Tradition vs. modernity

From "Tradition and Irreverence: Exploring the American Diaspora,'' Nathan Clark Bentley's show through Feb. 23 at ArtSpace Maynard, in Maynard, Mass. The show looks  at American culture through symbols and language. The gallery says that Bentley's work "is robust with color and purpose. The paintings show the dichotomy between tradition and modernity present in America's urban landscape and try to find the places where the two connect.''

Of course, the images recall the power, offensiveness and sometimes quirky charm of the graffiti that bedevils many cities.

Downtown Maynard. The old mill town turns out to be quite arty and there's some nice countryside in the town, about 20 miles west of Boston. Thoreau wrote about a walk he took there in 1851.