Creativity Explored marks 'Quarter Century'
For its 25th birthday, San Francisco's Mission District art institution Creativity Explored will throw itself a party. They've dug into the archives, added some new pieces and collected stories and ephemera about their first quarter century. Founded in 1983...

Pulp Function (Fri, May 16)
Worcester Center for Crafts, Krikorian Gallery, 25 Sagamore Road, Worcester, MA
An extraordinary exhibition of contemporary works in paper; including pulp painting, casting, sculpture and couture from recycled paper or paper products. Docent tours available Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 am, starting April 22 - May 22 and are also available with any Session IV class. Pulp Function Public Opening & Paper Dress Challenge Thursday, April 17, 2008 5:30pm - 7:30pm $25 Member / $35 Non-Member Join us in celebrating the opening of Pulp Function. The evening includes tours of the show, music, wine and fabulous hors d'oeuvres. In addition, participants in the Worcester Center for Crafts' own Paper Dress Challenge will strut their stuff as fiber artists, fashionistas and creators of couture display their talents in turning a humble paper hospital gown into a Project Runway contender! The social event of the season! Spitballs, Paper Dolls and Cut-Ups Saturday, April 19, 2008 10am - 3pm Free A fun family event at the Worcester Center for Crafts! Get back to the basics while exploring contemporary and traditional techniques in paper craft - all with an eye for the recycled! Get inspired by taking a tour of Pulp Function, then visit the studios to put your creativity into action! Papermaking, folding, cutting and mosaic murals from recycled paper, furniture from cardboard, paper jewels and designer paper clothes are some of the drop-in workshops open for families to explore. Step inside a recycling truck for a bird's eye view of how Worcester recycles. Learn about conserving our natural resources with a visit from Mass Audubon's Broadmeadow Brook! Fantastic art from recyclables - the best of both worlds! Paper Cutting with Leslie Miller Tuesday, April 22, 2008 9am - 12pm Adult with Child $55 Member / $60 Non-Member Individuals 13 and up $40 Member / $45 Non-Member Span the globe with Pulp Function Artist Leslie Miller as she shares her travels of paper cutting as a world-wide craft. Learn and practice several forms of cutting, share favorite cutting tools, papers and books. In addition, Leslie explores how cutting techniques and subjects reflect different cultures and encourage a curiosity of different lands and lives. A wonderful workshop for Parent/child (ages 8 and up) exploration, teachers interested in creative classrooms, or anyone ready to move beyond cut paper dolls and snowflakes! No materials or experience necessary but participants are welcome to bring any favorite cutting tools, papers and books to work with. Decoupage Workshop Two Saturdays, April 26 & May 3, 2008 10am - 1pm $65 Member / $72 Non-Member Join Jenn Sherr of Jenn Sherr Designs for two ½ - day workshops in decoupage technique, an ancient craft where papers are lacquered to a surface to form an original, themed design. Pre-cut images from magazines, newspapers, and catalogues can turn recycled into renewed with style. Photos, letters, or travel memorabilia all can be preserved in an artistic fashion through the decoupage technique; and once you learn the technique, almost everything is fair game! Jenn will also share some of her inspiring pieces with workshop participants. A Stitch in Time Tea Party Sunday, May 4, 2008 2:30pm - 5pm $35 for Everyone Spend a pleasant spring afternoon enjoying tea and refreshments at the Worcester Center for Crafts, and learn the story of the craft center's relationship with textiles, spanning three centuries! From hospital aprons to paper dresses, the Worcester Center for Crafts has encouraged and empowered women in pursuing their talents as traditional and contemporary artists in fiber art. Enjoy a sit down tea, delicious sweets and delicate sandwiches while listening to storyteller Barbara Hendee bring to life the craft center's evolution from Employment Society to state of the art Craft School. The Center's own Margaret Pickering will update us on the contemporary craft scene, and lead a guided gallery tour of Pulp Function - an exhibition of extraordinary artwork made from paper! Artist's Talk with Deborah Baldizar Thursday, May 8th, 2008 5pm Free How do they do that? Take a break and meet Pulp Function artist and figurative sculptor, Deborah Baldizar. What inspires her work? Learn about the techniques and processes she uses to create her pieces, and view additional works that reflect the artist's interpretations of hidden human emotions. Deborah will walk us through the Pulp Function exhibition and then share slides and a discussion of her work, from inception to gallery. Artists Inspiring Artists Donna Rhae Marder Saturday, May 17 & Sunday, May 18, 2008 10am - 5pm $199 Member / $220 Non-Member Do you have a collection of objects, ideas and techniques that are waiting to be combined into a piece that speaks to you as an artist? Join Pulp Function guest artist Donna Rhae Marder as she leads a two day workshop on pulling the pieces together: identifying inspirations, assessing skills and learning new techniques to create a coherent piece of work from a project paralyzed in process, or a random collection of materials waiting for direction. Marder, who uses her sewing machine as a sculptural tool, creates works of art from household debris. This workshop is suitable for all media. PULP FUNCTION Time Out Events: Resolve to add creativity to your life! The Worcester Center for Crafts invites you to take time out to exercise your creativity and learn a new technique in craft. Making Elegant Treasure Boxes from Recycled Paper Saturday, March 15, 2008 1pm - 4pm Instructor Elizabeth Lang $36 Member / $40 Non-Member Make simple boxes, themed stacking boxes, cards and pinwheel envelopes, all from favorite or recycled paper, enhanced with tiny collages and other embellishments all learned in class. You'll never look at paper the same way again! Block Printing Workshop Friday, April 11, 2008 6pm - 9pm Instructor Amanda Culhane $36 Member / $40 Non-Member A little repetition can be a good thing! Create your own block for printing from recycled materials, then learn to register your design to create a repeating pattern on a unique table runner to take home. DOCENT HOURS: Tuesday 11am - 2pm Wednesday 5pm - 7:30pm Saturday 2pm - 4pm Pulp Function was organized by the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts, and was curated by Lloyd E. Herman. This exhibition celebrates the life of Caroline R. Graboys. It has been partially underwritten through the generosity of donors to the Graboys Fund and by Fuller Craft Museum members. The WORCESTER CENTER FOR CRAFTS is a warm, accessible artistic community where young people and adults can find a means of expression through craft classes, exhibits and events. Our studios embrace those who are just beginning to discover their voices as artists as well as artists who are experienced in craft. There is something fundamentally human about making an exquisite, functional object from the elements of glass, wood, clay, or natural fiber and this drive has been the heartbeat of the Center for 150 years. We hope you will join us to experience craft. View our classes, exhibits and events at www.worcestercraftcenter.org or call us at 508-753-8183. HEY COLLEGE STUDENTS! Here are the WOO Benefits at the Craft Center! 10% off all craft classes and workshops (which you can take for credit)! 10% discount off purchases over $15 in the Gallery Store! FREE entrance to Annual Festival of Crafts, Thanksgiving weekend! FREE entrance to exhibit openings!* (*some major exhibition may not apply) Through Monday, May 26.

Fiona Hall: Force Field
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney presents an in-depth survey of the work of prominent Australian artist Fiona Hall, featuring photography, sculpture, installation and video works from the 1970s to the present day.

RMI Classic Film School: "Dinner and A Movie" (Fri, May 16)
6:30 PM-9:30 PM, Red Maple Inn, Dining Room & Screening Room, 217 Main Street, Spencer, MA
Every Wednesday and Friday, May to December, The Red Maple Inn Classic Film School presents "Dinner and A Movie" featuring a three-course dinner prepared by Chef Shari Alexander and a screening of a great classic film introduced by John Bills, writer and member of the prestigious American Film Institute (AFI). Monthly series will include: MAY Goddess!: Lana, Rita, Ava & Marilyn JUNE Femmes Fatales: Girls Gone Bad! JULY Master of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock, Part II AUGUST The Play's the Thing: From Broadway to Hollywood SEPTEMBER Dancing With the Stars: Fred Astaire & Gene Kelly OCTOBER Beyond Hitchcock: Classics of Suspense NOVEMBER Just Jack!: The Best of Jack Nicholson DECEMBER Happy Holidays Cost: Wed: $25+tax&service; Fri: $30+tax&service Wednesdays, Fridays, through Dec 19.

Art Review | 'New York Cool': Looking Past the Cliché to See a Bit of the Edge
A new show at the Grey Art Gallery subjects the late ?50s and early ?60s ? a period normally seen as a transitional phase between Abstract Expressionism and Pop, Pollock and Warhol ? to intense scrutiny.

Brimfield Antiques & Collectibles Shows (Fri, May 16)
Brimfield, Ma, Route 20, Brimfield, MA
Brimfield, Massachusetts is the Antique and Collectibles Capital of the United States. The extravaganza represents the largest outdoor gathering of antique and collectibles dealers in the country with acres of tents showcasing the merchandise of thousands of antique and collectibles dealers. It is a series of 20 different privately owned and operated shows, located along both sides of a mile stretch of Rte. 20. Sponsored by: Sturbridge Area Tourist Association. Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, through Sep 7.

Transcending the Literal: Photographs by Ansel Adams from the Collection
March 1, 2008 - August 17, 2008: More than 20 years after his death, Ansel Adams (1902–1984) remains one of the world’s most beloved and widely exhibited American photographers. Comprised of more than 40 photographs selected from the Museum’s extensive holdings of the artist’s work, this exhibition focuses on Adams’s less-familiar landscape images in order to demonstrate his innate understanding of graphic form and balanced design.