Pelham Cultural Council

03/31/2026

Calling all artists, creatives, and community leaders! Check out this program at the UMass Fine Arts Center on April 10!

We are down to just a handful of tickets left for Art for the Common Good, the Fine Arts Center’s full-day statewide convening on arts, health, and wellness on April 10.

Bringing together artists, healthcare practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders, the convening will explore how creativity and neuroarts research can support healing, strengthen communities, and advance whole-person wellbeing.

The event is free. Register to secure your spot at umassarts.site/wellbeing2026

03/31/2026

folks don't get together nearly often enough - but here's one of those chances to gather in community. 👇

🌲 Pelham Community Mix & Mingle
🗓️ Saturday, April 11
⏰ 2-4PM
🎒 Pelham Elementary Gym/Cafeteria

COME MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS and Celebrate Pelham!

-Free Mocktails & Light Bites 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
-Free Community Raffle
-Local Business Showcase: bring business cards, take business cards
-Town Tables featuring information about boards/committees/departments
-Submit Photos or Inquire about Table Space: [email protected]

03/30/2026

03/01/2026

Pelham Cultural Council – FY26 Funded Projects

Earlier this fall, the Pelham Cultural Council invited organizations, schools, and individuals to submit proposals for cultural activities serving Pelham residents and students in the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools. This year, the Council was able to award $6,840 in direct funding to community-based arts, humanities, and science programming. Priority was given to projects that serve local families and youth, celebrate Pelham’s history and environment, highlight Pelham-based artists and educators, and bring global perspectives to our community. They are:

• Summer Reading Program: “Plant a Seed: Read” – The Pelham Library, MA literacy-focused summer program for children and families.
• Lose Your Blues Jazz Piano Concert – A solo jazz performance by Stephen Page at the Pelham Library.
• West African Drumming Workshop with The Wendell Warriors: Come Out to Play – An interactive workshop combining performance, history, and hands-on drumming at the Pelham Library.
• Pelham Players – The long-running free summer youth theater program for Pelham children and teens.
• Cemeteries of Pelham – Guided public tours exploring the history, layout, and stories of Pelham’s historic cemeteries.
• Hampshire Young People's Chorus Spring Concert – A culminating regional youth choral performance with participation from Pelham students.
• Pelham Elementary PTO Art and Culture Night Performer – Live performance and arts activities for Pelham Elementary School’s annual community celebration.
• 6th Annual Odenong Powwow – An intertribal, community-centered celebration of Indigenous/Native American culture, arts, and traditions held at Amherst Regional High School.
• Amherst Regional Public Schools @ TheDrake – A multi-part public concert series showcasing students, faculty, and community musicians.
• Mindfulness Garden Mural Project – A vibrant, abstract mural by Sharon Leshner (Sharona Color Art) enhancing the garden at Summit Academy (a part of the Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools).
• Secret Planet, Western Mass Music Series – A community-supported global music concert series presenting international artists in the Pioneer Valley.
• Silverthorne Theater Company Summer Season – Professional theater productions centering underrepresented voices and accessible pricing.
• Tunes@Noon – A free monthly lunchtime concert series providing live music to the community at Amherst Survival Center.
• Uniquely Quabbin Magazine – A regional arts and culture magazine highlighting local history, writing, photography, and visual art.

The Pelham Cultural Council is also actively seeking new members. Serving on the Council is a meaningful way to support local arts and culture, help guide funding decisions, and contribute to Pelham’s civic life. Residents interested in learning more or joining the Council are encouraged to email [email protected].

Your Pelham Cultural Council Members

Ruth Rinard
Carolyn Bassett
Tony Maroulis
Susan Daniels
Jim Lumley
Lisa Crossman
John Page

02/05/2026

See you at the Pelham Elementary School for the Pelham PTO Art and Culture Night - a fun, family-friendly evening celebrating the many cultures that make our community so special!

02/04/2026

https://gazettenet.com/2026/02/03/a-life-in-clay-and-laughter-pelham-potter-michael-cohen-89-left-a-lasting-legacy/

Michael Cohen’s friends knew him for two things: making a life in pottery and being the life of the party. “He was very funny,” said Harriet Cohen, Michael’s ex-wife. “He could crack a joke … and he was much loved by everyone because he was a good boss. He was a wonderful father.” Cohe...

01/17/2026

It's always fun to look back and see what our most popular titles were for the previous year. These were the favorites in 2025. How many have you read? Did you have a favorite? Did you read one that you wish made the list but didn't?

10/30/2025

It’s finally happened! The Pelham Library now has bus service! It’s only 3 runs a day but it’s a start. See the comments for route information.

10/24/2025

Western MA this weekend. Free concert in the small town of Pelham, MA which abuts Amherst.

10/16/2025

Be sure not to miss the October show at the Galleries at Leverett Crafts and Arts (LCA) including artists and cultural council member Ruth Rinard!

PLEIN AIR VOICES – PAINTINGS
Group Show: Sally Dillon • Maggie Hodges • Lori Lynn Hoffer • Ruth Rinard • Donna Roy • Ruth Sanderson

Six local artists will share their own interpretations of nature from the viewpoint of painting outside. Plein air paintings can both capture a moment in time and also offer a very personal vision of how a certain scene looks and feels to the artist.

Reception: Sunday, October 19, 3-5pm
Open Hours: Saturdays & Sundays, 1-5pm

10/16/2025

🪕 Willie Nelson Songs & Stories with Matt York 🎵
🗓️ Sat, Oct. 25th at 11 AM
📍 Pelham Library, MA

🎙️ Longtime New England singer/songwriter Matt York will perform songs and tell stories about the great Willie Nelson. York will focus on Willie's long and illustrious music career that has spanned over seven decades. In both 2022 and 2023, York was nominated for the Boston Music Award for Best Country Artist and in 2023, his album, Gently Used, was named one of the top albums by the Patriot Ledger. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Pelham Local Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

10/13/2025

📝 APPLY NOW! There are only a few more days to submit your arts and culture activity for local funding. This once a year cycle closes to submissions on Thursday, October 16, 2025!
https://massculturalcouncil.org/communities/local-cultural-council-program/application-process/

THE PELHAM CULTURAL COUNCIL SEEKS FUNDING PROPOSALS 🎨🎵🎭🪘

Proposals for community-oriented arts, humanities, and science programs due October 16, 2025.

The Pelham Cultural Council encourages organizations, schools, and individuals to apply for grants that support cultural activities in the community.

These grants can support a variety of artistic projects and activities in Pelham or the Amherst-Pelham public schools—Including exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies, performances, workshops, and lectures.

This year, the Pelham Cultural Council will distribute at least $5,700 in direct-funding grants. Previously funded projects and performers include:
· a summer youth theater program,
· an engineering and tinkering workshop for kids,
· support for a local ballet studio,
· And a multi-medium, multilocation community art and place-making celebration called Picturing Pelham.


Funding priorities include:
· arts programs and projects serving residents of Pelham and (K-12) students and their families in the Pelham and Amherst Regional Public School System
· projects celebrating Pelham’s history, culture, and environment
· programs featuring Pelham visual and performing artists, writers, musicians, scientists, historians, or other subject area experts
· programs which feature global perspectives

The Pelham Cultural Council is part of a network of Local Cultural Councils (LCCs) across the Commonwealth, publicly funded through the Mass Cultural Council (MCC) supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences, and humanities every year.

For questions or additional information about the Pelham Cultural Council, contact John Page at [email protected].

Applications and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program are available online at www.massculturalcouncil.org.