Tomorrow evening, Tuesday, from 5-7 PM is my reception at the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts and you are all specially invited, esteemed, revered, celebrated and all that adjectival welcomeness.

I usually put my own shows in the newsletter chronologically among all the others but friends have complained that they didn't know about my last few shows, inadvertantly skipping over them, and so I have been ordered to post it here. I feel like this newsletter is not my own personal promotion vehicle and so it is with much sheepishness that I use this space to specially invite you all.

Each of you will get your own VIP area complete with velvet ropes to keep the overexuberant imaginary Mimes at bay. When Mimes get carried away it can be quite disconcerting, depending on your imagination. The imaginary Mimes will be passing hor d'oeuvres (flown in from Paris) and splashing about in the imaginary champagne fountain which will be filled with imaginary Cristal donated by my pretend friend P. Diddy to whom I was first imaginarily introduced by my imaginary assistant DiddyMo. Imaginary gift bags will be filled with Prada Sunglasses, Swarovsky Crystal-encrusted iphones (with the first year of usage prepaid and which incidentally, make great weapons for beating the thieving domestic help, a la Naomi Campbell), certificates for a 3 week cruise of the Greek Islands, a home karaoke machine, a years' supply of vintage turtle wax and a signed paperback copy of, "Misty of Chincoteague" by Marguerite Henry, the heartwarming tale of a pony named Misty who lived on an island in Virginia or Maryland or somewhere.

But in reality it is a potluckish sort of thing and the food and wine and sparkling water will be whatever people will bring. So it's a bring something to share kinda thing. All contributions will be greatly appreciated as the reception is entirely my fiscal responsibility and I am drained by the costs of this show as well as those those associated with producing this newsletter.

SPECIAL THANKS AND LEAPS OF JOY:
My dear pal, Maureen Scanlon, has generously donated 2 cases of white wine (no red wine or beer is allowed at the museum) and loveable photographer-at-large,  Robert Tobey has also offered to bring a few bottles of white as has Susan Bergeron-West and so we have the basis of a fabulous reception. There will be many more thanks to be made in the next newsletter as I cannot recall all the people who have offered to bring things, the list is that long and I am that scattered. No thanks will go ungiven.

Another round of thanks is in order for Stone Soup Concrete for shipping the work to the museum and Get Set Printing for making my postcards happen for me. Isn't it amazing when local businesses owned and operated by fellow local non-corporate entity kind of humans get out the help? I could not have done this without them.

My previous stance was no food and last week I said not to come hungry, not wanting to make it complicated for anyone, but so many people have offered that I am reversing my stance. Any and all food will be greatly appreciated. I am touched by the many offers of snacky delights.

We will likely be thrown out right at 7 so any non-disposable containers etc would have to be grabbed on the way out. I am not planning an after party as it rumored to rain and is a weeknight but maybe another time we can have a big newsletter party somewhere. I'd love to find a way to hold a newsletter potluckish fundraiser to help with the costs of the newsletter, maybe at the Frontier Drive-in with Saturday Night fever playing!? If I could only pull such a thing off.

Directions can be found here. My version, which you may use at your own risk (map here), is to take 91 south to exit 7. At the light at the end of the ramp go left onto State Street, and pass between the hotels. Go through the next light, across Main Street. After the parking garage take a right onto Dwight Street. Go through another light, passing the civic center on your right, and take a quickity quick curvy lefty thing onto Chestnut Street. Cross over State Street and take a right onto Edwards Street. There is a parking lot on your right on Edwards St. Street parking is also available. From the parking lot you can enter the quadrangle and the MFA is to the right. Once inside the door you will go up the stairs and to the left and follow the hall past the Dutch and Flemish Galleries. I am in the Barn Gallery, next to the French Impressionist Gallery. The tabel with beverages and such will be outside the gallery in the hall. If you see stuffed wildebeests and chimpanzees you are in the wrong museum. If you see art, you are there.

See you tomorrow?

SPECIAL NOTE: See my blog post about the current show at the Oxbow.