Myth & Magic Fills Westerly’s Historic Train Station With the Mysterious and Imagined

Myth & Magic Fills Westerly’s Historic Train Station With the Mysterious and Imagined beginning Oct. 2, as more than 100 artists transform the Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly into an exploration of legends, symbols, ancient stories and the things that exist just beyond the ordinary.

The exhibition actually opens Sept. 30 and remains on view through Nov. 1, but Friday night’s free opening reception is the public celebration, with artists gathering at the gallery from 5 to 8 p.m. alongside wine and hors d’oeuvres.

And this is a particularly large show for the cooperative.

Rather than spotlighting a handful of featured artists, Myth & Magic brings together work from the gallery’s approximately 55 juried members and nearly 50 associate members, ranging from established artists to emerging creators.

The result should make the October exhibition one of the gallery’s most eclectic of the year.

Giving Form to Things We Can’t Quite Explain

The theme is deliberately broad.

Myths have always given people ways to explain the inexplicable: creation, death, natural forces, good and evil, luck, transformation and the possibility that something exists beyond what we can see.

Magic occupies similarly flexible territory. It can mean supernatural power, folklore and ritual, but it can also describe an ordinary moment that somehow feels extraordinary.

The artists aren’t being asked to illustrate one particular mythology or legend. Instead, Myth & Magic invites them to interpret the stories, symbols and moments of wonder that have fascinated people across generations.

That opens the exhibition to everything from ancient mythology and folklore to fantasy, personal symbolism and entirely invented worlds.

And because this is a full-member exhibition, those ideas won’t be expressed through a single medium.

Visitors can expect oil and acrylic painting, watercolor, collage, sculpture, pottery, woodwork, fused glass and other forms of fine art and craft throughout the gallery.

More Than 30 Years of Artists Running Their Own Gallery

The Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly has been operating since 1992, when artists Bruce Goodsell, Sandi Gold and Ginger Mitchell founded the organization.

The model is different from that of a conventional commercial gallery.

ACGOW is a nonprofit cooperative managed and operated by its artists, with members volunteering to staff the gallery and handle the work required to mount exhibitions and keep the organization running.

Juried artists don’t simply send their work somewhere and wait for a gallery owner to sell it. They’re participants in the organization displaying it.

The cooperative presents a completely new exhibition each month, ordinarily marking the changeover with a First Friday opening reception. Works can also change during an exhibition as pieces are sold, so someone returning later in October may not encounter precisely the same show.

The mission extends beyond selling art. The organization offers workshops, classes and other educational programs while trying to create connections among artists and audiences throughout the Westerly-Pawcatuck area.

Art Inside a 1912 Railroad Station

The building adds another layer.

ACGOW occupies space inside the historic Westerly Train Station, the distinctive Spanish Renaissance-style structure built in 1912 along the railroad tracks downtown.

That makes Myth & Magic an exhibition of contemporary work displayed inside a building more than a century old.

The gallery also maintains a shop in its west wing, where visitors can browse smaller original works, prints, cards and other pieces created by member artists and artisans.

October will bring additional opportunities to make art rather than simply look at it. Gallery artist Tammy Blais is scheduled to lead palette-knife painting classes on Oct. 13 and Oct. 27, while Janet Maher will teach a five-signature long-stitch book and journal-making workshop on Oct. 19.

But Friday evening belongs to the exhibition itself.

There is no admission charge and no requirement to approach the work as an art expert. Walk through, find the pieces that pull you in, meet some of the people who made them and see how more than 100 artists answered essentially the same question in completely different ways:

What does myth or magic look like to you?

More information is available at the Event Website link below.

Details

Event: Myth & Magic
Opening Reception: Friday, Oct. 2, 2026
Reception Time: 5–8 p.m.
Exhibition Dates: Sept. 30–Nov. 1, 2026
Venue: Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly
Location: Historic Westerly Train Station
Address: 14 Railroad Avenue, Westerly, RI 02891
Admission: Free and open to the public
Artists: Approximately 55 juried members plus nearly 50 associate members
Media: Oil, acrylic, watercolor, collage, sculpture, pottery, wood, fused glass and additional fine art and craft media
Opening Reception: Meet participating artists with wine and hors d’oeuvres
Regular Gallery Hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday, 1–5 p.m.
Gallery Shop: Small original works, prints, cards and other works by member artists and artisans
Phone: 401-596-2221
Email: info@westerlyarts.com

Featured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people, location, or activities shown.