Current
Book Signing – Henry Horenstein – October 17, 2026
Book signing and film screening by renowned photographer Henry Horenstein, Saturday, October 17, 2026 at the HumanArtis Gallery. Noon to 5:00 pm. Special 45 minute talk at 2:00 pm followed by film preview, questions, and book signing.
Henry will speak about his career as a photographer, filmmaker, author, and educator, and photography as a way to preserve the memory of people and places too easily forgotten. His most beloved and long-time subject is Country music! Then an excerpt from his film Spoke, on the dance halls that inspired the work of his iconic monograph, Honky Tonk, and now his new book Miles and Miles of Texas. Plus Show, a rare look at the beginnings of retro burlesque.
Rick Colson says, “Henry manages the impossible – connecting a room full of diverse strangers through insights and universal truths.” (With the recent passing of Dolly Parton, hundreds of thousands of people were touched by Henry’s iconic and illuminating portrait shared by media worldwide.)
About Henry
Henry Horenstein has been a professional photographer, filmmaker, teacher, and author since the 1970s. He studied history at the University of Chicago and earned his BFA and MFA at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he studied with legends Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind.
Publications: Miles and Miles of Texas, Honky Tonk, Histories, Show, Animalia, Humans, Racing Days, Close Relations, Shoot What You Love, Speedway 1972, We Sort of People. His textbooks are Black & White Photography, Digital Photography, and Beyond Basic Photography – used by hundreds of thousands of college, university, high-school, and art-school students.
Films: Marksville, Murray, Spoke, Partners, and Blitto Underground. He is currently in production on Preacher 1996: The Lost Footage about rockabilly musician Preacher Jack.
Photography for Fine-Art Painters – A HumanArtis Workshop – November 14 and 28, 2026
What you need to know to make digital representations for use in painting portraits, landscapes or still lifes. Creating reproductions is a more complicated endeavor and our workshop will provide a practical introduction.
- REFERENCE PHOTOS – Photos as sources to paint from. Our memories are flawed and it’s just not possible for most artists to remember every detail of a scene. Source photographs are the solution, We will teach you better alternatives to 4×6 snapshots.
- REPRODUCTION PRINTS – It can take a long time to sell original paintings. Reproductions can provide an affordable but lucrative second source of income at a lower price point. We’ll show you how reproductions can actually increase the value of your originals.
- ART CAPTURE – For calls-for-entry, to submit digital flies to a gallery or potential client, or for reproduction. How do you capture your paintings affordably? Do you have to be a professional photographer? What kind of files do you need for gallery or contest entries?
For artists throughout New England who want to create:
- Source images for paintings
- Digital images for entry submissions and reproductions
- Reproduction prints
- For any visual artists wanting to improve their photography skills
Reference Images – Saturday, November 14th, 2026, From 10:00am to 4:00pm
Capture and Reproductions – Saturday, November 28th, 2026, From 10:00am to 4:00pm
Answers to these questions and more:
- What kind of camera or scanner will be best for me?
- What lenses offer the perspective I want to create in my paintings?
- How do I light my paintings for capture?
- When should I use a scanner and when a camera?
- Should I make my own inkjet prints or use a lab?
- How do I capture the brush or palette-knife-texture of oil paintings or acrylics?
- How can I get by without a lot of costly camera gear?
- How can I make prints on a budget?
- Is it better to source locally or order online?
- Film or digital, which is right for me?
Registration by October 25th 2026 with a suggested minimum donation of $100.00 per workshop
For more information please contact info@humanartis.org anytime.
Our First Call for Entry: “Humans Being Human”
Curated exhibition – portraiture and figurative work of people who are of visual, emotional or psychological interest – people being “human.” Open to photography, paintings, drawings, and other forms of 2-dimensional art.
Entry Deadline – Digital files, JPEGS: 6:00 pm, Saturday, November 7, 2026
Entry Fee: Suggested minimum donation is $10.00 per individual entry
Entries accepted for hanging must be delivered to HumanArtis Gallery by Tuesday, December 1, 2026.
Critical Dates
- Digital entries due Saturday, November 7, 2026
- Selected artists notified Saturday, November 14, 2026
- Finished art delivered to HumanArtis Gallery by Tuesday, December 1, 2026
- Grand opening Saturday, December 5, 2026
- Closing event Thursday, December 24, 2026
Exhibition December 5, 2026 through December 24, 2026. Accepted images must be received at HumanArtis Gallery by Tuesday, December 1, 2026 ready for hanging.
Sales of Entries: It is holiday season. Entries will be offered for sale at the price you specify with your approval only.
Questions: info@humanartis.org with the heading “Entry Question”
Creating Your Own Comic Book – Saturday, October 24th, continuing Saturday, November 7th – By Pioneer Valley comic book producer and artist Gary Smith
Come learn how to create comic books! Gary will walk you through the process, techniques and skills to create your own comic book pages with text and illustrations.
- How to design your comic books
- How to build a “dummy” book
- How to have your comics printed
Suitable for novices and accomplished artists alike
Mr. Smith, a 1991 Graduate of The Joe Kubert School for Cartoon and Graphic Art in New Jersey, has produced more than a dozen published comics. His illustrations appear in Valiant Comics in NYC. Canson Paper commissioned Gary for their “How to Draw Manga” line of drawing papers. Regular contributor to The Western Mass Comic Book Show in Greenfield, MA. Exhibited in Hartford, Mystic and Milford, CT., Springfield, Amherst, Pittsfield, Northampton, Westfield, Easthampton and Stockbridge, MA. Gary produces and markets his own exclusive line of comic books and enjoys painting themes of romantic imagery and landscapes.
Rick Colson says, “More and more people are loving both manga and more traditional comic books and several have asked us to produce programs dedicated to comics. It’s a hot subject with keen interest. This is your chance!”
Selected works from this workshop may be part of an early 2027 group exhibition of the work of artists who have participated in HumanArtis’s workshops.
Call To Action
Want to teach or lead a visual arts workshop? For the first time we will be able to pay select faculty. Interested? Please email me at rickcolson@humanscaleartspace.org.
Announcing a Landmark Series – Ongoing Classes: Mastering Professional Best Practices in the Visual Arts
For experienced artists who want to become mentors in any of the following subjects in their own communities! An ongoing series with SMEs to be held monthly, First Quarter 2027
Class One – Health & Safety In the Visual Arts
Class Two – Quality Reproductions and Edition Printing for Artists
Class Three – Museum and Consumer Framing and Display Best Practices, Plus Alternative Methods for Display
Class Four – Storage, Archiving and Preservation of Physical Art, Plus Digital Redundant Backup and Storage.
For more information on this unique series please contact rickcolson@humanartis.org.We would also love to hear your ideas for workshops to come… Thank you for your patience and continued support!