Past Exhibitions and Events • 2023
IN CONVERSATION:
ALEX CALLENDER and SARAH STEFANA SMITH, with JENNIFER DECLUE
March 23, 4:30-5:30pm in the A.P.E. Gallery
Join artists Alex Callender and Sarah Stefana Smith as they talk about their shared inquiry - and individual artistic practices - in(to) archives and absences, historical records and contemporary resonances, in conversation with queer studies and black feminism scholar Jennifer DeClue. A small, informal convening that speaks to the importance of building communities of practice and place, the talk will unfold within the setting of the exhibition 'After Archives', which brings Smith and Callender's work into dialogue for the first time.
Seats will be limited to 30 people on a first-come basis; the gallery will be open following the event until 6pm. FREE
Seats will be limited to 30 people on a first-come basis; the gallery will be open following the event until 6pm. FREE
MAKING HISTORY MANIFEST: Photography in the Archives
• an online presentation with Wendel White; March 12, 3pm •
Q&A led by Clark University Associate Professor of History, Ousmane Power-Greene
Throughout his career, photographer and scholar Wendel White has sought to “excavate Black history through material culture” by exploring the history and lived experience of African American communities through objects, images, and documents found in archives and historical collections.
White is currently one of three artists featured in A.P.E.'s current exhibition, After Archives, curated by Amy Halliday. In this presentation hosted by Historic Northampton, White will discuss the role of archives and museum collections in his own work (and particularly in the ongoing project, Manifest), his interest in examining the impulses and motivations to preserve history and record memory, and his belief that remnants of material culture are imbued with the power to help challenge our preconceived ideas. Clark University Associate Professor of History, Ousmane Power-Greene, will respond to Wendel White's presentation, and lead a brief Q&A.
“The ability of objects to transcend lives, centuries, and millennia suggests a remarkable mechanism for folding time, bringing the past and the present into a shared space that is uniquely suited to artistic exploration. These artifacts are the forensic evidence of Black life and events in the United States.”
Co-sponsored by the David Ruggles Center and A.P.E. Gallery
Register for the Zoom link HERE
Sliding scale admission: $5-25.
Students: free of charge.
White is currently one of three artists featured in A.P.E.'s current exhibition, After Archives, curated by Amy Halliday. In this presentation hosted by Historic Northampton, White will discuss the role of archives and museum collections in his own work (and particularly in the ongoing project, Manifest), his interest in examining the impulses and motivations to preserve history and record memory, and his belief that remnants of material culture are imbued with the power to help challenge our preconceived ideas. Clark University Associate Professor of History, Ousmane Power-Greene, will respond to Wendel White's presentation, and lead a brief Q&A.
“The ability of objects to transcend lives, centuries, and millennia suggests a remarkable mechanism for folding time, bringing the past and the present into a shared space that is uniquely suited to artistic exploration. These artifacts are the forensic evidence of Black life and events in the United States.”
Co-sponsored by the David Ruggles Center and A.P.E. Gallery
Register for the Zoom link HERE
Sliding scale admission: $5-25.
Students: free of charge.

Currently in residence at the A.P.E. gallery
Isabelle Bushue and Jackson Pelz
with their new music comedy
PLANT
Work-in-Progress showing
February 11 at 7:30pm + February 12 at 2pm
A.P.E. Gallery
126 Main St.
Tickets at the door: $10-25 sliding scale
(no one turned away for lack of funds)
Plant is a two-person absurdist musical in which the actors play each character at the exact same time. It is a dark and twisted tale of a young boy who has lost contact with his mystic mother and is forced to live underground, abandoning the academic regime of his intellectual father. While unraveling the mystery of his parents' past, he finds solace in his new stepsister, Syliva, who he likes. Like, like likes. Plant explores what it means to identify and preserve humanity when being a human isn’t the most important thing.
Plant is in development through A.P.E’s performing artists’ LAB residency. The two writer/performers are opening their
work-in-progress to the public for the first time, inviting audiences to dialogue about the process as it’s happening.
Click for more info about The LAB at A.P.E.
Isabelle Bushue and Jackson Pelz
with their new music comedy
PLANT
Work-in-Progress showing
February 11 at 7:30pm + February 12 at 2pm
A.P.E. Gallery
126 Main St.
Tickets at the door: $10-25 sliding scale
(no one turned away for lack of funds)
Plant is a two-person absurdist musical in which the actors play each character at the exact same time. It is a dark and twisted tale of a young boy who has lost contact with his mystic mother and is forced to live underground, abandoning the academic regime of his intellectual father. While unraveling the mystery of his parents' past, he finds solace in his new stepsister, Syliva, who he likes. Like, like likes. Plant explores what it means to identify and preserve humanity when being a human isn’t the most important thing.
Plant is in development through A.P.E’s performing artists’ LAB residency. The two writer/performers are opening their
work-in-progress to the public for the first time, inviting audiences to dialogue about the process as it’s happening.
Click for more info about The LAB at A.P.E.