Current Exhibitions

La Machina de los Sueños

 

June 16-July 31, 2026

 

La Machina de los Sueños is the second in a series of annual summer exhibitions that foregrounds and celebrates the Worcester arts community at the Cantor Art Gallery. Guest curators Vanessa Calixto and John Vo have assembled artists connected to the Worcester-based organization El Salón, a collective of BIPOC creatives working together through a "by us, for us" model. Featured artists include Sharon Amuguni, George Annan, Jennessa Burks, Vanessa Calixto, Claudio Eshun, Liza French, Ivory Henry, Kappokraft, Julian Cintron Pabon, Savonne Pickett, Angel Rojas, Ryan Smith, Gyani Pradhan Wong Ah Sui, Sharinna Travieso, Bruja the Villain, John Vo, and Hank von Hellion.

A poster for the La Machina de los Suenos show at the Cantor Art Gallery

EVENTS

 

Opening Reception | Friday, June 12 | 6-8 p.m.

Artist Talks | Thursday, July 16 | 5:30 – 7 p.m.

 

Please join us for extended hours at the Cantor Art Gallery for a chance to hear from some of your favorite local artists. Several creatives from El Salón, whose work is on display in La Machina de los Sueños, will be sharing their inspirations, motivations, and the processes that go into creating their works. 

 

Participating artists: Sharon Amuguni, George Annan, Jennessa Burks, Claudio Eshun, Liza French, Kappokraft, Angel Rojas, Ryan Smith, Sharinna Travieso

 

Free and open to the public; refreshments will be provided!

 

Artist Peer Review Session at the Gallery | Friday, July 24 | 5:30 p.m.
 

Join us as exhibiting artists from La Machina de los Sueños, as well as community artists in attendance, share and connect around their artistic practices, discuss the pieces they are working on and collect overall peer support in a roundtable format.

 

If you are an artist, you are invited to participate! Bring some works from your portfolio for feedback from your peers. Light refreshments will be provided.

 

Free entry, open to all. 

Past Exhibitions

The Vietnamese Áo Dài in a Time of War: Fashion, Citizenship, and Nationalism (1954–1975)

August 26-December 19, 2025

 

The Vietnamese Áo Dài in a Time of War explores the significance of Vietnam’s national costume—the áo dài—during the Vietnam War. Honoring the 50th anniversary of a conflict, the legacies of which continue to haunt us to this day, the exhibition highlights the contributions of Vietnamese women to politics, society, and culture. Artifacts trace the history of the áo dài as a practical item of clothing and important symbol of Vietnamese heritage and identity in Vietnam, among Vietnamese Americans, and on the global stage—thus showing how a national costume can be both traditional and modern fashion with meanings that change over time and space. Co-curated by Professors Ann Marie Leshkowich (Anthropology, College of the Holy Cross), Martina Nguyen (History, Baruch College, City University of New York), and Tuong Vu (Political Science, University of Oregon).

The Saturday Evening Post

 

(The Saturday Evening Post cover photo by Burt Glinn © SEPS licensed by Curtis Licensing Indianapolis, IN.)