A community cooperative; Westboro Gallery celebrates 10 years.

Byline: Daisy Wiggins

It's a sunny weekday morning, and the center of Westboro is bustling. As shop owners flip their closed signs to open, cars fill the parking spaces along the curb and mothers rush by each other pushing gigantic strollers on the sidewalk.

Inside 8 West Main St., however, there's an aura of serenity. Soft pastels, delicate hand carvings and soothing watercolors line the walls of this small, peaceful space, inviting passersby to slow down and take a closer look. This is the Westboro Gallery, a unique treasure chest of local artwork.

The gallery has a rich history of artists and supporters whose passion for art has helped make it an integral part of the community for the past decade.

Terre Bacharz, a longtime Westboro resident and artist, opened the gallery on July 15, 1998, as an artists' cooperative. Over the years, the dynamics and membership have changed. In 2002, members formed a new, five-person board of directors to run the cooperative.

Since exhibitions change every three months, the gallery is always looking for prospective members to submit artwork for review. Through a "jurying-in" process, the directors select art that they feel would work in the gallery. If accepted, new members get to display their work in the first month of their membership. In exchange for exhibition space, members pay cooperative fees and volunteer to work in the gallery. In addition to the West Main Street space, the gallery has a satellite location at Tatnuck Bookseller and Cafe in Westboro.

"It's a juggling act sometimes because many of us have full-time jobs," says Nancy von Hone, the gallery's communications director, whose pastels are on display. "But we stay involved because we believe in the idea of a gallery where emerging artists can show their work and get some visibility."

From photography to fabric art, the gallery contains a diverse collection of art forms. "Art appreciation is a very personal thing," von Horne says. "I think ...

the somewhat eclectic range of artistic styles and mediums available at the gallery has helped it survive for the past 10 years - in good economic times and in more trying ones." Von Hone notes that

sales of big-ticket items have slowed, but smaller items, such as notecards, jewelry and hand-carved bowls, continue to sell well.

Moreover, many of the artists have developed local followings over the years. One such artist is Westboro native Jeff Butler, whose beautifully crafted bird carvings are displayed throughout the gallery. Butler uses various wood types, as well as some brass, steel, plastic and acrylic paint, to experiment with different bird poses and body parts.

"Sometimes I have simply seen a bird in a pose or scene that appeals to me just as it would to a photographer or painter," says Butler. "Other times I find a limb or split piece of wood and know that it's the head, neck and body of a heron or the leg and foot (with all its toes) of a Jacana."

Butler also attributes some of his inspiration to being a part of a cooperative. "To be in contact with painters, potters, printmakers, photographers and fabric artists just adds to the sources of inspiration, techniques and materials available," he says. "For most of us, our work involves solitude. Our cooperative brings social contact in a multitude of ways."

Barry Hanshaw of Boylston is another artist who credits the cooperative with inspiring him to paint. "I like the quarterly changing (of exhibitions), because it inspires you to produce new work every three months," he says.

A medical doctor, Hanshaw retired 10 years ago, but still sees patients about once a week at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He had been interested in art from a very young age. "When I was young I started doing portraits of war figures - Eisenhower, Churchill - so I puttered along, but once I started college and got into pre-med I became something much less than prolific," he says.

About 20 years ago, Hanshaw's wife encouraged him to take classes at the Worcester Art Museum, and since then, he has done more than 200 pieces of work. Hanshaw focused on pastels for 15 years, and now works exclusively with oils. He became a gallery member in 2000. Today, many of his exquisitely painted landscapes and nature stills can be found on the walls. Beyond art, the cooperative has involved itself in different forms of community outreach. In 2006, the gallery established the Theresa M. Bacharz Scholarship. Each year the award is given to a senior at Westboro High School who shows promise in the visual arts. The winning student receives a small scholarship, as well as exhibition space at the gallery in June.

The gallery has also worked with the Westboro Garden Club to put together "Art In Bloom." Members of the garden club design floral arrangements based on a piece of artwork they have chosen from the gallery. Then, the flowers are displayed with the art for three to four days.

The cooperative is planning to celebrate the gallery's 10th anniversary in true artistic style. Invitations have been sent to everyone who has been a member over the years in hopes that artists past and present will submit work to be showcased at the 10-Year Anniversary Retrospective and Members show, opening Nov. 23.

"To have a gallery last 10 years outside of a metropolitan area is really something," says von Hone. "We're a part of this community, and that's the way we want to stay."

Upcoming Exhibits

Sept. 7 - Nov. 10: Artist Eloa Jane at Westboro Gallery, 8 West Main St.

Aug. 2 - Nov. 7: Artist I. Tink at Westboro Gallery Satellite at Tatnuck Bookseller & Cafe, 19 Lyman St.

Nov. 23 - Jan. 30: 10-Year Anniversary Retrospective and Members Show, Westboro Gallery, 8 West Main St.

ART: PHOTOS

PHOTOG: Photography by Tom Rettig

CUTLINE: (1) From photography to fabric work to paintings, Westboro Gallery displays an eclectic mix of art. (2) Betty Barclay sweeps up at the entrance to the Westboro Gallery.