Abby Remer
- Journalist, The Martha's Vineyard Times
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Articles by Abby Remer
The 2026 Women in Film Festival
Women behind the camera star in the eighth annual Women in Film Festival 2026 at the M.V. Film Center, Oct. 16 to 18. “It was obvious that the films that were being released in the U.S. were predominantly being produced by men,” says M.V. Film Society founder and executive director Richard Paradise.
Who says we’re not reading?
If you were to judge by the strong participation in the West Tisbury Library Classics reading group, the death knell for reading would seem premature. The statistics outside our small Island are sobering, though.
Chiseling a life with hammer and stone
Regal birds perched atop stunning nine-foot, rough-hewn stone posts pepper the grounds leading to Ben Cabot’s studio. The sculptor hand-carves each of these alluring avians, which are accompanied by a life-size mother and baby seal, a sea turtle, and a bulbous mushroom, from granite or marble. While he has created other creatures, including a horseshoe crab and fish, Cabot is particularly drawn to birds.
Every penny counts: Teaching children how to save
It’s never too early to start saving, and since the 1990s, Martha’s Vineyard Bank has provided this opportunity to K–8 graders across the Island and in Falmouth. The germ of the idea for the M.V. Bank School Savings program began in 1988 with then bank employee Patti Leighton.
M.V. Living Legends
The Martha’s Vineyard Living Legends Oral History Program: Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Immigrant Elders Oral History Project is a powerful portrait of Vineyard history and community. It’s spine-tingling to hear from the students, elders, and core project team, made up of about 15 multigenerational, multicultural volunteer educators, curriculum writers, historians, artists, and oral history specialists, who make this extraordinary program purr.
The birth of ‘Godspell’ at the M.V. Film Center
Watching Nick Davis’ new film, I’m transported back to 1971, sitting in a crowded Broadway theater, mesmerized as the actors sing and dance, filling the stage with their energy in “Godspell.” But this moving and often hilarious documentary, playing at the M.V. Film Center on Oct. 9, isn’t about the New York production.
Multimedia is the message
“Celebrating Featherstone’s Board and Instructor Show,” on view through Oct. 25, is an eclectic wonder of media, styles, and subject matter. The exhibition continues this year’s festivities honoring Featherstone Center for the Arts’ 30th anniversary with art by those who have helped the organization thrive. As you look through the 78 pieces by 36 artists in the Francine Kelly Gallery, you will see every medium taught at Featherstone. The range of ceramic work reflects a diversity of approaches.
‘It’s about living’
“You are not alone. Our compassionate Island team is here to make life’s hardest transitions easier.” These are the first words that greet you when visiting the new website for Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard (HPCMV). The organization, which is 45 years old, focuses on comfort, dignity, and quality of life — managing pain and symptoms while supporting the patient and their family’s emotional, spiritual, and practical needs.
Rescue me - MV Times
“Menagerie of Marvels: Paintings by Eleanor Hubbard,” in the Community Gallery at the M.V. Museum through Jan. 17, offers art that will delight your eye and warm your heart. Entering the show, we are greeted by bright portraits of animals in appealing colors, each looking at us with an endearing countenance. From lamb to kitten, to turtle, to flying squirrel, each has a moving rescue story — a chance encounter with the right person at the right time saved their life.
‘Rivals of Amziah King’: The underworld of beekeeping
Andrew Patterson’s genre-bending movie “The Rivals of Amziah King” plays at the M.V. Film Center starting Oct. 2, and is full of great music, humor, mystery, and adventure. It can make you smile and, at times, keep you guessing about where the story will go next. Veteran actor Matthew McConaughey stars as a backwoods philosopher, Amziah, and Angelina LookingGlass is Kateri, a young indigenous woman who was once his foster child. Set in rural Oklahoma, the narrative opens with an intriguing hook.
It’s all exciting
You might be hard-pressed to find a creative endeavor Charlie Esposito hasn’t pursued, bringing his unique artistic flair to each one. Perhaps you first associate him with the Performing Arts Center (PAC), where he has worked since 2007, first as technical director and then as director. But his journey to this position has been fascinatingly circuitous. Growing up in New York, Esposito thought he’d be a cartoonist. But music was always part of his life, too.
An Island respite
Val Leone, the protagonist in Maria Anne Lenihan’s new novel, “Morning Glory Girl,” has a bit of a problem. Actually, it’s a career-threatening one, so it weighs heavily on her life. After six years on the partner track at a New York corporate law firm, Val is under a lot of pressure, sending her life into a spiral that takes her to Martha’s Vineyard to try to figure out her next step. Much like Val, Lenihan’s grandmother has a house on the Island and has spent time here every summer.
What it means to have your greatness recognized: ‘Late Fame’
“Late Fame,” by Kent Jones, playing at the M.V. Film Center on Friday, Sept. 25, is a quiet story adapted from an Arthur Schnitzler novella.
Small gems of splendor
At 90½ years old, Anne Bell Robb is going strong, painting up a storm as she’s done for most of her life. Working nearly every day, Robb creates intimate scenes with an appealing air of American primitive art. “I like [the style] because of their innocence, and in a way, my work picks up on that, because I don’t use a pencil or any guide. I go right to the paint, so things lean and tilt.” The result is immensely inviting.
Dance Film Festival 2026
The third annual Dance Film Festival by Circuit Arts is a triple hit, bringing dance to the screen, stage, and community, where you can experience the joy of movement yourself. The three-day festival runs Thursday, Sept. 24 through Saturday, Sept. 26, with programs taking place at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury and the Yard in Chilmark. Lisa Gross, programmer for the festival, notes about this year’s theme, “Every year reveals itself to me as I’m doing my programming.
A Voice from the Polish resistance
By any stretch of the imagination, Teresa Jaworska was a courageous young woman, and her daughter, longtime Vineyarder Basia Jaworska, writes her true-life tale in “Days of the Owl.” The book’s title refers to Teresa’s wartime pseudonym in the Polish resistance as a teenager fighting the Nazis in her homeland during World War II. We are dropped into the story immediately, as 15-year-old Teresa is awakened by her cousin, who says, “The Germans bombed Poland.
You be the judge!
Gear up your inner critic. It’s time again for the 29th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival. Starting on Sept. 24, join audience members in more than 500 venues worldwide to vote for the Best Film and Best Actor awards among the 10 finalists that screened simultaneously over one week. The winners will be announced at manhattanshort.com on Monday, Oct 5, at 10 am. The U.S. entry, “Small Talk,” directed by Eduardo Moral, explores loneliness and alienation in a decaying city.
They write the songs
Martha’s Vineyard has a rich music history. The Wampanoag, of course, were the first to grace the Island with musical expressions, as they do today, and there were sea chanteys during the whaling era. Singer-songwriters Carly Simon, James Taylor, and others jump to mind during the heyday of the coffeehouse era in the mid- to late-20th century. Today, there is a rich musical ecosystem of bands, solo acts, and open-mics.
Nature and art at play together
The Turpentine Gallery, nestled just a bit off State Road in West Tisbury, exudes a welcoming warmth. With large paintings displayed inside and out, and sculptures dotting the grounds, it’s an enticing blend of art and land, quintessential to the Vineyard. The beautifully hewn, exposed-wood gallery is the brainchild of artist Mitch Gordon: “I first came here from Boston in 1980 to be an artist, because I’d heard there was an island with clay cliffs.
Steering through mental illness with dark humor
The description of Ellie Brelis’ play “Driver’s Seat: Obsessive Compulsive Disaster” immediately grabs our attention. Buckle up for a twisted ride through OCD, an epic breakup, a major breakdown, coming out, and, just possibly, learning how to drive. Ellie Brelis may be afraid of crashing a car, but she has no fear of crashing out. I interviewed Brelis, who wrote and performs the one-person show, and director Leif Moore, to learn more about this intriguing endeavor.
An Italian documentary that hits close to home: ‘The Siege of Paradise’
The title of Irish director Gar O’Rourke’s thoughtful film, “The Siege of Paradise,” about the impact of tourism in Cinque Terre, could apply to our idyllic Island during the insane summer season. Screening at the M.V. Film Center on Sept. 13, the documentary will resonate with those of us who have just come through the past few months. Cinque Terre, made up of five small towns on the Italian Riviera, is renowned for its stunning vistas, leisure activities, and rich cultural heritage.
Training and serving locally
The shortage of healthcare professionals is a major concern on the Island. ACE MV offers several programs to address this pressing need, all of which underscore the organization’s central desire.
Calling all Vineyard artists
Art has always been a defining force on Martha’s Vineyard — a reflection of our landscapes, our history, and our shared community. With this in mind, the volunteer art committee at Navigator Homes — the community-based senior care campus in Edgartown that opened in February 2026 — issued a call for Vineyard artists to donate pieces that evoke memories of our Island and bring joy, ensuring the facility feels like home.
Celebrating art in community
The distinctive shingled, single-towered building in Edgartown, just yards from the harbor, carries a fascinating history and a strong commitment to the artistic community. The Old Sculpin Gallery is home to the Martha’s Vineyard Art Association (MVAA), which is 72 years old. However, the historic structure, built in 1840, originally housed a sail loft where workers sewed massive canvas sails for whaling ships.
Tales to tell - MV Times
When Cameron Welburn, Inna Volovich, and Mary Crandall return to their post-Vineyard lives, they will have plenty of tales to tell. These three young women had a glorious time interning at MVY radio this season. I connected with them during their very first week on the job and again at the end of their stay to see what they made of their experience. “It’s really cool to learn what goes on behind the scenes of what people hear,” Welburn said.
Fabulous Five - MV Times
The Granary Gallery’s current star-studded show is a splendid way to end the summer season. The works by Kib Bramhall (b. 1933), Thomas Hart Benton (1889–1975), Heather Neill (b. 1958), Tamalin Baumgarten (b. 1986), and Milton Avery (1885–1965) are stellar examples of their oeuvres. And while not every image is of the Island, the Vineyard is the predominant star.
‘Soul Patrol’ at the M.V. Film Center
You know you are in for something powerful when the first words onscreen in J.M. Harper’s “Soul Patrol” tell us that all the Super 8 footage we are about to see was shot by Vietnam veterans who carried their cameras with them during the war, while still in their teens.
Journey of resilence
Author and longtime seasonal resident Kevin Parham launches us into the harsh world of racism at the very beginning of his new novel, “Orange Line to Forest Hills.” It’s 1949, and 15-year-old Sadie Mae watches her father die by lynching by the KKK, hung for a crime he didn’t commit in Henderson, N.C. While it may be a challenging choice to start a book, it sets the stage for Sadie Mae’s journey of resilience.
Catching iconic images of the Island
Doug Allen’s new exhibition, “Salty Air & Island Days,” on view in the Feldman Family Artspace at the MV Film Center through September 6, offers a respite from the crowded Vineyard summer scene. “My favorite time of year is off-season,” says Allen about the images in his show, curated by Featherstone Center for the Arts. “I’m all about storytelling,” says Allen, who has been coming to the Vineyard for 40 years. The tale of the off-season begins in Aquinnah.
Seeing and hearing history
In her mission statement, seasonal Vineyarder Daryl Royster Alexander says, “Art sets so many tasks, and a primal one is to be heard, to challenge, and to engage. I take that fight and color to my work.” We can see this in her new pieces at the Granary Gallery. Alexander states, “Since the founding of the United States of America 250 years ago, we continue to confront some old truths about our country.
American dream: ‘Amerigo’
As we celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary, Emmy Award–winning television producer David McCourt poses a probing question to more than 1,000 everyday Americans: How do they feel about the American Dream? His film, “Amerigo: The Search for the American Dream,” screens at the M.V. Film Center on Friday, August 28, followed by a discussion with producers David and Julie McCourt, MV Times Publisher Charles Sennott, and special guests.
Translating textile to glass
Artist Jennifer Brown, who grew up on the Vineyard, recently took the leap from 2D to 3D, moving from flat, textured textile work to handblown glass. The resulting translucent and transparent pieces, with her signature blue hues, are gorgeous to the eye and luxuriant to the hand. Brown’s new artwork springs from an unusual three-way collaboration of herself, Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks (where the pieces were made), and the Field Gallery, which represents Brown’s textiles.
War and exile: ‘One in a Million’ at the M.V. Film Festival Summer Film Series
When we first hear the voice of Syrian refugee Israa in the documentary “One in a Million,” she is revisiting her homeland at 21 years old, looking at the bleak, completely bombed-out ruins of buildings in Aleppo that she left behind 10 years earlier in 2015. Israa says, “Millions of people lived here.
Language overlays in a variety of material
The title of a new exhibition at the Martha’s Vineyard Bank in Chilmark, “Evangeline J. Montgomery: Art, Diplomacy, and the Power of Print,” speaks to the remarkable multipronged career of Montgomery, who passed away last year at 95. “E.J. was a towering figure in the arts,” says Jane Carpenter-Rock, an art historian and diplomat who is now the acting director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Speak up -
Allison Roberts, features editor at The MV Times, doesn’t shy away from creating provocative art for the edgy times we live in. While she often uses miniatures that might be used with dolls or in dollhouses, there is nothing childish about her poignant artworks, which carry weighty statements. “Discomfort Isn’t a Flaw,” on view at the Schule Chapel Gallery at Featherstone Center for the Arts, August 10 through Sept.
Catching waves and making waves: ‘Jack Johnson: SURFILMUSIC’
Surfer, filmmaker, and multi-platinum singer-songwriter Jack Johnson is the subject of the appropriately titled documentary “SURFILMUSIC,” playing at the M.V. Film Center on August 16. The film opens with Johnson performing a moving rendition of his song “Better Together” in an enormous arena to an enthusiastic crowd. Even if you are new to Johnson’s music, it’s clear that we are hearing a talented, heartfelt musician.
‘The Invite’ at the M.V. Film Center
Oscar Wilde’s quote, “One should always be in love … that is the reason one should never marry,” sets the tone for “The Invite,” playing at the M.V. Film Center beginning August 6. Next, we hear a sweet melody being played on a piano by two laughing people. But if you think that Olivia Wilde’s new feature, which she also stars in, is a romance, think again. Yes, “The Invite” is about love — but love that is found, lost, crumbling, and stumbling along in a marriage that is on the rocks.
A collection of voices
The title of Rabbi Caryn Broitman’s “The Torah Is an Open Book: Radical Readings for the Seeker and the Skeptic” signals its thought-provoking nature. Stimulating us to think is, in fact, aligned with her strong message about the participatory nature of the Torah; the word comes from the Hebrew root meaning “teaching” or “instruction.” Broitman writes, “In Torah, meaning is not there to read.
Textiles and their meaning
What we wear, the clothes on our backs, are always more than mere fashion statements. You can explore this fact by traveling back in time from English colonization to the American Revolution with freelance historical interpreter and educator Norah Van Riper on Monday, August 10, in the Legacy Gardens at the M.V. Museum’s Cooke House in Edgartown. Van Riper, who will be dressed in period costume, will help visitors understand the creation of textiles at a granular level.
Celebration of Black storytelling
It’s time to celebrate once again with the justly renowned Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF), now in its 24th year of presenting important works of independent and established Black filmmakers. And quite a celebration it will be, with screenings daily from 11 am into the evening, from August 7 through 15 at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center. The blockbuster lineup includes “Soul Patrol,” a documentary about the first Black special ops team in the Vietnam War.
The reach of her brush
Renowned artist and educator Loïs Mailou Jones (1905–98) had strong, lifelong ties to her beloved Vineyard, inspiring works such as the beautiful 1940 watercolor, “Beached” Menemsha. Jones’ maternal grandmother was an early settler who owned property in Edgartown, allowing the artist to spend her summers on the Island from childhood through the end of her life.
Love of music at a cellular level: ‘Bernstein’s Wall’
Watching Leonard Bernstein conduct was beyond exciting. The renowned composer and conductor threw every cell of his body into making the music come alive. He was the embodiment of dedication to his craft. We see this and so very much more in the wonderful documentary playing at the M.V. Film Center on Monday, August 3, and Tuesday, August 4, followed by a Q and A with director Douglas Tirola. Bernstein addresses us throughout the film, narrating his life, holding nothing back.
Form, movement, and light
Beauty calls to both painter Paul Beebe and sculptor Gwen Marcus, whose works are on view at the Louisa Gould Gallery through August 31. Beebe’s oils capture the gorgeous, distinctive light in his Vineyard coastal scenes and seascapes. He first visited the Island 36 years ago, and was immediately captivated by the natural wonder around him. That experience inspired him to take up painting, first with watercolors, then in oils.
‘Conscience of the nation’: Documentary Week
As the M.V. Film Center’s website says about its powerful offerings for this year’s Doc Week film festival, “Documentary films have become the conscience of the nation, providing a deeper study of contemporary, and often unnoticed, social issues.” Running from July 27 to August 1, the series features a Q and A after each film, giving audiences additional insight into the documentary.
Ping-Pong diplomacy
The room was abuzz with players of all ages, from as young as 4 to those in their late 80s, playing vigorous rounds of table tennis on Tuesday night at the Tisbury Council on Aging. The M.V. Table Tennis Club, which gathers on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 pm, and occasionally on weekends, has been active for decades. A core group of 15 to 20 players meets year-round, with summer visitors joining in the fun during the high season.
Fortunes and comic misadventures
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” from William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” likens human life to a theatrical performance. This summer, you can enjoy that stage and its performing players in this ebullient romantic comedy presented by the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, running from July 15 through August 8. Bring an outdoor picnic to the Tisbury Amphitheater, and be entertained by people you might know.
“Power Ballad”: Always room for a love song
“Power Ballad,” playing at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center starting July 17, touches on fame, love, family, friendship, self-respect, and the price of ambition.
Nature’s stories
To stand before Adam Guy’s large Vineyard landscapes is to feel nature’s very spirit. They are not an exact representation; rather, they are an elemental response to wonder. Guy walked the Island’s woods and shorelines this spring, gathering inspiration for his current show at Stillpoint, on view through July 22: “I took a couple of weeks to simply observe and connect with what’s going to move me.
Aggressive storms approaching Normandy
Knowing the importance of D-Day will not spoil Anthony Maras’ suspenseful film “Pressure,” which centers on brainy science and the stress of leadership rather than traditional combat. Playing at the M.V. Film Center starting on July 10, “Pressure” is based on true events, and begins with a backstory. Shot from above, we look down on a potentially lethally wounded soldier lying in shallow, blood-soaked water on a beach.
Every picture tells a story
For 15 years, fabulous photographers have graced Featherstone Center for the Arts’ Photographers Salon. Works by 28 of the 61 artists who have presented during the last decade and a half shine in the Francine Kelly Gallery. The germ of the salon began in 2010 with photographer Michael Johnson, who was attending informal artistic gatherings on-Island at the time. One was run by Stephen DiRado, a notable photographer and professor.
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