PULSE MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020

ENTERTAINMENT, ARTS & CULTURE

ARTISTS ON A MISSION AT SPRINKLER FACTORY JASON SAVIO Artists are banding together for what will be a unique and first-time ever exhibition of its kind at the Sprinkler Factory.

Located at 38 Harlow St., The Sprinkler Factory is a multifaceted arts space that opened its doors in 2011. It is the former site of the Rockwood Sprinkler Company, a Worcester company that manufactured sprinklers.

Nowadays it plays host to art exhibits with three expansive galleries, plays, musicals and more. It is also home to art studios and businesses. The Sprinkler Factory’s gallery has remained quiet, however, since March because of COVID-19. All that is about to change on Oct. 17 when the gallery opens back up with an exhibition titled SOLOS: ARTISTS ON A MISSION. “For the first time ever it’s just one large exhibition space,” said Sprinkler Factory’s managing director Luis Fraire. Instead of having three separate galleries like usual, 26 artists will be featured simultaneously in one massive converted space of 7,500 square-feet.

“The theme for the entire exhibit is solos, artists on a mission, but within that each artist has their own solo exhibition,” Fraire said. “It’s kind of a play on the concept. It’s really a group show made up of a bunch of solo shows.”

The exhibition will be made up of mostly local artists each showing nine different pieces of their work, varying from digital collage to traditional painting. Each artist will be creating their own title, theme, and putting their own label on the wall.

“There’s going to be quite a volume of art on view,” said Fraire.

Some of the art on view will be coming from Michelle May, of Worcester, whose display of abstract acrylic paintings entitled “Meditations” will be featured in SOLOS. May says that there is no particular theme for her pieces in “Meditations,” but they “are related by colors found in nature.” She cites “the breathless colors of the island of Tortola,” an Island in the British Virgin Islands, as an inspiration.

“I have found myself seeking bright and harmonious colors to conjure memories, uplift my spirit and to share,” she wrote in an email.

May is no stranger to the Sprinkler Factory. She has appeared in several group shows there and puts together Cirque du Noir, a masquerade ball that raises money for art-related non-profits in the community.

“The Sprinkler Factory is an unrivaled community of artists, supporting local art and now theater and music,” she wrote. “I have never walked into a gallery and felt like I do there. Everyone is welcome. Birgit and Luis run a fantastic operation that has lifted the creative community to new heights.”

12 OCTOB E R 20 20

Typically, artists propose their own shows and are allowed a full hands-on approach to setting up and organizing their work at the Sprinkler Factory, where “they’re more responsible for the whole exhibit from A to Z, organizing the exhibit, setting the times,” said Fraire.

But for SOLOS, Fraire and his wife Birgit Straehle will be the captains of the ship to get the Sprinkler Factory’s sail back on course after the long delay, and to make sure that the proper COVID guidelines are followed.

“For this show coming up the Sprinkler Factory played the role of the organizer for the exhibit, we invited the artists to participate in the show,” Fraire said. “We’ll be responsible for doing all of the artist promotion and lighting and arranging and hanging on the walls. But yes, in years past and in the future as well, artists do have a more hands-on approach.”

Making sure that the setup is safe is an obvious concern and a top priority for Fraire, so changes needed to be made to allow for SOLOS to happen.

“One big change is that usually our door is just open and the public can visit during gallery hours, but in this case there is going to be pre-registration,” he says. Those interested in seeing the exhibit can register on Eventbrite. Visitation will be divided up into two-hour time slots with a maximum of 25 guests allowed for each. There is no cost and it is free to register. Donations are welcomed at the door.

The gallery and performance space at the Sprinkler Factory are run by AGSF INC, a nonprofit 501(c)3 arts organization, according to the Sprinkler Factory’s website.

“The basic mission is to serve the arts community of Worcester,” says Fraire.

SOLOS will end its run on November 14. More similarly typed organized exhibits are expected in the future with Fraire being more involved getting artists together and managing the shows himself.

“We’ll be announcing some more calls for artists in the upcoming year,” he says. “That’s one thing we’ll be doing more of in the future, is having Sprinkler Factory organize exhibits as opposed to hosting proposals by individual artists. We’ll be taking charge, organizing our own exhibits. Everyone should keep a lookout for our calls to artists.”

The next show at the Sprinkler Factory gallery isn’t likely to happen until March of 2021, Fraire said.

He’s hesitant to give any idea of what it will be, but does give a hint. “(It’s) a continuation of the theme of this show,” he says. “I guess I’ll let it slip and say the idea for next year’s show is called ‘Trios.’ Everyone can just figure out what that means.”

SOLOS: ARTISTS ON A MISSION will be open on Thursdays and Saturdays from October 17 through November 14, 2 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Donations are accepted and masks must be worn.

Pre-register and reserve a time slot online at sprinklerfactory.com/events/solos/