Murphy Art Center, Sept. 6-8

Amid a downpour on Saturday afternoon, our post-First Friday gallery hopping took us into the dry confines of Lois Main Templeton’s studio in the Murphy Building — a windowless space set up for an interactive sort of exhibition, In a Quiet Place, including the work of veteran artist Templeton and Robert Quade. Templeton is an abstract painter; Quade is a sculptor — both are interdisciplinary artists. Templeton adorns her canvases with words; Quade lulled my infant daughter with the sounds of his flute. As a collaboration, this three-day affair (the show closed Saturday) had the feel of an open house, but one that went beyond nicety: We stayed, we played — Lois throwing an oversized piece of paper down on the floor with a box of random writing instruments for my 3-year-old daughter. She sent the resulting piece home with her. Quade’s sculptures, undulating towers in wood adorned with colorful embellishments, and Templeton’s smaller and mural-sized canvases — one with the words “Joshua Bell” lapping across its surface like waves or several bars of a Philip Glass composition — formed the quiet place, along with notebooks and books propped open, candles lit. We left with our philosophical fortunes, selecting them from small slips of paper Lois said contained thoughts that came to mind and never left. My pick: “In the name of trying to possess beauty, an incredible amount of corruption, lying and murder have been committed.” Thus the afternoon’s contemplations were laid out before me. Thank you, Lois, for a lovely visit.