Contemporary Art at Historic Northampton
Toys: Yesterday and Today
Artwork by Jan Ruby-Crystal
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Exhibition Dates:
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June 11 - July 2, 2016
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In “Toys: Yesterday and Today,” Jan Ruby-Crystal intertwines toys from Historic Northampton’s collection with contemporary toys, and creates a responding body of artwork exploring the ways that imaginative, manipulative, artistic and physical play support creative growth in children.
Infinite Possibilities, Jan Ruby-Crystal, 2016
(inspired by a photograph by Dan Little) |
Jan Ruby-Crystal has engaged in her childhood memories and her experiences as a teacher, parent and grandparent for this artistic journey interweaving Historic Northampton’s collection and her own joyful imagination.
Jan Ruby-Crystal responds to toys from the Historic Northampton’s collection through oils, watercolor, charcoal and handmade paper. She has observed and photographed children at play, stepping back in time to her own childhood. “The spirit of play is not necessarily tied to one material, toy or time frame, but can be experienced in a multitude of ways throughout our lives," she says. "With that in mind, I decided I would make my artwork for this exhibition into an exemplar of play. I opened myself up to working in as many materials and styles as I chose, opening the doors of possibility, just as play does.” |
Jan Ruby-Crystal is a Faculty Emerita of The State System of Higher Education in Pennsylvania, where she was a professor of Art and Design at Shippensburg University. Since moving to the Pioneer Valley in 2013, she has been teaching art classes at the Smith Campus School, at her studio in Northampton, at Arcadia, as well as developing Arcadia’s Art House. She exhibits her art throughout the Valley and New York City. She is the 2016 recipient of the Outer Cape Artists Residency in painting. Her work is represented in many prominent private and national collections: Gannet Newspapers, Xerox Corporation, Mobile, Dupont, Pratt Graphics Center, General Motors, Citibank, Cancer Research Foundation, Alling and Cory Paper.
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Iza and Lucy In the Bath, Jan Ruby-Crystal, 2016
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Contemporary Art at Historic Northampton exhibits the work of artists who draw on local history or artifacts in the museum collection for inspiration. Exhibits rotate monthly February - November, opening on Arts Night Out 2nd Fridays.
Each exhibit is paired with a related history lecture. The June lecture will feature a panel discussion on toys.
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Opening Reception
Exhibition Dates
Gallery Hours
Please note that exhibits are not accessible when programs are in session. Click here to view the program calendar. Click here for visitor information |
The Contemporary Art at Historic Northampton program is supported by a generous grant from the Art Angels Fund at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.