Spring at Gems!
If you’re reading this, you’re already friends with Gem.
You may have known us as Amazing Things Arts Center… or ATAC… or Discovering Hidden Gems. Same heart. Same building. Same commitment to community. Just a new name that reflects who we’ve grown into: Gems @ The Arts — Arts. Enrichment. Community.
For years, you’ve shown up for performances, youth programs, fundraisers, family events, and celebrations. This spring, we’re inviting you back in for powerful storytelling, joyful dance, and continued community building.
I would like to highlight two of our events we held this month that received incredible community feedback and were a resounding success for all involved.
There was great toe tapping and clapping as volunteers from the Heavey Quinn Academy of Irish Dance got everyone moving around the floor in time to the music while guiding and teaching Irish Ceili Dances. Seeing new faces enter our doors and making new connections made everything even more special.
The incredible storytelling of Annawon Weeden paved the way for not only an incredible experience but an amazing opportunity to be educated and reflective inspiring fantastic audience participation. My favorite part was how engaged both guest and team members were that many left to continue connecting for dinner at local establishments! Community at its best!
Get Out Your Green for Our Irish Céilí
March 21st | 6-8 PM
The Irish have played a profound role in shaping New England’s cultural landscape and we’re celebrating that legacy with music, dance, and community joy.
Join us for our Irish Céilí (pronounced Kay-Lee). The word comes from Irish Gaelic meaning “visit,” but today a Céilí is so much more; it's an evening filled with music, laughter, and dancing for all ages.
Whether you’re a seasoned step dancer or have never tried an Irish dance in your life, volunteers from the Heavey Quinn Academy of Irish Dance will guide everyone through the steps. No experience required. Just bring your energy (and your green).
It’s tradition. It's a movement. It's a community.
FIRST LIGHT FLASHBACK
Annawon Weedon | March 28th | 4–7 PM
Prepare to be transported through time as Annawon Weeden performs his acclaimed one-man show, First Light Flashback. Annawon is a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and traces his ancestry to the Pequot and Narragansett peoples, the original inhabitants of what we now call New England.
This is not a passive performance.
Annawon’s storytelling is interactive, engaging, and deeply educational. Audience members don’t just watch, they participate. Following the performance and Q&A, Annawon will lead a hands-on workshop where each guest will create a traditional corn husk figure to take home as a keepsake.
Gems @ The Arts commences our 2026 theatrical programming exactly where it should begin, by honoring the First Peoples of this region.
Storytelling. History. Culture. Participation.