An exhibit of work by Sarah Belchetz-Swenson will be on view Monday through Aug. 16 in the Hall Gallery at the Jewish Community of Amherst, 742 Main Street, Amherst. There will be an artist’s reception May 5 from 5-8 p.m.
Belchetz-Swenson’s paintings, drawings and prints in the show record her ongong examination of the world around her. She is a figurative painter and portraitist, whose work, including portraits of Richard Wilbur, Rose Olver and William Henry Hastie, hangs in Johnson Chapel at Amherst College. Other works are in collections of Smith and Mount Holyoke colleges, as well as in the collection of the Jewish Museum in New York City.
For information, call 256-0160.
The 14th annual “Community Renaissance Festival” will take place Sunday, rain or shine, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Massachusetts Renaissance Center grounds at 650 East Pleasant St. in Amherst. Numerous concerts will take place throughout the day, with performances by AyreCraft, Zoe Vandermeer, Erik Sion Vuoritie and the Pioneer Valley Wind Band and Recorder Quartets.
Other activities include woodworking, pottery demonstrations, jewelry making, loom work, Renaissance games and hair braiding. Watch for the Renaissance Buffoons as they stroll the grounds, providing comedy and merriment.
Also, there will be swordsmanship and falconry flight demonstrations and impromptu juggling lessons. Learn how to make music on tambourines, drums and even bones. Explore the gardens, get a tarot card reading or play Cribbage.
Food will be for sale by University of Massachusetts Amherst concessions; bring a picnic if you like (alcoholic beverages prohibited). Bringing well-behaved, leashed pups is also OK.
There is plenty of free parking and overflow parking will be provided by UMass, with shuttles every 15 minutes.
For a schedule and parking information visit www.umass.edu/renaissance
“Pioneer Valley’s Penultimate Pasha of Paste-Ups,” an exhibit of 30 new collages by Chesterfield artist Mike Metzger, will be on view Saturday through June 30 at the Cushman Market & Café, 491 North Pine St. in North Amherst. In his collages, Metzger places pictures of iconic cultural icons in unlikely places. For information, visit cushmanmarket.com.
