The Artists Index Salon Series – Jane Ferris Richardson!

by | Apr 14, 2026 | DANDELION MAGAZINE, In Focus Articles

Introducing – Art, Heart, and Soul: Cultivating Empathy!

The Southcoast Artists Index is pleased to present its next Salon Series event on May 13, featuring Jane Ferris Richardson (Dr Jane Ferris Richardson), an Artist, Practicing Art Therapist, and Professor of Art Therapy. Her talk is titled Art, Heart, and Soul: Cultivating Empathy.

This free, one-hour workshop will explore the process of reaching inward before responding to the environment through art, exploring the mechanics of self-discovery and expression.  And we will pay attention the process that enlivens our art-making.

What to Expect

The Art, Heart, and Soul: Cultivating Empathy salon focuses on how experiencing art and creating art connects us with “a channel of empathy into our own psychology”.  As an artist and art therapist, Jane’s interests are in the “languages” of images, materials, and processes that rely on “this empathic understanding between art, the world, and ourselves.  The ancient Chinese painters believed that art is “a heart print of the artist” as they interact with their environment.”

This is another must-attend session for artists wanting to explore the process of reaching inward before responding to the environment through art, exploring the mechanics of self -discovery and expression.  And we will pay attention to the process that enlivens our art-making. REGISTER and save your seat!

The Southcoast Artists Index Salon Series was conceived as a space where South Coast artists could step away from isolation and into conversation. Rather than traditional lectures, these salons emphasize dialogue, shared experience, and peer learning. They recognize that creative careers are sustained not only by inspiration, but by access to practical knowledge—often learned informally, passed along from one artist to another, or discovered through costly trial and error.

The salon has grown out of its original location at Moby Dick Brewing Company to the private event room, The Launch. The Artists Index seeks to ensure that artists are not only visible, but supported—practically, professionally, and historically. By spotlighting local expertise and fostering shared learning, the Salon Series reinforces the idea that a strong creative community is built collectively.

For emerging artists, these workshops offer a foundation for making confident production decisions early in their careers. For established practitioners, it provides an opportunity to refine processes, ask deeper questions, and stay current in a rapidly evolving field. For all attendees, it is a reminder that behind every successful reproduction is a conversation—between artist and technician, vision and method, intention and execution.

Here’s what you’ve missed…

    • How to Ship Your Art – Kevin Ribeiro, the owner-operator of several UPS Stores in the South Coast and Rhode Island. Kevin’s presentation was on best practices for safely packing, insuring, and transporting artwork locally and internationally.
    • Artists’ Materials: New, Nearly New – Zarla Ludin, the owner-operator of The Spare Studio, a creative reuse and second-hand retail art supplier, who was featured on Podcast Episode 213, presented how she collects, redistributes, and sells new, nearly new, and still-usable artists’ materials gathered from artists’ estates and other sources.
    • The Ins & Outs of Fine Art Reproduction – Bob Lecomte, CEO of Riverside Art in Somerset, Massachusetts, presented the technical and artistic considerations involved in reproducing fine art, with a focus on the real-world needs of working creatives.
    • Learn the Ins & Outs of Strategic Planning for Artists’ Legacies (before and after) – Dr. Richard Connor, Art Collector, presented artist estates, legacy planning, and why strategic auction placement can elevate value, visibility, and long-term market recognition for working artists
    • Write with Community: How Writers Connect Across the South Coast! –
    • Midori Evans, creativity coach, writer, and photographer, and Corey Nuffer, In-House Storyteller for Kevin Cradock Builders and Mill Shop, edits at Spinner Publication, and co-leads SouthCoast Almanac’s Walking Book Tours.
      • Video in production!

The Southcoast Artists Index Salon Series happens at Moby Dick Brewing Company from 6-7:30 and includes free appetizers and a cash bar. The Series is designed to inform, inspire, and connect local artists through a series of engaging workshops and conversations. The Salons offer valuable opportunities for networking, sharing experiences, and building connections across the South Coast’s creative community.

The salons are free and open to the public. Artists, photographers, illustrators, and creatives are encouraged to attend. REGISTER and save your seat!

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR MORE UPCOMING SALONS

      • The next Salon Series presentation – To Be Announced! The Salon Series schedule will be bi-monthly (every other month) during the summer months.

The Salon Series is funded in part by a grant from the New Bedford Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. 

WHILE YOU’RE HERE: Please consider donating whatever you can to ensure that our mission continues as we document the legacies of South Coast Artists.

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