David Mazor and the Amherst literacy organization he founded in 2001, Reader to Reader Inc., have received the 2018 Literacy Award from the Massachusetts Center for the Book. Mazor received the award at a recent ceremony at the Jones Library alongside State Sen. Jo Comerford, State Rep. Mindy Domb, and Jim Wald, Board Chair of Massachusetts Center for the Book.
According to press notes, Reader to Reader has since its inception provided $75 million worth of books and computers to children and schools in need, notably in inner cities, poor rural communities and on Native American reservations. The nonprofit group has also developed several literacy programs, including some for immigrant parents and teen mothers in Holyoke and Springfield.
“We are so pleased to recognize this innovative organization and in particular, its founder, David Mazor,” Wald said in a statement. “For almost twenty years, David has demonstrated the power of dreams and books.”
Hope & Feathers Framing and Gallery at 319 Main Street hosts an opening reception on Thursday, April 4 from 5-8 p.m. for “Little Stories,” an exhibit of glass mosaics by Isabel Margolin. The show runs through April 27.
Margolin, originally from northern California, now lives in Amherst and creates her mosaics through what she calls an “indirect method,” often basing her art on her dreams. “I see the mosaic completed, the colors simple and true; the pattern a perfect rhyme. The next day I embark on recreating this vision, remaining as close to the design as possible.”
There will also be a “Meet the Artist and Mosaic Demo” at Hope & Feathers on Saturday, April 13 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Margolin will demonstrate her method of creating mosaics and give visitors a chance to add to one that she creates on the spot.
As part of its current exhibition, “Intimate/Infinite,” #Local Galley in Easthampton will host an Art Salon on Friday, March 29 from 5-8 p.m. that will include conversation and presentations from four of the participating artists, along with food and beverages.
“Intimate/Infinite,” which runs through April 6, is a collection of paintings, drawings, prints, and mixed media, all of which examine nature and the abstract world from these perspectives. The exhibit, curated by printmaker Amanda Barrow, includes work by Barrow and five other artists: Kim Carlino, Scout Cuomo, Lise Lemeland, Sharon Ligorner and Maggie Nowinski.
The gallery is located at 40 Cottage Street in Easthampton. The Art Salon is free for members; $10 fee for nonmembers.