Opening Reception - Honoring Our Voices: Sharing Hope

Please join us for the opening reception of 'Honoring Our Voices: Sharing Hope' the final exhibition in our 2025 featured artist series featuring the works of artist Emily Barnett.

This exhibition celebrates the connections and strengths of our community, showcases the rich diversity of backgrounds we see daily, and highlights the shared moments of togetherness, hope, and resillience that shape our lives. The exhibition features a variety of artists and artistic mediums whose work has been influenced by people and/or experiences that left a lasting impact.

SPECIAL EVENT: Poetry Reading by Patricia Spears Jones, New York Poet Laureate
Westbury Arts is honored to host a poetry reading during this opening reception by New York Poet Laureate Patricia Spears Jones. Jones was born and raised in Arkansas, and has been a New York City resident for over 4 decades. She is a poet, playwright, educator, cultural activist, and anthologist. Her books include The Beloved Community, A Lucent Fire, Painkiller, Femme du Monde and The Weather That Kills. Jones’s poems have appeared in numerous journals including The New Yorker, the Brooklyn Rail, and Persimmon Tree.

The Museum of Modern Art commissioned Jones’s poem “Lave” for the exhibition, Jacob Lawrence: The Migrations Series. Mabou Mines commissioned and premiered two of Jones’s plays: ‘Mother’ and ‘Song for New York: What Women Do When Men Sit Knitting’.
Jones has won numerous accolades including the 2015 Barbara Deming Memorial Fund award and the 2017 Jackson Poetry Prize. She has taught at various universities including Hunter College, Barnard College, Adelphi University and Hollins University.
We are immensely proud to have Patricia Spears Jones as our guest for this unique and timely event.

Westbury Arts programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.