By Alana DiPlacido
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Westwood Artists’ continued a tradition seven years in the making. Twelve artists of different mediums, ages, and backgrounds came together to exhibit their work at the Westwood Public Library (WPL). Although they differed in their artistic styles and mediums, these twelve creatives created a community around their greatest commonality: calling Westwood home.
Carol Ahearn, one of the five founding members of the Westwood Artists’ Community, noted that the annual exhibition at the library is a favorite among the group, alongside their annual gallery at the Fisher School, Westwood’s historic one room schoolhouse built in 1845. “It’s so lovely to be surrounded by all that history,” Ahearn shared, “for a lot of Westwood residents, that event is not just their first time seeing us and our art, it’s their first time seeing the Fisher School.” For the Weswtood Artists’, their sense of community seems to stem from a shared passion for both art and Westwood: its history, its residents, and its natural landscapes.
Many of the pieces displayed at the exhibition reflected the group’s love for their shared hometown. Betsy Husted, a felted wreath maker, displayed the town’s emblem on one of her wreaths celebrating Westwood High School graduates, while many of Karen Flowers Cagan’s photographs captured the town’s natural beauty.
Helen C. Powell, a newcomer to both Westwood and Westwood Artists’, noted that she was very happy about her recent move. “A lot of people my age want to stay in the same house, have the same friends… but I think it’s really important to have a fresh start,” Powell stated. For Helen, the Westwood Artists’ had been an important part of her ‘fresh start.’
As the visitors milled about the exhibition, one woman approached Powell to share that she had written a poem that reminded her of Powell's oil painting, “Beach Walk.” As these two creatives discussed the inspiration for their respective works, the importance of Westwood Artists’ Community became abundantly clear. This community, created seven years ago, provided Westwood residents with an opportunity to come together in their shared passion for the arts, finding a community within the town they call home.
This exhibit will be on display at the Westwood Public Library throughout the month of February.
