Young Artists Take A Turn At The Blue & Gold

Signaling that the end of the school year is in sight, “The Blue & Gold” juried student art exhibition opened at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, Conn., on Friday, May 19. Once titled “The Blue & Gold at The White” in past decades when the show was held at the former White Gallery in Lakeville, Conn., the student pieces are now at the new Kearcher-Monsell Gallery in the school’s library.

In viewing the students’ work it’s hard not to see a young generation already being influenced by the influx of AI art. Text-to-image generative artificial intelligence programs create fussy, hyper-colored surrealism pieces that often blend obvious elements of René Magritte and Salvador Dalí (there’s even a program called DALL-E) with Vincent van Gogh’s easily-emulated style. Two students’ very AI-esque Van Gogh imitations took home prizes at the opening, one by Zoey Greenbaum — but her unawarded oil, titled “Femininity,” is the more interesting piece. While the motif of flowers sprung from an artfully-decapitated neck-turned-vase is a staple of internet art, her painting's mammoth size among the other student’s offerings, and willingness to provoke — an X-Men blue Bettie Page — makes it worthy of note. Also overlooked by the judges was the soft photography of Birdie Boyden, a classic blend of Sofia Coppola's pastel ennui and “Picnic at Hanging Rock” cosplay. These are the sensitive, self-conscious portraits that high school girls have always taken, and always will, and always should.

The previous show at the Kearcher-Monsell Gallery was an exhibition by HVRHS senior Theda Galvin featuring fantasy photographs of the figurines she builds, paints, and dresses. At “The Blue & Gold” opening, she was announced as the well-deserved 2023 winner of a scholarship from The Foundation for Contemporary Arts which will grant her $20,000 annually for the four years of her continued education at The Cleveland Institute of Art. In a Compass profile on Galvin printed in February, titled “The Odd World of a Teenage Dollmaker,” her work was described as “empathetic, earnest, and the mark of an emerging talent.”

Pensive by Birdie Boyden Photo by Alexander Wilburn

Femininity by Zoey Greenbaum Photo by Alexander Wilburn

Pensive by Birdie Boyden Photo by Alexander Wilburn

Latest News

Joseph Robert Meehan

SALISBURY — Joseph Robert Meehan the 2nd,photographer, college professor and nearly 50 year resident of Salisbury, passed away peacefully at Noble Horizon on June 17, 2025. He was 83.

He was the son of Joseph Meehan the 1st and his mother, Anna Burawa of Levittown, New York, and sister Joanne, of Montgomery, New York.

Keep ReadingShow less
Florence Olive Zutter Murphy

STANFORDVILLE, New York — It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Florence Olive Zutter Murphy, who went home to be with the Lord on June 16, 2025, at the age of 99.

She was born in Sharon, Connecticut on Nov. 20, 1925, and was a long time resident of the Dutchess County area.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chore Service hosts annual garden party fundraiser

Chore Service hosted 250 supporters at it’s annual Garden Party fundraiser.

Bob Ellwood

On Saturday, June 21, Mort Klaus, longtime Sharon resident, hosted 250 enthusiastic supporters of Northwest Corner’s beloved nonprofit, Chore Service at his stunning 175-acre property. Chore Service provides essential non-medical support to help older adults and those with disabilities maintain their independence and quality of life in their own homes.

Jane MacLaren, Executive Director, and Dolores Perotti, Board President, personally welcomed arriving attendees. The well-stocked bar and enticing hors d’oeuvres table were popular destinations as the crowd waited for the afternoon’s presentations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bach and beyond
The Berkshire Bach Society (BBS) of Stockbridge will present a concert by cellist Dane Johansen on June 28 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
Provided

The mission statement of the Berkshire Bach Society (BBS) reads: “Our mission is to preserve the cultural legacy of Baroque music for current and future audiences — local, national, and international — by presenting the music of J.S. Bach, his Baroque predecessors, contemporaries, and followers performed by world-class musicians.”

Its mission will once again be fulfilled by presenting a concert featuring Dane Johansen on June 28 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 29 Main Street, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Keep ReadingShow less