Summer Star
Linden Street Gallery Presents
Art Show of
“Nature – The Healing of the Soul”
By David P. Curtis
April 7, 2024 – August 10, 2024
As his wife of 35 years, I had the privilege and pleasure of watching David’s art evolve from the highly refined style of the Boston School, where layers were glazed over and over to create the final effect, to the much more impressionistic style beloved by Aldro T. Hibbard, W Lester Stevens, and Willard L. Metcalf. In 1992, after returning from a painting sojourn in England’s Yorkshire Dales, David adopted a much more rapid-fire manner of painting, aiming for the quick effect of light on his subject, expressed so eloquently by the works of the Spanish painter Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, John Singer Sargent and Anders Zorn.
David considered himself an impressionist rather than a pragmatic painter. His landscape paintings portray endless weather patterns and each season through the dexterous use of fluid paint and robust brushwork that form perceptible, often panoramic views. “You can’t paint authentic nature in the studio,” David would say. “To paint nature, you need to be out there, on location, where you can savor the aromas and ambiance of your scene and really get a sense of the atmosphere and how the changing light affects the landscape.”
He often said that his landscapes became his personality or that his personality became landscapes. “Every time I go out and paint a similar subject or a view over and over, there’s always something new about it,” he explained. Whatever the season or time of day, David found nature provided an infinite source of inspiration and healing for the soul, which he felt was all that mattered. “It’s more inspiring to paint outdoors, with nature all around me,” he said. “Nothing inspires the plein air painter more than being surrounded by the local birds, animals, and plants thriving in their natural environment. That way, even if the painting didn’t turn out quite as you hoped, you’d still have a great day! Eschew the obvious,” he told his students. “And explore the esoteric.”
I also saw David graduate from being a good and knowledgeable teacher to becoming a beloved mentor whose students admired his generosity, expertise, nurturing critiques, and unfailing enthusiasm. Frequently, a painter who teaches as much as David did finds himself remembered as an instructor, and his reputation as an educator can sometimes overshadow his artistic reputation. I hope that David’s paintings will speak for themselves as to his creative skills and that those students who loved his Saturday drop-in class at the Allyn Cox Reservation in Essex will continue his educational legacy by sharing their knowledge with other up-and-coming young painters.
Artist Bio
David Philip Curtis (1950-2021) was raised in a creative family within the historic art colonies of Gloucester and Rockport on Cape Ann. David’s ambition on leaving High School was to find his own Walden Pond and paint. He took summer courses at the Boston Museum School and Vesper George School of Art before being offered, in 1969, a place in the small, select atelier of Boston painter R. H. Ives Gammell. Here, David worked closely with Gammell, receiving personal instruction and learning from fellow students, including Robert Douglas Hunter and Richard Whitney. Curtis was an artist member of the Guild of Boston Artists and served on their Board and as Gallery Manager from 1986-1991. In addition, he was a long-time artist member and past chairman of the Arts and Exhibition Committee of the North Shore Arts Association, as well as an artist member and president of the Rockport Art Association – twice. Primarily an outdoor landscape painter, Curtis won numerous awards for his work, including Yankee Magazine’s Robb Sagendorph Memorial Award, the Edmund C. Tarbell Award, two A.T. Hibbard Memorial Awards for Landscape, two Frank Benson Awards, and two Marguerite Neuhauser Shafer Memorial Awards to name but a handful. His paintings have been collected internationally for many years. In addition, Curtis appears in Who’s Who in the East. His most recent achievements include the 2019 Charles Movalli Award and Gold Medal for Excellence in Painting. That same year, he received The Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award for his leadership and contribution to the art world. Curtis instructed outdoor oil painting classes and workshops on Cape Ann and throughout New England and Virginia for almost 30 years.
Linden Street Gallery ● 690 Linden Street ● Boylston MA
April 7 – August 10 2024
Summer Star’s Music in the Woods Presents
Parker Quartet
Sunday, April 21 2024 at 2:00pm
Art of the Fugue (excerpts) J. S. Bach
String Quartet No. 4 Grażyna Bacewicz
String Quartet No. 4 Bela Bartok
Seating is limited and concert is for people aged sixteen and older. Please only 2 persons per group
This concert has reached capacity.
Is the ivory-billed woodpecker officially extinct? Not yet, but these 21 animals are
Dinah Voyles Pulver
USA TODAY-October 2023
In a Fish and Wildlife Service story published in August, the dean of Alabama’s scientists studying freshwater mussels, Paul Johnson, said: “Every time you lose a species, it’s like burning a scientific book.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will remove 21 species from the nation’s endangered species list because they are considered extinct, but the much-debated ivory-billed woodpecker won a temporary reprieve, the agency announced Monday.
Birds, mussels, fish and a bat are among the 21 extinct species, including eight birds found only in Hawaii and eight mussels that had been found primarily in Alabama and parts of the Southeast. The list also includes the Bachman’s warbler, once found in the Southeast.
“Federal protection came too late to reverse these species’ decline, and it’s a wake-up call on the importance of conserving imperiled species before it’s too late,” Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said in a news release.
“My heart breaks over the loss of these 21 species,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These plants and animals can never be brought back. We absolutely must do everything we can to avert the loss of even more threads in our web of life.”
LOUIS AGASSIZ FUERTES/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
A study released Monday by scientists at the University of Florida showed a decline in bird biodiversity across the United States in both urban and agricultural areas as the result of people modifying and disturbing their habitats.
The change in status for the 21 species should be a reminder that the Act’s purpose is to be “a safety net” to try to prevent species from becoming extinct, the Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday. “The ultimate goal is to recover these species, so they no longer need the Act’s protection.”
Artscope Magazine By: Brian Goslow
October 25, 2023 at 10PM
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary Presents
Sue Swinand’s Art Show
“The purpose of art is to find that moment of special awareness …” ~Sue Swinand
On Saturday afternoon, we heard Susan McBriarty Swinand talk about her “Revelations” exhibition at the Linden Street Gallery at the Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary in Boylston, Massachusetts. It was exceptional to see her paintings in a special setting that accented the various sections of her work, including the shapes resembling the many layers of nature’s fallen leaves and mushrooms growing from the ground and trees just outside the gallery window; the shapes of animals made clearer by the covers of children’s books and toys on its library shelves and the search for deeper meaning inspired by the writings of Emerson and Thoreau and Summer Star founder Shalin Liu, whose vision for the facility and nature preserve clearly resonates with visitors.
“The Summer Star experience is essentially spiritual experiencing nature and being meditative. The artwork of nature reminds us that nature and we are one,” reads her welcoming on the gallery space wall.
The Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary, 690 Linden St., Boylston, Massachusetts, is open Saturday through Tuesday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; “Revelations: Paintings by Susan Swinand” remains on view through March 9, 2024. For more details, call (508) 869-3434 or visit summerstarwildlife.org.
The Linden Street Gallery at Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary presents its latest art exhibit, Revelations, by Susan Swinand.
The exhibit opens on September 16, 2023 and will be on view until March 9, 2024.
Sue Swinand tries to create shapes that seem active and alive. Nature is movement and change, but with all that energy and movement, a work of art, like nature, discovers its own order and equilibrium. What interests Sue are the invisible, vital forces and structures of nature that create form and hold it all together.
Sue received her BFA from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and studied the Philosophy and Appreciation of Art at the Barnes Foundation. She has exhibited widely in the United States, including over 40 Solo Shows on the east coast. Sue’s work is in numerous collections including the Worcester Art Museum, Fitchburg Art Museum and the Danforth Museum of Art. Sue was a longtime instructor at the Worcester Art Museum, Clark University and the greenhouses at Wellesley College. Sue has received numerous awards including Best of Show Awards at the Arts Worcester Biennial. For over 10 years Sue hosted a half hour TV program called “Arts and Ideas,” interviewing artists in the Metro West area, now available on You Tube.
The mission of the Linden Street Gallery is to instill an appreciation for the reflective and contemplative experiences of nature by engaging its visitors through gallery exhibits. The Gallery nourishes the spirit by celebrating the interdependencies between humans and the natural environment. Nestled in forty-five acres of forest, the Linden Street Gallery is located within the four-time award winning LEED Gold Trailhead House of Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary at 690 Linden Street, Boylston, Massachusetts. Among other distinguished awards, Trailhead House was awarded the U.S. Green Building Council of Massachusetts Green Building of the Year Award in 2015. The wildlife sanctuary protects wetland and woodland habitats that provide homes for all wildlife, and there is a 1.5-mile trail loop for outdoor exploration. The sanctuary honors nature through wildlife protection, art exhibitions focusing on nature, outdoor tours, educational programs, and wildlife releases in collaboration with the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. The Linden Street Gallery within the Trailhead House is open Saturday through Tuesday 11:00 am–3:00 pm. Public health and safety guidelines must be adhered to at all times. The sanctuary’s trails are open Saturday through Tuesday from dawn to 3:30 pm during the winter and from dawn to dusk the rest of the year for human guests. Limited parking is available at Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary during the hours trails are open. Admission to Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary is free.
A Milestone for Summer Star Meadow
A neighboring land, Summer Star Meadow, hosted a crew of five members of the SCA Massachusetts Conservation Corps between August 3rd and August 12th, 2021. The SCA Massachusetts Conservation Corps program members have served Massachusetts’s public lands each summer for the past 20 years, and more details about their program are found here: SCA Massachusetts Conservation Corps | The Student Conservation Association (thesca.org)
Our crew this year had the goal of creating a new trail at the nearby Summer Star Meadow. Building off an existing forest road, the crew improved that route, adding water bars to improve drainage and leveling a walking surface. The crew also built two new sections of trail, adding loops to both ends of the forest road. Near the old residence, a corridor was brushed out from the house to the future site of the parking area. This section of trail will be finished with engineered wood chips to make an accessible surface that will lead visitors from the parking area to the future gardens and the house. Leading east from the future parking lot, the crew also finished a walking trail that connects to the old forest road. At the south end of the forest road, after crossing the stream, the crew built a loop trail up the hill into the tall pine forest, then dropping back towards the stream corridor where it returns to the forest road paralleling the stream and a stone wall.
With some extra time at the end of their service, the crew was able to haul glass bottles and old farm equipment from the edge of the trails up to the house for disposal. In total, the new trail measures .65 mile and is a pleasant walk through a varied forest, featuring twists and turns, views of stone walls, the stream, and wetlands along the way. We look forward to welcoming the public to the new trail. Stay tuned for more news.
Please note that the Summer Star Meadow trails schedule has changed and will be open Saturday through Tuesday, from dawn until 3PM
SUMMER STAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
LINDEN STREET GALLERY
Presents
Nick Johnson – Transcendence
April 29, 2023 – September 5, 2023
Boylston, MA— The Linden Street Gallery at Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary presents its latest art exhibit by Nick Johnson—Transcendence.
The exhibit opens on April 29, 2023 and will be on view until September 5, 2023.
Nick Johnson has been a fine art photographer for 47 years and he works exclusively with a large format camera. He taught photography at the New England School of Photography (NESOP) for 26 years, and was the Director of the Garner Center for Photographic Exhibitions at NESOP from 1994-2008. He is also the co-owner of Gallery Seven in Maynard, Massachusetts. Nick has an extensive exhibition record including pieces in the permanent collections of the Danforth Museum, Fitchburg Art Museum, The Gallery at Penn College, and has works in many private collections. Nick’s work has been featured in Black and White magazine and reviewed in Art New England magazine. Nick creates his work in the studio using rocks and flagstones. What has motivated Nick to create this work is a belief that there are new dimensions and harmonies to be found within a formal visual language.
The mission of the Linden Street Gallery is to instill an appreciation for the reflective and contemplative experiences of nature by engaging its visitors through gallery exhibits. The Gallery nourishes the spirit by celebrating the interdependencies between humans and the natural environment. Nestled in forty-five acres of forest, the Linden Street Gallery is located within the four-time award winning LEED Gold Trailhead House of Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary at 690 Linden Street, Boylston, Massachusetts. Among other distinguished awards, Trailhead House was awarded the U.S. Green Building Council of Massachusetts Green Building of the Year Award in 2015. The wildlife sanctuary protects wetland and woodland habitats that provide homes for all wildlife, and there is a 1.5-mile trail loop for outdoor exploration. The sanctuary honors nature through wildlife protection, art exhibitions focusing on nature, outdoor tours, educational programs, and wildlife releases in collaboration with the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. The Linden Street Gallery within the Trailhead House is open Saturday through Tuesday 11:00 am–3:00 pm. Public health and safety guidelines must be adhered to at all times.
The sanctuary’s trails are open Saturday through Tuesday from dawn to 3:30 pm during the winter and from dawn to dusk the rest of the year for human guests. Limited parking is available at Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary during the hours trails are open. Admission to Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary is free.
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary®
Music in the Woods
PRESENTS
The Borromeo Quartet
Nicholas Kitchen, violin
Kristopher Tong, violin
Melissa Reardon, viola
Yeesun Kim, cello
Wednesday June 7 | 4:00 PM
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary
Tree Room at Trailhead House
690 Linden Street, Boylston MA 01505
This concert has reached capacity
Seats are limited and the concert is for people aged sixteen and older
String Quartet in F Major, Op. 7, No. 2 — Joseph Haydn
Remember — Eleanor Alberga
String Quartet No. 4 — Béla Bartók
The Chicago Tribune described the group:
“A remarkably accomplished string quartet, not simply for its high technical polish and refined tone, but more importantly for the searching musical insights it brings”
Formed in 1989 at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Borromeo Quartet is currently the ensemble in residence at the New England Conservatory and the Taos School of Music, and appears regularly at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Heifetz International Music Institute, among others.
Passionate educators, the Borromeo encourages audiences of all ages to explore and listen to both traditional and contemporary repertoire in new ways. The ensemble uses multi-media such as video projection to share the often surprising creative process behind some works. The Quartet is known both for its presentation of string quartet standard repertoire, including series of concerts at which the complete quartets of Beethoven are presented, as well as the music of 20th and 21st Century composers, Aaron Jay Kernis, Jennifer Higdon, and Osvoldo Golijov among them.
Guest Comments
Kristopher Tong violin
“ Thank you for your hospitality! What a beautiful space — and gift to your community – a place to be in nature and find solace – we loved being here. With All Best Wishes!”
Melissa Reardon viola
“ Thank you so much for having us in this very special place! What a pleasure playing here — it felt like we were playing in nature. “
Yeesun Kim cello
“ What an inspiring space for concert! Real pleasure and loved the audience as well. Thank you and look forward to returning!.”
Dear Shalin,
It was as always a most enjoyable afternoon of music within the Tree Room. The Sound of the Borromeo Quartet filling the space is an exceptional experience. Nicholas’ explanation of Bartok’s piece was most appreciated. It is a delight to just lost in the music. Thank you for hosting these events and for the invitation to attend.
Warm Regards,
Paul Paglia
I am grateful that you included me in the concert. That was a wonderful performance. The four players obviously get tremendous enjoyment from playing those great compositions. I hadn’t heard the Haydn before, and definitely plan to get to know it better. What a cheerful piece! There is nothing light and fluffy about the Bartok, but its super-charged energy makes you hang on every phrase. Great work getting that marvelous quartet to come to Summer Star. Thanks again!
Pete Westover
Shalin, I am still smiling and feeling absolutely wonderful about yesterday’s concert. Everything was perfect! It just keeps getting better and more fulfilling. The musicians were ecstatic about the room and the audience and the general vibe. And I had so many comments from the audience. Wow!
Stephanie Woolf
A mother’s letter by Beverly Kruza:
Hi Alexis,
The concert was excellent. The setting was truly unique. It was so serene as we walked up to the Tree Room from the parking. I loved seeing the unusual white flowered tree. The huge display of blue lupines was impressive in its natural setting. The mountain laurel shrubs were stunning in full bloom. The trumpet vine that was attached to a corner of the Tree Room was overflowing with colorful red blossoms. I enjoyed seeing the two rain chains and reading how they ”tinkle” in the rain. The woodland paths were lined with metal plates and covered with wood chips to keep out weeds. I was impressed with the landscaping and look forward to returning sometime in the future to walk the nature trail. It was a “restorative experience” to listen to the beautifully performed music and reflect on the natural surroundings. Our seat mates were a very nice couple. It was interesting conversing with them before and after the performance. The refreshments after the concert were a sweet ending — like a cherry on the top of an ice cream sundae!
Thank you for inviting me to join you in attending the Borromeo String Quartet Concert, it was a truly memorable occasion!
Love Mom
Dear Ms. Liu,
I cannot thank you enough for including my guest and me in the wonderful Borromeo Quartet concert.
While I have seen the Borromeo Quartet perform before, never have I heard them in such an extraordinary setting. The acoustics were wonderful and the program exceptional and the setting of the Tree Room make the performance perfect. I hope I shall have an opportunity to see another concert. In the meantime, I shall be back to walk the beautiful trails, as I have done numerous times. Many thanks again for your generosity in bringing this wonderful group to Summer Star.
Martha Grace
I type this to thank you for the invitation and for the magnificent program provided this past week.
Each presentation invites each member of the audience to enjoy what she or he hears, knowing the music will be heard differently from the last time that piece of music was heard.
Each sheet of music appears on paper. Each musician practice playing “their” parts of the music. And each such time they practice, the music sounds better – which is only the beginning of what their part of the music will be played with other musicians and then played before an audience.. I point to the enormous amount of physical movements by each musician – which always has an impact on that musicians brain and hearing ability and the hearing ability of each audience member.
So once again, we thank you very, very much for your gracious invitation.
Jerry and Madeline
Hi Shalin,
The Borromeo String Quartet was fabulous. I thoroughly enjoyed the concert from the playful sounds of Haydn to the folk-infused melodies of Bartok.
I want to let you know how much I appreciated and enjoyed the concert.
Best
Maureen Sendrowski
Dear Shalin,
Peter and I are delighted with the concert. The music was fabulous and it is such a joy to hear it played live.
The energy and exuberance of the players was so terrific. I personally love the Cello in the Haydn. The other three were also outstanding and the whole ensemble really made the music the focus. Thank you so much for the opportunity, we will see you again soon.
Sharon Smith and Peter Viles
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary®
Music in the Woods
PRESENTS
The Julius Quartet with Lila Brown, viola
The Julius Quartet
Hyun Jeong Helen Lee, violin
David Do, violin
John Batchelder, viola
Sabastian Kozub, cello
Sunday. April 23 | 2:00 PM
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary
Tree Room at Trailhead House
690 Linden Street, Boylston MA 01505
The Julius Quartet concert has reached capacity
Please check back for future events
Worcester Magazine Offers new winter walking series and chose Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary as the first winter walk
Winter Walks: Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary in Boylston (worcestermag.com)
Winter Walks: Boylston’s short and sweet Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary
Editor’s note: This is part of a series on winter walking places in and
near Worcester. Let us know your favorite walking places at
wmeditor@gatehousemedia.com.
On an unseasonably warm December afternoon, the sunlit trails at Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary in Boylston were somehow empty. The main loop, about 1.75 miles, were populated mostly by the wind in the trees, chipmunks running across the carpet of leaves, and birds up above, settling in for the winter.
The hills, valleys, and streams within the sanctuary were at one point slated to be cleared completely and developed into homes. But in 2014, as reported in the Telegram & Gazette, the Sudbury Valley Trustees,
Mass Audubon, and philanthropist Shalin Liu came together to preserve the 45 acres of forest that would become Summer Star. The main entrance is off Linden Street, with a small parking lot and a
large trailhead building that often hosts art exhibitions and small musical groups. For example, this year, multiple string quartets and classical pianist Gilles Vonsattel performed there. The Linden Street
Gallery, within the building, displayed two exhibits showcasing artists’ and photographers’ perspectives on the natural world. The Trailhead House is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays through Tuesdays, and visitors can stop in to learn about the area’s wildlife and ecosystem before experiencing it on the trails. Currently, the Linden Street Gallery is featuring an exhibit by Toronto-based painter Ming Lee, who mixes traditional Chinese poetry and art styles to capture the beauty she sees in nature. The exhibit is on view through April 10.
Facebook group admin reflects on Worcester County wildlife: The sanctuary’s website offers details about cultural and educational activities, as well as its conservation mission. Summer Star is a next-door neighbor to a number of other protected nature areas, including the Sudbury Valley Trustees’ Wrack Meadow Brook and Mile Hill Woods reservations. The area along the Boylston and Berlin town line has long been a mostly undisturbed forest. To keep it that way, Summer Star maintains not only the reservation on Linden Street but also another area of land nearby, which contains a meadow. That area can be seen from Mile Hill Road, where Summer Star has an entrance marked with a large sign.
When a Worcester Magazine reporter visited Summer Star, there was no snow on the ground, but some spots on the trail were covered up by patches of ice that had formerly been puddles. To stay safe on those patches, as well as some of the trails’ steeper hills, visitors during the colder months may want to wear shoes or boots with good traction while they wander.
Summer Star is located at 690 Linden St. in Boylston. The sanctuary’s official hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays through Tuesdays, and trails are open from dawn until dusk on those days. Summer Star is free to enter for all visitors. To learn more, visit summerstarwildlifesanctuary.com
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary Presents New Art Exhibit
“Painting For The Colorful Life” by Ms. Ming Lee
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary Presents Music in the Woods
The Balourdet Quartet
Sunday October 2, 2022 at 2PM
Summer Star, 690 Linden Street, Boylston MA 01505
To register email info@summerstarwildlife.org – Seats are limited
The Jasper String Quartet – Thursday August 18, 2022 4PM
Thursday August 18, 2022 4PM
Summer Star, 690 Linden Street, Boylston MA 01505
This event is currently at capacity
Mission
This forty-five acres of natural land is home to plants, streams, glacial boulders, and wild animals large and small. It is our mission to protect and care for wildlife habitats, trails, forests, streams, and wetlands.
The sanctuary is a place of tranquility and self-reflection. It loves rocks, trees, and birds. In that loving, we find nourishment for our spirits and our souls.
Summer Star is open to the public free of charge. Please enjoy the beauty of nature, and in return kindly pay respect to all wildlife who have been keeping this land safe and peaceful for generations. Our goal is to bring new experiences and discoveries of the wonders of local wildlife and the joyful spirit of nurturing forestland to underprivileged children, senior citizens, and to all families in the community.
The sanctuary organizes a variety of events and projects to promote public awareness of science, nature, wildlife, and the environment, and aids in animal rescue and release in collaboration with Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine. Throughout the year, the sanctuary also hosts various courses, lectures, conferences, and artistic and cultural events.
See our latest blog
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary
PRESENTS
Music in the Woods series
With Gilles Vonsattel
A “wanderer between worlds” (Lucerne Festival), “immensely talented” and “quietly powerful pianist” (New York Times)
Sunday May 22nd at 2 PM
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary
Tree Room at Trailhead House
690 Linden Street, Boylston MA 01505
Please email info@summerstarwildlife.org to register
Seats are limited and the concert is for people aged sixteen and older
Program
Heinz Holliger: Elis: Drei Nachstücke für Klavier
Claude Debussy: Images, Books I and II
Johann Sebastian Bach: Overture in the French Style BWV 831
https://dispeker.com/artists/gilles-vonsattel/
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary®
PRESENTS
THE SANCTUARY OF NATURE
BY
Rockport Art Association and Museum
On View from April 22 – September 11, 2022
During Summer Star’s regular hours
(April 22nd 2:00-4:30 PM only)
Linden Street Gallery: 690 Linden Street, Boylston MA 01505
EXHIBIT DESCRIPTION
The Sanctuary of Nature exhibition showcases the beautiful landscapes and seascapes of Cape Ann in every season. These pieces were selected to offer a brief glimpse into the past through the rich tradition of Cape Ann artists and show how they have evolved over the years. Featuring artwork from the Rockport Art Association & Museum’s Permanent Collection, as well as some pieces from its current members, the exhibit gives an impression of what the Cape Ann area looked like one hundred years ago and how it looks now. The exhibition highlights the interconnection of art and nature, and the many ways that the natural world provides a sanctuary in our lives and serves as a continual source of artistic inspiration.
A sister exhibition of The Sanctuary of Nature featuring artwork inspired by the natural world will be on view at the Rockport Art Association & Museum in the Hibbard & Maddocks Galleries from June 4 – July 3, 2022.
New Blog Post: TWO BARRED OWLS RETURNED BACK TO THE WILD
Blog Post: Quiet and Splendid Spring
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary
Presents
Wilderness Solitude
By
Zac Durant
March 6th, 2021 – September 7th, 2021
Linden Street Gallery, Linden Street, Boylston MA
Zac Durant is an outstanding and passionate wilderness photographer. He has a career in the bio-tech industry. Each year he ventures off on a week-long solo canoe wilderness trip.
He went on the seventy mile long solo canoe trip up in Northern Maine four months ago. He traveled down the West Branch of the Penobscot River. The year before that, he went on the solo canoe trip traveled down on the Allagash River in Northern Maine.
Zac’s new art show “Wilderness Solitude” will be on view on Saturday, March 6th, 2021, at Linden Street Gallery
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary at 690 Linden Street, Boylston, Massachusetts. Gallery opens Saturday to Tuesday, 11am to 3pm. The sanctuary opens year round, four days a week. The trails open four days a week, dawn to dusk. Free to the public. (www.summerstarwildlife.org / info@summerstarwildlife.org / 508-869-3434)
Dear friends,
Entering the month of December while it is near the end of the year, I celebrate holidays and count blessings of staying healthy and appreciating my friends, my wildlife family and the natural land which is providing everything for our earth. But for me not even one day goes by without thinking about the 280,000 our fellow citizens who left this world (the fact is that these lives could have been saved), and their families who had to bid farewell to their loved ones. We keep hanging on to cherished sweet memories. Nobody could ever take away these sweet memories.
The curtain of year 2020 will be drawn closed soon. I would like to put together and present Music in the Woods memory—-the only concert we had for this year—with pictures and paragraphs that were written by our own guests.
The final music note. I would like to introduce a new music piece “Over the Rainbow” recently recorded at Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport by Yo-Yo MA.
-Shalin Liu, Founder and Manager with Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary team
SEASON UPDATE:
Dear All Visitors,
As of recent, the public health department has announced that COVID cases are on the rise here in Massachusetts. Along with this, the winter season is quickly approaching. To protect our visitors & their families health and safety, we have decided to make the following decisions:
- Starting Oct. 13th the Trailhead House will be closed
- Our parking area and trails will continue to be open during regular hours (Dawn until Dusk)
We are hoping that even with these changes and current world events, the Summer Star forest and nature trails will continue to bring joy to anyone who visits.
Thank you everyone!
-Summer Star
 | A TRAIL MAP The trails are quiet With some uphill and downhill fun footpath winding through woodland, wetland, and beaver pond diverse forest scenery The nature sounds of the brooks, winds, blue bird and wildlife They will come to you when you find a nice spot for yourself |
Visitor Appreciation
Shalin,
We visited the Wildlife Sanctuary last Saturday and you graciously gave us a tour of the Trailhead House and an introduction to the marvelous paintings of Teri Malo. We are most appreciative of the time you took to share your thoughts on nature and the habitat as well as the inspiration for the building. It was all inspiring and uplifting to hear of the care being taken to protect there and the environment. We enjoyed hearing of the owl in the Healing Cage at Tufts and the rehabilitative care that is being done there.
It was all most encouraging and we are greatly in support of your efforts and goals. Thank you again for making our visit and hike a delightful experience.
Warm regards,
P. O’Brien & P. Paglia
A Poem About the Linden Tree
Shalin,
This past Tuesday my friends and I had the good fortune to be greeted by you at the Summer Star Sanctuary. During this time of so much uncertainty, being in your presence and experiencing the natural space beyond the Trailhead House was truly a balm for the soul. Our experience was enhanced by the exquisite exhibit of Teri Malo, the background story of the Centerpiece Rock, and the berm landscape on the Earth Roof.
“Come to me, friend, here you will find rest”—- this line from the Linden Tree Poem (in the Boulder Room) rings so true. Every time I visit your Sanctuary my mind finds rest from the cacophony of the world beyond your refuge.
With deep gratitude
B.
A northern saw-whet owl is recovering at the Wildlife Clinic of Cummings School of Vet Medicine at TUFTS University in North Grafton
A northern saw-whet owl was admitted to TUFTS Wildlife Clinic on October 20th 2020 after being found on a sidewalk, not flying. On examination, veterinarians determined that the owl had signs of head trauma and an injury to one eye, likely due to being hit by a car. The owl is being treated with pain medicine and a topical medication for the eye
Photo Credit: Dr. Maureen Murray. To learn more about these rare species, click here
Trailhead House of Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary Re-opens on Saturday August 1st, 2020
Dear visitors and friends,
Summer Star will partially re-open our Trailhead House —carefully following the Public Health Safety Measures— on Saturday, August 1st, starting at 11am, and will be closed at 3pm, Saturday through Tuesday.
It has been four months passed by.
We seemed never ready to recognize, to experience the sorrow, the despair, the disappointment, the pain, the loss, and the loneliness from the attack by the coronavirus—in such unthinkable way. We were expected to digest, to fight back, to protect, and to accept. We felt the emotions and we learned our lessons.
We tried our best.
Let us meet again at the Gallery and on the trails, to find back those moments of beauty, tranquility, and intimacy that nature has shared with all of us.
Shalin Liu, The Founder and Manager, and the Summer Star team
July 28, 2020
Artist Bio: Teri Malo
Teri Malo grew up around dairy farms and woodlands in Central Massachusetts. Her interest in nature reflects her childhood playing outside both in the woods and on the farms, and helping with the family’s part-time business raising chrysanthemums and lettuce. A sense of wonder and delight permeates all her responses to nature, as seen in her paintings.
Ms. Malo graduated from Emmanuel College and received her MFA from the University of Massachusetts, where her passions centered on printmaking.
Ms. Malo’s works are in a number of collections, including the DeCordova Museum, Newport Art Museum, The Blackstone Group, Ritz Carlton Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Baystate Medical Center, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Parmenter Hospice, Bryant College, Otis Elevator, and numerous private collections.
Linden Street Gallery at Summer Star Wildlife Presents:
Into The Woods
An Art Show by Teri Malo
August 1st, 2020 – January 31st, 2021
Boylston, MA— The Linden Street Gallery at Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary announces the opening of its latest art exhibit—Into the Woods, a collection of paintings by Teri Malo. The exhibit opens on August 1, 2020 and will be on view until January 31, 2021.
Teri Malo thinks of painting as discovery and summary. All of her impressions from time spent in the woods – the sounds, the scents, the air and temperature, the patterns of light, the shapes of leaves and gestures of trees are reassembled two-dimensionally to form multiple perspectives on a sense of place across time.
Ms. Malo graduated from Emmanuel College and received her MFA from the University of Massachusetts, where her passions centered on printmaking. Ms. Malo’s most recent work focuses on elemental themes from nature – water, air, granite, and forests. Using photography to record her daily walks, Malo pieces together composite views of her favorite places, capturing the essence of each location. Sometimes the result is a “view” in its entirety, while at other times the paintings are more like a pieced quilt of close-up details recomposed into a more abstract memory painting. The paintings utilize techniques borrowed from her studies in printmaking, watercolor and oil painting. Ms. Malo’s works are in a number of collections, including the DeCordova Museum, Newport Art Museum, The Blackstone Group, Ritz Carlton Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Baystate Medical Center, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Parmenter Hospice, Bryant College, Otis Elevator, and numerous private collections.
The mission of the Linden Street Gallery is to instill an appreciation for the reflective and contemplative experiences of nature by engaging its visitors through gallery exhibits. The Gallery nourishes the spirit by celebrating the interdependencies between humans and the natural environment. Nestled in forty-five acres of forest, the Linden Street Gallery is located within the LEED Gold Trailhead House of Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary at 690 Linden Street, Boylston, Massachusetts. The wildlife sanctuary protects wetland and woodland habitats that provide homes for all wildlife, and there is a 1.5-mile trail loop for outdoor exploration. The sanctuary honors nature through wildlife protection, art exhibitions focusing on nature, outdoor tours, educational programs, and wildlife releases in collaboration with the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. The Linden Street Gallery within the Trailhead House is open Saturday through Tuesday 11:00 am–3:00 pm. The sanctuary’s trails are open Saturday through Tuesday from dawn to 3:00 pm during the winter and from dawn to dusk the rest of the year for human guests. Limited parking is available at Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary during the hours trails are open. Admission to Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary is free.
A Great Horned Owl Admitted to Tufts Wildlife Clinic
Summer Star‘s 1.75 Miles Trails are Open and Available for Your Enjoyment
Photos taken by Nate Cooper
The trails will be open on Saturday, April 11th, from dawn to dusk, weekly Saturday through Tuesday.
The Trailhead House remains closed. We will still keep one staff member working inside the building.
To our visitors & friends, please follow these additional Public Health Guidelines:
- Please stay home and rest when you are sick.
- Avoid close contact with people, using elbow to cover when you sneeze or cough.
- Please wear a mask and practice 6-feet social distancing on the trail to protect everyone’s safety.
- Keep some of your books nearby, because books are always our good friends.
The health and well-being of all our visitors are of the utmost importance to us.
We can stand strong and get through this difficult time together.
— Shalin Liu, Founder and Manager, and the Summer Star Team,.
April 8, 2020
| A TRAIL MAP The trails are quiet With some uphill and downhill fun footpath winding through woodland, wetland, and beaver pond diverse forest scenery The nature sounds of the brooks, winds, blue bird and wildlife They will come to you when you find a nice spot for yourself |
A Place Like Summer Star
Wrack Meadow Brook flowing through Summer Star Forest (Photos by Dan Stimson 2020)
Letter from Cyndi – March 23, 2020
I just want you to know that I work at the Memorial Hospital, and Summer Star has been my haven over the last few weekends. I work with a vulnerable population, and I need to keep myself healthy so that I can continue to serve them and not spread disease. After a long week in a stressful environment, I have gone out to Summer Star on weekends and enjoyed the peace and nature sounds.
These last two weekends it has been especially appreciated. On Saturday I was doing yoga and deep breathing on the trail! Now the animals will be able to truly enjoy it, and that is a good thing too.
This place is truly a treasure, and I will miss it in the next weeks. Please stay safe, and I hope that perhaps some yoga or meditation sessions could be scheduled at the Trailhead House after we get through this thing, as we will all need healing.
Thank you for your wonderful grounds and facility,
Cyndi R.
Boylston, MA
Dear Cyndi,
Thank you very much for sending such a heartfelt letter.
I appreciate your letting me know how you are doing. I care so much for our visitors especially someone like you who has been giving so much under such unthinkable circumstances.
I am so grateful to learn that a place like Summer Star indeed touched individuals and comforted us with its quietness and generosity—so that we know we are not alone.
Would it be possible for me to get your permission to post this nice letter on our website?—you spoke for so many others! You are a thoughtful and brave beautiful human being and your letter touched my heart. Thank you for the encouragement you gave us. Stay strong and be well—-your letter helps us to continue to do our work.
Shalin Liu
March 25th, 2020
Red-Tailed Hawk Release
Winter – Spring Wildlife Tracking at Summer Star
3/29 Wildlife Tracking by David Brown will be scheduled to a different date. Please stay posted for updates!
The brief snow cover that easily reveals the passage of animals is gone, but the thaw has softened the earth and created mud, both of which record tracks. In addition animal droppings hidden beneath the snow are now revealed along with other ‘sign’ such as scrapes, chews, scent marks and burrows that can tell us not only that certain species were present but also what they were doing. This is ‘eco-tracking,’ relating the animal sign that is found and identified with its habitat: why was it here and what was it doing?
An indoor slide and cast presentation of about an hour will acquaint you with some of this sign. Following a lunch break, we will walk the trails of Summer Star for another hour or so looking for, identifying and interpreting wildlife sign while discussing the ecology of the Summer Star landscape.
Tracker-naturalist David Brown has been studying wildlife evidence for 30 years and is the author of two books on animal tracking as well as a set of portable identification cards.
March 29, 2020 Sunday, 11am to 1:30pm
Trailhead House, Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary
690 Linden Street, Boylston MA 01505
Phone Number: 508-869-3434
Register by emailing to info@summerstarwildlife.org
New Blog Post
Linden Street Gallery Art Show: Tom Murphy Brings Yellowstone to Summer Star
Deer Track —
The Deer are Making use of the New Boardwalk in Summer Star Forest
Credit: Dan Stimson, Sudbury Valley Trustees
Below are comments from guests who have attended events at Summer Star recently:
Lancaster Garden Club visit on Sunday, August 11, 2019
Shalin, I cannot tell you how much I appreciated our tour at Summer Star.
Mr. Brown was a walking encyclopedia of information on trees and nature, and the balance of things. Loved his style and approach. Never walked through the woods with that kind of appreciation before, but then I love a lot of information and history to understand things.
And your love and care for the center and the sanctuary shows in all that do and the way you do it.
Thank you so so much for a perfect morning. Everyone I talked to was very impressed and appreciative. Thank you again.
-Sue Billings
Music from Summer Star Forest Series on Sunday, September 15, 2019
Please pass on my Congratulations and a warm “Thank you” to Shalin Liu and Stephanie Woolf for, yet again, another great musical experience at yesterday’s concert!
This is our third concert at Summer Star. My only regret is that we have a commitment on October 27th and won’t be able to attend our fourth.
Now for a bit on music trivia. I thought I recognized the musical style from Mai Nguyen’s amazing performance of Ian Clarke’s “Zoom Tube”. Sure enough, there was a connection between Ian Clarke and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. They performed this piece together in 2009. Who knew?
Again, thank you for continuing this series and we look forward to enjoying more in the future.
Sincerely,
-G. Anderson
Boylston Garden Club visit on Sunday, September 29, 2019
Fourteen members of Boylston Garden Club visited Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary on a gorgeous day of September 29th. Dan Stimson, Assistant Director of Stewardship at SVT, was the guide leader taking the group for a whole 1.5 miles trail loop hike. We received a lovely card from Boylston Garden Club with a butterfly spreading wide its wings when opened.
Dear Shalin, Dan, and Craig,
Many thanks for a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Summer Star. Club members were thrilled to learn about the facility and enjoy the hike of the trail. Your generosity, time, and hospitality are most appreciated.
We are all very grateful. Warm regards
-Lynn Butler
Comment from Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Shalin,
It’s not often that we get to work on a roof garden! Thank you for everything. Summer Star is always a fun and rewarding place to work and you make us feel so welcome and appreciated.
–Julianne and Sandra Master Gardeners
Scenes from the New Year at Summer Star. Photo by Liam Hart
The sanctuary is a place of tranquility and self-reflection. It loves rocks, trees, and birds. In that loving, we find nourishment for our spirits and our souls.
Summer Star is open to the public free of charge. Please enjoy the beauty of nature, and in return kindly pay respect to all wildlife who have been keeping this land safe and peaceful for generations! Our goal is to bring new experiences and discoveries of the wonders of local wildlife and the joyful spirit of nurturing forestland to underprivileged children, senior citizens, and to all families in the community.
The sanctuary organizes a variety of events and projects to promote public awareness of science, nature, wildlife, and the environment, and aids in animal rescue and release in collaboration with the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Throughout the year, the sanctuary also hosts various courses, lectures, conferences, and artistic and cultural events.
Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary® 
THANK YOU for this sanctuary.
I believe his name was Dave that met us yesterday. I brought my three grandchildren to visit and we had a wonderful day. The art was fabulous, the trail was wonderful and Dave was very informative. Great place to teach my three grandchildren how important it is to preserve. They learned so much and I intend to visit again to see the roof garden as well as all the other wonderful things you are sharing with the public. Again I’m so grateful.
Thoroughly enjoyed the Julius Quartet concert on October 27. Beautiful music in a Beautiful venue. A perfect marriage and how lucky we all are to have this nearby!
Looking forward to their next concert at Summer Star.
Truly loved the Four Hands concert on May 5th. It was fantastic, so beautifully done. Looking forward to more music at Summer Star.
I am interested in going with group to c the wolves please let me know if there is room for me
Beautiful place to check out art, architecture and New England Woods!
Residents of the Briarwood Community in Worcester recently toured Summer Star and loved it! They had no idea it existed and all said they would return to explore, reflect and enjoy this gem located right down the street in Boylston.
The long, narrow 45 acre parcel that Summer Star is located on was slated for a 40 house 40b development. Not only would that have totally destroyed the ecological wonders of the 45 acre parcel, but, even worse, the long parcel intrudes into the heart of one of the last, largest undisturbed areas in this part of Massachusetts; a true wilderness area.
Summer Star not only rescued the 45 acres of wildlife habitat but also preserved the wilderness qualities of the large Wrack Meadow area. The frosting on the cake is Summer Star itself. All activities and events at Summer Star foster and strengthen an environmental ethic.
I have attended a number of events there and am in 20 minutes headed there for a tracking seminar.
Shalin Liu is one who had a vision of what needs to be done to preserve the past in order to educate the future. That tie-in to surrounding parcels is now as permanent or as permanent as a mere human can make it.