After a successful launch last year, the South End Community Health Center (SECHC) reprises its Friends and Neighbors Art Show with an opening reception this Saturday, June 14 from 5:00-7:00 PM at SECHC's main offices at 1601 Washington Street. The event will feature music by rising-star violinist Rhett Price, whose performances at T stations have become popular YouTube videos; appetizers from El Centro Mexican restaurant and Flour Bakery; and a silent auction with a portion of proceeds to benefit SECHC. The nine-artist exhibit is curated by Roslindale painter, illustrator and University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth faculty member James Alan Edwards, who is also a contributor to the show.

This year's collection brings together a wide range of themes and styles. South Ender Laurie Kaplowitz's delicate paintings explore the variations of human adornment in different cultures, while Allston-based artist Sean Flood's cityscapes are informed by his childhood trips to the construction sites where his father worked, and later his participation in graffiti crews. Fascinated by both the gritty and the graceful aspects of city streets and structures, Flood has painted on sidewalks and rooftops to capture large-scale subjects like a panoramic view of the Back Bay to smaller motifs such as the view from an apartment window. Contributor Patricia Busso's painterly life began somewhat serendipitously, when she took a photographic retreat to British Columbia and her camera broke, prompting her to turn to paint to capture her scenic inspiration. Busso's work continues to celebrate natural subjects and scenes such as flowers and forests. A member of United South End Artists (USEA) with a studio at 450 Harrison Avenue, Busso "daylights" as a math teacher. Brookline's Evelyn Berde, who has contributed extensively to the Center's permanent collection as well as to the benefit show, grew up in the long-ago melting pot of Boston's West End, and accordingly, her paintings are inspired by a multitude of international influences. Berde's paintings of female subjects are remarkable for their dark, captivating eyes. South End artist Liette Marcil, who volunteered to participate in the show through a friend who works at SECHC, is pleased to be included in the benefit. "I am familiar with the Center which does a wonderful job at providing excellent health care to its patients, so it is an honor to be part of this event and to contribute through my art in helping to raise awareness of its existence and of the diversity of care-giving programs available there," Marcil said via e-mail.

Edwards, whose wife, Monika Montrymowicz, is Vice President of Development and Marketing at SECHC, is an enthusiastic supporter of the Center. "One of my favorite contemporary subjects is the South End Community Health Center's second annual Friends and Neighbors art show," Edwards said. As curator, Edwards relishes the challenge of bringing together the contributing artists and their work and assembling it cohesively on the Center's walls. "I love to explore the intimate relationship between each of the artists' works as I move through them and the relationship between the artwork and the architectural space. Artists who have little or no knowledge of each other and each other's work come together here by virtue of their relationship with the South End and SECHC. Here I am making connections between artists and their artwork, the content and design. It's a privileged position to be in," Edwards remarked.

In addition to offering an evening of artistic appreciation, entertainment and support for affordable health care, the Friends and Neighbors Art Show is an opportunity for community-building. "We see this event as a bridge that helps brings together people in our shared community. All of our friends and neighbors come together to enjoy the amazing art throughout our building," Montrymowicz said.