The Appalachian Trail Told Two Ways
Brian Dean and Ryan Benz
April 1 - May 31
Reception: May 2nd, 1-4pm
Talk by Ryan Benz: 2pm
Discover the Appalachian Trail through the photographs of Brian Dean and the words of Ryan Benz. Brian hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2012 and Ryan in 2017 after both of them experienced changes in their lives which led them to leave behind what they thought they wanted out of life and to discover another way to live. The AT is full of wonder, beauty, characters and lessons. It just takes a moment of slowing down in order to recognize that these things are around us all the time.
Brian's photographs focus on the natural beauty and landscapes found along the 2,180 mile Appalachian Trail. The Trail was conceived by Benton MacKaye in 1921. His quote, "A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness," adorns plaques at the southern terminus on Springer Mountain in GA and Mt. Katahdin in ME. Thes photographs represent the fellowship that Brian found in both the wilderness and within himself.
Ryan Benz's memoir, "Wander" is a raw, honest, and inspiring story of letting go, walking the 2,000+ mile Appalachian Trail, and finding your way back to what matters. "For years, I helped global brands tell their stories. I was good at it (really good…I think). But somewhere along the way, I realized something I couldn’t ignore, that I had lost my own. On paper, life looked great. A growing career. A steady relationship. A home. The whole thing. But the pace and the pressure slowly pulled me out of alignment. I was living a life that looked successful… but didn’t feel meaningful. So I paused. Not because I had it all figured out—because I didn’t. I packed my life into a backpack and walked 2,000+ miles on the Appalachian Trail."
Join us on May 2nd from 1-4 pm (the same weekend as Hudson ArtsFest!) for a reception.
Talk by Ryan Benz at 2pm. Snacks and drinks will be provided and Brian and Ryan will be available for book signings and questions.
More info on "Wander" here: https://ryanbenz.com/
Near and Far
Nick Pierce and Natalie MacKnight
February 1 - March 31, 2026
Opening Reception, February 21st.
A funny thing happens when looking really closely at things; you can start to lose perspective. The same can be said when you step too far away. Both Pierce's and MacKnight's work in this show play with the idea of perspective and proximity. Things seen from up close resemble things when seen from far away. Is this a house sized boulder or a stone that fits in the palm of your hand? An island in the middle of a lake or a field of lichen on a slab of stone? Some of the pieces in this show are almost optical illusions, asking the viewer to waiver between viewing them up close to see the details and taking a step back to absorb it all at once. Who's to say which way is better?
Benefit Art Auction for the
Armory on the Assabet
Janurary 2 - January 31, 2026
Closing Reception, January 31st 4-6 pm
The Armory on the Assabet, a historic landmark nestled in downtown Hudson, MA is poised to be transformed into the region’s premier community arts and cultural center.
Live music, visual, performing and decorative arts, workshops and classes will be available for all ages — children, teens, adults, and seniors in Hudson and all towns along the Assabet River
This exhibition is an art auction featuring local and regional artists who have donated works to help fundraise for the Armory.
See the auction and bid online here.
"Birds: Three Visions of our Feathered Friends"
Mike Driscoll, Bryan Clocker, and Kris Olson
October 1 - December 31, 2025
Opening Reception, October 24th 4-6 pm
Birds have been capturing our imaginations for as long as we have seen them fly overhead and heard them sing their songs. They are elusive, magical and symbolic. In this exhibition three artists offer three very different visions of birds and how they have captured our imaginations.
Bryan Clocker's prints venerate birds. The subjects have regal poses, gazing off the page to look at something that we can't see, but they can. They are surrounded or placed in front of elegant borders and designs, making them into more than just birds; they become decorative symbols. These birds stand for more than what they are, taking on a higher meaning.
Kris Olson's realistic representation of the birds in his watercolors make them stand out against the gritty, mossy, fuzzy looseness of his backgrounds. These birds are survivors. The backgrounds bring up thoughts of a postapocalyptic wasteland, almost radioactive in their color and mood. These brids exist without humans, they stand on their own, strong, proud and so very alive.
Mike Driscoll's watercolors are whimsicial, fun, and imaginative. His "beasties" are amalgamations of birds, lines, colors and funny names. The paintings take the recognizable aspects of birds like their long legs, pointy beaks and colorful feathers and they heighten them into the absurd.
Bryan Clocker
Bryan Clocker
Mike Driscoll
Bryan Clocker
"Words Fell"
Heather Hacker
July 1 - September 30, 2025
Heather's work focuses on the decayed splendor of grand spaces forgotton by time and by the people that built and used them. Her expertise with the technical aspects of photography reveal the darkest corners of these eerie spaces. She is able to find and bring a beauty to the degraded and rotting corpses of buildings and locations that most people would be terrified to enter.
Part of the success of Heather's photography is the conflict that we feel when we view them. The images are beautiful, cared for, and sometimes tender in their embrace of these spaces. Yet the subject matter is one of decay, rot and in many ways, death. What Heather is asking us to do is to see these spaces as they once were when they were in their prime; places of beauty and splendor. When we can see both the past and the present in these photos we must then ask ourselves, "How did we get here? What is it that allows these spaces to fall into such disrepair? Are they not worth saving?"
Gerard Donelan
"It's a Gay Life"
June, 2025
Best known for his single-panel cartoon “It’s a Gay Life” in The Advocate during the late ’70s through the early ’90s, Gerard Donelan captured the spirit of the LGBTQ+ movement with humor and heart. While some aspects of the comics reflect their time, their message remains powerful, perhaps now more than ever.
Both Donelan's cartoons and paintings connect with people on an individual and personal level while capturing broader human experiences. While his cartoons explore the LGBTQ+ community through a cultural lens, his paintings reveal a more intimate, emotional side.
Donelan’s art reminds us that the truest expression of self is the one we share both publicly and privately.
