P.A. Club Artisan Fairs

The P.A. Club in Oak Bluffs is holding a series of Vineyard Creations Fairs, the first one taking place on Sunday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fairs serve as fundraisers for the club’s many outreach activities, including their benevolent work and student scholarships. This year they gave away $26,000 to high school seniors.

The benevolent work involves helping members who become sick or to assist with burial costs or general ongoing needs.

A few months ago the Martha’s Vineyard Museum in collaboration with Featherstone Center for the Arts urged everyone to paint a portrait as part of the Island Faces Portrait Contest. Approximately 60 brave souls took up the charge and submitted paintings, drawings, and photographs. Now comes the hard part — judging the winners.

All About Eclecticism

Domingo Pagan, artist and photographer, opens his studio to the public in a show called Eclecticism: The Image Is The Message on June 30 from 2 to 6 p.m.

His traditional and digital media, a truly eclectic collection of work, include vibrant photographic landscapes and sensitive female portraits. His oil paintings are detailed reproductions of well-known impressionist works, and his watercolors are mysterious portraits, including some that employ a technique similar to inverted spectrum.

The art of Lyn Hinds is on display at the West Tisbury Library for the month of May and an opening reception will be held on Friday, May 11, at 4 p.m. at the library.

Ms. Hinds studied at the University of Connecticut and the University of Hartford Art School. Her work has been exhibited at the New Haven Paint and Clay Club Show, Works by Artists of New England and New York, the Connecticut Woman Artists, Inc.Show (Best In show Award), Dragonfly Gallery and the Hermine Merel Smith Fine Art Gallery.

The Virginia Weston Besse Gallery at Featherstone Center for the Arts is hosting an exhibit called the Martha’s Vineyard Artists of The Copley Society. The exhbit runs from July 1 through July 18, with an opening reception held on Sunday, July 1, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Participating artists are Leslie Baker, Laurene Krasny Brown, Stephanie Danforth, Mary French, Nancy Furino, Anne Grandin, Barbara Leiner, Meg Mercier, Jessica Pisano, Rosalie Shane, Jeanne Staples, Max Stern and Ovic Ward.

Night of the Heron

Last year, the Night Heron Gallery opened at 58 Main street in Vineyard Haven as a cooperative gallery. This Saturday, the gallery again opens its doors with a reception featuring two of its newest members, Sylvie Bags and L.A. Brown Photography.

In addition to newcomers, this is a chance to see all of the members work, including ceramics by Washington Ledesma, porcelain by Lisa Strachan, and prints by Nicholas Thayer. There are also numerous watercolors, jewelry, tiles, even sweaters.

The reception is from 5 to 8 p.m.

Family Planning Art Show

Save the date for the family planning art show held on Memorial Day weekend.

The event takes place at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury and includes paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry, maybe even a cow turned painter; it is the Ag Hall, after all.

The opening gala is on Thursday, May 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at the door. The sale continues all weekend long, Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Admission is free.

Alida O’Loughlin is the featured artist this month for the Vineyard Haven Library’s Art of the Stacks program.

Ms. O’Loughlin is a photographer who went public with her calling late in life; she showed her work for the first time when she was over 70 years old. Since then she has made up for lost time and in 2003 won first prize for professional photography in both the landscape and seascape categories at the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair.

Museum Opens Theatre Exhibit

Martha’s Vineyard is, of course, known for its beaches and endless summer breezes. But it is also known for its theatre; after all, the Island has been a haven for artists for, well, what do you think those whalers did for fun?

Curated Costumes

Featherstone Center for the Arts is paying homage to the Island’s rich theatre history with its current exhibit, The Art of Costume Design: Celebrating 30 Years at the Vineyard Playhouse. The exhibit is being guest-curated by Vineyard Playhouse artistic director MJ Bruder Munafo.