Historical Society to Unveil Artists in Residence Work

The idea of the new Artists in Residence program was to inspire the students from Montserrat College in Beverly.

By allowing Meghan Wicks, a recent graduate who is from Northampton, and Ashton Alba, a soon-to-be sophomore from Coventry, R.I., to actually live in the Nathaniel Felton Jr. House for a little more than a month, they got the inspiration they were hoping for.

The pair was not only able to take in the buildings and fields of the society’s properties, as well as delve into old photographs and artifacts, but they witnessed scenes at different parts of the day and ventured into areas they might not have had they arrived later in the morning or gone home at the end of the day.

“I definitely was able to feel what it must have been like to live there (the house was built in the mid-1600s), how the floors are, how the building is situated on the farm,” Wicks explained. “I felt that seeping in and it will show in my art.”

Wicks and Alba will be displaying their work – mostly paintings, photography and mixed media – at the Fire Museum, which is also located adjacent to on Felton Street. There will be an opening reception, with refreshments and the artists, on Saturday, July 30, from 2-4 p.m. The exhibit is free to the public on Mondays and Friday, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., and by appointments, through Aug. 29.

Wicks said probably her favorite of the 20 or so pieces she will present is a watercolor of a sunset over an orchard at Brooksby Farm. She noticed it one evening from the parking lot where she parked her car. It was two weeks into her stay before she stumbled on it.

“(Both Ashton and I) liked the scene,” said Wicks. “The trees and rocks cast nice shadows.”

The idea for the Artists in Residence program, open only to Montserrat College students, was Historical Society Executive Director Bill Power’s creation. The society was looking for a way to bring in new audiences while keeping the current ones. Bringing all of them back time and time again with new pieces was equally vital.

The works created by Ward and Alba will be permanent pieces of the society’s collection.

“I think this was a leap of faith for us,” museum curator Heather Leavell said. “We’ve never done anything like this before. I think it shows we are trying to…find ways our collections can be more relevant to as many people as possible with new and innovative programs.

“We don’t want people to think we are static and have the same things every time they come back. I think this is a good move in that direction.”

Alba, who will show paintings and photographs, said she walked around the property a lot. When something inspired her she would take a photo and then work off of that back at the Junior House or work on-site.

“I don’t think I would have been able to find places (to paint and photograph) if I wasn’t able to spent so much time here. There are many different spots and places here to paint,” she said.

For more information, call (978) 531-0805 or visit www.peabodyhistorical.org and stop by on Saturday for the opening of the exhibit.