Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
Local painter Chelsea Sebastian‘s exhibit through October in the foyer at Wellesley Free Library’s main branch is all about… Wellesley.
Sebastian writes: “I hope you get a chance to see them and feel the pride and love I have for this place we call home.”
She’s made a map for those who would like “to adventure about town and see the homes and landscape that inspired my work.”
SPEAKER: Dr. Rachel Stephenson, Professor of Art Therapy at Lesley University
DATE: Oct. 15, 2025
TIME: 6:30pm (for light refreshments and conversation); 7pm, presentation starts-8:30pm
COST: Free, thanks in part due to a grant from the Wellesley Cultural Council
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.
DESCRIPTION: The Wellesley Society of Artists in partnership with the Wellesley Free Library invite you to come learn “How Creative Expression Can Benefit Older Adults.” 6:30pm for light refreshments and conversation, 7:00pm presentation.
Dr. Stephenson is a Professor of Art Therapy at Lesley University. Her practice, research and scholarship are at the intersection of aging and creativity, including her book Art Therapy and Creative Aging: Reclaiming Elderhood, Health and Wellbeing. She was co-founder and teaching artist for the Creative Approaches to Healthy Aging program, funded by two NEA ArtWorks Grants, and founded New York University’s Creative Aging Therapeutic Services. She serves on boards and advisory committees for several arts organizations.
The Wellesley Cultural Council (WCC) is now accepting applications for its Fiscal Year 2026 grant cycle, offering funding for community-based projects that inspire creativity, celebrate local culture, and expand access to the arts, humanities and
interpretive sciences. Apply now.
This year, the WCC will distribute $8,200 from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, supplemented by funds from the Town of Wellesley, to support programs that enrich the cultural life of the community. Grants can be used for a wide range of activities including performances, festivals, artist residencies, school-based arts initiatives, workshops, and historical programs.
The Council prioritizes proposals that are free or low-cost, broadly accessible, and serve diverse audiences, including youth and historically underrepresented groups.
“Wellesley’s commitment to supplementing state funds reflects how deeply our Town values the arts,” said Marc Zawel, WCC Chair. “We’re excited to support projects that bring people together and strengthen the cultural fabric of our community.”
Recent WCC-supported projects have included the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra season, Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, youth storytelling workshops, public art installations, and cultural events highlighting community history and identity.
FY26 grant applications must be submitted online by Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 11:59 PM EST. Application guidelines and forms are available on the Mass Cultural Council website. For questions, applicants may contact the WCC at culturalcouncil@wellesleyma.gov.
The Wellesley Cultural Council is part of a statewide network of 329 Local Cultural Councils that collectively fund thousands of public programs annually – the largest grassroots cultural funding system in the nation.
Wellesley’s newest completed traffic box painting comes from Elizabeth Cohen, who says “I hope to bring a bit of joy to the community with the vibrant palate of this abstract organic design.” The box is in Lower Falls at Washington Street and Glen Road, near the St. John school and church.
Cohen says the painting similar to her torn paper collages, “but many times larger.” The artist, whose work you can view at www.elizabethcohenart.com, said she enjoyed interacting with passersby as she painted.
Cohen extends special thanks to the custodian at St. John’s for the ladder during the photo shoot with Beth Shedd.
The traffic box painting program, in place since 2020 and coordinated by the town’s Public Art Committee and Police Department, has resulted in public art displays across town from Wellesley College to Linden Square to Wellesley Lower Falls.
More on the traffic box art program in this Wellesley Media video.
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I’ve had a knack this summer for spotting artists commissioned to paint traffic boxes in Wellesley: First there was Ellen Kim (and her mom) painting the box in front of the Rec Center on Washington St. This week, it was Meg Shea working on a bookshelf-themed painting in front of Hardy Elementary School on Weston Road. Books, she figured, was an appropriate theme for this box given its location.
Shea, a rising junior at Holy Cross, was prompted to apply for a coveted traffic box painting gig after painting one of the bikes during the Wellesley in Bloom promotion earlier this year.
A double major in architecture and accounting, Shea says she started the painting in mid-June and hopes to finish soon.
She still has finishing touches, such as plants and other items, to work into the painting. This is the biggest project size-wise that she has worked on. Challenges have included the weather, including both rain and extreme heat.
The traffic box painting program, in place since 2020 and coordinated by the town’s Public Art Committee and Police Department, has resulted in public art displays across town from Wellesley College to Linden Square to Wellesley Lower Falls.
More on the traffic box art program in this Wellesley Media video.
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Art Wellesley invites professional, youth and amateur artists to submit original work on 8×8 panels that will be sold for $100 apiece at the Small Art, Big Party fundraiser event on Nov. 6. Proceeds support Art Wellesley community programming.
Register online to get info on where to pick up the 8×8 panels, which are due by Sept. 26. Limit of two submittals per person.
Contact elise@artwellesley.org with any questions.
The freshest Wellesley traffic box painting, just completed this weekend, features a colorful menagerie of reptiles, such as lizards, a snake, and turtle.
Wellesley High School student Ellen Kim is the artist, and we happened by the box located on the sidewalk in front of the Warren Building (90 Washington St.) just as she was finishing the painting.
Kim had been aware of other high school students that had taken part in the town’s traffic box art program, so came up with a design on a whim and submitted it. The program, in place since 2020 and coordinated by the town’s Public Art Committee and Police Department, has resulted in public art displays across town from Wellesley College to Linden Square to Wellesley Lower Falls. Kim’s painting replaces a design that had been done by a previous Wellesley High student.
Kim says it took about 40 hours to complete the traffic box painting. The student had assistance from a friend on the stenciling, and when we first saw the painting in progress, it was Kim’s mom, Rebecca Crane, reaching the high parts of the box.
Among the inspirations for the design: The family’s crested gecko pet.
Boxes in front of the Hardy Elementary School on Weston Road and another in Lower Falls are also being repainted as part of the public art program.
The Traffic Box Art Program is funded through donations to the Wellesley Police Department.
@swellesleyreport Lizards & their reptile friends rule at newly painted electrical box in #Wellesley Hills #publicart #chameleon #turtle #snake ♬ Rattlesnake – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
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The latest from Wellesley Free Library:
The Wellesley Free Library’s Board of Trustees is seeking its next member due to an incumbent leaving town.
According to the Board: “Desirable candidates value the mission, vision and values of the WFL including intellectual freedom and equal access for all; collaboration; the expertise of a knowledgeable staff; thoughtful innovation; and creative approaches to building upon the Library’s history of excellent patron service.”
Trustees establish and update policies; develop the Library’s strategic plan; review, approve and advocate for the Library’s budget; and communicate and promote the Library’s mission, goals, and objectives to the broader Wellesley community. In addition to attending monthly Board meetings, Trustees attend Annual, Special and other Town meetings and typically spend several hours per week on Board assignments.
The candidate selected will complete a term ending in March, and would be expected to run for a three-year term in the next election cycle.
If interested, send an email with the subject line “WFL TRUSTEE” to: wfltrustees@wellesleyfreelibrary.org by June 20.
The painting exhibit in the Wellesley Free Library main branch foyer is called “My Covid 19,” with artist Rowan O’Riley depicting “19 people who were my Covid community during the lockdown.” It will be on display through the end of July.
