night of the Omer together (in English).
You’re welcome to join any number of sessions either in-person (masks required) or online.
LB Marger Moore (they/them) is a neuroqueer Jewish somatics practitioner and experimental earth-based ritualist interested in weaving justice-focused contemplative practices into the weft of bodies, land, and ancestral magic in service of collective liberation. Feel free to learn more at altarofearth.com.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Wednesdays, April 16 - May 28, 7:30-9:00pm (in-studio & online).
Pay-what-you-can: $5–36 per session. 18% of proceeds will be redistributed equally between 1for3 and No Loose Braids.
Meet and Greet with the Author: “Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed” by Kim McLarin
Event dates and times:
Week #1: Tuesday, March 11 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 13 - 71
Week #2: Tuesday, March 25 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 72 - 115
Week #3: Tuesday, April 8 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 116 - 158
Week #4: Tuesday, April 22 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 159 - end
Week #5: Saturday, May 20 6:00pm - Culminating Event with Guest Speaker Author Kim McLarin
Join fellow readers for engaging conversations covering aging, feminism, and racial identity. Kim McLarin's "Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed" captures the endless cycle of progress and backlash that has long shaped race and gender. Readers will investigate McLarin's narrative and delve into conversations on these topics. This book discussion group will end with a culminating Meet and Greet featuring Kim McLarin, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, which will take place at Wistariahurst on Tuesday, May 20th at 6 p.m.
Kim McLarin is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, several essay collections, and James Baldwin's Another Country: Bookmarked. Her work has appeared in the New England Review, The Sewanee Review, The Sun Magazine, The Root, Slate, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others. She is a former staff writer for The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. Her book, Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me And Has Failed reflects on the experience of being an older Black woman in "periracial” America through the lens of McLarin's personal experiences. McLarin's writing has been described as a "wake-up call" and as "unrestrained" by authors and reviewers. Her unique bibliomemoir sheds light on the pain and power in aging, feminism, and Blackness.
When signing up for the discussion group, please let us know if you want to borrow a book by reaching out to us at info@wistariahurst.org or calling us at (413) 322-5660. Thanks to the generosity of the Massachusetts Center for the Book, 10 copies of the book are available to borrow. Participation in this group and the culminating event is free and open to the public.
Event location:
Wistariahurst Museum 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA 01040
Registration
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Counting this Body: Embodying the Omer
Spanning the 7 weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, the Jewish Omer season invites self-study through a sacred practice of taking inventory. We are invited to count each day, marking the ancient accounting of the grain to be offered in honor of receiving Torah on Shavuot. During these weeks, we might also take inventory of our own strengths, resources, dreams, and inquiries in service of getting clearer about what we value & offer in the manifestation of collective liberation. One pathway for this exploration is through the sephirot, the mystical Kabbalistic anatomy that is overlaid on the Omer.
In this 7-week Omer series with LB, we will feel into the sephira of each week by exploring some of its energetic, spiritual, and embodied qualities.
Week 1 (April 16) – Chesed / compassion / right shoulder & arm
Week 2 (April 23) – Gevurah / justice / left shoulder & arm
Week 3 (April 30) – Tiferet / balance / torso
Week 4 (May 7) – Netzach / possibility / right hip & leg
Week 5 (May 14) – Hod / beauty / left hip & leg
Week 6 (May 21) – Yesod / foundation / expressive erotic self
Week 7 (May 28) – Shekhinah / presence / receptive erotic self
Practice will include invitational explorations of breath, movement, imagination, rest, reflection, and creative expression. If you have an active creative practice of any kind (e.g., journaling, drawing, collage, songwriting, poetry, dance), please feel free to bring your materials. Basic writing and drawing materials will be provided.
Open to all - no experience with Omer, Kabbalah/sephirot, somatic practice, or creative expression required! This series is structured to facilitate individual exploratory and expressive practice within a hybrid collective container, and will not include group discussion. There will also be an opportunity at the end of each session to mark the night of the Omer together (in English).
You’re welcome to join any number of sessions either in-person (masks required) or online.
LB Marger Moore (they/them) is a neuroqueer Jewish somatics practitioner and experimental earth-based ritualist interested in weaving justice-focused contemplative practices into the weft of bodies, land, and ancestral magic in service of collective liberation. Feel free to learn more at altarofearth.com.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Wednesdays, April 16 - May 28, 7:30-9:00pm (in-studio & online).
Pay-what-you-can: $5–36 per session. 18% of proceeds will be redistributed equally between 1for3 and No Loose Braids.
Rooted Resilience Community Dialogue Circle
Rooted Resilience Dialogue Circles are an invitation to explore resilience, identity, and community as you define them through your unique creative and personal history.
As a small group, we will engage with themes stemming from a recent episode of the (NEW) Rooted Resilience podcast and blog series. The Intention: to foster a culture of reflection, care, joy, and vulnerability among 2SLGBTQIA+ creatives and our allies as an act of resistance in these times.
Come as you are. Create a grounded and quiet space for yourself and others. Stray from doom-scrolling into a place of connection and rooting.
Counting this Body: Embodying the Omer
Spanning the 7 weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, the Jewish Omer season invites self-study through a sacred practice of taking inventory. We are invited to count each day, marking the ancient accounting of the grain to be offered in honor of receiving Torah on Shavuot. During these weeks, we might also take inventory of our own strengths, resources, dreams, and inquiries in service of getting clearer about what we value & offer in the manifestation of collective liberation. One pathway for this exploration is through the sephirot, the mystical Kabbalistic anatomy that is overlaid on the Omer.
In this 7-week Omer series with LB, we will feel into the sephira of each week by exploring some of its energetic, spiritual, and embodied qualities.
Week 1 (April 16) – Chesed / compassion / right shoulder & arm
Week 2 (April 23) – Gevurah / justice / left shoulder & arm
Week 3 (April 30) – Tiferet / balance / torso
Week 4 (May 7) – Netzach / possibility / right hip & leg
Week 5 (May 14) – Hod / beauty / left hip & leg
Week 6 (May 21) – Yesod / foundation / expressive erotic self
Week 7 (May 28) – Shekhinah / presence / receptive erotic self
Practice will include invitational explorations of breath, movement, imagination, rest, reflection, and creative expression. If you have an active creative practice of any kind (e.g., journaling, drawing, collage, songwriting, poetry, dance), please feel free to bring your materials. Basic writing and drawing materials will be provided.
Open to all - no experience with Omer, Kabbalah/sephirot, somatic practice, or creative expression required! This series is structured to facilitate individual exploratory and expressive practice within a hybrid collective container, and will not include group discussion. There will also be an opportunity at the end of each session to mark the night of the Omer together (in English).
You’re welcome to join any number of sessions either in-person (masks required) or online.
LB Marger Moore (they/them) is a neuroqueer Jewish somatics practitioner and experimental earth-based ritualist interested in weaving justice-focused contemplative practices into the weft of bodies, land, and ancestral magic in service of collective liberation. Feel free to learn more at altarofearth.com.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Wednesdays, April 16 - May 28, 7:30-9:00pm (in-studio & online).
Pay-what-you-can: $5–36 per session. 18% of proceeds will be redistributed equally between 1for3 and No Loose Braids.
Linda Shear in Concert: A Benefit for Straw Dog Writers Guild
Straw Dog Writers Guild invites you to this benefit concert by singer-songwriter Linda Shear at 4 pm on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at the Northampton Center for the Arts.
Linda is a singer-songwriter and pianist, with music at the center of her heart and life. In the early 70s, she performed in Chicago at the first out-lesbian concert in the U.S. Linda toured with her band, Family of Woman, and played solo in bars, clubs, coffee houses, and festivals, including the main stage at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. Linda’s songs come from deep in her heart, and she invites you into that heart when she performs in celebration of love, social justice, and the power of authenticity.
“They stay with you, these beautiful songs of Linda Shear; the tunes linger, and the lyrics take you places to remember and to emotions, you'll know. And her performances are so compelling. I have often said that if I played the piano, I would want to play it like Linda."
~Dan Crary, Bluegrass guitarist and 2022 awardee of the Lifetime Achievement award from the International Bluegrass Music Association
Watch a video of Linda's song: Morning Prayer
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and get tickets!
Rooted Resilience Community Dialogue Circle
Rooted Resilience Dialogue Circles are an invitation to explore resilience, identity, and community as you define them through your unique creative and personal history.
As a small group, we will engage with themes stemming from a recent episode of the (NEW) Rooted Resilience podcast and blog series. The Intention: to foster a culture of reflection, care, joy, and vulnerability among 2SLGBTQIA+ creatives and our allies as an act of resistance in these times.
Come as you are. Create a grounded and quiet space for yourself and others. Stray from doom-scrolling into a place of connection and rooting.
“Love, in all forms” Women’s History Month Exhibition
"Love, in all forms" Women's History Month Exhibition
Opening reception: March 13, 4:30-6:30pm
On view through April 15th Mondays (10am-2pm) and Tuesdays (4:30-6:30pm)
Wistariahurst Museum is celebrating the Third Annual Women’s History Month juried art showcase. This year, the theme is Love, in all forms. An opening reception will be held on March 13, 2025. “Love, in all forms” is an array of artwork of varying mediums that analyzes how love impacts our lives. The exhibition features the work of artists who identify as women and non-binary. These artists' work reflects different experiences and concepts revolving around love, and what love means to them. Love can be painful, a process, joyful, romantic, platonic, a feeling, an object, a memory; love is beautiful in all its forms.
Artists featured in this exhibit include Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez and Dawn Allen. There are also several other local artists featured in this year’s exhibition alongside our featured artists.
The opening reception of “Love, in all forms” will be held Thursday, March 13, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm. Wistariahurst is an artist-friendly space that encourages creativity and supports the growth of this region’s artists. This event is free and open to the public. We hope that you stop by and explore “Love, in all forms!”\
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El Museo Wistariahurst celebra la tercera exposición anual con jurado del Mes de la Historia de la Mujer. Este año, el tema es el amor en todas sus formas. La recepción inaugural tendrá lugar el 13 de marzo de 2025. «El amor, en todas sus formas» es un conjunto de obras de arte de diversos medios que analiza cómo el amor influye en nuestras vidas. La exposición presenta obras de artistas que se identifican como mujeres y no binarios. Las obras de estas artistas reflejan diferentes experiencias y conceptos en torno al amor y lo que éste significa para ellas. El amor puede ser doloroso, un proceso, alegre, romántico, platónico, un sentimiento, un objeto, un recuerdo; el amor es bello en todas sus formas.
Entre los artistas que participan en esta exposición figuran Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez y Dawn Allen. En la exposición de este año también participan otros artistas locales.
La recepción inaugural de «Amor, en todas las formas» tendrá lugar el jueves 13 de marzo, de 16.30 a 18.30 horas. Wistariahurst es un espacio acogedor para los artistas que fomenta la creatividad y apoya el crecimiento de los artistas de esta región. Este acto es gratuito y está abierto al público. Esperamos que te pases y explores «El amor, en todas sus formas».
Registration
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Sensory Friendly Egg Hunt at Wistariahurst Museum
Wistariahurst Museum is egg-static to bring back our Sensory-Friendly Egg Hunt for a second year! This festive egg hunt focuses on gentle exploration and enjoyment. Designed for families with sensory sensitivities, this egg-ceptional event is tailored so every bunny feels comfortable and welcome. This year’s egg hunt will take place indoors throughout the halls of Wistariahurst. Weather permitting, outdoor games and activities will add some egg-stra fun to the event. Each child can gather six eggs and choose prizes ranging from candy to fidget toys. Hop to it and register for one of the available time slots.
Warm Welcome Postpartum Doula Training
The next training is taking place:
March 29th, 30th & April 12th, 13th 2025
Do you feel called to help support new parents, babies, and families in the early weeks and months?
While this can be a tender and joyful time, it is also a period of tremendous transition and adjustment for everyone involved.
New parents are often surprised at how much their days and nights overflow with caring for the baby, and support from beyond the family is often called for.
What do they do?
Postpartum Doulas ease the way during the tender early weeks and months, providing infant care, supporting healthy physical and emotional transition, offering baby feeding guidance and practical household support. They are not only for parents dealing with postpartum depression; in fact most families who hire a postpartum doula are not experiencing PPD.
Most Postpartum Doulas are self-employed, and enjoy the flexibility & independence of having their own small business. Hourly rates in Western Mass commonly range between $25 to $50 per hour. Some postpartum doulas offer overnight care, earning $30-$60+/hour.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Queer & Trans Yoga (6-Week Series with Fran Astino)
This series is designed especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community-oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans folks can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement.
A certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, Fran’s yoga teaching style is a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a space to explore and celebrate their unique identities. She finds it most important to foster an environment where yoga not only nurtures the body but aligns with principles of equity and justice. She has spent years studying to learn more about the needs of marginalized communities within the yoga space and has made it her mission to ensure that she creates as safe a space as possible for BIPOC, trans, and gender diverse folks.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Drop-ins are welcome!
Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180. Drop in class rate: $20 - $30.
A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:
Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.
Wistariahurst Book Discussion Group: “Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed” by Kim McLarin
Event dates and times:
Week #1: Tuesday, March 11 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 13 - 71
Week #2: Tuesday, March 25 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 72 - 115
Week #3: Tuesday, April 8 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 116 - 158
Week #4: Tuesday, April 22 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 159 - end
Week #5: Saturday, May 20 6:00pm- Culminating Event with Guest Speaker Author Kim McLarin
Join fellow readers for engaging conversations covering aging, feminism, and racial identity. Kim McLarin's "Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed" captures the endless cycle of progress and backlash that has long shaped race and gender. Readers will investigate McLarin's narrative and delve into conversations on these topics. This book discussion group will end with a culminating Meet and Greet featuring Kim McLarin, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, which will take place at Wistariahurst on Tuesday, May 20th at 6 p.m.
Kim McLarin is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, several essay collections, and James Baldwin's Another Country: Bookmarked. Her work has appeared in the New England Review, The Sewanee Review, The Sun Magazine, The Root, Slate, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others. She is a former staff writer for The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. Her book, Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me And Has Failed reflects on the experience of being an older Black woman in "periracial” America through the lens of McLarin's personal experiences. McLarin's writing has been described as a "wake-up call" and as "unrestrained" by authors and reviewers. Her unique bibliomemoir sheds light on the pain and power in aging, feminism, and Blackness.
When signing up for the discussion group, please let us know if you want to borrow a book by reaching out to us at info@wistariahurst.org or calling us at (413) 322-5660. Thanks to the generosity of the Massachusetts Center for the Book, 10 copies of the book are available to borrow. Participation in this group and the culminating event is free and open to the public.
Event location:
Wistariahurst Museum 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA 01040
Registration
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
“Love, in all forms” Women’s History Month Exhibition
"Love, in all forms" Women's History Month Exhibition
Opening reception: March 13, 4:30-6:30pm
On view through April 15th Mondays (10am-2pm) and Tuesdays (4:30-6:30pm)
Wistariahurst Museum is celebrating the Third Annual Women’s History Month juried art showcase. This year, the theme is Love, in all forms. An opening reception will be held on March 13, 2025. “Love, in all forms” is an array of artwork of varying mediums that analyzes how love impacts our lives. The exhibition features the work of artists who identify as women and non-binary. These artists' work reflects different experiences and concepts revolving around love, and what love means to them. Love can be painful, a process, joyful, romantic, platonic, a feeling, an object, a memory; love is beautiful in all its forms.
Artists featured in this exhibit include Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez and Dawn Allen. There are also several other local artists featured in this year’s exhibition alongside our featured artists.
The opening reception of “Love, in all forms” will be held Thursday, March 13, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm. Wistariahurst is an artist-friendly space that encourages creativity and supports the growth of this region’s artists. This event is free and open to the public. We hope that you stop by and explore “Love, in all forms!”\
__________________________________________________________________________________________
El Museo Wistariahurst celebra la tercera exposición anual con jurado del Mes de la Historia de la Mujer. Este año, el tema es el amor en todas sus formas. La recepción inaugural tendrá lugar el 13 de marzo de 2025. «El amor, en todas sus formas» es un conjunto de obras de arte de diversos medios que analiza cómo el amor influye en nuestras vidas. La exposición presenta obras de artistas que se identifican como mujeres y no binarios. Las obras de estas artistas reflejan diferentes experiencias y conceptos en torno al amor y lo que éste significa para ellas. El amor puede ser doloroso, un proceso, alegre, romántico, platónico, un sentimiento, un objeto, un recuerdo; el amor es bello en todas sus formas.
Entre los artistas que participan en esta exposición figuran Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez y Dawn Allen. En la exposición de este año también participan otros artistas locales.
La recepción inaugural de «Amor, en todas las formas» tendrá lugar el jueves 13 de marzo, de 16.30 a 18.30 horas. Wistariahurst es un espacio acogedor para los artistas que fomenta la creatividad y apoya el crecimiento de los artistas de esta región. Este acto es gratuito y está abierto al público. Esperamos que te pases y explores «El amor, en todas sus formas».
Registration
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
“Love, in all forms” Women’s History Month Exhibition
"Love, in all forms" Women's History Month Exhibition
Opening reception: March 13, 4:30-6:30pm
On view through April 15th Mondays (10am-2pm) and Tuesdays (4:30-6:30pm)
Wistariahurst Museum is celebrating the Third Annual Women’s History Month juried art showcase. This year, the theme is Love, in all forms. An opening reception will be held on March 13, 2025. “Love, in all forms” is an array of artwork of varying mediums that analyzes how love impacts our lives. The exhibition features the work of artists who identify as women and non-binary. These artists' work reflects different experiences and concepts revolving around love, and what love means to them. Love can be painful, a process, joyful, romantic, platonic, a feeling, an object, a memory; love is beautiful in all its forms.
Artists featured in this exhibit include Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez and Dawn Allen. There are also several other local artists featured in this year’s exhibition alongside our featured artists.
The opening reception of “Love, in all forms” will be held Thursday, March 13, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm. Wistariahurst is an artist-friendly space that encourages creativity and supports the growth of this region’s artists. This event is free and open to the public. We hope that you stop by and explore “Love, in all forms!”\
__________________________________________________________________________________________
El Museo Wistariahurst celebra la tercera exposición anual con jurado del Mes de la Historia de la Mujer. Este año, el tema es el amor en todas sus formas. La recepción inaugural tendrá lugar el 13 de marzo de 2025. «El amor, en todas sus formas» es un conjunto de obras de arte de diversos medios que analiza cómo el amor influye en nuestras vidas. La exposición presenta obras de artistas que se identifican como mujeres y no binarios. Las obras de estas artistas reflejan diferentes experiencias y conceptos en torno al amor y lo que éste significa para ellas. El amor puede ser doloroso, un proceso, alegre, romántico, platónico, un sentimiento, un objeto, un recuerdo; el amor es bello en todas sus formas.
Entre los artistas que participan en esta exposición figuran Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez y Dawn Allen. En la exposición de este año también participan otros artistas locales.
La recepción inaugural de «Amor, en todas las formas» tendrá lugar el jueves 13 de marzo, de 16.30 a 18.30 horas. Wistariahurst es un espacio acogedor para los artistas que fomenta la creatividad y apoya el crecimiento de los artistas de esta región. Este acto es gratuito y está abierto al público. Esperamos que te pases y explores «El amor, en todas sus formas».
Registration
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Zine Making Workshop with J.S. Bryant School & Seeing Rainbows
Join the J.S. Bryant team for a Zine Making workshop in collaboration with trans arts liberation organization, Seeing Rainbows!
This workshop's theme is "Seeing Past the Storm". You’ll put hearts to paper materials and collectively envision the future of queer education and resistance as J.S. Bryant opens the country's first therapeutic highschool for LGBTQIA+ teens, this fall in Cummington, MA.
Email rsvp@jsbryantschool.org to let them know you're coming, or just show up!
Queer & Trans Yoga (6-Week Series with Fran Astino)
This series is designed especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community-oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans folks can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement.
A certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, Fran’s yoga teaching style is a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a space to explore and celebrate their unique identities. She finds it most important to foster an environment where yoga not only nurtures the body but aligns with principles of equity and justice. She has spent years studying to learn more about the needs of marginalized communities within the yoga space and has made it her mission to ensure that she creates as safe a space as possible for BIPOC, trans, and gender diverse folks.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Drop-ins are welcome!
Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180. Drop in class rate: $20 - $30.
A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:
Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.
“Love, in all forms” Women’s History Month Exhibition
"Love, in all forms" Women's History Month Exhibition
Opening reception: March 13, 4:30-6:30pm
On view through April 15th Mondays (10am-2pm) and Tuesdays (4:30-6:30pm)
Wistariahurst Museum is celebrating the Third Annual Women’s History Month juried art showcase. This year, the theme is Love, in all forms. An opening reception will be held on March 13, 2025. “Love, in all forms” is an array of artwork of varying mediums that analyzes how love impacts our lives. The exhibition features the work of artists who identify as women and non-binary. These artists' work reflects different experiences and concepts revolving around love, and what love means to them. Love can be painful, a process, joyful, romantic, platonic, a feeling, an object, a memory; love is beautiful in all its forms.
Artists featured in this exhibit include Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez and Dawn Allen. There are also several other local artists featured in this year’s exhibition alongside our featured artists.
The opening reception of “Love, in all forms” will be held Thursday, March 13, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm. Wistariahurst is an artist-friendly space that encourages creativity and supports the growth of this region’s artists. This event is free and open to the public. We hope that you stop by and explore “Love, in all forms!”\
__________________________________________________________________________________________
El Museo Wistariahurst celebra la tercera exposición anual con jurado del Mes de la Historia de la Mujer. Este año, el tema es el amor en todas sus formas. La recepción inaugural tendrá lugar el 13 de marzo de 2025. «El amor, en todas sus formas» es un conjunto de obras de arte de diversos medios que analiza cómo el amor influye en nuestras vidas. La exposición presenta obras de artistas que se identifican como mujeres y no binarios. Las obras de estas artistas reflejan diferentes experiencias y conceptos en torno al amor y lo que éste significa para ellas. El amor puede ser doloroso, un proceso, alegre, romántico, platónico, un sentimiento, un objeto, un recuerdo; el amor es bello en todas sus formas.
Entre los artistas que participan en esta exposición figuran Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez y Dawn Allen. En la exposición de este año también participan otros artistas locales.
La recepción inaugural de «Amor, en todas las formas» tendrá lugar el jueves 13 de marzo, de 16.30 a 18.30 horas. Wistariahurst es un espacio acogedor para los artistas que fomenta la creatividad y apoya el crecimiento de los artistas de esta región. Este acto es gratuito y está abierto al público. Esperamos que te pases y explores «El amor, en todas sus formas».
Registration
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
“Love, in all forms” Women’s History Month Exhibition
"Love, in all forms" Women's History Month Exhibition
Opening reception: March 13, 4:30-6:30pm
On view through April 15th Mondays (10am-2pm) and Tuesdays (4:30-6:30pm)
Wistariahurst Museum is celebrating the Third Annual Women’s History Month juried art showcase. This year, the theme is Love, in all forms. An opening reception will be held on March 13, 2025. “Love, in all forms” is an array of artwork of varying mediums that analyzes how love impacts our lives. The exhibition features the work of artists who identify as women and non-binary. These artists' work reflects different experiences and concepts revolving around love, and what love means to them. Love can be painful, a process, joyful, romantic, platonic, a feeling, an object, a memory; love is beautiful in all its forms.
Artists featured in this exhibit include Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez and Dawn Allen. There are also several other local artists featured in this year’s exhibition alongside our featured artists.
The opening reception of “Love, in all forms” will be held Thursday, March 13, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm. Wistariahurst is an artist-friendly space that encourages creativity and supports the growth of this region’s artists. This event is free and open to the public. We hope that you stop by and explore “Love, in all forms!”\
__________________________________________________________________________________________
El Museo Wistariahurst celebra la tercera exposición anual con jurado del Mes de la Historia de la Mujer. Este año, el tema es el amor en todas sus formas. La recepción inaugural tendrá lugar el 13 de marzo de 2025. «El amor, en todas sus formas» es un conjunto de obras de arte de diversos medios que analiza cómo el amor influye en nuestras vidas. La exposición presenta obras de artistas que se identifican como mujeres y no binarios. Las obras de estas artistas reflejan diferentes experiencias y conceptos en torno al amor y lo que éste significa para ellas. El amor puede ser doloroso, un proceso, alegre, romántico, platónico, un sentimiento, un objeto, un recuerdo; el amor es bello en todas sus formas.
Entre los artistas que participan en esta exposición figuran Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez y Dawn Allen. En la exposición de este año también participan otros artistas locales.
La recepción inaugural de «Amor, en todas las formas» tendrá lugar el jueves 13 de marzo, de 16.30 a 18.30 horas. Wistariahurst es un espacio acogedor para los artistas que fomenta la creatividad y apoya el crecimiento de los artistas de esta región. Este acto es gratuito y está abierto al público. Esperamos que te pases y explores «El amor, en todas sus formas».
Registration
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Tongues Untied
Tongues Untied will transform the A.P.E. Ltd. Gallery into an amplifier for genderqueer and trans community voices. You’re invited to take up space and join in freedom songs, breathing exercises, interactive storytelling and other forms of call and response that provide relief to our bodies and vitality to our spirits.
Warm Welcome Postpartum Doula Training
The next training is taking place:
March 29th, 30th & April 12th, 13th 2025
Do you feel called to help support new parents, babies, and families in the early weeks and months?
While this can be a tender and joyful time, it is also a period of tremendous transition and adjustment for everyone involved.
New parents are often surprised at how much their days and nights overflow with caring for the baby, and support from beyond the family is often called for.
What do they do?
Postpartum Doulas ease the way during the tender early weeks and months, providing infant care, supporting healthy physical and emotional transition, offering baby feeding guidance and practical household support. They are not only for parents dealing with postpartum depression; in fact most families who hire a postpartum doula are not experiencing PPD.
Most Postpartum Doulas are self-employed, and enjoy the flexibility & independence of having their own small business. Hourly rates in Western Mass commonly range between $25 to $50 per hour. Some postpartum doulas offer overnight care, earning $30-$60+/hour.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Yoga and Sound
Immerse yourself in this blissful workshop of movement and sound meditation. This 90-minute Yoga & Sound workshop combines a revitalizing yoga practice with the deeply relaxing and restorative benefits of sound meditation.
In the first 45 minutes, you'll flow through a nurturing sequence of yoga asana (postures) designed to release tension and cultivate mind-body awareness. The practice will be accessible for all levels, with many variations to honor your body.
The second half of the workshop will be devoted to a profoundly calming sound meditation/sound bath. As you rest in gentle seated or reclined postures, you'll bathe in the vibrations of singing bowls, chimes, steel drums, and other sound meditation instruments. These resonant tones will help relax your nervous system, reduce stress and anxiety, and transport you into a state of deep relaxation and inner stillness.
You'll leave feeling grounded yet uplifted–your body rejuvenated and your mind at peace.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Drop-ins are welcome! Sliding-scale pricing: $30 - $50.
A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:
Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.
Trans Day of Visibility Resource & Art Fair
Join Translate Gender on March 29th from 11 am - 3 pm for their 3rd annual Trans Day of Visibility Resource & Art Fair! They had an incredible outpouring of community last year for their event (over 650+ people in attendance throughout the day) - and they're excited to be together in community again this year.
With 20+ organization and local business resource tables sharing about the important work they do, an additional 20+ local trans and queer makers and artists showcasing and selling their work, live music, drag performances, food trucks, free notary services, HIV/STI testing, and space to come together in community.
This event is family / youth friendly, with resources for community members of all ages.
Proceeds benefit Translate Gender, a trans-led non-profit organization supporting youth, families, and community members across Western Massachusetts. Consider making a donation today!
Parking:
There is a large free parking lot right on site that has capacity for over 100 cars. There are many accessible parking spaces right outside the building. If the lot is full, free street parking is available around the building and nearby streets. Do not park in private lots or block driveways.
Public Transportation:
There is a PVTA bus stop (off R24) at the Senior Center (depending on your starting location). The Holyoke Transit Station is also a few short blocks away. Learn more about transit directions here.
A note on accessibility:
MASKS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE EVENT. High quality, KN95 and N95 masks must be worn inside the space. They'll have them available or you can bring your own from home. Food and drinks will be available and must be consumed outside in the picnic / outdoor seating area.
As the Holyoke Council on Aging is a city building, it is ADA compliant, has multiple accessible parking spots, automatic door openers, accessible and all-gender restrooms, and elevators to support all of our community.
Community Safety / Support:
They’ll have Western MA Dyke Patrol on hand to provide safety, de-escalation tactics, and support throughout the event. The Senior Center will also have their staff team on hand along with building security.
Translate Gender works to create a safe, accessible space for our communities. They reserve the right to exit anyone from the event if needed to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment that centers BIPOC, queer and trans folks, and youth alongside their families.
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering.
Queer & Trans Yoga (6-Week Series with Fran Astino)
This series is designed especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community-oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans folks can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement.
A certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, Fran’s yoga teaching style is a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a space to explore and celebrate their unique identities. She finds it most important to foster an environment where yoga not only nurtures the body but aligns with principles of equity and justice. She has spent years studying to learn more about the needs of marginalized communities within the yoga space and has made it her mission to ensure that she creates as safe a space as possible for BIPOC, trans, and gender diverse folks.
Registration
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
Drop-ins are welcome!
Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180. Drop in class rate: $20 - $30.
A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:
Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.
Wistariahurst Book Discussion Group: “Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed” by Kim McLarin
Event dates and times:
Week #1: Tuesday, March 11 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 13 - 71
Week #2: Tuesday, March 25 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 72 - 115
Week #3: Tuesday, April 8 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 116 - 158
Week #4: Tuesday, April 22 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 159 - end
Week #5: Saturday, May 20 6:00pm- Culminating Event with Guest Speaker Author Kim McLarin
Join fellow readers for engaging conversations covering aging, feminism, and racial identity. Kim McLarin's "Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed" captures the endless cycle of progress and backlash that has long shaped race and gender. Readers will investigate McLarin's narrative and delve into conversations on these topics. This book discussion group will end with a culminating Meet and Greet featuring Kim McLarin, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, which will take place at Wistariahurst on Tuesday, May 20th at 6 p.m.
Kim McLarin is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, several essay collections, and James Baldwin's Another Country: Bookmarked. Her work has appeared in the New England Review, The Sewanee Review, The Sun Magazine, The Root, Slate, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others. She is a former staff writer for The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. Her book, Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me And Has Failed reflects on the experience of being an older Black woman in "periracial” America through the lens of McLarin's personal experiences. McLarin's writing has been described as a "wake-up call" and as "unrestrained" by authors and reviewers. Her unique bibliomemoir sheds light on the pain and power in aging, feminism, and Blackness.
When signing up for the discussion group, please let us know if you want to borrow a book by reaching out to us at info@wistariahurst.org or calling us at (413) 322-5660. Thanks to the generosity of the Massachusetts Center for the Book, 10 copies of the book are available to borrow. Participation in this group and the culminating event is free and open to the public.
Event location:
Wistariahurst Museum 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA 01040
Registration
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
“Love, in all forms” Women’s History Month Exhibition
"Love, in all forms" Women's History Month Exhibition
Opening reception: March 13, 4:30-6:30pm
On view through April 15th Mondays (10am-2pm) and Tuesdays (4:30-6:30pm)
Wistariahurst Museum is celebrating the Third Annual Women’s History Month juried art showcase. This year, the theme is Love, in all forms. An opening reception will be held on March 13, 2025. “Love, in all forms” is an array of artwork of varying mediums that analyzes how love impacts our lives. The exhibition features the work of artists who identify as women and non-binary. These artists' work reflects different experiences and concepts revolving around love, and what love means to them. Love can be painful, a process, joyful, romantic, platonic, a feeling, an object, a memory; love is beautiful in all its forms.
Artists featured in this exhibit include Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez and Dawn Allen. There are also several other local artists featured in this year’s exhibition alongside our featured artists.
The opening reception of “Love, in all forms” will be held Thursday, March 13, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm. Wistariahurst is an artist-friendly space that encourages creativity and supports the growth of this region’s artists. This event is free and open to the public. We hope that you stop by and explore “Love, in all forms!”\
__________________________________________________________________________________________
El Museo Wistariahurst celebra la tercera exposición anual con jurado del Mes de la Historia de la Mujer. Este año, el tema es el amor en todas sus formas. La recepción inaugural tendrá lugar el 13 de marzo de 2025. «El amor, en todas sus formas» es un conjunto de obras de arte de diversos medios que analiza cómo el amor influye en nuestras vidas. La exposición presenta obras de artistas que se identifican como mujeres y no binarios. Las obras de estas artistas reflejan diferentes experiencias y conceptos en torno al amor y lo que éste significa para ellas. El amor puede ser doloroso, un proceso, alegre, romántico, platónico, un sentimiento, un objeto, un recuerdo; el amor es bello en todas sus formas.
Entre los artistas que participan en esta exposición figuran Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez y Dawn Allen. En la exposición de este año también participan otros artistas locales.
La recepción inaugural de «Amor, en todas las formas» tendrá lugar el jueves 13 de marzo, de 16.30 a 18.30 horas. Wistariahurst es un espacio acogedor para los artistas que fomenta la creatividad y apoya el crecimiento de los artistas de esta región. Este acto es gratuito y está abierto al público. Esperamos que te pases y explores «El amor, en todas sus formas».
Registration
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.
“Love, in all forms” Women’s History Month Exhibition
"Love, in all forms" Women's History Month Exhibition
Opening reception: March 13, 4:30-6:30pm
On view through April 15th Mondays (10am-2pm) and Tuesdays (4:30-6:30pm)
Wistariahurst Museum is celebrating the Third Annual Women’s History Month juried art showcase. This year, the theme is Love, in all forms. An opening reception will be held on March 13, 2025. “Love, in all forms” is an array of artwork of varying mediums that analyzes how love impacts our lives. The exhibition features the work of artists who identify as women and non-binary. These artists' work reflects different experiences and concepts revolving around love, and what love means to them. Love can be painful, a process, joyful, romantic, platonic, a feeling, an object, a memory; love is beautiful in all its forms.
Artists featured in this exhibit include Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez and Dawn Allen. There are also several other local artists featured in this year’s exhibition alongside our featured artists.
The opening reception of “Love, in all forms” will be held Thursday, March 13, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm. Wistariahurst is an artist-friendly space that encourages creativity and supports the growth of this region’s artists. This event is free and open to the public. We hope that you stop by and explore “Love, in all forms!”\
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El Museo Wistariahurst celebra la tercera exposición anual con jurado del Mes de la Historia de la Mujer. Este año, el tema es el amor en todas sus formas. La recepción inaugural tendrá lugar el 13 de marzo de 2025. «El amor, en todas sus formas» es un conjunto de obras de arte de diversos medios que analiza cómo el amor influye en nuestras vidas. La exposición presenta obras de artistas que se identifican como mujeres y no binarios. Las obras de estas artistas reflejan diferentes experiencias y conceptos en torno al amor y lo que éste significa para ellas. El amor puede ser doloroso, un proceso, alegre, romántico, platónico, un sentimiento, un objeto, un recuerdo; el amor es bello en todas sus formas.
Entre los artistas que participan en esta exposición figuran Mariana Cicerchia, Katherine McClelland, Isabella Livoti, Shelsy Rodriguez y Dawn Allen. En la exposición de este año también participan otros artistas locales.
La recepción inaugural de «Amor, en todas las formas» tendrá lugar el jueves 13 de marzo, de 16.30 a 18.30 horas. Wistariahurst es un espacio acogedor para los artistas que fomenta la creatividad y apoya el crecimiento de los artistas de esta región. Este acto es gratuito y está abierto al público. Esperamos que te pases y explores «El amor, en todas sus formas».
Registration
This is a FREE offering!
Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.