The mission of the Carberry Gallery is to support the educational mission of Springfield Technical Community College by promoting high-quality visual arts experiences to the college community that contribute to the quality of life and the exchange of ideas about art and culture among students, faculty, staff and the public.
Visitors mingle in The Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery at Springfield Technical Community College. SPRINGFIELD –The Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery at Springfield Technical Community College plays a vital role in the overall educational experience there by presenting and exhibiting contemporary art to students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors.
“These exhibitions are intended to foster intellectual engagement and conversation beyond the classroom,” says Sondra M. Peron, gallery coordinator.
Each academic year the Carberry Gallery presents six major exhibitions, bringing to campus a range of media, ideas and artistic practices. Each semester two exhibitions feature artwork by regionally and nationally recognized artists, and one exhibition features artwork by students enrolled in fine arts courses.
The 1,000-square-foot space shows all types of works including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, mixed media and installation work.
Students can attend artist talks and receptions, where they can engage with the artist directly through dialogue. “This intellectual engagement outside of the traditional classroom setting serves to break preconceived notions of the gallery as an exclusive space, ideas of who artists are and what they create and to inspire students to pursue their own career goals,” Peron explained. “The primary goal of the ‘mix’ is to bring to campus a wide range of media, ideas and artistic practices, exposing students to an array of creative and intellectual work.”
The mission of the Carberry Gallery is to support the educational mission of Springfield Technical Community College by promoting high-quality visual arts experiences to the college community that contribute to the quality of life and the exchange of ideas about art and culture among students, faculty, staff and the public.
“The gallery’s impact extends beyond the academic community to serve artists and audiences in Springfield and the region. The gallery is committed to making contemporary artwork accessible, and is free and open to the public,” she added.
Carberry was an aspiring artist, poet and alumna of Springfield Technical Community College’s liberal arts transfer program. She died at the age of 30 some 10 years ago.
One of the most unusual exhibits Peron said has been at the gallery is a recent conversion the gallery office into a camera obscura room. “The laws of optics dictate that light travels in straight lines and when rays of light reflect off objects outside a darkened room, some of those rays traveling through a small hole or aperture in a window, reform on the opposite wall—only upside down,” she explained.
The gallery remains open through the end of May and will close for the summer, reopening in September. The Carberry Gallery schedule for the coming school year is as follows: Sept. 10-Oct. 11, photographer Ed Cohen: “Latinos and Latinas of Springfield;” Oct. 22- Nov. 16, Veterans’ Art League; and Dec. 3-14, Fall Student Art Work Exhibition.