Arts Briefs: Crafts and cinema in Northampton, new exhibition at the Carle museum, and more

The Academy of Music will host its first “Stitch ’n Flix” movie screening — a screening in which guests can bring their own craft project, like knitting or crochet, to work on while watching a movie in a theater with dimmed lighting — on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. This month’s movie: “Dirty Dancing.”

The Academy of Music will host its first “Stitch ’n Flix” movie screening — a screening in which guests can bring their own craft project, like knitting or crochet, to work on while watching a movie in a theater with dimmed lighting — on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. This month’s movie: “Dirty Dancing.” CONTRIBUTED

On Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8:30 p.m., The Drake in Amherst will host a live standup comedy show with a special twist: until the show starts, the lineup is a secret.

On Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8:30 p.m., The Drake in Amherst will host a live standup comedy show with a special twist: until the show starts, the lineup is a secret. CONTRIBUTED

JOEL VEENA

JOEL VEENA

A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton will host two staged readings of the work-in-progress musical memoir “Still Singing” on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. The show, created by composer and actor Marcia Gomes, is about “a Black woman’s journey to heal herself and liberate the youngest generation of children in her family from a cycle of intergenerational trauma.”

A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton will host two staged readings of the work-in-progress musical memoir “Still Singing” on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. The show, created by composer and actor Marcia Gomes, is about “a Black woman’s journey to heal herself and liberate the youngest generation of children in her family from a cycle of intergenerational trauma.” CONTRIBUTED

Learn a Latin dance and show off your skills at Iron Horse on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. as part of the venue’s monthly Latin Night.

Learn a Latin dance and show off your skills at Iron Horse on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. as part of the venue’s monthly Latin Night. CONTRIBUTED

“We can read, you and I, see letters become words and words become books we hold in our hands,” an illustration by Raúl Colón, will be part of a new exhibition at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst that opens Saturday, Jan. 18, and runs through Sunday, June 1.

“We can read, you and I, see letters become words and words become books we hold in our hands,” an illustration by Raúl Colón, will be part of a new exhibition at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst that opens Saturday, Jan. 18, and runs through Sunday, June 1. COURTESY RAÚL COLÓN

Published: 01-15-2025 1:52 PM

‘Dirty Dancing,’ plus crafts at ‘Stitch ‘n’ Flix’

The Academy of Music will host its first “Stitch ‘n’ Flix” movie screening — that is, a screening in which guests can bring their own craft project, like knitting or crochet, to work on while watching a movie in a theater with dimmed lighting — on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. (The only caveat is that the project must be “self-contained” and unable to produce mess.)

This month’s movie: “Dirty Dancing,” the ‘80s classic about a girl who discovers a new side of herself and finds confidence as she falls in love with a dance instructor at a Catskills resort in 1963.

Northampton Wools will have a pop-up shop on-site selling needles, yarn, and other supplies, plus a leg warmer pattern and kit inspired by the movie.

The Academy will also host “Stitch ‘n’ Flix” screenings of “Julie & Julia” (Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m.) and “When Harry Met Sally” (Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m.).

Tickets are $5.00, not including fees, by phone at 413-584-9032 ext.105, in person at the box office, or at aomtheatre.com.

Learn about the Hindustani slide guitar

Joel Veena, a Vermont native and renowned Indian classical guitarist, will offer an online class about the history of the Hindustani slide guitar on Thursday, Jan. 23, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom.

The class is a fundraiser for Halcyon Arts New England, a local organization that produces events about music and spirituality.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

Veena is a master and longtime devotee of Indian classical musician and has performed internationally. His stage name, in fact, comes from the Sanskrit word for a plucked string instrument. His birth name is Joel Eisenkramer but, as he explains on his website, “my deep study of this music and instrument has indeed changed me as a person and altered my destiny so profoundly, I can safely say that many of the great blessings of my life started to come to fruition when I dedicated myself to the earnest study of Hindustani classical music. The name is an acknowledgment that I am transformed: I truly believe that this music has so much to offer us in this modern time and that the Indian slide guitar has a unique role to play.”

To learn more about Veena and his work, visit joelveena.com.

Tickets are $5 and up — there’s a $15 suggested donation, but a $5 minimum donation — via bombyx.live/events/history-of-the-hindustani-slide-guitar.

‘Still Singing’

A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton will host two staged readings of the work-in-progress musical memoir “Still Singing” on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The show, created by composer and actor Marcia Gomes, is about “a Black woman’s journey to heal herself and liberate the youngest generation of children in her family from a cycle of intergenerational trauma. Through compelling storytelling, dance, and original songs, the path to healing is revealed as the wisdom of her ancestors lights the way to joy,” according to the event description. (Note: the show makes reference to child abuse.)

There will be a talkback with the cast and playwright after each show.

To reserve your spot (with a $15 to $25 suggested donation), visit justkeepclimbingmusic.com.

Salsa dancing at Iron Horse

Learn a Latin dance and show off your skills at Iron Horse on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. as part of the venue’s monthly Latin Night.

Latin dance teacher and choreographer McCoy Jamison will teach a one-hour salsa dancing lesson at 8 p.m., then attendees will get to dance to a mix of salsa, merengue, bachata and kizomba from 9 p.m. to midnight. (Jamison also hosts a similar event, Bachata Thursdays, weekly at New City Brewery in Easthampton.)

Admission is $10 at the door.

‘Created in Color’ exhibition

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst will showcase illustrations by Raúl Colón in a new exhibition opening Saturday, Jan. 18, and running through Sunday, June 1.

The exhibition, “Created in Color: The Picture Book Art of Raúl Colón,” features more than 80 of Colón’s works in five themed sections that have exhibition text in both English and Spanish.

Associate Curator Isabel Ruiz Cano said in a press release, “A daydreamer since childhood, Raúl Colón has never stopped capturing the world around him or imagining new cinematic situations. Whether recounting a folk tale, an inspiring biography, or interplanetary journey, every scene Colón illustrates opens an entire universe to get lost in.”

Colón will also take part in a gallery talk on Jan. 18, which will include a book signing and a tour of the exhibition.

Admission to the Carle is $15 for adults; $8 for children, students, and teachers; and free for members.

‘Don’t Tell Comedy’

On Saturday, Jan. 18, The Drake in Amherst will host a live standup comedy show with a special twist: Until the show starts, the lineup is a secret.

The company Don’t Tell Comedy (which also produces shows in more than 100 other cities in North America) puts together shows with mystery combinations of four to seven comics at local venues around the country.

The show is 21 and over. Tickets are $25 at thedrakeamherst.org/events/dont-tell-comedy.