Dottie’s Coffee Lounge is pleased to exhibit HeART, curated by artist and educator Laura Dickstein Thompson, featuring paintings and mixed-media pieces by Laura and her family and longtime creative collaborators—celebrating a shared legacy of artistic expression across generations. An opening celebration and wine reception will be held on October 30 from 5:00–7:00 PM, marking both the launch of the exhibition and the joyful reopening of Dottie’s under new management.

“I’m honored to be the featured artist at this beloved Pittsfield gathering place,” says Thompson. “It feels like the perfect setting to share a show rooted in creativity, connection, and community.” Raised in a family of artists, Thompson inherited her passion for artmaking from her grandfather, an Ashcan and WPA artist in New York, and her father, a writer and painter whose bold abstractions evoke the spirit of Fauvism. Her youngest son continues the lineage, creating expressive landscapes and cityscapes in oil paint. HeART weaves together the work of these family members with pieces by artists Thompson has collaborated with throughout her career, including Nick Cave, Wendy Red Star, Tsherin Sherpa, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Wes Bruce, and Linda Price Sneddon.

From 2002–2023, Thompson served as MASS MoCA’s founding Director of Education and Curator of Kidspace, where she curated more than 30 exhibitions and developed community-based public programs. “My artwork reflects a belief in the transformative power of creativity, mindfulness, and love. I begin my painting practice with meditation and yoga, and find that the act of painting itself becomes a form of meditation,” says Thompson, who now teaches at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and writes at the intersection of art and mindfulness. Her abstract expressionist paintings explore color, gesture, and emotion—revealing a deep connection between inner stillness and artistic expression. “Seeing all this work together, I’ve realized that while my paintings emerge from my inner world, they are also shaped by the visual language I’ve absorbed throughout my career—years spent in museums surrounded by the creativity of others.”

HeART invites viewers to experience the beauty of interconnection—between family, art, and the enduring human impulse to create.

Artist Bio — Laura Dickstein Thompson, Ed.D.                                                                                                   
Laura Dickstein Thompson (she/her) is an artist, educator, curator, and meditation teacher based in the Berkshires. With over 35 years in the arts, she served as MASS MoCA’s founding Director of Education and Kidspace Curator (2002–23), curating 30 exhibitions and developing community programs centered on social justice and emotional learning. She is currently the Executive Director of Berkshire Art Center and founder of Breathing Space | Dr. Laura Thompson, LLC, which integrates mindfulness into art-making, curation, and education.

A long-time meditator and yoga practitioner, Thompson leads Mindful Creativity workshops and retreats at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Her abstract expressionist paintings explore color, gesture, and emotion—reflecting her belief in creativity as a pathway to resilience, connection, and well-being.

Website: breathingspacelaura.com