Every Day Is Play: The Art of Dave Rothstein

Dave Rothstein died unexpectedly and far too young on November 11, 2025. He was beloved throughout western Massachusetts, where he lived for much of his life, but also around the world, where he was an award-winning carver of massive sculptures in snow and ice.
The exhibition title, Every Day Is Play, celebrates the spirit of humor and whimsy that animated the vast majority of his work. If a single element runs through all of his creative output, it’s a desire to amuse, share, and create joyous connection with every conceivable viewer. Even pieces lacking an overtly playful theme usually showed a childlike curiosity meant to simultaneously entertain and reveal small insights and moments that might otherwise pass unacknowledged.
This show features images from all of the diverse and wildly creative artistic media and forms Dave was known for:
miniature photography, where he juxtaposed tiny figurines or toys with everyday objects, often food, and especially donuts
massive sculptures in snow and ice during the winter, or hay during the fall
elaborate carvings of pumpkins and other produce
pen and ink drawings of animals wearing elaborate knit sweaters
patterns created by shoveling snow, usually in his own driveway, but sometimes in large fields
sidewalk chalk drawings in downtown Northampton
filtered landscapes: close-ups of frost, tilt-shift landscapes, and other off-kilter views of the world at hand