The Jasper Rand Art Museum
The Jasper Rand Art Museum was dedicated at the 1927 reopening of the Westfield Athenaeum. The gallery continues to exhibit local and regional artists and Westfield history exhibitions. Check below for more information on the current exhibit.
If you are a professional artist and would like to exhibit your work in the Jasper Rand Art Gallery please contact Executive Director Guy McLain at 413-568-7833 extension 101 or gmclain@westath.org.
Current Exhibit
The Road to Dana
The Westfield Athenaeum is pleased to announce the opening of our newest art exhibit, The Road to Dana, by the artist Ron Michaud. Dana was one of the six towns wiped out by the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir in the 1930s. However, Dana’s common is still above water and is accessible by a road that can be walked. Michaud was intrigued by the story of these towns and often walks the road leading into the extinct town. This interest led him to initiate a series of paintings of various spots along the road.
These paintings also illustrate Michaud’s unique style. He creates landscapes through the application of hundreds of small dots of paint. If the viewer stands back, a landscape is clearly visible, but when the viewer moves closer the painting dissolves into a variety of small dashes of color.
Ron Michaud taught painting and color theory for 35 years, first at Westfield State University and then at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Now retired, he maintains an active studio practice in Pelham, Massachusetts.