Arts Previews

For the second event of its 25th Anniversary Season, MIFA Victory Theatre of Holyoke has opened a new exhibit, “Paintings, Drawings & Sculptures” by David Bowerman, at the Wistariahurst Museum, also in Holyoke, through Dec. 5. An artist’s reception takes place Sunday, Nov. 17 from 2-4 p.m.

Bowerman, of Springfield, at one time worked as an industrial engineer but turned to art in his 30s. In a statement, he said his show offers “a historical perspective of my work documenting how it develops from the exploration stage to the maturity of that discovery…. Using paintings, drawings, and sculptures, each is a stepping‐stone along a continuous path.”

Sunday’s reception, free and open to all, will include live music performed by the six-piece Cozy Corner Jazz Ensemble; light refreshments will be served. Wistariahurst Museum, at 238 Cabot Street, has regular gallery hours Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a suggested donation of $3.00.

Dual exhibits at Hampden Gallery

The work of Karen Loomis and Deborah Garner, both of Leyden, is now on exhibit at Hampden Gallery at the University of Massachusetts Amherst through Friday, Dec. 6.

According to press notes, Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. Loomis explains that she has developed a variation of this concept by applying it to objects she makes from natural sources, such as small pieces of wood.

“I experimented with cellular, dendritic, and crystalline formations in this work,” she said in a statement. “In an age where youth, perfection and novelty are worshiped, the art of Kintsugi is as applicable to our modern lives as it is to a broken bowl.”

Painter Deborah Garner, meantime, says her exhibit, “Upstream,” features abstract work that was inspired by “letting go — letting go of image, symbol, composition … [and] of control by my intellectual-self and an attempted stepping back from a strictly personal point of view toward a more universal one.”

Hampden Galley hours are 1-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 2-5 p.m. on Sunday. The gallery will be closed for Thanksgiving break from Nov. 24 through Dec. 2.

The Wilde Irish Women at Hawks & Reed

Rosemary Caine’s “Wilde Irish Women” returns to Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16 with a “Best Of” revival from five original musicals created by Caine over the past 15 years.

According to press notes, these musicals “celebrate Irish women of literature, legend, and real life. From what’s known as the Táin Epic, or The Ulster Cycle, they bring us Nessa, Deirdre, Macha, and Maeve — fierce women warriors, dispensers of curses and magic, and memorable brainy beauties.”

The poetry of W.B. Yeats and William Allingham serves to enhance the stories. The music — some 20 compositions by Caine — is performed by Caine and five other musicians, while the cast for the shows includes Michael Haley, Joan Haley, Charlene Scott, Ann and Brooke Steinhauser, Moe McElliott, Stephanie Carlson, Alannah Martineau, Sean McMahon, and Matt Haas.

Friday’s show takes place at 7:30 p.m; Saturday’s show is at 3 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance, $22 day of show. Visit hawksandreed.ticketfly.com to order. Hawks & Reed is located at 289 Main St., Greenfield.