“Worcester Wired”

a juried group exhibition

For Immediate Release: April 21, 2006
Contact: Jan Seymour, ARTSWorcester, 508-755-5142, info@artsworcester.org

On view: April 28 through June 2, 2006
Opening Reception: April 28, 2006 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Award Ceremony: June 2, 2006 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

What do the following have in common: Cows in a pasture, old war movies, the Brooklyn Bridge, tattoos on a beach?

“Worcester Wired” opens on April 28, 2006

ARTSWorcester invites you to join us for the Opening Reception of “Worcester Wired” on Friday, April 28, 2006 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. in the ARTSWorcester Gallery at the Aurora Hotel at 660 Main Street, Worcester. Music and refreshments will be offered.

“Worcester Wired,” a juried exhibition culled from among ARTSWorcester visual artist members, celebrates the Worcester industrial heritage. Participants were invited to peruse the history of wire making through the Worcester Historical Museum and to put a fresh slant on this omnipresent and unsung material. Works in mixed media, photography, fiber, works on paper, sculpture, and painting will be displayed. Wire was donated by the St. Pierre Manufacturing Company in Worcester for artists to use in their creations. Historic references, images, and guidance were given by William Wallace and the staff of the Worcester Historical Museum.

One of the more utilitarian products to come out of Worcester’s vast industrial closet, is wire. In the early 1800’s Ichabod Washburn, a young apprentice blacksmith from Leicester, developed the machinery needed to create wire from blocks of steel, a process of heating, rolling, cooling, reheating and drawing the evolving wire through holes to eventually produce a product of consistent gauge and strength. His resulting company, Washburn and Moen, was located at the old Northworks building, became a leading manufacturer of high quality wire. Later, merging with Worcester Steel and Wire Company, it became subsidiary US Steel.

Historically wire had an array of uses, from telegraph systems, pianos, corset stays, hoop skirts to barbed wire, commonly known as “the Devil’s Rope.” Today wire is in every aspect of our lives – from holding up bridges, tightening teeth to transmitting electrical signals.

• “Worcester Wired,” a juried exhibition of selected ARTSWorcester members’ exploration of Worcester’s industrial heritage, at ARTSWorcester Gallery at the Aurora April 28 – June 2, 2006.
• Opening reception is Friday, April 28, 2006 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. This occasion is free and open to the public and will feature refreshments and music.
• There will be a closing/awards reception on Friday, June 2, 2006, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the ARTSWorcester Gallery at the Aurora, 660 Main Street, Worcester, MA.
• Prizes are 1st Prize of $500, 2nd of $250, and $250 for Visitors Choice Award and will be awarded at the closing ceremony.
• The ARTSWorcester Aurora Gallery is free and open to the public.
• The ARTSWorcester Aurora Gallery hours at the Aurora are: Tuesdays and Saturdays 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Extended hours are available by appointment. The Gallery is closed Sunday and Monday.
• Call 508-755-5142 for more information, or email info@artsworcester.org, or visit our website www.artsworcester.org.
• On exhibition at the ARTSWorcester Quinsigamond Gallery:
  • From April 28 through June 2, “Transitions” the works of Cindy Woehrle and Scott Holloway.
  • From May 9 through June 30, “East Meet West”, Chinese Brush works by Sharon Smith Viles
  • Visit www.artsworcester.org for more information
• Special thanks to St. Pierre Manufacturing Corporation, Worcester MA and to the Worcester Historical Museum.
• ARTSWorcester is funded in part by the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, the Worcester Cultural Commission, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; The Fletcher Foundation, the Hoche-Scofield Foundation, Davis Publications, and Mirick O’Connell.
• If you have questions or for more information, contact Jan Seymour, Executive Director, ARTSWorcester, at (508) 755-5142 and at info@artsworcester.org.