We welcome artists and local community organizations to exhibit in the Programming Room at the beautiful Gale Free Library in Holden, Massachusetts.
Applications are currently CLOSED, but we anticipate reopening in late June/early July.
Shows rotate monthly from January through September, with October through December reserved for spectacular (and spooktacular!) exhibits put on by our Children's Department.
Local groups and schools may inquire to exhibit a limited number of framed and unframed group exhibits in our upstairs lobby and hallway from October through December.
There is no fee to exhibit at the library, but an application and subsequent signed agreement are required. Before requesting exhibit dates, please be prepared to hang your show in the first 1-3 days of the month, and to remove it in that last 1-3 days of the month you are assigned. No storage is available.
Exhibits take place in our second floor Programming Room, located in the library's addition, in a corner room overseeing the greens and City Hall. The room is accessible by elevator and stairs, and open to the public. The room doubles as an art exhibit and program room, so during library programs, room access will be limited to those attending events.
Each side of the room has one wall available for hanging. Dimensions (by width) are:
(shown in images: Side D (top photo), Sides B, C (bottom photo)
We use the Walker Display Hanging System. You can learn more about that system here. We have a total of 20 Fiberglass Rods available: 10 of them 3-ft. and 10 of them 4-ft.
For a detailed count of hooks and holders, contact Alana at agarrigues@cwmars.org after you have submitted your application. We recommend no more than 25 artworks hanging on the walls to fit the room comfortably.
Windowsills may also be used for free-standing artwork.
Artists are welcome to include a bio, show statement, and contact information either framed or adhered to the wall using mounting putty. Titles and descriptions are welcome using putty. Please be sure to clean all putty from the walls after use.
No holes, nails, screws, or permanent adhesion are permitted. No prices or red dots shall be displayed.
Please be advised the Gale Free Library does not insure artwork, and the library is not responsible for loss or damage. You may wish to consider purchasing your own insurance if you are concerned.
Rotating Art Exhibits are on display in the Library Programming Room, located on the second floor.
Patrons and guests are welcome to visit during library hours:
| Monday/Friday | 9:30 am - 5:30 pm |
| Tuesday-Thursday | 9:30 am - 8 pm |
| Saturday | 9 am - 4 pm (Summer: 9-1) |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
The room is accessible by elevator or stairs.
Please note: the Programming Room may be closed to the public during adult and children's library programs. Please check the Library Calendar or call the Reference Desk at 508-210-5569 to check room access if visiting from out of town.
Visit our June exhibit, a solo exhibition by Anne Tisdell featuring 30 paintings.
Tisdell's watercolor and acrylic work features many plants and animals, both local species and endangered species.
Join us for an all ages Artist Talk on Thursday, June 22 at 6 pm.
Hey families: Be sure to stop by the Children's Room for complementary books about the many species found in her paintings!
In July, we welcome Vern McClish's late Uncle George, a comic artist who turned to watercolor landscapes in retirement, and left a large collection to his nieces and nephews.
In August, we have the Senior Center Art Show group exhibit.
See black and white framed photographs of Holden by Ron Rosenstock throughout the Reference department on the first floor. The exhibit was commissioned by the Holden Arts Lottery Council in 1985.
Also on permanent display: see photos of early school children from when the Gale Free was both a library and a high school in the corner stairway nearest Highland Street, and peek over the shoulders of the Circulation Desk for a peek at our very first librarian. Visit the reading room and the lost and found section for sculptures in our permanent collection.