The 2025 exhibition season is generously sponsored by the Peabody Essex Museum |
"Then and Now" - Stories of Change
Salem Arts Association invites artists to explore how our lives, surroundings, and perspectives have evolved over time. What once felt constant may now seem unfamiliar. What once felt fixed may now feel fluid. What was uncertain may now have come into focus.
Through personal reflection and memories, cultural observation, or imagined futures, consider the contrasts between past and present, and how time shapes our understanding of ourselves and the shifting nature of the world around us.
What moments, or places linger in contrast to the present?
What beliefs or ideas are now memories?
Open Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Salem Arts Association Galleries, 159 Derby Street, Salem MA 01970
Contact info@salemarts.org with questions.
Our Guest Juror: Kate Luchini About Kate Luchini My path to Assistant Professor of Experiential Learning at Endicott has been shaped by museum work, public art, community development, and studio practice. I began building exhibits at the Chicago Children’s Museum and later served as Assistant Director of Loyola’s museum, where I discovered a passion for teaching. I’ve held leadership roles at the Peabody Essex Museum for over 20 years and directed Experiential Learning at Montserrat. In community roles, I’ve worked to expand equity in the arts and drive creative revitalization—as Executive Director of the Lynn Museum/LynnArts, founding Director of the Downtown Lynn Cultural District, and Public Art Planner for the City of Salem. My volunteer and advisory work includes the Punto Urban Art Museum, Mass Cultural Council, and Beyond Walls, among others. I continue my studio practice in copper enameling and enjoy drawing from my diverse experience to support the next generation of arts professionals. |
Awards
"Madame Sherri Castle" by James Bostick This melancholic, dreamlike landscape is saturated in history and regeneration. Time is evident in the graceful curve of the ruined staircase being overtaken by early summer growth. The photo has an immersive quality heightened by the silvery light filtered through delicate leaves.
- Kate Luchini |
"Washington and Essex" by John Wathne I appreciate how this painting presents an updated iconography of Salem. Here, the City’s landscape isn’t being exploited and it’s not a revered historical site, it’s the corner of a main intersection on a drizzly night. The use of light and saturated color to create a mood reminds me of Hopper, a hero. - Kate Luchini | "Portrait of the Artist: Subject to Change" by Bobbie Bush The subject looks straightforward, at ease with herself, and has slight laugh lines that reflect a life well lived. The dappling and dripping of the paint appear to slowly obscure her peaceful portrait, reminding me of a foxed mirror. Maybe a commentary on how all of our histories are eventually lost to time? - Kate Luchini |
"Jun 85" by John Antonellis | "Rainbow Tree" by Dr. Eleanor Ruth Fisher |