Trinity's Community Gallery and Parkside Cafe
May Gallery Exhibit
The May exhibit in Trinity’s Community Gallery features the photographs of Trinity member Drew Babineau. The photos show his keen eye for the macabre and passion for capturing the darker side of life. He loves to bring the beauty out in places and to tell stories through his photos.
The exhibit show that there is beauty in everything. Where there is darkness, there is light; the trick being to show that there can be a balance between the two.
The gallery is open Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and weekdays by appointment. Call the church office at 413-737-5311 to schedule a weekday appointment.
History of the Community Gallery and Parkside Cafe
In June 2021, Trinity Church was awarded a grant from the United Methodist Foundation of New England for the Trinity Community Gallery and Cafe. The foundation awards grants "to help fund strategic, vital, and creative ministries of organizations and faith communities of the New England Annual Conference."
Former Trinity pastor Rev. Perez, Andrea Rust and Vera Baker developed a proposal to re-purpose two under-utilized and accessible spaces to better serve the community. In the proposal, they reflected on the church's founders' vision to design a "Community Cathedral where everyone could come to learn, to grow, to be enriched, and to draw closer to God." The gallery was seen as a place for showcasing the talents of local artists, and the cafe was presented as an open space for the community and congregation to gather and build connections. Together the two spaces are designed to engage the surrounding Forest Park community through art and other programming.
Although Springfield boasts a number of cultural and educational organizations, there are few in this section of the city. Springfield residents spent far too much time in isolation during the pandemic and we see this "third space" serving as an anchor for community life. Our community needs a safe place of deep personal connections, community building, and creative sharing.
To date the Trinity Community Gallery has featured the arts of twelve Trinity members and local high school students with plans to showcase 3 community artists in the spring of 2023. Local artists are invited to inquire at gallery-cafe@trinityspringfield.org.
The cafe is currently a meeting place for fellowship hour on Sunday mornings with a vision of opening more days/hours to the public in the future. Locally roasted coffee by Monsoon Roasters in Springfield is freshly ground in the Trinity kitchen, and tea from Tea Guys in Whately MA is offered. Rev. Calhoun offered a blessing on the gallery and cafe on Sunday, December 11, 2022.
Expansion plans are contingent on congregation and community support and involvement. Anyone interested in helping the gallery and cafe to grow and serve the wider community is asked to speak with Andrea or Vera or e-mail gallery-cafe@trinityspringfield.org.
Images of the May exhibit by Drew Babineau
