Fourth Week of Senior Exhibitions - Monday, April 20th through Sunday, April 26th 2009

“I sat beside Johnny on the couch when our relatives started to arrive. Women with tears and snot smudged on their faces ran to the kitchen. I stood up and shook their hands and gave them hugs when they came in, and Johnny raised his beer bottle from the couch.” – Excerpt from Cashmere by Beth Ann Miller

Image by Ken Huntley

These are just two great examples of what you will encounter this coming week in the Wadleigh Gallery at Chester College of New England. Running Monday, April 20 through Sunday, April 26, this fourth week of senior exhibitions contains the visual work of Jessica Alford, Desirae Hudson, Ken Huntley and Zack Shields, with readings by Alyssa Marsh and Beth Ann Miller.

Of course each artist is bringing something new and interesting to the table. Jessica Alford will be presenting a series of self-portraits, while Desirae Hudson displays portraits of friends. Ken Huntley questions the control of comic entities while Zach Shields reveals his experimental mixed-media pieces on wood. As for the writers, it will be equally intriguing. Alyssa Marsh will be reading from her creative non-fiction work that includes memoir and opinion essays, while Beth Ann Miller will be reading from Cashmere, a fictional piece that speaks to some of life’s little quirks.

Promising to be thought provoking in every artistic aspect, this show is a must see! Make sure to visit the gallery opening on Wednesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. to show your support for the artists and hear the great readings to follow at 8 p.m.

Earth, Wind, Fire & Water and Battle of the Bands

The third week of senior shows has proven to be a success: even with only two students displaying their artwork, the gallery was packed on opening night.

Guided by duct taped X’s, people gathered in line to view Holly Mahon’s layers of ink jet transparencies. Mahon’s project titled “Earth, Wind, Fire & Water” is not mounted like traditional pieces, but instead hangs inches from the wall, suspended from the ceiling by fishing wire. Many viewers were impressed with Mahon’s use of gallery space. “She uses the space between her images to her advantage,” Jessica Eastman, Mahon’s fellow senior noted.



Pink duct taped boxes mark the areas where small anchors attached to the fishing wire weigh the pieces down, giving them a solid, floating look. Although the bright pink slightly clashes with the earth tones of the collection, it adds a distinct personality. Mahon was relieved that the night went so smoothly, and at the end, led a little boy to her collection and allowed him to play with some of the tiny anchors on the floor. With the night over, she didn’t her mind project becoming a bit interactive. Under her supervision, of course.




Cassandra Korbey’s show “Battle of the Bands – Drowning in Reverse vs. Patchwork Lemon” had the crowd laughing and hollering all night. Korbey’s alcove is painted black and the band’s logos are painted on the walls. Opening night, both bands sat under their logos, selling merchandise, signing autographs, and having pictures taken. A ballot box stood on the merch table for all guests to cast a vote for their favorite band. “It’s just like a real battle of bands – without the music,” Kelsey McCarthy, posing as a member of Drowning in Reverse, said. “We’ve got everything: the energy, the merchandise, the clothes. I’ve been signing pictures for people, even their arms and cleavage.”

“Cassandra’s show is very multi-layered,” Krystle Belanger, another Chester College senior, observed. Belanger noted the quality of each facet of Korbey’s project: the t-shirts, the stickers, the posters, the logos. Every detail has been covered and Korbey not only utilizes her graphic design skills professionally, but also adds a uniquely creative element.






Korbey and Mahon's work will remain up until Sunday, April 19th, but the battle is over: Patchwork Lemon won after the votes were counted at the end of the night.

Visiting Writers Series Welcomes Poet Melina Draper

Poet Melina Draper will read from her work at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 23 in Powers 29. Chester College of New England creative writing student Kenneth Hodge will open.

Draper’s poems have appeared in Borderlands: A Texas Review, PALABRA: A Magazine of Chicano & Latino Literary Art, Salamander, Antietam Review, Elixir and other journals. Pudding House published her chapbook What Better Place than This? in 2003. She is pursuing an MFA in Poetry at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and has lived in Fairbanks for three winters. Her newest work is Place of Origin~Lugar de Origen (Oyster River Press 2008), a bilingual book of poetry co-authored by Draper and Argentine writer Elena Lafert. The book, divided into two sections, “The Butterfly Effect” and “Naval Gazing” explores family ties across time and distance.

Draper's visit is hosted by the Chester College of New England's Visiting Writers Series and is part of the college's celebration of National Poetry Month. Admission is free.

Senior Shows & Readings Continue

Exhibitions of work by the Chester College of New England Class of 2009 continue with the close of the current show on Saturday, April 11 and the beginning of the next on Monday, April 13. Currently work by Emily Brochu, Joe Brown, Amanda Prue, and Jeff Traynor is showing in Wadleigh Gallery.

The next show will feature visual work by Cassandra Korbey and Holly Mahon. An opening reception will be held from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, April 15.

Chester College Introduces Online Certificate in Creative Writing

This fall Chester College of New England will enroll its first students in its new online certification program in creative writing.

“The Certificate in Creative Writing program gives students the opportunity to create a significant body of work that can help them enter a Master of Fine Arts program,” said Monica O’Brien, chair of the college’s Department of Writing and Literature. “Graduates of the certificate program will be prepared to enter graduate school, pursue writing full-time, or work at a literary journal or publishing house.”

Chester College of New England’s Certificate in Creative Writing will allow students to complete their certification online while balancing a full-time career and education. Since the certificate contains six, three-credit hour courses, students can earn their creative writing certification in a short time frame. While enrolled in program, online students will face rigorous and challenging coursework that will extensively improve their creative thinking and writing abilities. The online workshops are designed to give students extensive opportunities to receive feedback on their work from professionals as well as peers.

For more information, visit the program website or contact the Registrar.

3rd senior show

April 15th will mark the third opening of senior shows this year. It will be an intimate gallery with two graphic design students displaying their work.

Cassandra Korbey's show "Battle of the Bands - Drowning in Reverse vs. Patchwork Lemon" will be set up in the alcove of the gallery. Korbey says that her "show will consist of merchandise for her two fictitious bad-ass bands. I have made all kinds of merchandise for them, such as t-shirts, stickers, and wristbands. I will also have people posing as members of each band, and they will be giving out autographs and photo opportunities to anyone who wants them." Korbey's work has been created digitally on her computer. It promises to be a rockin' evening with Chester College students and alumni Kara Schulze, Leah Guilmette, Kelsey McCarthy and Davyn Walsh acting as band members.

Holly Mahon claims the space beside Korbey with her "Earth, Wind, Fire & Water" show. As a Graphic Designer, Mahon's show is a 36-sheet, 3-section and 3-D layered project. It will be an Inkjet transparency installation.

The gallery opens at 7:00 pm on April 15th in the Wadleigh Gallery.


Piece by Holly Mahon



Piece by Cassandra Korbey

Senior Show Opening Reception & Reading TONIGHT

An opening reception for the second of five exhibitions of work by Chester College of New England's Class of 2009 will be held from 7-9 p.m. tonight in Wadleigh Gallery. This show features visual work by Emily Brochu, Joe Brown, Amanda Prue and Jeff Traynor, and readings by Maggie Hatfield, Jeff Metcho, and Laura Spencer at 8 p.m. The show continues through Saturday, April 11.

Make sure to check back here for more information, including interviews with the artists and writers.