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Exhibition & Special Events
September 9 – October 16, 2010 - Tommy Heinsohn: Beyond Basketball All exhibits are FREE to the public Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday noon to 8pm. Arsenal Center for the Arts is located at 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA. For more information call 617-923-0100 x309. Monday, September 27 - 5:30PM - 7PM - SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Text & conText Moderated by Ray Ciccolo, President, Village Automotive Group
Thursday, September 16 - 5:30PM - 7PM - Meet the Artist Reception According to Arsenal Center for the Arts Executive Director Sharon Glennon, "Tommy Heinsohn has so many fans in the sports world but few are aware of his accomplishments as a painter. His beautiful landscapes have graced art shows and charity auctions across the nation and, arsenalARTS has this rare opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind exhibit of his work and expose his talents to a broader audience.” Tommy Heinsohn, a scoring machine for the Boston Celtics during their eight championship seasons in the 1950s and '60s and the feisty coach of their two championship teams in the 1970s, is as comfortable around the canvas as he is the parquet floor. In fact, he's been an artist longer than he's been a hoop star. “I've been interested in painting since I was a kid," says Heinsohn. Painting actually provided a safe haven for Heinsohn while he was growing up in Jersey City, N.J. "I was the only German in an Italian-Irish neighborhood during World War II," he recalls. "I used to fight my way home from school. My mom worked so I was by myself and I started drawing just to amuse myself. It became my best friend. And it kept me out of trouble." While Heinsohn was traveling as a player, coach and broadcaster, he continued to paint. "The travel also accounted for his penchant for landscapes. "I got into doing watercolors and sketches looking out of hotel windows," he adds. After retiring in 1965, Heinsohn began his broadcasting career. He also began his formal training as an artist, taking lessons for two years from a teacher who taught at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Through the years, Heinsohn has formed friendships with other artists and, as a group they make painting excursions. "Instead of golf trips, we go on painting trips," he says. "We go to Maine, Vermont, Martha's Vineyard." In the Bay State, Cape Ann is a particularly popular spot. "I've studied with very good teachers of landscape painting on Cape Ann," he says. "Every teacher I've had has helped me, but ultimately you become your own teacher." Heinsohn does see parallels between painting and basketball. "You spend years mastering the fundamentals and gradually you get to incorporate your imagination, your willpower and desire," he says. Thanks to our event sponsors:
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Tommy Heinsohn and Leigh Montville Celtics great/TV Broadcaster and artist Tommy Heinsohn and award-winning author and Boston Globe/Sport Illustrated sports writer Leigh Montville come together for a special discussion about their crafts as they relate to sports and art. Tickets $25 pre-talk reception at 7pm and Talk at 8pm. 
