Approximately 100 artists and community members came together at United South End Settlements Harriet Tubman Gallery on Friday, January 15 to honor the life and work of the late fiber artist and Piano Factory resident Theresa-India Young, to enjoy a multi-media exhibit by local artists and to support the Theresa-India Young Ethnic Weaving Scholarship at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MCAD). Guests nibbled appetizers and sweets accompanied by beer and wine and soft drinks courtesy of local businesses including Huntington Wine and Spirits, Foodie's Urban Market and Whole Foods while browsing the artwork and listening to music and presentations emceed by local art promoter and educator Jacqueline L. McRath. The Theresa Show will continue at the gallery at 566 Columbus Avenue through February 29.

Attendees included E. Barry Gaither, director of the National Center of Afro-American Artists; Susan Collings, executive director of the Art Connection; and Ann Wessmann, Chair of the Fibers Department at MCAD as well as friends and Piano Factory neighbors of India Young including McRath; Dorothea Guild ;artists David Mynott, Thom Donovan and Veronique-Anne Epiter were in attendance Artist Lloyd R. Williams donated an acrylic painting of the CITGO sign and posed with the proud winner, Maria Ward. Epiter, a vocalist and music educator as well as a visual artist, read poetry and sang a selection to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

At press time, the total raised through the silent auction stood at over $1,100 and will continue through February 29. Purchasers may also buy on the spot by paying market value plus ten per cent for each desired piece. Fifty per cent of the proceeds from The Theresa show will go directly to the scholarship fund and the other 50 per cent will go to the artists. The Theresa-India Young Ethnic Weaving Scholarship was established in 2013, and 2015 winner Sarah Peloquin has five pieces on exhibit in this year's Theresa Show.

Those who wish to support the Theresa-India Young Ethnic Weaving Scholarship may also make a tax exempt donation to the Cross Cultural Collaborative, 45 Auburn Street, Brookline, MA 02146.