ABOUT THIS EXHIBITION

April 30 through August 27, 2022

Artist reception and walking tour event: Saturday, May 28, 2022, 11:00AM-3:00 PM

ArtsWorcester at The Hanover Theatre

 

This ambitious series of small oil paintings depicts with pride and love Worcester’s everyday vistas, buildings, and streetscapes. As a 300th anniversary gift to the City, the entire series goes on view during the last half of May in additional downtown venues, including the Printers Building, the Jean McDonough Arts Center, and the YWCA.

 

Thank you to The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts for two decades of partnership. This exhibition is produced with the support of the George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation and the Schwartz Charitable Foundation. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Worcester Arts Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

                   

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Tom Grady specializes in oil painting, drawing, portraits, and sculptural artworks. His award-winning pieces have been exhibited throughout New England, and he has completed large-scale outdoor murals in Worcester and Providence. Tom teaches studio art classes at Worcester State University, Assumption University, and the Worcester Art Museum. Grady holds a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and an MFA in Visual Arts from Lesley University.

 

ARTIST STATEMENT

“I have created a series of 100 oil paintings depicting the city of Worcester showing a mix of vistas, buildings, streetscapes and interiors. This body of work is a celebration of the city that I have lived in–and continue to work in–and have become incredibly attached to over the years. For me, this was a project of both familiarity and discovery, focusing on the areas I readily travel but also exploring those that were unfamiliar. 

“Several paintings in the Worcester Art Museum’s collection served as my influence: specifically, a small landscape painting by George Innes titled The Meadow and Charles Sheeler's painting, City Interior. The city itself is an inspiration; its history and architecture and how it lives in the landscape. This series communicates a sense of place in time. I am here now, and this is the beauty I see and want to share with you.”

–Tom Grady

 

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST

ArtsWorcester: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, and your connections with Worcester? 

Tom Grady: I was born in Worcester. I lived in Worcester from 2004-2014. I have been teaching at the Worcester Art Museum since 2000. I also teach at Assumption University and Worcester State University. I have been a member of ArtsWorcester since 2000. It seems in some capacity I have been in or orbiting the city for quite a while.


AW: What inspired you to create this series, and why 100 views?

TG: I was inspired by the city itself. 100 is an interesting number. I thought if I fell short of 100, I could just call the exhibit 93 Views of Worcester, or whatever number I finished at, but the postcard has already been printed, so I guess I have to get to 100 now.


AW: How do you choose the locations to paint, and can you say more about the perspectives and angles from which these locations are portrayed? Some appear to be from the perspective of a pedestrian, while others, like The Water Tower, are very different.

TG: I look for scenes of aesthetic and cultural interest. I am particularly drawn to creating paintings that celebrate the everyday, banal, mundane and overlooked.


AW: What would you describe as the aim or mission of this project?

TG: The mission of this project is to explore Worcester, creating paintings of the city, and share them with the public.


AW: Given that the City is marking its 300th anniversary this year, what do you think someone one hundred years from now would think about Worcester, looking at this series?

TG: I wish I could be there to view them 100 years from now. It makes me think about images of Worcester 100 years ago, from 1922, viewed through the filter of nostalgia, seeing the past as a simpler time. It is hard to imagine what changes will happen but I have confidence it will be for the better.

_

//// This interview was conducted by Riani Suarez, Clark University Class of 2022.

On view:

Each Saturday listed below, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

May, 7, 14, 28
June 4, 18, 25
July 2, 23
August 6, 13

On view:

Saturday, May 21, 2:00-4:00 PM and 7:00-9:00 PM

Sunday, May 22, 2:00-4:00 PM

Wednesday, May 25, 12:00-4:00 PM

Thursday, May 26, 12:00-6:00 PM

Friday, May 27, 12:00-6:00 PM

Saturday, May 28, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Sunday, May 29, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

On view:

May 12 through June 19

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

On view:

May 12 through June 19

Thursdays -  Sundays, 12:00-5:00 PM

 

Notre Dame Church

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2019, $700

Tuckerman Hall

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2019, Not For Sale

Oil Tank

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2016, $700

Gargoyles

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2019, $700

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2019, $700

Saint Gobain

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2019, $700

Asylum

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2019, $700

Veterans Inc.

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2019, $700

United Congregational

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2019, $700

WAM

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2019, $700

Saint Paul's

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2019, $700

Tom Grady, Union Station

Union Station

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2019, $700

Lake Quinsig

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700 (sold)

Old Saint V's

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Bancroft Overlook

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

PW Railroad

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Tree

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

CSX

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, Not For Sale

Brattle Stop

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Worcester Plaza

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

City Hall

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Water Tower

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Auditorium

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Whitcomb Mansion

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Indian Lake

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Green Hill Park

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700 (sold)

Happy Building

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Providence Street

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Worcester Historical Museum (Light)

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700 (sold)

Newton Hill

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Saint Spyridon

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

 

Saint Peter's 

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Worcester State University

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2020, $700

Clark University

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

View From Franklin Street

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Crompton Collective

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Printers Building

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700 (sold)

Corner Lunch

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

 

Empty Lot on Mill Street

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

The Bridge

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700 (sold)

Coes Pond

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Ladder 5

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Eye Heart

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Coney Island

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700 (sold)

Worcester Market Bull

 

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700 (sold)

Mounted Police

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

The Food Truck

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Flagg House

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Bell Pond

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Saint Mary's

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Worcester Knitting Co.

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700 (sold)

Ode to Higgins Armory

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Stegosaurus at the Ecotarium

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Life

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Higgins House (WPI)

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Guard

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Polar Park

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Gallery at ArtWorcester

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Assumption Chapel

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Bloomingdale Firehouse

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Worcester Country Club

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

American Antiquarian Society

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Federal Square

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

College Hill

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Lion in the Common

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Pool Table at Ralph's

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700 (sold)

Night Skate

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Lion of Linh Son

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Med City

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2021, $700

Moose in Greater Good

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Greendale Eagle

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Wormtown

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Alhuda Academy

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Sledding at QCC

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Windmill

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Hotel Vernon

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Vincent

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700 (sold)

Plane Watching

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Worcester Public Library

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Empty Theatre

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Mechanics Hall

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Tanks and Trailer

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Saint Joseph's

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Curtis Pond

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Blackstone River

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Cousy at the Centrum

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Porsche on Pleasant

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700 (sold)

Hydrant on Franklin

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700 (sold)

Split Rock off Lake Ave

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Empty Gas Station

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Dusk Over Union Station

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Mercantile Center

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2022, $700

Salisbury Street

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2010, Not For Sale

Night Out at Nick's

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2014, Not For Sale

Ways Open for You

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2010, Not For Sale

The Shell on Grove

oil on wood panel, 9" x 12", 2010, Not For Sale

I Used to Live There (Winter Hill)

oil on wood panel, 14" x 14", 2010, $700

View Up Belmont

oil on wood panel, 12" x 12", 2010, Not For Sale

Shrewsbury Street from Atop Via

oil on wood panel, 15" x 24", 2010, $1,500

Worcester Skyline

oil on wood panel, 18" x 24", 2014, Not For Sale