Natick student wins honors at juried art exhibition
Natick High School’s Rebecca Riley took home an Honorable Mention for her entry in Page Waterman Gallery’s 5th annual juried exhibition, NEXT UP!.
Riley’s charcoal on paper work in the Painting, Drawing & Printmaking category, “My Personal ATM,” was one of 138 art submissions across the entire show.
Rebecca Riley; Natick High School; Charcoal on paper, “My Personal ATM.”Natick entrants have this year really upped their game in the prestigious exhibition. Three other NHS artists entered—Rabkwan Chaimattayompol; Shanna Deng; and Tia Perkins. (See their entries here.)
Congratulations to all the entrants on their beautiful and thought-provoking works.
More here on the show including a list of winners in its entirety, and juror bios.
Teens sought for public reading in Natick of noted Frederick Douglass speech
The Natick Historical Society invites local teens to take part in a public reading of Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
The reading will take place on Sunday, June 27 at 6:00pm on the front steps of the Morse Institute Library in Natick. Each teen will then have the opportunity to read 1-3 paragraphs from the speech, which is about thirty minutes in total. The event will be recorded.
Interested teens should send email to reserve their spot: director@natickhistoricalsociety.org.
This free event is inspired by the Mass Humanities Reading Frederick Douglass program.
Check out our post and video from 2020’s reading.
Speech reading from 2020 at Morse Institute LibraryAsk about Advertising on Natick Report.
Natick student art showcased at Page Waterman’s Virtual Gallery juried exhibit
Natick High School artists shine this year at Page Waterman Gallery’s 5th annual juried exhibition, NEXT UP!, taking place online through May 28th. It’s been nice to see that Natick entrants have increased their presence in the prestigious show—four painters, drawers, printmakers, and photographers have entered their talents this year, up from one last year.
The NHS artists are: Rabkwan Chaimattayompol; Shanna Deng; Tia Perkins; and Rebecca Riley.
Rabkwan Chaimattayompol; Natick High School; Mixed media (watercolor, collage, color pencil)138 art submissions have been entered. First-, second-, and third-place winners will be chosen, plus honorable mentions and people’s choice awards, in the following categories:
- Painting, drawing and printmaking
- Photography
- Sculpture
NEXT UP! jurors are Keris Salmon, a former network long-form news producer now working as a photographer, filmmaker and textile designer, as well as a media consultant on independent television and film projects; and Allison Tolman, owner at The Tolman Collection of New York who has worked as a private dealer of contemporary Japanese works on paper for 25 years.
Winners will be announced May 16.
Here’s how to support your favorite artists by casting a People’s Choice vote.
Shanna Deng; Natick High School; Digital (FireAlpaca)
Tia Perkins; Natick High School; Photography Rebecca Riley; Natick High School; Charcoal on paperAbout Page Waterman, Gallery & Framing
Natick Class of 2021 to create their final high school memories on Memorial Field
Although the desire for area high school seniors to hold Prom has intensified with students returning to full in-person learning, the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) has not changed its guidance on proms. DESE earlier this month strongly discouraged schools from hosting them, citing the continued risk by students and staff of exposure to COVID.
Memorial Field will be the site of some important events for NHS’s Class of 2021.Specifically, the DESE guidelines say, “Prom is an inherently high-risk activity, as it is a social gathering that involves dancing and singing (both of which are activities with increased respiration), and also presents concerning opportunities for students to break health and safety protocols in a relaxed environment.”
Keeping DESE concerns in mind, Natick High’s 400+ seniors instead of a traditional prom will enjoy a semi-formal senior dinner, which will take place on June 1 at 7pm on Memorial Field. The outdoor fun will include dinner catered by local restaurants, DJ music, a hypnotist, laser tag, a PTSO sponsored raffle and more. The event will mark the first time the Class of 2021 will celebrate together over a year.
Masks and safety protocols will be enforced at the outdoor events. Although Natick’s COVID vaccination rate continues to climb, with over 67% of its population having had least 1 dose, up from 62% a week ago, only 9% of Natick residents aged 0-19 are partially vaxxed. Anyone aged 16 and older who lives, works, or studies in Massachusetts is eligible to get vaccinated.
Two days after Prom, the Class of 2021 will hold its graduation rehearsal and senior picnic, also on Memorial Field. Food trucks and COVID-safe games will be part of the year-end events.
And then, finally, graduation will take place on Fri., June 4th, 7pm, at Memorial Field, with a Sun., June 6th, 7pm rain date. Grads can have five guests, and only immediate households may sit together. Family pods will sit six feet apart from other pods per DESE graduation safety standards.
Last year’s senior were feted in a car parade that streamed through town in May, and a late-summer graduation ceremony took place at Memorial Field.