Massasoit Canton a hidden gem for local art lovers

Quilts by Zelayna Rauch (right) are on exhibit at the Akillian Gallery at Massasoit in Canton.

A display of quilts by a local artist, an annual arts festival, and an art museum that houses a wide range of works are all part of campus life at Massasoit Community College in Canton.

The college houses both the James C. Akillian Gallery and the Milton Art Museum (MAM). The two art centers are free and open to the public.

“They’re two different entities,” said Ellyn Moller, director and art events coordinator of the Akillian Gallery. “The Milton Art Museum is a collection in residence. The Akillian is part of the Canton campus.”

Not surprisingly, the Milton Art Museum was originally located in Milton, on the top floor of the town’s Cunningham School. The school closed for renovations 14 years ago, and plans for the new school building did not include the museum. The MAM’s collection was relocated to Massasoit and is administered by a board of volunteer trustees, of which Moller is the volunteer chairperson. It was while the collection was being moved to Canton that Moller was hired by Massasoit to be the director of the Akillian.

“Everything is donated,” Moller explained of the MAM collection. “It’s grown at a very low speed.”

The museum receives works of art donated by artists as well as those belonging to private citizens who are seeking a location for pieces they have collected or received over time. “It’s widely used by faculty for student research,” Moller said.

Massasoit students in the English as a Second Language program and those in the Museum Studies program have frequented the collection. A group of teachers used the museum as a resource for creating an art curriculum. Other visitors include Boy Scout troops and senior citizen groups.

The Akillian Gallery is used for exhibits that generally change every four to six weeks. “I have a very wide network with many local art associations and individuals who have incredible talent,” Moller said. “Between that and inquiries I receive, there’s so much opportunity to set up (exhibitions).”

A show featuring 20 quilts by Westwood quilter Zelayna Rauch opened April 4 at the gallery. The titles of her springtime-themed quilts include Alaskan Dragonfly, Eat Your Vegetables, and Red Sox T-Shirt Quilt. Rauch is a member of the Rhododendron Needlers Quilt Guild and is known for the unique patterns in her quilts.

In a statement to Moller, Rauch said that her grandmother, Jenny, was a milner. She was Rauch’s first teacher, and taught her granddaughter how to cross-stitch, crochet, and embroider. In 2005, Rauch’s sister-in-law asked her to make a quilt for the upcoming birth of her son. That request prompted Rauch to put more time into her quilting work.

“She approaches her work on a very personal level,” Moller said. “She gets a lot of satisfaction doing it as a personal goal.”

The quilt exhibition will continue through Monday, April, 30 and is free to the public.

Massasoit Community College will host its ninth annual Arts Festival on Sunday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival will comprise three juried art shows: the Open Juried Exhibition, the annual Massasoit Students Juried Exhibition, and the Regional High School Juried Exhibition. Visitors will be able to see the entries from all three juried shows, visit the Milton Art Museum, and enjoy a ceramics studio demonstration and a giant steamroller printmaking demonstration. There will also be food, raffles, and activities for children.

More than 30 high schools will take part in the regional juried show. “We cast a wide net,” Moller said. Students from Canton High School, Stoughton, Randolph, Milton, and Blue Hills Regional Technical School are among the schools that will participate. The students’ artwork will remain on display through June 21.

In the fall, the third annual Smile Through Art Exhibit will be held at Massasoit. Smile Through Art is a collaboration with The Art Cart and the American Parkinson Disease Association. The inability to smile is a symptom of Parkinson’s Disease. Smile Through Art workshops use art to help alleviate symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions.

October is National Disability Awareness month and to recognize that campaign, the Akillian Gallery will be the site of ABLED 11. Artwork by students from Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children in Canton and Boston Higashi School will be displayed. An exhibition by Cape Cod photographers is planned for November.

The Canton campus of Massasoit Community College is located at 900 Randolph Street. For more information about art at Massasoit Community College, go to massasoit.edu or call 508-588-9100.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Apr 25 2018. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.