ORANGE — Most people in North Quabbin know Mitch Grosky as an educator, public servant, political activist and community volunteer. What they may not know is he is also a world traveler and photographer. Now through June, examples of his art can be seen at Stage on Main, 17 South Main St. in Orange in an exhibit titled “Globetrotting: Canvassing the World with Photographer Mitchell R. Grosky.”
About 30 people attended the opening of the exhibit the afternoon of March 6.
During the opening, Grosky took a few moments to speak with the Athol Daily news.
“My wife and I started traveling back on our 15th anniversary,” he said. “Before that, we had been to Montreal but we hadn’t really traveled, so we decided to take our first cruise. That was our first trip to the Caribbean.
“Then we cruised for a number of years, until we got a little bit jaded and said — as gorgeous as it was — ‘Well, is that all there is?’ So, we decided to get adventuresome and went to Alaska. And from Alaska, which we really enjoyed and felt for the first time that real sense of awe, we said, ‘Let’s try Europe.’”
Grosky said he and his wife Ann began saving cash, and they started traveling each summer.
“We probably went to about 25 countries in Europe,” he continued. “We were fascinated. We were fascinated with the history. We were fascinated with the people. We were amazed that wherever we went, people were so welcoming. If you made the effort to be kind and considerate, and especially if you made the effort to speak their language, they really seemed to appreciate it. We felt like we were being greeted with open arms.”
After several trips, the couple decided it was time to expand the amount of time spent at various destinations in order to better appreciate the lands they visited. To that end, they signed up to travel with a tour group.
“At that point, we took our trip to Africa,” said Grosky. “It was about 14 days. It is still the most amazing trip we’ve taken because it was almost like being on another planet. Everything was almost otherworldly.
“We both loved it for two reasons. One is we absolutely adore animals. Second of all, the photography was amazing — both landscape and wildlife. The people were really warm, generous, and eager to speak with us, to the extent that they could.”
Their next trip would have a spiritual impact on Grosky.
“We went next to Israel and Jordan. That was particularly emotional for me because I come from a background of being co-president of Temple Israel in Athol. Something everybody always says on the New Year is, ‘Next year in Jerusalem.’ So, I’ve always said that but it just never seemed possible, and it never seemed like it was ever going to happen.”
But happen it did.
“So, suddenly, I was there in Israel. Israel was absolutely extraordinary because we were able to divide our time between Jewish sites and Christian sites, and that was really important to me and to my wife. My wife is a Christian — we’re a mixed marriage.
“To me, it was just as amazing visiting the area where Jesus had dragged his cross when he was crucified. It was unbelievable to go on the Sea of Galilee and to imagine the stories in the Bible that happened there. So, that was sensational.
“But, finding myself at the Western Wall and to be able to write a prayer to leave in a crack in the wall was a spiritual kind of experience that I never thought I would have. When I was at the Western Wall, I also sang a song, ‘Jerusalem of Gold,’ which caused a couple of people to come over and ask if I wanted to put on the tefillin and say a prayer. I did do that, and it was extremely moving.”
Grosky said of all the locations he’s visited, it’s tough to pick a favorite.
“Tanzania and Kenya, Israel and Jordan, and China were all absolutely — the word ‘awesome’ is overused. I realized it’s overused now, but those are the kinds of experiences that give you this feeling of awe.
“They’re all my favorite for different reasons. Africa because the unusual landscape and the amazing wildlife. Israel because of the spiritual connections. And China because it was extremely foreign to me. I knew very little about it. Most of what we saw were the highlights and beauty of China.”
Grosky said a trip to Australia and New Zealand was put on hold due to COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean the couple have no travel plans. They will head north and west on their next trip for a visit to the Canadian Rockies.
More than 50 museum-quality photographic canvases are available for viewing at Stage on Main each Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Many of the canvases are offered for sale.
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com