The energetic Gerry Tracy has lofty artistic visions for downtown Westfield, and dreams of his Tea Pot Gallery as the epicenter of the city's cultural renaissance. Shortly after holistically recovering from complications of a hernia operation after which doctors told him he had only months to live, an epiphany led him to devote his life to the arts. After founding Westfield Arts on the Green—a three-day art, music and food festival—in 2004, Tracy purchased the building at 22 Elm St. (which formerly housed Barney's Restaurant) and spent the next three years, along with his wife, Suzy, "transforming the space into a home for artists and musicians of all ages and backgrounds."
Art covers most available wall space, and teapots of all varieties adorn the tin-ceilinged, wood-floored gallery and performance space. The Tea Pot offers wine, imported beer and microbrews, panini, salads, coffee, and over 80 varieties of tea. The place is kid-friendly, so parents can enjoy a drink while their children have a smoothie or ice cream sundae and draw on the chalk boards provided.
The gallery is committed to having live music four nights a week—open mic on Wednesdays, jazz on Thursdays, and original music Fridays and Saturdays. Tuesdays, the Teapot hosts "The Spoken Word" for, as Tracy says, "poets, storytellers, comedians, philosophers, conspiracy theorists, and people with real-life stories to let their tongues wag for the appreciative crowds."
The admission most nights is nominal or free, but there is a "Magic Tip Jar." Check out www.teapot-gallery.com for complete schedule and details.
