ECA

ArtHampton, a day of performance

Easthampton City Arts+ presents Arthampton: a day of performance throughout the City on June 8, 2013, beginning at 3 p.m. and continuing through Art Walk Easthampton from 5-8 p.m. Performances will be presented as part of a performance-walk through the streets of Easthampton and will include puppetry, theatrical and musical performances that are free and open to the public.

Performers include CactusHead Puppets, Red Line Circle and The August Company, The Expandable Brass Band, Jazz duo Sarah Manning and Bob Weiner, The Joyful Chorus, and others.

The Joyful Chorus will jumpstart ArtHampton at the Gazebo at Easthampton’s Pulaski Park where Northampton, Pleasant and Main Streets meet. The Joyful

Chorus is a group of children, teens and adults with and without disabilities. The chorus was formed two years ago at Whole Children in Hadley and has since performed almost 10 times in public. Whole Children offers programs that encourage children and adults with disabilities to step front and center -- with the spotlight shining on their skills, talents, and abilities.

CactusHead Puppets performs The Emperor's New Clothes, a rod puppet show that embarks on the tale fashionable para

ble of two visitors meeting the emperor. CactusHead Puppets include Megan and John Regan both who are graduates of the UConn Puppet Arts program. They have been performing together as CactusHead Puppets since 2010, and have performed their adaptations of many classic tales through out Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Join the sidewalk parade with the ever popular Expandable Brass Band! This raucous street band is made-up of local musicians playing music ranging from ragtime to classic pop. Loud, and full of fun, the Expandable Brass Band is dedicated to spreading joyful music to the people of Western Massachusetts and beyond.

August Company and Red Line Circle will present a traveling performance of the Mechanical scenes from a Midsummer Night's Dream, moving from location to location in downtown Easthampton. August Company and Red Line Circle are local artists who have collaborated together on a variety of performances. Their love of Shakespeare brings them together to ArtHampton this year.

Sarah Manning Bob Weiner will perform traditional and original jazz. Alto Saxophonist and composer Sarah Manning's latest CD Dandelion Clock was a top ten pick of Jazz times critic and 3rd place in readers poll for best new artist. She has performed in festivals, clubs and concert halls including Yoshi’s, Tanglewood Jazz festival, and Dizzy’s Club. She is a fearless and intense composer—her performances are known to be transcendent. Bob Weiner drummer has performed internationally and currently teaches at Amherst College.

ArtHampton performance schedules will be available throughout the City and at easthamptoncityarts.com prior to ArtHampton. All events are family friendly.

Unbuttoned with Bartone and Holmes

Easthampton City Arts+ presents UNBUTTONED, An Evening of Spoken Word on Thursday, May 9, from 7:00- 8:30 p.m. at Luthiers Co-Op, 108 Cottage St., Easthampton. The evening will feature writers David Bartone and Anne Holmes. This event is free and open to the public.

Unbuttoned will begin with six open-mic slots for five-minute long readings. Open-mic participants will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis. Interested readers will find the sign-up sheet available at 6:45 p.m. Following the open mic readings, featured readers David Bartone and Anne Holmes will read from a selection of their work.

David Bartone is the author of Spring Logic, a chap at H_NGM_N B__KS, and his work has appeared in Mountain Gazette, Colorado Review, Handsome, Denver Quarterly, Rumpus, others. He teaches at UMass Amherst. With Anne Holmes, he is the sometime maker of Grommet Press broadsides.

Anne Cecelia Holmes is the author of a chapbook, Junk Parade (dancing girl press 2012), and co-author with Lily Ladewig of the e-chapbook I Am A Natural Wonder (Blue Hour Press 2011). Her poems have appeared in jubilat, Conduit, Denver Quarterly, ILK, Jellyfish, InDigest, Phoebe, H_NGM_N, and others. She is a graduate of the MFA Program for Poets & Writers at UMass Amherst and lives in Northampton, MA.

EHS Arts Festival!

The sixth Annual Easthampton High School Arts Festival will open on May 2 from 4 - 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Highlighting the arts at Easthampton High School, the exhibition displays student work from the studio art and graphic and media arts programs. Easthampton High School teacher Eileen Claveloux spearheaded this event six years ago and presented the idea to local framer and gallery owner Jean Pierre Pasche after she received a grant for the project.

“It is really interesting to see the students bring in their art work and show them how framing the work can transform the presentation,” says Pasche of Eastmont Custom Framing.

Pasche works with students to present and exhibit their work by providing custom framing ideas and then teaching framing techniques. He says, “It brings the art into the schools and then exposes it to the community. The idea is that the whole spectrum of being artist is taught from the creation of the art in the classroom to the exhibition and even to the sale of the work,” explains Pasche.

The work will be exhibited throughout the Old Town Hall in the Elusie Gallery, ECA+ Gallery, and in the corridor of the building that connects these spaces. Easthampton High School Drama Club students and Jazz Improv members will perform during the opening in Flywheel. Food and great work make this a festive event open to students, parents, and the community.

The ECA+ and Elusie galleries and Flywheel are located in the Old Town Hall at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. ECA+ Gallery Hours are Monday- Thursday and Saturday, 12 - 6 p.m.

Cottage Street Cultural District Launch

The City of Easthampton celebrates the official launch of the Cottage Street Cultural District on Friday, May 3, at 4 p.m. at 82-85 Cottage Street at the Cottage Street Parking Lot and in front of the renovated Majestic Theater that now houses shops and studios. This event is free and open to the public.

The Massachusetts Cultural Council named Easthampton’s Cottage Street a state-designated Cultural District in March. MCC Executive Director Anita Walker will join the festivities for an official ribbon-cutting with Mayor Michael Tautznik and community members. Luthiers Co-op will provide music and the seasonal opening of the outdoor Farmers’ Market will coincide with the celebration. Among the many festivities of the launch, Christine’s Bean Sprout Cafe will sell a “Culture” yogurt smoothie and White Square Books will feature historical Easthampton maps.

A cultural district is a compact, walkable area of a community with a concentration of cultural facilities, activities, and assets. MCC’s Cultural Districts initiative grew out of an economic stimulus bill passed by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2010. It is designed to help communities attract artists and cultural enterprises, encourage business and job growth, expand tourism, preserve and reuse historic buildings, enhance property values, and foster local cultural development.

Located in the Pioneer Valley and at the base of Mount Tom, the Cottage Street Cultural District known for its “down-to-earth funkiness” has an eclectic array of quaint shops, galleries, and bustling night-life all set in the back-drop of a diverse arts scene.

Landscapes by Elizabeth Brownlow and Catherine Gibbs

Artists Catherine Gibbs and Elizabeth Brownlow exhibit landscape paintings in the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery from May 8 through May 28, 2013. An artists’ reception will be held on Saturday, May 11, from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. in conjunction with Art Walk Easthampton’s Waste Not Want Not event.

With spring here, it is the perfect time to embrace the landscape that embodies New England. Landscape painters Catherine Gibbs and Elizabeth Brownlow are inspired to capture the views of New England in rich painterly oils of luminescent colors with a foremost intention to light. Gibbs whose work has recently evolved from an impressionistic response of nature to a bolder colorful focus of industrial scenes, is influenced by the mundane obsession of the Ash Can School and the colors of artist Wolf Kahn.

She says, “As a landscape painter I am very affected by my surroundings. My work took a turn from nature to urban scenes after I started working in a factory studio building in Easthampton two years ago.” The visual impact of motion manifests itself in Gibbs’ new work-- much of her subject matter studies trains and their paths. Gibbs says, “My goal in these paintings is to transcend what could be considered mundane to beautiful. Many of the train paintings capture motion which I feel depicts hope.” Brownlow also is fascinated with the views of New England but expresses it differently than Gibbs. She returns continuously to the Connecticut River and captures the morning light on surfaces with subdued colors in oil. Her final paintings are often produced from memory or sketches creating an ethereal moment of diffused light.

Brownlow is influenced by the twentieth-century American Tonalists and their Barbizon predecessors, also capturing a poetic vision of the landscape that surround us. Brownlow is an ECA+ artist and an associate artist member of Lyme Art Association, the Connecticut Plein Air Society, and the Cape Cod Art Association. She is also associated with the High Street Painters in Brattleboro and Putney Village Artists in Putney. She has a Visual Arts Degree from Holyoke Community College and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Art History. She studies art and painting extensively and has toured museums and galleries throughout the United States and the British Isles. She paints in her studio in Eastworks.

Gibbs has exhibited at the Trailside Gallery, Hosmer Gallery at Forbes Library, and the Nash Gallery. She graduated from Westfield University and she works in her studio in One Cottage Street in Easthampton where she is also an ECA+ artist.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery hours are Monday - Thursday and Saturday, 12 - 6 p.m.

Call for Entries: Sculptural Bike Racks

Easthampton City Arts⁺ is seeking designs for permanent, artist-designed outdoor bicycle racks to be located in Easthampton, MA. Submissions are due on June 3, 2013. This call is open to all Massachusetts residents 18 years and older.

The purpose of the racks is to provide places where cyclists can secure their bicycles. The racks will also enhance the visual environment through these artistically designed elements. A total of two proposals will be selected by an ECA⁺sub-committee of local arts advocates, bicycle advocates, and other community members. Selection criteria will be aesthetics, functionality, originality, safety, and durability. One proposal for will be selected for the Cottage St. location and the Union St. location. Each winning entry will receive a $2500 honorarium.

For submission guidelines and information please visit easthamptoncityarts.com/bikerack.

Barry Freedland Exhibits at ECA+

Artist Barry Freedland exhibits his new project, Passive Engagement, in the ECA+ Gallery from April 6 to April 29 as part of REACH, a multi-city exhibition with over 30 contemporary practitioners. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, April 13, from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. as part of Art Walk Easthampton and REACH Fest Day.

Barry Freedland uses robotics and machines as an agent for examining human identity. Passive Engagement, his interactive project on view at ECA+ Gallery investigates boundaries of artistic ownership and creative process through a series of robotically generated drawings. In previous work, the artist has included his personal identity through usage of thumbprints and DNA.

Freedland will also be showing a series of sculptures at the Massachusetts Green High-Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) during REACH entitled Morphologic Footpaths. This series utilizes signifiers of personal identity such as footprints. Barry Freedland explores the morphologic structure of sculpture, drawing, and performance through the use of new technologies. His investigations include components of microcontrollers, prosthetics, genetics, and biometrics impact on aesthetics, consumption and engagement. Freedland is represented by Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York. He has exhibited and lectured on his work nationally and internationally. Critical review of his work can be found in Art News, Metal Floss, New York Times, Asian Art News, Time Out, World Sculpture News and many others.

REACH is a contemporary arts festival with over thirty artists in a diverse roster of exhibitions and performances located in nine venues in Easthampton and Holyoke, MA, happening in April and May 2013. Artists and performers invited by REACH curators include a dynamic selection of contributors who will be exhibiting installations, video, sculptures, sounds, and performances throughout REACH.

REACH venues in Easthampton include Apollo Grill, ECA+ Gallery, Eastworks, Nash Gallery, and Popcorn Noir.

REACH is supported in part by a grant from the Easthampton Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency and by the Apollo Grill in Easthampton.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery Hours are Monday - Thursday and Saturday, 12 - 6 p.m.

War/Peace with Seth Lepore

Pioneer Valley artist Seth Lepore will bring his unique brand of artistry home during REACH, a multicity contemporary art exhibition. Currently touring a trilogy of one-man shows on the underbelly of the self-help movement, his performative installation “War/Peace” will be open in Eastworks in Easthampton from April 11 – 20. This event is free and open to the public. Interested participants can sign-up here.

Lepore describes “War/Peace” as a “week-long interactive community dialogue and installation’ whose goal is to create ‘a healing chamber’ that community members can utilize to cultivate a better understanding of war and peace.”

During “War/Peace” he will interview community members for half hour segments about their thoughts, feelings, ideologies and belief systems around the terms war and peace through a series of open-ended questions. Participants will also have the chance to create visual interpretations on the topic for display in an installation in the space. The whole process culminates in a 75-90 minute participatory performance where Lepore will translate the information gathered over the course of the week.

“When Ben Hersey and I developed this piece initially we wanted to tackle a topic that could not be easily solved. As I've continued to take this piece on the road solo I'm finding that the rhetoric around these ideas is immense,” he adds.

Lepore creates one-man shows mixing humor, earnest sincerity, and mischievous irony. He is currently touring a trilogy of one-man shows on the underbelly of the self-help movement. The first installment Losing My Religion: Confessions of a New Age Refugee won an Encore Award at the Boulder and Minnesota Fringe Festivals and was named one of the top ten plays of 2011 by the Twin Cities Daily Planet. Residencies of “War/Peace” have taken place all over the country, from a gallery in Northampton, MA to Washington State University in Pullman, WA.

War/Peace will be located at Eastworks at 116 Pleasant Street and will be open to the public on April 11-13 from 3-7 p.m. and the following week on April 18-20 from 3-7 p.m. There will also be a performative workshop on April 13 at 6 p.m. A video documenting the Northampton residency of “War/Peace” is available here.

“War/Peace” is funded in-part by a grant by the Easthampton Cultural Council a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

The State designates Easthampton's Cottage Street Cultural District!

The Massachusetts Cultural Council has named Easthampton’s Cottage Street a state-designated Cultural District in Massachusetts. MCC’s Board voted unanimously today to approve the state-sponsored Cultural District during its March meeting at City Stage in Springfield, Massachusetts.

“This designation means a great deal for the community and our downtown business district,” says Mayor Michael Tautznik of Easthampton, “I am very pleased that our efforts to promote the cultural assets located here in Easthampton have been rewarded and certain that this designation will lead to new investments and opportunities along Cottage Street and throughout the downtown business district.”

A cultural district is a compact, walkable area of a community with a concentration of cultural facilities, activities, and assets. MCC’s Cultural Districts Initiative grew out of an economic stimulus bill passed by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2010. It is designed to help communities attract artists and cultural enterprises, encourage business and job growth, expand tourism, preserve and reuse historic buildings, enhance property values, and foster local cultural development.

The initiative builds upon one of the great strengths of Massachusetts: the distinctiveness and authenticity of its communities. Cultural Districts will help cities and towns identify, support, and promote their unique identity and sense of place.

Owner of White Square Fine Books and Art, a book store, gallery, and event space located in the heart of the Cottage Street Cultural District says, “I’m proud of what Easthampton has meant to the generations who supported their families through steady work in the mills and through farming. They are the bedrock on which our community is built, and we are obligated to carry their work forward. The Cultural District designation will help shape the many efforts being made by so many people to invigorate the city and build on its strengths, and it will focus our efforts to build vibrant social / learning spaces and highlight talent. Plus, it says “Hey, someone really believes in us!”

Located in the Pioneer Valley and at the base of Mount Tom, the Cottage Street Cultural District known for its “down-to-earth funkiness” has an eclectic array of quaint shops, galleries, and bustling night-life all set the back-drop of a diverse arts scene. You can enjoy a Sunday brunch and a movie with views of the Nashawannuck pond at Popcorn Noir, a cinema and restaurant that serves up more than movies and cocktails including theater and live music. Bibliophiles and collectors head to White Square Books and Fine Art replete with carefully selected first editions and reasonably priced books. Just steps away is New England Felting Supply, the only retail store that caters specifically to felt makers with a year-round educational program. The store occupies a 1920's vaudeville theater where, now hundreds of colorful wools are stacked from the floor to the balcony. Luthier’s Co-op may be one of the few venues that serves-up live bluegrass, local beers and a wide-array of guitar strings and vintage instruments. Experience the dynamic monthly Art Walk Easthampton on every Second Saturday where Easthampton boasts a vibrant array of exhibitions, performers, and musicians. Visit Open studios twice a year hosted by over 60 working artists in Cottage Street Studios who are located at the hub of the city in a renovated mill building. Events that happen throughout the year including Art Walk and the Nash Gallery’s Plein Air Paint Out make Easthampton’s Cottage Street District a premiere artistic destination. No outing in the Cottage Street District is complete without a tasty scoop from the ever-popular Mt. Tom's Homemade Ice Cream and Candy store.

See more Cottage Street destinations.

Supporters from each of the newly designated Cultural Districts successfully petitioned their local governments to endorse their plans, and then worked with MCC and local partners to define the objectives and geographical contours of their district. Many local businesses and civic groups, community leaders, artists, and Easthampton citizens contributed to this city-wide effort.

cultural district facebook page

REACH, arts fest in Easthampton

ECA+ is proud to be a sponsoring venue for REACH, a contemporary arts festival with over thirty artists in a diverse roster of exhibitions and performances located in nine venues in Easthampton and Holyoke, MA in April and May 2013.

REACH, an Easthampton Cultural Council grant funded project, began with the idea of connecting local and nationally known non-traditional artists in multiple locations throughout the Pioneer Valley. REACH organizers decided to focus on Easthampton and Holyoke for this year’s inaugural festival, with room for expansion in the future. Artists and performers invited by REACH curators include a dynamic selection of contributors who will be exhibiting installations, video, sculptures, sounds, and performances throughout REACH.

Participants include North Adams artist Kimberly Faler, whose work was recently seen in the MASS MoCA exhibition Invisible Cities; Washington state artist John Feoderov, featured on PBS series “Art21”; internationally known Boston performance artist and Mobius founder Marilyn Arsem; MCC grant award winner Chris Nelson of Holyoke; Barry Freedland, who uses robotics and machines as an agent for examining human identity, will be exhibiting at the ECA+ Gallery. A full list of artists can be found on the REACH website.

By bringing together REACH, organizers hope to accomplish a number of outcomes including: bringing focus to what is happening in the two cities, recognizing that Easthampton and Holyoke are destinations for contemporary art; introducing artists creating non-traditional work and instilling future collaborations between participants; bringing unseen works to the community in the Pioneer Valley; and utilizing a variety of spaces in the two host cities.

REACH exhibitions will open on April 6, 2013. A series of events are scheduled for REACH Fest Day, taking place on April 13. There will be performances in both cities by contemporary movement and sound artists, including internationally known Boston performance artist and Mobius founder Marilyn Arsem; an ECC grant funded recipient, Seth Lepore at Eastworks; the One-Minute Vidfest, a film festival at Popcorn Noir in Easthampton (9-11p.m.) featuring one-minute short films submitted by over 80 artists from Portlad, OR to Serbia; and all exhibitions and performances will be open for visitation on REACH Fest Day from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m in Holyoke and in Easthampton from 4 - 9 p.m. in conjunction with the monthly Art Walk Easthampton.

Find out more at REACHfest.com.

Image: REACH logo/Sara June

Songbirds of the Northeast

The Easthampton Garden Club and Emily’s Friends of the Library present "Songbirds of the Northeast" with John Root on Wednesday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Emily Williston Memorial Library.

Enjoy a multimedia presentation of the region’s most common songbirds. Learn to recognize these enchanting birds and find out about their life cycles, migration and other information such as how to provide an attractive habitat for songbirds.

This presentation is free and open to the public.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Easthampton Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Image: “Cardinal” ©Sentrawoods, Made available by CC License

Press Ready 101 with Sarah Platanitis

Easthampton City Arts+ offers Press Ready 101 workshop with media readiness consultant Sarah Platanitis on May 21, 2013, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. This event will be at Flywheel, located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA.

What: Press Ready Workshop 101
Where: Flywheel, 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA 01027
Who: Sarah Platanitis
When: May 21, 2013, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Fee: $25 ECA+ Members, $35 Non-Members

If you want to figure out how journalists think, get tips to tune-up your PR skills, and learn how to write a better press release then join ECA+ and media readiness consultant Sarah Platanitis for Press Ready 101! In this workshop, you will be coached by a seasoned journalist and award-winning journalism teacher to gain a better understanding of how journalists work. You’ll also learn how to prepare essential items for working with the press based on your field and feel more comfortable with future press opportunities by knowing:

The difference between a media kit and press kit and why you need both;
Making social media work for you;
The importance of a press release and the secrets to writing one that gets results;
Why you must research the media before you start a conversation with them;
The do’s and don't's of what to do when the media is interested in YOU;
The different types of interviews and how to navigate them without sinking your ship;
How to follow up and make the very best impression.

In ninety minutes, you’ll receive such valuable information that you’ll swear you’ve received a secret file from a spy! No more butterflies, second guessing and forgotten thoughts that wake you up in the middle of the night.

Sarah Platanitis is a freelance writer, photographer and the creative entrepreneur behind Anselblue Design Studio. Her work as a journalist is what led her to develop a workshop called “Press Ready”, where she coaches artists, organizations and businesses on how to build an effective publicity tool kit and prepare for successful media opportunities. An award-winning public school Journalism teacher and 2009 Reynolds Journalism Institute fellow, Sarah also spent two years as a children’s media literacy educator for PBS Ready To Learn. To learn more about Sarah, visit pressreadyworkshops.com.

Nina Rossi Exhibits at the Chamber Gallery

Turners Falls artist Nina Rossi exhibits a selection of work at the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce Gallery from April 4 - June 4, 2013. An opening reception on April 13th from 5-8 pm coincides with April’s Art Walk Easthampton.

Rossi creates colorful and textured paintings and three dimensional structures using a wide array of materials including paint, trash scraps, found industrial materials, and roofing tar. She is deeply inspired by a plethora of people, places, and things including Kandinsky’s paintings of music, newspaper pictures, repair manuals, and last but not least, Turners Falls where she has lived since 1987.

“The town of Turners Falls has always been the subject of a lot of my pieces, simply because that is where I live and I like to practice loving it in this way,” says Rossi.

“I work quickly because I like to be decisive, which also requires me to be accepting of random effects and forgiving of failure. I try to keep my approach to my materials and subject confidently naïve,” says the artist.

Although she uses many different materials and explores a variety of styles, be it figurative, abstract or assemblage, all of Rossi’s work has an element of playful investigation. Rossi has exhibited her at numerous galleries and venues including Shelburne Falls Co-op, Elusie Gallery, Paper City Studios, and Burnett Gallery at the Jones Library in Amherst.

This exhibit is free and open to the public. The gallery, located at 33 Union Street, Easthampton, MA, is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

April Unbuttoned to feature Lori Desrosiers

Easthampton City Arts+ presents UNBUTTONED, An Evening of Spoken Word on Thursday, April 11, from 7:00- 8:30 p.m. at Luthier’s Co-Op, 108 Cottage St., Easthampton. The evening will feature poet Lori Desrosiers. This event is free and open to the public.

The evening will begin with six open-mic slots for five-minute long readings. Open-mic participants will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis. Interested readers will find the sign-up sheet available at 6:45 p.m. Following the open mic readings, featured reader Lori Desrosiers will read from her newly published book of poems, The Philosopher’s Daughter.

Lori Desrosiers’ first full-length book of poems, The Philosopher's Daughter was just published in March 2013 by Salmon Poetry. Her chapbook, Three Vanities, was published in 2009 by Pudding House. Her poems have appeared in New Millenium Review, Contemporary American Voices, BigCityLit, Concise Delights, Blue Fifth Review, Pirene's Fountain, The New Verse News, Common Ground Review, and many more, including a prompt in Wingbeats, a book of writing exercises from Dos Gatos Press. Her MFA in Poetry is from New England College. She is editor and publisher of Naugatuck River Review, a journal of narrative poetry.

UNBUTTONED, An Evening of Spoken Word is a new Easthampton spoken word series founded by Easthampton City Arts+ Committee member and writer Alison Murchie. The name UNBUTTONED refers to the Easthampton button mill history.

ART and SEE: ARTIST FORUM SERIES

ECA+ launches the first of a series of artist talks on March 27 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. in the Old Town Hall at Flywheel, 43 Main Street, Easthampton. Artists William Chambers, Carolyn Clayton, Alicia Renadette, and Nina Rossi will speak about their work.

Several exhibiting artists in ECA+ galleries and events during the 2013 spring season are invited to speak on their processes, work, and exhibitions. Concise presentations will be followed by a discussion and audience Q and A.

William Chambers is exhibiting “Cold Series” in the Easthampton City Hall Gallery at 50 Payson Avenue. The exhibit continues through June 12, 2013. Chambers has exhibited his work in Vermont and the Greater New England Area. He graduated with a concentration in sculpture and Asia studies from Sarah Lawrence College. He resides in Putney Vermont where he runs the art program at The Grammar School, an independent day school.

Carolyn Clayton is creating the site specific performative installation “HOARD” at Eastworks as part-of REACH, a multi-city exhibition from April 6 - May 4. She received her BFA in 2009 from Carnegie Mellon University with a focus in sculpture, installation and site-specific work. She completed a fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center. In 2012 she exhibited her solo show, In-Habit at the ECA+ Gallery in Easthampton as well as debuted her participatory project, Within Range at the WHOO Space in Northampton. A hybrid of object-based sculpture, performance, video and social practice, her work explores the confluence natural and artificial landscapes, the human need to accumulate stuff and the line between value and refuse. She is also currently interested in the drive behind daily human labors and the repetitive motions, obsessions or boredom associated with such tasks. Clayton has exhibited her work in Western Mass, Pittsburgh, and New York City.

Alicia Renadette will be discussing her site specific installation “Assume the Position (Discretion is a Holy Virtue Version)” that will be on view at the Wistariahurst Museum as part of REACH from April 6 - May 20. She earned a BFA from the Hartford Art School and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, she now lives and makes her in Easthampton, MA. Renadette’s work has exhibited in Brattleboro, San Francisco, Los Angeles and beyond. She has held a residency at the Vermont Studio Center.

Nina Rossi exhibits in the Greater Easthampton Chamber Gallery from April 4 – June 4. Rossi experiments in two and three dimensional structures in a wide array of materials. She is deeply inspired by Turners Falls where she has lived since 1987. Rossi has extensively exhibited her at numerous galleries and venues including Shelburne Falls Co-op, Elusie Gallery, Paper City Studios, and Burnett Gallery at the Jones Library in Amherst.

This forum is free and open to the public. The Old Town Hall is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA.

Cold Series By William Chambers

Vermont painter William Chambers exhibits “Cold Series”, a selection of oil paintings at the City Hall Gallery from March 19 through June 12, 2013. An artist’s reception will be held on April 13, from 5 – 8 p.m. during Art Walk Easthampton. This exhibition is free and open to the public.

In his series of still life paintings, William Chambers explores vintage devices that manipulate water including ice boxes, thermoses, and ice cube trays. The discarded objects that serve as subject matter for his work were located in trash bins and thrift stores. Chambers sees the objects of chilly insulation from yesteryear serving as a metaphor for the human body. “With the brush, I seek to show some of the visceral history that comes with them. I want them to inhabit the air and space that they cannot be separate from,” explains Chambers.

The artist begins with an underpainting and then develops the work with a focus on the light and then color. The stark coolness of his color palette embodies the subject matter of ice, cold, and a psychological isolation.

Chambers has exhibited his work in Vermont and the Greater New England Area. He graduated with a concentration in sculpture and Asia studies from Sarah Lawrence College. He resides in Putney Vermont where he runs the art program at The Grammar School, an independent day school.

This exhibit is free and open to the public. The City Hall Gallery is located in Easthampton’s Municipal Building at 50 Payson Avenue on the 1st floor, Easthampton, MA. The gallery is open Monday - Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Joseph Casciano's Illuminated at ECA+ Gallery

Photographer Joseph Casciano exhibits “Illuminated” in the Easthampton City Arts⁺ Gallery on March 4 through April 1, 2013. An artist’s reception will be held on Saturday, March 9, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. in conjunction with Art Walk Easthampton.

In 2009, Joseph Casciano bought a pocket digital camera and carried it everywhere. “My process feels more like collecting and organizing than inspired creation. I am gathering evidence and doing fieldwork, not making art,” he says.

Casciano’s snapshots pull from influences of William Eggleston and Peter Fraser, finding importance in the unremarkable with color and sometimes, hard digital light. His subject matter captures a random quality of visual acquisition — in one image is light captured at a glance through parting trees and another is a multitude of lamps and hanging lights shining in unison on a showroom floor. These are images that encompass a sense of commonplace however also are truly enigmatic.

“My family photo albums have the kinds of images you might expect: vacations and day-trips, family gatherings, graduations and weddings; but I was always more intrigued by photographs that were not obviously commemorative. I loved the images at the margins, the accidental exposure taken as a new roll is loaded, the unremarkable corner of a living room, ” he explains.

Through these moments of the everyday is a scrutiny of selection. Casciano’s process includes an intensive editing process while maintaining an intuitive sensibility. Through choice, he produces an existential regard to the familiar.

Casciano attended the School of Visual Arts and graduated with a degree in Cinema, Photography, and Media Arts. In 2011, his work was included in the exhibition Follow the River in Hosmer Gallery in the Forbes Library. He has experience as a freelance photographer and videographer and as a photography studio production manager. Casciano is an ECA+ artist and lives and works in Easthampton, MA.

This exhibit is free and open to the public. The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery Hours are Monday- Thursday and Saturday, 12 - 6 p.m.

Capturing Place with Kathy LaCroix

Easthampton Photographer Kathy LaCroix exhibits a selection of work at the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce Gallery from February 21- April 1, 2013.

Both black and white and color, LaCroix’s digital images capture locations in the Northeast from Providence, RI to Easthampton, MA.

“When I retired, I replaced my Minolta film camera with a Sony digital SLR, and recently a D-SLT,” says LaCroix.

The photographer has been an avid participant in photo workshops hosted by the Robert Floyd Photo Gallery and Learning Center in Southampton. The workshop group travels to a variety of locations throughout the Northeast and captures places, events, and objects that embody these destinations.

“A warm summer evening” is a color image by LaCroix that captures a bustling Mount Tom’s Homemade Ice Cream during the busy summer of the 2012 Bear Fest. This image will be on view in this exhibit and was recently chosen for the Eastmont Art Fund 2013 Calendar. LaCroix’s work has been included in exhibitions at the Elusie Gallery, Robert Floyd Photo Gallery, and the Easthampton City Arts+ where she is a member.

All proceeds from sold work in this exhibition will be generously donated to the Eastmont Art Fund and the Pascommuck Conservation Trust. This exhibit is free and open to the public. The gallery, located at 33 Union Street, Easthampton, MA, is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Fabric Collage Workshop with Susan Boss

Quilt maker Susan Boss, current exhibitor at the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery, invites kids (ages eight and up) and adults to a Fabric Collage Workshop at Flywheel, 43 Main Street, Easthampton, on February 26 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Boss will facilitate a workshop using fabric and fabric bonding techniques. Participants will create a wall hanging using contrast, texture, pattern and color, color, color! All are encouraged to bring scissors and a good imagination. No prior experience or sewing necessary. Materials will be provided.

Susan Boss is an ECA+ artist and also a member of the Fiber Arts Collective in Washington D.C. Boss’ work has been exhibited at the Guild Art Center in Northampton, Brush Gallery in Lowell, and the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts. Her work has also been noted in a variety of publications including Made By Hand: Art and Craft in the Heartland of New England and Quiltworld Today.

This workshop is free and open to the public.

Unbuttoned with Kat Good-Schiff

Easthampton City Arts+ presents UNBUTTONED, An Evening of Spoken Word on Thursday, March 14, from 7:00- 8:30 p.m. at Luthier's Co-Op, 108 Cottage St., Easthampton. The evening will feature poet Kat Good-Schiff. Unbuttoned is free and open to the public.

The evening will begin with six open-mic slots for five-minute long readings. Open-mic participants will be selected on a first come first serve basis. Interested readers will find the sign-up sheet available at 6:45 p.m. Following the open mic readings, Kat Good-Schiff will share her work.

Kat Good-Schiff writes lyric poems that meditate on the mysteries of love, loss, spirit, biology, and geography. She is the author of a poetry chapbook, East of North. Her work has been published in Meat for Tea, PANK, The Equinox, Twelve Stories, and other journals. She has also contributed to collage books, greeting cards, and installations. She earned an MFA at Goddard College, where she was an editor for the Pitkin Review. She worked as editorial assistant at Quale Press and now makes her living as a technical writer. She lives in Easthampton with her wife, a dog, and two cats.

UNBUTTONED, An Evening of Spoken Word is a new Easthampton spoken word series founded by Easthampton City Arts+ Committee member and writer Alison Murchie. The name UNBUTTONED refers to the Easthampton button mill history.

Creatives Seek to C.H.A.T

Easthampton, MA – Easthampton City Arts+ presents a monthly networking event for creative people called C.H.A.T. (Come Hang Around and Talk) on the last Monday of every month.

The 2013 schedule is as follows from February through June:
February 25
March 25
April 29
May 27
June 24

All C.H.A.T. events will be from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Art Bar Café located at 1 Northampton St., Easthampton, MA. ECA+ invites artists, performers, writers, musicians, dancers, and creative business owners to a relaxed creative networking hour at Easthampton’s own Art Bar Café. Connect with other creative makers, meet ECA+ members, or learn how you can become ECA+ member. The Art Bar Café will be selling refreshments and delectable food.

In January, the first C.H.A.T brought over 40 creative individuals and business owners for a evening of connecting with other creative community members. C.H.A.T. is free and open to the public.

Fire and Ice

See a full list of the Art Walk events

Easthampton celebrates its fifth annual Fire and Ice Art Walk on February 16, 2013 with performances, exhibitions, poetry readings, a bonfire, and luminaries in venues throughout the city. All events are free and open to the public.

The day will kick-off with the event, Historical Ice Harvest on Nashawannuck Pond, funded in-part by the Easthampton Cultural Council. Historian Denis Picard will present on the former Easthampton enterprise of commercial ice harvesting. Learn more about ice harvesting and see the antique tools used from 12-3 p.m. at the Nashawannuck Pond.

From 5:00- 6:00 p.m. join the celebratory bonfire at the Nashawannuck pond starting at with luminaries, poetry, and crafts.

Continue the evening at venues throughout the city for numerous art openings, music and performances until 8 p.m. See luminaries and performances throughout the city from 5 - 8 p.m. at this wonderful Art Walk Easthampton!

For more information about the evenings’s festivities and to download a map, see artwalkeasthampton.com.

An Historical Ice Harvest on Nashawannuck Pond

From the late 19th century to the early part of the 20th century, Easthampton was well known for its commercial harvesting of ice from its mill ponds. “An Historical Ice Harvest on Nashawannuck Pond” recreates this lost art, bringing it alive for generations to share.

Using the pond as his stage, Dennis Picard, our ice harvester extraordinaire, will share the interesting tale of this once massive enterprise that is now fading from our collective memory. Using antique tools of the trade, Picard will invite and guide would-be ice harvesters of all ages to try their hand at working with some of his antique implements.

The event is free for everyone – and kickstarts the 5th Annual Fire and Ice Art Walk Easthampton! Join us from 12-3 p.m. on Febraury 16th at the Nashawannuck Pond.

* In the event of any weather related issues that might make it difficult to hold our event, please visit here for updates. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Easthampton Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Unbuttoned: Mel Bosworth and Christy Crutchfield

Easthampton City Arts+ presents UNBUTTONED, An Evening of Spoken Word on Thursday, February 7, from 7:00- 9:00 p.m. at Luthier’s Co-Op, 108 Cottage St., Easthampton. The evening will feature writers Christy Crutchfield and Mel Bosworth. This event is free and open to the public.

The evening will begin with six open-mic slots for five-minute long readings. Open-mic participants will be selected on a first come first serve basis. Interested readers will find the sign-up sheet available at 6:45 p.m.

Following the open mic readings, Easthampton writers Christy Crutchfield and Mel Bosworth will share their work with extended individual readings. Christy Crutchfield holds an MFA from the UMass Amherst Program for Poets and Writers. Her work has appeared in Mississippi Review, the Good Men Project, Salt Hill Journal, and others. She was a finalist for the American Short Fiction short story contest and received the Daniel and Merrily Glosband Award for Poetry, awarded by Keith Waldrop. She has worked on editorial staff for Dark Sky Magazine, Keyhole Magazine, and the Massachusetts Review. She teaches at Western New England University and lives in Easthampton, Massachusetts.

Mel Bosworth is the two-time Pushcart nominated author of the fiction chapbook When the Cats Razzed the Chickens (Folded Word Press, 2009) the novella Grease Stains, Kismet, and Maternal Wisdom (Brown Paper Publishing, 2010) the novel Freight (Folded Word Press, 2011) and the poetry chapbook Every Laundromat in the World (STE, 2012). His writing has appeared in PANK, Per Contra, Blip Magazine, and Melville House, among others. His book reviews have appeared or are forthcoming in Outsider Writers Collective, The Lit Pub, and American Book Review. He is also an associate series editor for the Wigleaf Top 50 (2013). Mel lives, breathes, works, and writes in western Massachusetts.

UNBUTTONED, An Evening of Spoken Word is a new Easthampton spoken word series founded by Easthampton City Arts+ Committee member and writer Alison Murchie. The name UNBUTTONED refers to the Easthampton button mill history.

Pop Meets Folk with Susan Boss at ECA+

Artist Susan Boss exhibits “Q2” in the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery from February 5 through February 26, 2013. An artist’s reception will be held on Saturday, February 9, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. as part of Art Walk Easthampton’s annual Fire and Ice event.

For over 40 years Susan Boss has made non-traditional one-of-a-kind quilts. Her influences derive from African-American strip quilts. She says, “Their unpredictable design elements and their fearless use of color and pattern have inspired me. They are not afraid to break the rules that traditional quilt making adheres to using.”

Boss’ quilts are anything but predictable. She incorporates non-traditional influences such as cell phone texting language, truisms, and poetry. Familiar sayings such as, “OMG”, “Waste Not Want”, and, “So What” are incorporated with silkscreen on fabric. The language amidst the lush colorful patterns exhibits a level of humor that transcends the traditional quilting art form melding it with Pop. “I gave up trying to fit into categories,” says the artist.

Susan Boss is an ECA+ artist and also a member of the Fiber Arts Collective in Washington D.C. Boss’ work has been exhibited at the Guild Art Center in Northampton, Brush Gallery in Lowell, and the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts. Her work has also been noted in a variety of publications including Made By Hand: Art and Craft in the Heartland of New England and Quiltworld Today. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery Hours are Monday- Thursday and Saturday, 12 - 6 p.m. For more information, please see www.easthamptoncityarts.com. Photo Credit: John Polak

C.H.A.T

Easthampton City Arts+ announces a monthly networking event for creative people called C.H.A.T. (Come Hang Around and Talk) on January 28, 2013 from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Art Bar Café located at 1 Northampton St., Easthampton, MA. C.H.A.T. will occur on the last Monday of every month.

ECA+ invites artists, performers, writers, musicians, dancers, and creative business owners to a relaxed creative networking hour at Easthampton’s own Art Bar Café. Connect with other creative makers, meet ECA+ members, or find out how you can sign-up and become ECA+ member. The Art Bar Café will be selling refreshments and delectable food.

C.H.A.T. is free and open to the public.

Unbuttoned: an Evening of Spoken Word

Easthampton City Arts+ presents UNBUTTONED, An Evening of Spoken Word on Thursday, January 17 from 7:00- 9:00 p.m. at Luthier's Co-Op, 108 Cottage St., Easthampton.

The evening will feature Unbuttoned creator Alison Murchie and five-minute open mic opportunities. This event is free and open to the public.

The evening will begin with open mic slots. Readers are invited to sign-up to read at 6:45 p.m.

Featured reader and Unbuttoned founder Alison Murchie began as a performance poet by winning the Bumbershoot Open, where she performed with beat poet Anne Waldman. She continued performing extensively all over the west coast, sharing a stage with Lydia Lunch, Jello Biafra and Excene Cervenka among others. She also helped produce multi-media performance events with spoken word components. She has been widely published in anthologies including "Ergo!", "The Six Faces of Eve", the Seattle Quarterly and online in Fictionique. She is working on a chapbook of poems based on figures from various mythologies.

UNBUTTONED, An Evening of Spoken Word is a new Easthampton spoken word series founded by Easthampton City Arts+ Committee member and writer Alison Murchie. The name UNBUTTONED refers to the Easthampton button mill history.

You are invited to an Art Unveiling!

All are invited to attend the unveiling of the selected Easthampton Savings Bank Loan Center commissioned art work by ECA+ artist Eileen Jager on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. The ceremony will be held at the Loan and Banking Center, 241 Northampton Street, Easthampton. Light refreshments will be served following the ceremony.

The light and color transformation was a component that attracted Easthampton Savings Bank to Jager’s work. After meeting with ECA+ and Easthampton Savings Bank representatives, Jager began finalizing the design of the project for the approximately-sized 5’ x 5’ lobby wall. Her abstract composition is inspired by natural elements and forms such as the skyline of Mount Tom as featured prominently in views from the back of the new building.

Jager practices her art at One Cottage Street where she has held a studio for almost 21 years and is chairperson for Cottage Street Studios. She earned an MFA from Alfred University in glass and sculpture and has studied at Tyler School of Art and West Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education in Swansea Wales, UK. Her work has been featured in prominent publications such as American Style, The Artful Home, and Furniture Style. As a Certiﬁed Practitioner of Interior Alignment, Jager helps clients change the way they think about environments they inhabit through her business and feng shui practice called the Artfully Home.

Fire and Ice art Walk Call for Proposals

Art Walk Easthampton presents a call for creative proposals for Art Walk Easthampton on February 9, 2013, the second Saturday of the month. Applications for creative proposals are due January 21, 2013.

Each month an average of 250 people visit Easthampton’s venues, exhibitions, and performances during Art Walk. Since 2009, the February Art Walk Easthampton has invited artists and performers to share a creative work based upon the theme of fire and ice. Previously Easthampton has hosted luminary exhibits, fire performances, snow sculptors, ice sculptors, Butoh-based movement artists and more. Proposals are being accepted for the 2013 Fire and Ice Art Walk through a simple online submission form. A $75 honorarium will be awarded for selected proposals.

EASTHAMPTON ARTS APPRECIATION GUILD EXHIBIT AT ECA+ CHAMBER GALLERY

Members of the Easthampton Arts Appreciation Guild exhibit a collection from their work at the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce Gallery from December 10, 2012 - February 11, 2013. A variety of two-dimensional works will be on display.

The Easthampton Arts Appreciation Guild is made up of a diverse group of artists who meet weekly to pursue their art. Guild members have the opportunity to paint, draw, share and learn techniques, attend demonstrations, and exhibit their work. Exhibiting members include Hazel Adolphson, Nancy Caffall, Elizabeth Chase, Terry Faivre, Nancy Nickerson, Joanne O'Leary, Nancy Perry, Mary Ann Phoenix, Betty Schaffer, Marj Tauer, and Peg Wilson.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The gallery, located at 33 Union Street, Easthampton, MA, is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

ELLEN KOTEEN CAPTURES NATURE AT ECA+ CITY HALL GALLERY

ECA+ artist Ellen Koteen exhibits a collection of new photography at the City Hall Gallery from December 19, 2012 through March 13, 2013. This exhibition is free and open to the public.

Koteen, founding member of ECA+, exhibits new digital photographs that capture the rural agricultural area in Prince Edward County, an island in Lake Ontario, Canada. She will also present early naturalist work taken with slide film and a macro lens.

Koteen describes her photographic experience as, “During the process of photographing flowers and landscapes, I experience joy and a sense of peace. Capturing their natural beauty in a photograph allows me to hold on to that joy and to share it with others. I delight in and am inspired by the detail, design, and colors contained within nature.”

Koteen has exhibited widely throughout the Pioneer Valley including at Lathrop Communities Art Gallery, the ECA Gallery, Burnett Gallery at Jones Library, and the Robert Floyd Photo Gallery. Residing part-time in Ontario where she is a member of the Prince Edward County Arts Council, Koteen also resides in the Pioneer Valley where she is a member of Cottage Street Studios.

The City Hall Gallery, located in the Municipal Building at 50 Payson Avenue on the 1st floor, Easthampton, MA. The gallery is open Monday - Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Performabus- A Mystery Tour of Easthampton with Surly Santa

Art Walk Easthampton brings you Performabus: A Mystery Tour of Easthampton with Surly Santa on December 8, 2012, from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Jump on the bus at two locations and experience a performance in motion! This mystery tour of Easthampton is free and recommended for mature audiences.

Ever wondered how Santa really feels about the holiday season? Get a firsthand account into the workings of Santa's workshop. This year Surly takes on the 2012 conspiracy, dismantling its effects on the North Pole.

As Seth Lepore says, “You quickly learn that Santa ain't no Saint and you'll hear Christmas songs like never before. Not meant for kids, at all.”

Seth Lepore is a touring performing artist who currently tours a trilogy of one-man shows on the underbelly of the self-help movement as well as War/Peace, a community dialogue and installation.

A bus pick-up will occur at two locations in Easthampton. Look for the Art Walk bus stop sign. Pick-up locations will be at the street Bus stop in front of Eastworks (116 Pleasant St.) and at the Sunoco on Cottage St. Performance pick up times will be at 7pm & 7:30 on Cottage St, 7:10 & 7:40 at Eastworks.

The performance with Surly Santa will continue on solid ground at Popcorn Noir, 32 Cottage Street, Easthampton at 8:00 p.m.

This event is brought to Art Walk Easthampton in-part by Strong Bus. Art Walk Easthampton, is the second Saturday of the month and includes numerous exhibitions, performances, and, events free and open to the public. This December pick up an Art Walk Passport at participating locations to win a prize. Find out more at artwalkeasthampton.com.

Unbuttoned an Evening of Spoken Word

Easthampton City Arts+ launches UNBUTTONED, An Evening of Spoken Word on Thursday, December 13, 2012 from 7:00- 9:00 p.m. at Luthier’s Co-Op, 108 Cottage St., Easthampton. The evening will feature author Corinne De Winter and six, five-minute open mic opportunities. This event is free and open to the public.

The evening will begin with six open mic slots. Readers will have five minutes long each. Open mic participants will be selected on a first come first serve basis. The sign-up sheet will open at 6:45 p.m.

Following the open mic readings, writer Corrine De Winter will read. De Winter is a Bram Stoker Award winning poet and she has been twice nominated for the Pushcart prize. Her poetry, fiction, essays and interviews have been seen in numerous publications including the New York Quarterly, Triton College of Arts & Sciences and she was awarded the The Rhysling Science Fiction Award. Her work has been lauded by such luminaries as William Peter Blatty (author of The Excorcist) Tom Monteleone, Thomas Ligotti, Nick Cave, Stanley Wiater, James Sclavunos, Heather Graham, Harry O. Morris, and many others. Author Thomas Ligotti describes De Winter as, "a virtuoso of forlorn Romanticism. Admirers of Nico may hear in De Winter's work echoes of the morbid chanteuse's voice accompanied by a harmonium breathing its last."

UNBUTTONED, An Evening of Spoken Word is a new Easthampton spoken word series founded by Easthampton City Arts+ Committee member and writer Alison Murchie. The name UNBUTTONED refers to the Easthampton button mill history.

4th Annual ECA+ Small Works Show and Sale

Over 60 artists exhibit over 170 works in the Easthampton City Arts⁺ 4th annual Small Works Show and Sale on December 6, 2012- January 5, 2013. An opening event coincides with the ECA⁺ Light Up the Arts Holiday Bash on December 6, and an Artists’ Reception will be hosted on December 8, during the December Art Walk Easthampton.

The Small Works Show and Sale is a salon style exhibition that includes numerous artists who will show their small scale works in the ECA⁺ Gallery. It is a cash and carry format, encouraging buyers to purchase art for the holidays at affordable prices. Attendees are encouraged to bring cash.

This exhibit is free and open to the public. The gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday, 12- 6 p.m. and located at 43 Main Street Easthampton, MA, 01027.

Participating Small Works Show and Sale Artists
Simone Alter-Müri
Amanda Barrow
Linda Batchelor
Nancy Caffall
Stephen Calcasola
Kim Carlino
Cynthia Chamberland
Victoria Chapman
Elizabeth Chase
Corrine De Winter
Jo-Ann Denehy
Terry Faivre
Piper Foreso
Karen Frechette
Brigita Fuhrmann
Catherine Gamble
Catherine Gibbs
Jess Greene
Susan Halls
Kathy Hibshman
Lynn Hraba
Natania Hume
Caren Hyde
Karen Iglehart
Melissa Incampo
Suzette Jones
Antti Kaisla
Juli Kirk
Ruth Kjaer
Marty Klein
Ellen Koteen
Kathy LaCroix
Lisa LaFlamme
Rachel Lepine
Jill Lewis
Mark Majeski
Burns Maxey
Diane McCormick
Valerie McQuillan
Jane Morrison
Maggie Nowinski
Joanne O'Leary
Ron Parent
Patricia Parker
Christy Patrick
Roger Patrick
Nancy Perry
Mary Ann Phoenix
Sarah Platanitis
Samantha Pliska
Alicia Renadette
Katie Richardson
Denise Riggs
Betty Schaffer
Dawn Siebel
Michael Sjostedt
Fletcher Smith
Marjorie Tauer
Deb Tautznik
Whitney Weldon
Benjamin Westbrook
Mary Witt
Charlene Wooden
Angela Zammarelli

Artist Amanda Quinby Talks Open Studios

Cottage Street Studios celebrates its 26th year of Open Studios--a tradition that continues bring many from all over into artists' studios in Easthampton. Cottage Street artist Amanda Quinby joins the Open Studios once again and shares her work and processes with us before the big weekend on November 30 (12-5), December 1 (10-5), and December 2 (12-5). Learn more about Open Studios and Amanda Quinby in this short Q/A with ECA+.

How do you approach your work? What is your process?

Nature is always the starting point for me. The small gilded ornaments, such as acorns and shells, are natural objects. My gilded panels are more abstract but usually are evocative of natural forms or landscapes. I use various shades of gold and silver leafs over textured surfaces to achieve a finish that is unique to gilding - a kind of lustre that paints cannot match. As an artist, what has been your greatest influence? My greatest influence for my gilding work is examples and techniques of the craft from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. I generally avoid modern inventions such as acrylics and make my own gesso and boles using traditional materials and methods. Cennino Cennini's Il Libro dell'Arte , written in the late 1300s, is still relevant to artists practicing traditional techniques and is probably my single most useful and influential resource.

Describe your studio?

My studio is down a narrow corridor on the fourth floor. It faces north-east and so has excellent light for most of the day. I rarely use the overhead fluorescents. It's a space that's dedicated to my work, only, so I tend to be productive when I'm there, assisted by the soothing sound of the mill stream that flows just below my window.

How many Cottage Street Open Studios have you participated in and how have you seen it evolve?

This year will be my fourth Open Studios. The committees that make it happen work incredibly hard and creatively to improve the experience each year. Cottage Street is a sprawling old mill building and can be difficult to navigate. Signage keeps getting better. This year there will be Greeters to help people find their way around. The café is another addition to the Open Studios experience that gets refined each year. I'm looking forward to Popcorn Noir's version.

Why do you participate in Open Studios?

There is always a sort of festive feel around Open Studios. Though the artists at Cottage Street might get frantic in anticipation of the event, everyone pitches in, helps each other, and manages to pull it off each year. I like being part of that. It's also an opportunity to do some educating about the craft of gilding and to get feedback about my work.

IT'S A BASH!

On December 6, 2012, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. ECA+ invites the community to celebrate the Light up the Arts Holiday Bash—an evening that will include a Small Works Show, the Annual Silent Auction, ECA+ Outstanding Volunteer Awards, and Awarding of the Bear Fest Auction Funds. The evening will be catered by the Apollo Grill. All community members are invited to attend this free and festive night at the Old Town Hall located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Attendees are asked to bring two canned goods per person in support of the Easthampton Community Center Food Pantry.

The Small Works Show is a salon style exhibition that will include numerous artists both local and beyond who will show their small scale works in the ECA+ Gallery. It will be a cash and carry format encouraging buyers to purchase gifts for the holidays at affordable prices. All works will be smaller than 10” x 10”. Attendees are encouraged to bring cash.

The Silent Auction will include goods from local businesses and organizations. The bidding for this annual auction will begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. Some of the auction items include fantastic prizes such as a Catskill Weekend Getaway, a customized tour of Easthampton in an 1930 Model A car, a weekend on Martha’s Vineyard and gift items and gift certificates courtesy of Zea Mays Printmaking, Off the Map Tattoo, White Square Fine Books and Art, Riff’s Joint and many more. Additional prizes will also be available throughout the evening.

Bear Fest Auction Funds
Following a successful citywide sculpture festival, the 2012 Easthampton Bear Fest Auction raised funds for art education, artists, and art organizations . The funds for the art programs of Easthampton, Southampton, and Westhampton public schools and Riverside Industries will be announced!

Volunteer Awards
This year ECA+ is excited to give distinguished individuals awards for their service to the pioneer valley arts community and ECA+. Two awards will be announced: the 2012 Outstanding ECA+ Volunteer Award and the 2011 Outstanding Pioneer Valley Creative Volunteer Award. These chosen individuals have given their time and service to the cultivation of the arts in the community.

The Light Up the Arts Holiday Bash is held in honor of the ECA+ volunteers who generously give their time and energy to ECA+.

GET INTO THE LOOP

New ECA⁺artist Michael Sjostedt launches a pop-up shop at The Lobby at PopcornNoir that will knock your upcycled multi-colored socks off. Catch a glimpse of the wares of six local artists on Small Business Saturday, November 24th, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. It’s chic, sustainable, local, and just in time for the holidays. To wet your whistle, Michael Sjostedt answers a few questions about LOOP and more.

What is LOOP and how did it come to be?
MS: LOOP’s focus is to provide an outlet for eco-chic and upcycled artists and crafters in western Mass. The pop-up shop idea seemed like a good model when I started thinking about showing my collage art. I’ve never been involved in a “proper art exhibit,” but I’ve been making things to sell since I was a teenager. And over the past 10 years my work has centered on repurposed and recycled materials. I thought the LOOP concept would be a good place for me to start – kind of a step up from hustling my wares for wholesale or consignment. I also have a lot of friends who make incredible things with reclaimed and repurposed materials. Including them was a no brainer to help make this a proper pop-up.

Did you intentionally choose Small Business Saturday for the launch?
MS: Yes. It made the most sense to kickoff something like this on Small Business Saturday. Not to be overly cynical, but let’s remember that a huge credit card company started this yearly campaign to ultimately help them stand out in the marketplace. There are worse campaigns to start, I suppose. Fortunately it’s provided small businesses with an opportunity to shift the conversation about the holidays and consumerism. For the most part, small businesses are left out of the Black Friday frenzy that’s dominated by the big box companies. Now smaller, independent retailers have a similar cultural shopping event they can use to promote themselves and extol the benefits of buying local. Benefits such as small business owners are usually more invested in their community’s future. They help develop a neighborhood’s character. More of their income goes back into the community compared to corporate chains. Small businesses also patronize other local businesses more often than not. I could go on. Needless to say it’s worth the effort to ride the momentum of a national event that champions your entrepreneurial spirit.

How did you select the artists participating in LOOP?
MS: I’ve known many of them for years. The only artist I don’t know well is Macey Faiella. I contacted her when I came across her new organization, Knack, which is working to develop a creative reuse center that collects discarded materials and makes them available for people to use in any creative way they wish. Macey makes very cool upcycled home décor. As for choosing other artists, I wanted to provide a good mix for shoppers. Athan Vennell is an incredible fashion designer and stylist. He’s making cool totes and satchels from jeans and pants. He said he’s going to debut something new at the shop. Not sure what it is yet! Bronwen Hodgkinson runs Three Posies. She makes gorgeous repurposed jewelry with a steampunk feel. You must have heard about Scout Cuomo. I think she had three shows in the Valley last month! She’s best known for painting seascapes and underwater scenes on reclaimed windowpanes. Heather Sky Fulton is one of the first people I met when I moved to Northampton over 10 years ago. Her paintings are some of the best I’ve ever seen. She’s a master. I’m fortunate to be able to collect some of her work. For LOOP she’ll be showing her gorgeous repurposed and sustainably sourced jewelry.

Why a pop-up shop in an unexpected place such as a restaurant?
MS: Ah, but it’s not just any restaurant. It’s Popcorn Noir. They’re pros at transforming their space to accommodate almost any type of event. This will be their first time hosting a pop-up shop. It’s a double debut, if you will. I wanted to host the shop there because they’re so open to trying something new. They also encourage their members and friends to use their space for events. I knew they would help make it a cool, unique happening. Plus, you can eat and drink while you shop. More importantly, I wanted the first shop to start with a bang. In my opinion, they’ve really helped make Cottage Street a destination rather than just a route to get over the mountain. The well-deserved buzz around them will help get more people to stop by on November 24.

Is it true you have a drink named after you at the Lobby? How did that come to be?
MS: Oh, it’s true. It packs a punch, too. It’s made with Hendricks gin, ruby red grapefruit juice and Crème Yvette. “The Showy” hasn’t been on the latest menu of fine concoctions, but they can still make it. It came to be when Tom asked me if they could name a drink using my nickname. He wanted to pay tribute to active members, and that sounded better than a plaque in the bathroom or wherever. I’m sure other members will have a drink named in their honor at some point.

FILL THE WALLS! ECA+ PRESENTS THE 2012 SMALL WORKS SHOW AND SALE

Call to Artists – Easthampton City Arts+ hosts its 4th Annual Small Works Show and Sale. An exhibit that aims to benefit patrons and artists, the ECA+ Small Works Show and Sale is offering a cash and carry format for what is looking to be an exciting salon style show!

The exhibit will run from December 6, 2012 – January 5, 2013. Submissions are due November 23, 2012.

Serial Art by Dawn Howkinson Siebel at ECA+

Artist Dawn Howkinson Siebel exhibits “Serial Art” in the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery from November 6 through November 27, 2012. An artist’s reception will be held on Saturday, November 10 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. as part of Art Walk Easthampton.

The artist will exhibit groups of paintings and sculptures that were created in exploration of a variety of series pulling from both memory and found objects/images. The concept of the series is the artist’s focus but once her project is chosen, she fully embraces the subject like a task or an assignment. It could be 35 individual portraits of the artist’s 1959 2nd grade class from Lincoln, Indiana or sculptures made from collected 1937 World’s Popular Encyclopedia, or collage paintings that capture women with vintage appliances found by the artist in a booklet from her grandmother’s belongings. Whatever her concept may be, the work tells a story with a vintage sometimes even intentional thrift store charm with oil painting, assemblage, and collage. Memories that embody the yesteryear of the Americana cultural landscape exudes through all of Siebel’s work, where both the individual and universal story become one.

“In Serial Art I have reached back through ten years of work to gather this selection of serial art created in a range of media.,” says Siebel. "We define ourselves by the stories we tell. They are our wisdom holders, our cultural glue. Collective stories form history; personal stories create identity."

Dawn Howkinson Siebel was born during a snowstorm in Lake County, Indiana, in 1950. For some time, she became a dyer, working in batik and hand-painting on silk. Siebel has a t-shirt in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution from this period and later sold her collection of one-of-a-kind kimonos to Bergdorf Goodman. She also mounted four solo shows of batik and collaged paintings in New York between 1975 and 1980. In 1985, Siebel embarked on an 18-month trip around the world with a set of watercolors packed into her luggage. This led to a decade of watercoloring with a day job in publishing and thoughts of illustrating children’s books. In 1994, she left New York City for Boulder, Colorado, and finally found the gumption to devote herself fully to her art. In 2010 she moved back east to manage “Better Angels,” a painting project of 343 individual oil paintings of the New York City firefighters who died on 9/11. The project has been on tour throughout the United States this past year. In the fall of 2011 she moved to Easthampton where she holds a studio at Eastworks. An ECA+ artist, Siebel is also currently exhibition her work at the 2012 Amherst Biennial.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery Hours are Tuesday- Saturday, 12-6 p.m.

Interview: Woodworking in Micronesia

ECA+ artist and fine furniture maker William Hewitt was invited to teach on the small island of Micronesia this past summer. After he returned from his trek in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, he shared some of his experiences in a Q/A with ECA+.

Name?
William Hewitt

What town/city do you live in?
Whately, MA

Where is your studio?
One Cottage Street, Easthampton, MA How did you start working with wood? I went to David Powell’s Leeds Design Workshops in 1980 and 1981.

When creating custom work, how much influence do the clients have over the overall design? When I have a commission, customer input can be as little as “I’d like a bed,” to “Here’s a picture of a table I like.” Even in the case of the latter, customers want me to personalize their project.

What is the greatest challenge of working with wood? Do you have a favorite type?
The greatest challenge is avoiding mistakes on a complicated piece when there is no extra of that “particular material.” I don’t have a favorite wood- it depends on the piece.

How did you end up teaching furniture making classes in Micronesia?
The State Department contacted NESAW in Easthampton (where I teach classes occasionally) looking for a teacher for an Arts Envoy Program in Pohnpei Micronesia. Margaret from NESAW recommended me.

Did you utilize the local raw materials? What kind of wood?
One of the major emphases of the program was to utilize local lumber. In this case all the lumber was milled from fallen Mangrove.

Were the students novices or experienced wood workers?
Is furniture making a popular trade in Micronesia?
There were two of my group from the Keparingmangi carving tradition; otherwise people’s training was limited. Within the Pohnpeian community furniture making is nearly non-existent.

Did you bring your own tools and equipment or use regional materials? If regional, what are the differences? I brought no tools with me but I did bring two books as well as two drawings of projects I designed specifically for the program. Although the shop was reasonably well equipped, none of it had been properly maintained. It gave me a chance to show the group how to dress hand tools as well as how the power tools work. Did the students each create a similar piece or individual pieces? The students completed five low tables and started on benches. All were partly collapsible but were to follow the drawings I brought with me.

What is the standout moment of the trip?
Other than the AWESOME snorkeling, at our closing ceremony one of my students presented me with a beautifully carved dolphin fashioned from the Mangrove we used.

Are you planning on teaching any furniture making classes locally?
I give a couple of classes at NESAW- bending wood and hand cut joinery.

Images courtesy of William Hewitt.

Cultural District Community Meeting

Easthampton City Arts+ invites the public to a Cultural District Community Meeting on Thursday, November 1, 2012.

Who: Open to the public. Partners and Interested Community Members are encouraged to come.

Where: 2nd floor of the Municipal Building at 50 Payson Avenue, Easthampton

Agenda
4:30 p.m.:
Refreshments and Meet & Greet
5:00 - 6:45 p.m.

Overview of MCC Cultural District
Presentation by Meri Jenkins
(Program Manager, Massachusetts Cultural Council)
Partnerships descriptions and responsibilities
Subcommittee's draft plans presented
Subcommittee's draft five-year plan presented
Input from Community

6:45 p.m.: Closing Information, meeting ends at 7:00 p.m.

The City of Easthampton plans to apply for Cultural District designation created by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. All are invited to learn more about the process, how it benefits our community, businesses, artists, organizations, and our economy.

In September, the Easthampton City Council approved and signed a resolution for the proposed Easthampton Cultural District designation. “When I moved here in 1979, I was told Easthampton was a bedroom community,” City Council Daniel Rist said before the council voted to support the application. “Thirty-three years later, I think Easthampton is wide awake with this kind of culture and I am enthusiastic that we can now be called a destination community.”

The MCC cites that a cultural district is a specific geographical area in a city or town that has a concentration of cultural facilities, activities, and assets. It is a walkable, compact area that is easily identifiable to visitors and residents and serves as a center of cultural, artistic, and economic activity. Easthampton, a small mill city in Western Massachusetts that has recreated itself as a vibrant arts and cultural community, offers a wide array of amenities to visitors. The proposed district includes a densely populated area of Main Street, a portion of Union Street, part of the Manhan Rail Trail, to Payson Avenue up to Cottage Street to the corner of Holyoke and Cottage Streets, with proposal for expansion in the future.

In addition to the community meeting and city council resolution approval, the application process by the city includes a proposal for a five year plan by partners, completion and submission of the application, and a site visit by MCC representatives.

Partners and stakeholders will create initiatives and combine efforts to promote the city’s cultural assets. Those interested in becoming Easthampton Cultural District partners please contact ECA+ at info@easthamptoncityarts.com or call 413-527-8278.

The MCC is a state agency supporting the arts, humanities, and sciences to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts and its communities. The council pursues this mission through grants, services, and advocacy for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists. The MCC is funded primarily by the state and through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and others.

Black Bears in Massachusetts

Join us for this Easthampton Cultural Council funded project, on Sunday, Oct 21, 2012 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary.

Instructor: Ralph Taylor - District Manager MassWildlife Connecticut Valley Wildlife District
Cost: $0

The black bear, once rare in Massachusetts, is back! The estimated Bay State population of this bruin is now thought to be well over 2,000...and is growing. Join MassWildlife Connecticut Valley Wildlife District Manager Ralph Taylor for an informational talk about the history and natural history of this large mammal, now commonly seen in the Northampton area. Learn about the research that MassWildlife biologists have been conducting over the past three decades through a slide/lecture presentation. Ralph will also discuss best practices to reduce conflicts between bears and humans. This program is in conjunction with the 2012 Easthampton Bear Fest and is free, thanks to a grant from the Easthampton Cultural Council.

Sponsored by Connecticut River Valley Sanctuaries and MassWildlife

For more information please contact Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary

Angela Zammarelli in the ECA+ Gallery

Artist Angela Zammarelli will exhibit “If You Need Me I Will Be Over Here” in the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery from October 5 through October 31, 2012. An artist’s reception will be held on Saturday, October 13th from 5:00-8:00 p.m. as part of Art Walk Easthampton.

Angela Zammarelli will be exhibiting constructions, videos, and small works. Her intricately created constructions made with shredded catalogs, cardboard, plastic braid ropes, wheat and fabric intersect the ideas of playful DIY forts and architectural single-person dwellings. In her created spaces, Zammarelli embodies a character that exists in a world that lies between the real and fantastic where she explores many dichotomies including useful and uselessness.

“I am curious about the intersections of fantasy and reality. Where is it that the interior and exterior worlds meet up, and how that meeting is perceived and fits into the larger narrative of society and the expectations held within,” says Zammarelli.

Her materials derive from free piles, trash/recycling, and hand-me-downs. “I try not to use new items mainly from an ecological point of view, by this I mean “recycle, reduce, reuse”, but also the interconnectedness of humans and the physicality of human stuff as used to construct our realms,” explains Zammarelli.

Angela Zammarelli’s work has been exhibited at the Northampton Center for the Arts, Flying Object, APE Gallery, Brattleboro Museum, Mobius in Boston and beyond. In 2011, she received the Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship in sculpture/installation. She has been awarded residencies at ETC Creature Comfort Residency at Elsewhere Artists Collaborative in Greensboro, NC, Three Walls in Chicago, Il, and the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE. She graduated earned an MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Angela Zammarelli is an ECA+ artist, holds her studio at 1 Cottage Street, and maintains a blog which includes updates about her thoughts, processes and other artist’s work at little-lungs.blogspot.com.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery Hours are Tuesday- Saturday, 12-6 p.m.

Easthampton to Apply for Cultural District

Easthampton City Arts+ has commenced the application process for a Cultural District in Easthampton--a small mill town in Western Massachusetts that has recreated itself as a vibrant arts and cultural community and offers a wide array of amenities to visitors. This unique city is well-suited to join the roster of Massachusetts’ cities and towns that have been granted the Cultural District designation.

As the committee proceeds, ECA+ invites the community, cultural district designation partners, and businesses to take part in the process of making this recognition a reality. Please join us for a public hearing at the Easthampton City Council meeting on October 3 at 6 p.m. located at the Municipal Building.

Below is a FAQ to further explain the Cultural District Designation. Please contact ECA+ if you have any questions or are interested in joining the Cultural District Designation Committee. You may contact us at (413) 527-8278 or at info@easthamptoncityarts.com.

FAQ

What is a Cultural District?
A cultural district is a specific geographical area in a city or town that has a concentration of cultural facilities, activities, and assets. It is a walkable, compact area that is easily identifiable to visitors and residents and serves as a center of cultural, artistic, and economic activity. The Massachusetts Cultural Council recognizes that each community is unique and that no two cultural districts will be alike.

Why a Cultural District Designation?

Opens the door for potential funding and grant opportunities.
Statewide recognition for the designation and online profiles on the state's Office of Travel and Tourism and MCC websites.
Encourages citywide partnerships and self-defined assets to further promote tourism.

Does a Cultural District Change Zoning of Current or Future Business Development?
A Cultural District does not change zoning in the designated area. It recognizes the designated area and its cultural facilities but it does not mandate restrictions on current or future businesses or construction.

What are the costs associated with Cultural District Designation?
The MCC requires signage fabricated and supplied by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. “The applicant must purchase and install at least two signs at the most appropriate boundaries of the district,” states the MCC Cultural District guidelines. Estimated cost is $100 per sign + cost of installation.

What is the area of the proposed Cultural District?
Three maps were submitted to the Massachusetts Cultural Council Cultural District Initiative. Map B was selected for the initial Cultural District Application. The selected area includes a densely populated area of Main Street, a portion of Union Street, a portion of the Manhan Rail Trail, to Payson Avenue up to Cottage Street to the corner of Cottage and Holyoke Streets. The area maps the most traversed location in the central downtown.

Can the Cultural District Expand in the Future?
Yes. The Cultural District could expand in the future. As areas develop connecting cultural assets to the original cultural district, application to the proposed changes may be made. Partners will play an important role in shaping the future of the Cultural District.

What is the Length of Designation?
A cultural district designation will be in effect for five years and renewed upon successful compliance with annual reporting requirements, and a re-commitment by the city or town to continue their cultural district's work.

Does a Cultural District include only Arts assets?
A Cultural District includes assets that extend far beyond the arts. A wide variety of organizations, businesses, events, and individuals make up a Cultural District including but not limited to libraries, restaurants, performance spaces, music venues, galleries, schools, museums, cultural centers, movie theaters, artists, farmers' markets, recording studios, walking tours, and festivals.

Easthampton Bear Fest Auction: A Success!

The 2012 Bear Fest Gala and Auction took place on the evening of Thursday, September 20th at the Log Cabin and was a huge success. Guests donned their finest and were treated to a night filled with food, fun, and excitement. The Easthampton City Arts+ Committee is proud to announce that over $50,000 was raised. Proceeds from the auction go towards arts education, artists, and ECA+.

During the Bear Fest Auction paddles flew, good spirited competitive bidding was had, and bears were won. Winning the highest bid was artist Crystal Popko’s Luminous Bear, sold for $4,150. Popko’s work continues to be popular — her bear won the highest bid in the 2009 Bear Fest Auction. Other notable winning bids were Wade Clement’s Beehive Beardo going for $3,000, Amalia FourHawks won for $2,900, and Victoria Chapman’s Spirit Bear sold for $2,751. The silent bidding of the 18-inch table top bears, decorated by students in Easthampton, Southampton, and Westhampton, continued after the live auction. Top selling baby bears were A-mazing Bear by Christianna Gardner of Easthampton High School and Bumble Bear by Cole Crouch of White Brook Middle School, both going for $500 or more.

The total funds raised by the table top bears will go back to the public school art programs of Easthampton, Southampton, and Westhampton. Easthampton City Arts+ and the Bear Fest committee would like to thank the Greater Easthampton Community and beyond for their unwavering support of Bear Fest , beginning with the Unveiling in June to the Auction in September. The 2012 Easthampton Bear Fest was made possible by generous sponsors, talented artists, dedicated volunteers, and tremendous community support. Awarded funds from the Bear Fest Auction will be announced during the ECA+ annual Light Up the Arts Holiday Bash on December 6th, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Historic Town Hall located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. This event is open to the public and the community is invited to attend.

PRINTS BY MARTY KLEIN IN CITY HALL GALLERY

ECA+ artist Marty Klein exhibits a collection of his naturalist-inspired prints at the City Hall Gallery from September 12 through December 12, 2012. An opening reception will be on October 3 from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Klein will be the first exhibitor in the newly renovated city gallery.

Klein grows and forages plants, flowers, and vegetables. He then transforms his findings with his flat bead scanner, then color correction and editing. A pioneer in the art of scanography, Klein is well aware that his finished prints falls somewhere between naturalist illustrations and photography. Many times the scan that appears on his screen, ready for editing, is as much of a surprise to Klein’s eyes as a photographer’s in a darkroom. When he prepares his image on the scanner’s bed, it captures the image from below. Finally, saturated colors and abstracted arrangements permeate all of the work to form a journey in nature, color and form.

“My experience as a photographer, blacksmith, naturalist, gardener, and forager informs and inspires my art. I strive to portray nature's essences, forms, patterns and colors, the familiar and the less-seen details,” tells Klein.

Klein has exhibited his work extensively throughout the Pioneer Valley including a recent show at Hosmer Gallery in the Forbes Library and an exhibition at the Lederle Science and Engineering library at UMass, Amherst. He currently has another exhibit at Provisions in Northampton. His work has been recognized in various publications including Mushroom: The Journal and featured on catalog covers by the Boston Architectural College, Landscape Institute. He holds a Masters’ in regional planning from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Klein serves on the Board of directors of the Pascommuck Trust an organization that “promotes the restoration, conservation, wise development and use of natural resources in and around Easthampton”—15% of any sales will be donated to Pascommuck Conservation Trust's current fund drive, ‘Save Open Space in Our Neighborhoods’. Klein’s prints are on fine art rag paper, using archival inks, by Evolv Fine Art Printing and framing by Eastmont Custom Framing.

The City Hall Gallery is a newly renovated hallway space where hundreds of people pass by monthly. Easthampton City Arts+ will feature artists in the space every three months.

The use of the Municipal building’s first floor hallway space as an official gallery was originally suggested by Easthampton's City Clerk Barbara LaBombard.

“I felt the municipal building hallway would be a perfect spot for a gallery since so many residents walk by on a daily basis. It will be a wonderful addition to our building and will introduce local artists to an audience which might not normally have the time or opportunity to visit an outside gallery,” explains LaBombard.

The City Hall gallery will give artists another outlet to exhibit in Easthampton and connect city employees and community members with the arts community. ECA+ also manages the ECA+ Gallery in the Old Town Hall and the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce Gallery.

This exhibit is free and open to the public. The hall gallery, located in the Municipal Building at 50 Payson Avenue on the 1st floor, Easthampton, MA. The gallery is open Monday - Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

ArtHampton! A day of Creativity

On October 6, 2012, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Easthampton City Arts+ presents ArtHampton, a day of workshops and demonstrations for registered participants, as well as programs for visitors including exhibitions featuring local artists, studio visits, and food specials at participating restaurants throughout Easthampton.

ArtHampton begins in the morning with workshops in the Eastworks building, at 116 Pleasant Street, Suite 137. Participants will be able to choose from a variety of workshops in three hour-long sessions from 9 – 12:30 a.m., including: a mini-life drawing marathon with Barbara Johnson, ballroom dancing with Steve Bailey, panel discussions on Tactical Urbanism and much more. An exhibition of participating ArtHampton artists will be open to participants in a gallery space when they check-in for workshops.

From 12:30 – 5 p.m. a wide variety of artists will be displaying and demonstrating their work including Boss/Brown Art on Water Street, Lynn Latimer, Michael MacTavish, and Eileen Jager in One Cottage Street; Marlene Rye and Jesse Morgan in the Paragon Arts and Industry Building; Carolyn Clayton, Steven Stankiewicz, Mie Kurahara,and Carol Ostberg in Eastworks; Anselblue Design Studio and Sam Pliska at the Old Town Hall; and many more throughout Easthampton. Concluding the day’s events will be a closing reception at the ArtHampton Gallery from 5 – 6 p.m. in Eastworks, Suite 137. Join ArtHampton artists in the gallery for a celebration of a day of creativity.

Visitors can also enjoy discounts during Arthampton from participating Easthampton restaurants. For a full listing of participating artists and restaurants, visitors can pick up ArtHampton maps throughout the city. The ArtHampton map will also soon be available digitally via QR code found on the ECA+ website and on flyers throughout the area. ArtHampton workshops are $35 and afternoon studio and demonstration visits are free and open to the public. Space is limited for available workshops. Register at EasthamptonCityArts.com/Arthampton and review the available workshops and schedule. Learn how to act, draw, juggle, and be inspired by others on how you can transform your community with art.

Special thanks to Eastworks

EASTHAMPTON SAVINGS BANK SELECTS PROPOSAL OF ECA+ ARTIST

In collaboration with Easthampton City Arts+, Easthampton Savings Bank announces the selection of ECA+ artist Eileen Jager to create a site-specific work of art for the new Easthampton Savings Bank Loan and Banking Center.

After deliberating over the 30+ proposals for a permanent display in the recently completed Loan and Banking Center, representatives including Easthampton Savings Bank President, William Hogan, selected the proposal by glass artist Eileen Jager. The application called for original works created by a registered ECA+ member that will be displayed in the prominent location of the building’s lobby. The selected applicant will receive up to $10,000 commission from the bank.

Located on the corner of Northampton and O’Neil Streets, the new structure houses the entire lending team and operations departments, as well as provides banking services with a new branch office. The new building has architectural elements that emulate Easthampton’s historic mill buildings with contemporary features that connect it to the 21st century. It is anticipated that approximately 75 - 100 customers will walk through the building’s lobby daily.

Jager, who says she is “delighted” to have her proposal selected for the Easthampton Savings Bank Loan and Banking Center, blends traditional stained glass and mosaic techniques in her work. She utilizes these techniques and incorporates rich and bold colors to create multidimensional sculpture.

“I use a very special iridescent glass that shimmers like a peacock feather. It has a subtle, alive quality that changes with the light of day and shifts as the viewer moves,” says Jager.

The light and color transformation was a component that attracted Easthampton Savings Bank to Jager’s work. After meeting with ECA+ and Easthampton Savings Bank representatives, Jager began finalizing the design of the project for the approximately-sized 5’ x 5’ lobby wall. Her abstract composition is inspired by natural elements and forms such as the skyline of Mount Tom as featured prominently in views from the back of the new building.

Jager practices her art at One Cottage Street where she has held a studio for almost 21 years and is chairperson for Cottage Street Studios. She earned an MFA from Alfred University in glass and sculpture and has studied at Tyler School of Art and West Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education in Swansea Wales, UK. Her work has been featured in prominent publications such as American Style, The Artful Home, and Furniture Style. As a Certiﬁed Practitioner of Interior Alignment, Jager helps clients change the way they think about environments they inhabit through her business and feng shui practice called the Artfully Home.

Jager’s completed work will be presented at a public viewing in the Easthampton Savings Bank Loan and Banking Center lobby. A date for the celebratory unveiling will be determined upon completion of the site-specific work in the fall of 2012.

Karrin Allyson and the Amherst Jazz Orchestra in Easthampton

The Amherst Jazz Orchestra, featuring four-time Grammy-nominated singer Karrin Allyson, will perform September 14 at 7 p.m. at White Brook Middle School.

The event, which will also feature the Easthampton High School Band, is sponsored by the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, the Easthampton Cultural Council and Easthampton Bear Fest 2012.

Allyson has released a dozen albums on Concord Jazz over the course of two decades and has been nominated three times for a Grammy in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category. She believes that the emotional connection that takes place in a small, quiet club during the late hours is one of the best parts of the jazz experience.

Tickets are $15. Purchase tickets.

Power Moves in a Circle at ECA+ Gallery

Artist Sharon Ligorner will exhibit “Power Moves in a Circle” in the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery from September 5 through September 30, 2012. An artist’s reception will be held on Saturday, September 8, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. as part of Art Walk Easthampton, sponsored in-part by High and Mighty Beer.

Ligorner’s rich encaustics, oils, and collages capture forms from nature and patterns of Eastern cultures. The work’s history is revealed through transparencies as remnants of colors and forms unfold showing a layered technique. Ligorner previously practiced silkscreen on glass and one can see how this technique has carried over in her new work. A bold image typically takes shape in her final piece that incorporates circles indicating references to orbs and cycles. There is a sense of harmony, light, and tranquility in Ligorner’s work that exudes a level intent that can be compared to mediation.

Ligorner says “For the last 25 years, I have been inspired by natures patterns, forms, and most frequently those that are circular. The recent work incorporates love of pattern, that feel very personal to me. Moving beyond my own restrictions, about a year ago, I began mixing the abstract imagery of nature inspired forms with the patterns that inspire and resonate with me. This blend is very personal and exciting. Color relationships that sing still play an important role.”

Ligorner has been exhibited in galleries and museums in New York, New Jersey, and the Pioneer Valley. She attended a residency at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and earned a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art. Her work is included in the collection of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D. C. She is an ECA+ member and holds a studio in One Cottage Street Studios. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery Hours are Tuesday- Saturday, 12-6 p.m.

Watercolors by Nancy Nickerson

Artist Nancy Nickerson exhibits a collection of her work at the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce Gallery from August 20, 2012 through October 31, 2012.

Nickerson calls herself a “down-to-earth artist.” Her landscape watercolor paintings aim to capture the volatile beauty of the changing seasons in the Pioneer Valley. The exhibition will also include watercolor depictions of animals and flowers. Easthampton born and bred, Nickerson finds painting to be a great relief and release from the chaos of current events.

The artist explains, “I love to paint anything that is ‘real’…like living, trees and flowers and oceans, people and places too.”

Nickerson is a prolific painter and would love to be able to sell her work full time. Until then, she continues to sell houses as a realtor at The Taylor Agency.

She is an ECA+ member, as well as a member of the Easthampton Art Appreciation Guild. She lives in Easthampton with her husband of 20 years.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The gallery, located at 33 Union Street, Easthampton, MA, is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

ECC 2013 GRANT APPLICATION THEME

The Easthampton Cultural Council announces that the theme for the 2013 grant applications is “Re-Create”. Applications are being accepted for programming in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences for projects to benefit the citizens of Easthampton. The deadline for applications is October 15, 2012.

Each year the Cultural Council selects a theme in order to inspire new and interesting projects in Easthampton. “Re-Create” refers to projects that highlight environmental issues and public spaces in our community as well as relationships we have with nature.

Projects must occur during 18-month grant cycle and priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate collaboration amongst community members and organizations. Examples of this might be a performance or presentation for the monthly Art Walk Easthampton or a project targeted towards a school or organization.

Funding for the Easthampton Cultural Council is provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). Previously funded projects in Easthampton, Bear Fest 2009 and Art in the Orchard (2011) received recognition as Gold Star recipients, exemplary projects reflecting the mission of MCC. For more information please see www.mass-culture.org/Easthampton.

DETECTED/INTERRUPTED transcends ballet and Bears

Join the Pioneer Valley Ballet (PVB) on August 11, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. for the video installation Detected/Interrupted projected on an alley wall in between Popcorn Noir at 32 Cottage Street, Easthampton and Mt. Tom’s Homemade Ice Cream. An artist reception will be held at Popcorn Noir’s newly opened café The Lobby during projection hours in conjunction with Art Walk Easthampton. This event is free and open to the public.

Detected/Interrupted is a dance video set to original music by Brooklyn-based indie rock band Grizzly Bear performed by selected dancers Nick Galatis, Tommy Seibold, Jaxon Hall, Jeffrey Gugliotti, and Christopher Phillips. PVB artistic director, Thomas Vacanti collaborated with video artist, 'drea Marks to create a "backyard ballet" – a concept video that parallels the startling juxtaposition of seeing a bear in one's backyard with the presence of performers dancing in a yards, a city, and on a mountain. The performance explores the questions, ‘What is the natural habitat of a bear?’ and ‘What is the natural habitat of the ballet?’ by presenting dance in an unusual context outside of the confines of the theater. Detected/Interrupted seeks to re-frame ballet as something to be seen outside and in nature where dancers’ movements and physical virtuosity take on new meaning.

The Pioneer Valley Ballet received a grant from the Easthampton Cultural Council to produce this video in conjunction with the Easthampton Bear Fest. The music by indie rock band Grizzly Bear, who granted permission for use, was selected as a connector to the concept of the video and Easthampton’s summer sculpture festival where 92 bears are on display throughout the greater Easthampton area through September 20.

Video artist ‘drea Marks said, “I enjoyed working in town. We shot the dancers in my backyard, on the streets, and rooftops then we hiked up Mt. Tom and took more footage.” Marks moved to Easthampton three years ago and hopes to collaborate more with the Pioneer Valley Ballet. She is an Educational Technologist at Western New England University in Springfield. She received an undergraduate from Bennington College and an MA from Columbia University.

Thomas Vacanti,the director and choreographer of Detected/Interrupted received his dance training at the Festival Ballet of New York, Boston Ballet, and Skidmore College. He danced professionally with Ballet Florida, Tampa Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet Mississippi, Ballet Michigan and National Ballet of Panama. He was one of ten dancers chosen nationally, by the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow, to represent the USA in their Russian/ American Exchange Program. He worked with internationally renowned choreographers and teachers while performing extensively throughout Russia.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Easthampton Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

ArtHampton 2012 - Artist Registration

ECA+ announces the Third Annual ArtHampton. We invite all Greater Easthampton artists, performers, and artisans to participate in this day by having an exhibition, a performance, or a demonstration. ECA+ will produce a map, listing all participants and their locations. We will promote the event, provide maps, and provide postcards for participants to distribute.

There is so much talent to be showcased and enjoyed here in Greater Easthampton. We are making improvements & additions to ArtHampton and hope that you are as excited about this year’s developments as we are:

We will be offering participants the opportunity to exhibit a small piece in an exhibition hall at Eastworks. The ArtHampton exhibition hall will act as the central location for visitors to register for ArtHampton. Visitors will be able to visually indentify your work through cards, maps, and your piece exhibited on the wall (see entry specifications below).
Also, for the first time ever, we will be offering creative workshops in the morning, hosted by area artists and teachers. More information about the morning workshop offerings will be posted soon at easthamptoncityarts.com.

DETAILS

Date: Saturday, October 6, 2012
Time: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Participants will exhibit, perform, or demonstrate in Easthampton between the hours of 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Participants will be provided with a space in the exhibition hall at Eastworks to display 1 representative piece of artwork (individual artwork must be ready to hang and no greater than 24 inches including frame if applicable. Tables will be available for 3-d work and contact/business information.

Deadline for participation and to be included on the map: August 28th, 2012

ECA+ Member Participation Fee
(this small participation fee will help to cover printing costs of the map and postcards)
$25 – text listing
$55 – text listing with photo
$100 – large, prominent/highlighted listing w/photo & web address
Non-members please add $20 to each of the above fees
Please note: A $10 late fee will be added to all Participant Registrations after August 28th.

ARTHAMPTON SCHEDULE

October 5, 6 – 7 p.m.
Eastworks Drop off work at the Eastworks Exhibition Hall, pick up maps and surveys.

October 6, 8:30 a.m.
Walk-in registration for Session Participants at Eastworks (space is limited and available on a first-come-first-serve basis). Eastworks Exhibition Hall opens to the Public and Session Participants

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Session I (two concurrent sessions at Eastworks)
10:15 – 11:15 a.m. Session II (two concurrent sessions at Eastworks)
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Session III (two concurrent sessions at Eastworks)
12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Demonstrations, performances, and exhibitions throughout Easthampton studios and spaces.
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Exhibition Hall Reception (return surveys)
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Participants pick up work from Exhibition Hall

ECA+ requires participants to invite at least two visitors to participate in a survey. Surveys will be printed and handed out to participants along with a clipboard and pen. A participant survey will be conducted as well a couple of days after the event, via email. This information is essential for future grant consideration from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Nowinski and Knerr Collaborate

In conjunction with the Streaming the 25th Hour, Maggie Nowinski has invited artist and writer, Erika Knerr, to workshop a collaborative performance that has been developing since early 2012. Spectators are encouraged to observe, photograph and walk around during the performance-action on Wednesday, August 15th, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. in Flywheel at 43 Main St, Easthampton. See full exhibition performance schedule here.

Nowinski and Knerr will make a durational drawing to mark time, broken narratives, abrupt and successful moments of mindful, focused mark-making, writing, and meditative practices. Meanwhile they will use various instruments, including their own voices, to randomly dictate activity halts. When the time is announced (artists will take turns), they must both stop, move together to support each other in transition, and move on to a different section of the drawing surface. Transitions will be experienced and illustrated by coming together to count breaths. Viewers can expect to see and hear various time change indicators, such as bells, cymbals, timers, glasses, gongs and bones; artists will be drawing and writing with mixed media on a large-scale piece of paper on the floor for most of the time.

While Maggie Nowinski has used performance approaches in her visual arts work since 2006 it has not been live, presented in video format as a small part of larger exhibitions. Streaming and this collaboration represents new territory in her art practice. In 2009 she and collaborator Burns Maxey created Mimeses, a video piece that was both documentative and fictionalized for an exhibition at Mobius in Boston. Later in 2010 they incorporated live and video performances as part of Reflections, a large-scale video-based project conceptually rooted in notions of mapping practices while addressing place, movement, collective and personal observation. In 2010 and 2011, for Swallowed, Nowinski created video performances to process the reality of bottled water consumption by manipulating her body with the primary materials of the exhibition (thousands of used plastic water bottles). In 2011 performance was used as a singular form of visual expression in Reflecting My Environment, walks I-III. Shown as a video after the live event, these walks incorporate humor to contemplate through experience notions of visibility, invisibility and conceptions of natural and fabricated environments.

Erika Knerr frequently incorporates experimental performance practice in her work and participates with other performance artists. Her performance work has evolved around painting and large scale installations. Her works have been included in one person and group exhibitions and festivals internationally, including Mediations Biennale in Poznan, Poland in 2008. She also collaborates with the experimental LAB group and in 2012 performances included work with SWITCH TV, based out of Holyoke Massachusetts, and as a performer for part of David Teeple's exhibition at UMASS MoCA in Walking Water. Knerr has presented durational performance actions within installation settings a number of times. Much of her work explores themes of mindfulness, loss, the marking of time as both a political and spiritual practice. Knerr is also the publisher of New Observations magazine, and editorial director of Artist Organized Art and an active art critic. Most recently her review was featured in Art in America, May 2012.

Maggie Nowinski in Streaming the 25th Hour

Artist Maggie Nowinski exhibits in-progress works and performance in “Streaming the 25th Hour” in the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery from August 7 through August 29, 2012. A live performance and installation viewing will be held on Saturday, August 11th from 5:00-8:00 p.m. as part of Art Walk Easthampton, sponsored in-part by High and Mighty Beer.

Maggie Nowinski’s Streaming the 25th Hour combines in-progress art works that conceptually intersect themes of thought patterns, tempo, time passage, and perceptions of choice. Shaped by recent experiences of loss, Nowinski’s current in-progress works include drawings, cyanotypes, thought maps, collages, stitches, stones, writing, video, sound, body movements, and vocalizations. During the installation, Nowinski will perform tasks that express facets of her creative practice. Her performed actions and displayed works convey tensions around the accessibility of creativity in the face of life’s daily practical time and place constraints. Embedded, within this conceptual terrain are observations on the arrival of ideas and mindfulness within contexts of stress, memory, control, personal desire and grief. Ongoing collaborative and solo performances will occur throughout the installation.

Nowinski says, “I want this creative exercise to engage with my work and spark personal and visual transformation. I’m not looking to show something fixed, but to be, hear, make, observe and breathe. A big motivation for me in my practice is to see or hear the work; I want to tap into the fluid, although sometimes jagged movement of creative activity and I hope to feel some internal shifts,” she says.

Maggie Nowinski is a multi-media artist based in Easthampton, MA. Her work has been exhibited throughout the Pioneer Valley, Philadephia, Boston, and beyond. Most recently her work has been seen at the Garbage Museum, ArtSpace, Nash Gallery, and Easthampton’s Art in the Orchard. She earned an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a BFA from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She is an educator of visual studio arts and art history at Manchester Community College and Westfield State University. The installation is free and open to the public.

The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery hours are Tuesday- Saturday, 12-6 p.m.

Performance Schedule:

Tuesday, 8/7, 2:00 - 3:00 & 4:00 - 5:00 p.m., ECA+ Gallery

Wednesday, 8/8, 2:00 - 6:00 p.m., ECA+ Gallery

Thursday, 8/9, 1:00 - 4:30 p.m., Flywheel

Saturday, 8/11, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. Flywheel

Tuesday, 8/14, 4:00 - 6:00, ECA+ Gallery

Wednesday, 8/15, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., Flywheel, with Erika Knerr

Call to Artists

Easthampton City Arts+ is seeking artists to apply for exhibitions in three galleries located in Easthampton—the ECA+ Gallery, the Chamber Gallery, and the new Easthampton City Hall Gallery.

The Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery is located in the Historic Town Hall at 43 Main Street in Easthampton, MA, home to other arts businesses and organizations. The ECA+ Gallery exhibits the works of ECA+ members, local and regional artists and beyond. Exhibitions rotate monthly and participate in Art Walk Easthampton, a monthly citywide event that several hundred people attend. A wide-array of artists exhibit their work in the ECA+ gallery representing a diverse range of medias and stylistic considerations. All are encouraged to apply. This application is for the 2013-14 season. Application is due August 31. Applicants will be notified of status in September 2012.

Located at 33 Union Street in the foyer, of the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce. This gallery hosted by ECA+ is a widely visited space for visitors and business owners. Exhibitions are displayed for two months. This space is a perfect location for artists to exhibit 6-10 small 2-d works. Both up-and-coming and established artists are encouraged to apply. Application has been extended and is due August 31. Applicants will be notified of status on an ongoing basis.

Easthampton’s City Hall is traversed by hundreds of people every month at 50 Payson Avenue. 2-D or wall relief artists are invited to display their work in this new hallway gallery for three month-long exhibitions. Exhibiting artists must use the track system provided. Easthampton artists are encouraged to apply. Application has been extended and is due August 31. Applicants will be notified of status on an ongoing basis.

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists

ENTRY INFORMATION: Please complete the online application. If applicants are unable to complete the online form, please mail three images, description, c/v, and month preferences to Easthampton City Arts+, c/o Burns Maxey, 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA 01027. Please do not send slides. Images and descriptions will not be returned.

Press Ready 101 Workshop

Easthampton City Arts+ invites you to Press Ready 101 workshop with media readiness consultant Sarah Platanitis on August 1, at 6:00 p.m. This event will be at Flywheel, located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. The workshop costs $25 for ECA+ members and $35 for non-members.

What: Press Ready Workshop 101
Where: Flywheel, 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA 01027
Who: Hosted by Easthampton City Arts+ with Sarah Platanitis
When: August 1, 2012, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Fee: $25 ECA+ Members, $35 Non-Members

Want to figure out how journalists think, get tips to tune-up your PR skills, and learn how to write a better press release? Join ECA+ and media readiness consultant Sarah Platanitis for Press Ready 101! In this workshop, you will be coached by a seasoned journalist and award-winning journalism teacher to gain a better understanding of how journalists work. You’ll also learn how to prepare essential items for working with the press based on your field and feel more comfortable with future press opportunities by knowing:

The difference between a media kit and press kit and why you need both.
How to present your best self online.
The importance of a press release and the secrets to writing one that gets results.
Why you must research the media before you start a conversation with them.
The do’s and don't's of what to do when the media is interested in YOU.
The different types of interviews and how to navigate them without sinking your ship.
How to follow up and make the very best impression.

In ninety minutes, you’ll receive such valuable information that you’ll swear you’ve received a secret file from a spy! No more butterflies, second guessing and forgotten thoughts that wake you up in the middle of the night. This workshop will also include a short press release writing activity, fun review game with prizes, and Q&A time.

Sarah Platanitis is a freelance writer, photographer and the creative entrepreneur behind Anselblue Design Studio. Her work as a journalist is what led her to develop a workshop called “Press Ready”, where she coaches artists, organizations and businesses on how to build an effective publicity tool kit and prepare for successful media opportunities. An award-winning inner-city public school Journalism teacher and 2009 Reynolds Journalism Institute fellow, Sarah also spent two years as a children’s media literacy educator for PBS Ready To Learn. To learn more about Sarah, visit www.sarahplatanitis.com.

What's Art Party Studio?

You might have noticed the flyers around Easthampton that invite you to an Art Party Studio. Or perhaps you checked out the already successful indiegogo campaign that gives a little more insight into this creative party. Whichever tactic has tantalized your attention, be it guerilla or QR code, Amy Gardiner, Joseph Casciano, and Randy Barrios have a very innovative 'party' in mind for those who are artistically minded. Learn more about their endeavor in this interview with the founders of something more than a bash.

What is Art Party Studio?

Art Party Studio is a shared studio space and gallery that makes art accessible to creative individuals of all skill levels and mediums. Whether you want to scrapbook, paint, or access our digital darkroom, we've got you covered. We're running the space like an "art gym". For a monthly fee we provide access to equipment, workspace, and the support necessary to realize creative projects. We'll also be hosting events, running classes, and promoting the work of our members.

What's the Party about?

The Party is about making art fun. We're doing this by creating a dynamic, inclusive art space and by hosting a variety of art-centered events. For example, our gallery shows will give our members the opportunity to show their work in an interactive environment. A typical Art Party might include visual art, music, performance and surprises. It's more about experiencing art than simply viewing it.

What's the story for coming up with Art Party Studio?

Each of our founding members approached Art Party Studio from a different angle. Amy was looking for affordable space and a supportive creative community. Joseph wanted critical feedback on his work and needed access to tools that he couldn't afford on his own. Randy was looking for an art space to push the envelope with his performances and experiment with new art mediums. With our powers combined, we created Art Party Studio.

Who are the founding members and what are their interests?

Art Party Studio was founded by Amy Gardiner, Joseph Casciano, and Randy Barrios. Amy is interested in stories and interpersonal relationships. She creates animated shorts, comics, paintings of people in her life, nostalgic sculptures, and cooks tasty things to bring people together to laugh. Joseph's main creative outlet is photography, though he dabbles in video and music production. He's interested in how images and sound can create an experience in a viewer that is not necessarily tied to narrative. Randy is interested in art as a performance and a process. When not performing as Ms. Hors D'oeuvres with Bon Appétit Burlesque, a woman-friendly, body-positive neo-burlesque show in Northampton, he is looking to expand his craft of performance art through audience engagement and projects that focus on art as an experience.

Do you have a place for Art Party Studio?

We do! We're going to be in Suite 249 at Eastworks. It's the perfect starting place: it's easy to find, well maintained, and is accessible by bike and bus. We're setting up the space in July to prepare for our August 1st launch. People who contribute to our Indiegogo campaign will be invited to an awesome preview party.

What kind of equipment and materials will be available to members?

Art Party Studio will have both digital and hands-on tools. Our digital lab will include a Cintiq Wacom for illustrators, digital cameras, and a full-service digital darkroom with Adobe Creative Suite 6, a professional film scanner, and a high quality photo printer. Our hands-on tools will include sewing machines, knitting needles, crochet hooks, easels, and assorted painting and crafting tools. The space itself will have movable work tables, stools, and a comfy quiet corner with a small art book library. While we'll be focusing on providing reusable tools to share, we will sometimes provide members with a featured art material to experiment with while supplies last. It's also rumored that we're getting a donation of a sizable rubber stamp collection!

How can one become a member?

We're preselling memberships through our Indiegogo campaign. Once our Indiegogo campaign ends, people can come into the studio during normal business hours, see the space, and sign up for a membership at our front desk. Those who want to try out the studio before committing can get a day-pass.

What has been the reaction so far to Art Party Studio?

It's been awesome! Our family, friends, and people in the community have been incredibly supportive. We were astonished when we reached our initial fundraising goal in just three days. People believe in us and our vision, and we're super excited to be making this dream a reality.

What's the next step after the initial fundraising?

Our next big step is setting up the studio. We're building workspaces from scratch, purchasing tools, arranging the equipment, and spreading the word. And then we get to plan our first big party!

And after that? Any future hopes and dreams after the initial party?

We would like to grow into a bigger space where we can make room for larger and more specialized tools without losing the fun sense of community that is Art Party Studio. We would like to help artists find work with local businesses and start community outreach projects. We hope that Art Party Studio will become an important part of the art community for all of Western Massachusetts.

Check out Art Party Studio's website here.

I am not the Me You Think I am

Artist Alicia Renadette will exhibit “I am not the Me You Think I am” in the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery from July 10 through July 31, 2012. An artist’s reception will be held on Saturday July 14th from 5:00-8:00 p.m. as part of Art Walk Easthampton, sponsored in-part by High and Mighty Beer.

Renadette’s visual language touches upon multilayered references of middle class suburban domesticity, pageantry, and visceral imagery. This language is a clue into the artist’s process and exploration of how a diverse range of influences can coexist and react to each other in the same space. Everyday objects are reused and repurposed then combined and presented ceremoniously. Decorative patterns are juxtaposed with sculptural vignettes often referencing a Rococo style but upon closer look, one will notice the used cosmetic pads and packaging materials. Renadette’s pieces seep into one another. They are turned inside out and upside down: A formal broken chair puddles with patterned material into the floor; a faux family crest, symmetrical in style, is adorned with textiles, powdered netting, pink high heels and Styrofoam corbels; and a love seat is turned inside out oozing with chair parts and sewn materials then mounted above. Beautifully grotesque, these works flow together with a quality similar to a modern day reaction to Versailles of both attraction and repulsion with a hint of humor and tragedy in it all.

Renadette’s work has exhibited in Brattleboro, San Francisco, Los Angeles and beyond. She received her undergraduate from Hartford Art School and earned an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Renadette has held a residency at the Vermont Studio Center. She recently relocated to Easthampton where she has her studio. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery Hours are Tuesday- Saturday, 12-6 p.m.

Live Music, Poetry, and Bears

Easthampton City Arts is excited to announce that the action-packed 2012 Bear Fest Unveiling Celebration will take place June 9 from 2 to 8 p.m.

Events for the day begin at 2 p.m. at the municipal parking lot on Cottage Street, where Mayor Michael Tautznik and state Rep. John Scibak will speak to kick off Bear Fest 2012, a public art event that will continue through September. Following Tautznik and Scibak’s remarks, one of the 40 bears will be unveiled, and participants will have the first taste of the Official Bear Fest Ice Cream Flavor by Mount Tom's Homemade Ice Cream. The Pioneer Valley’s very own Expandable Brass Band will lead the crowd in a sidewalk parade to the Easthampton Savings Bank lawn, behind the bank on Main Street, where festivities will continue until 8 p.m. On the ESB green, a Teddy Bear Picnic featuring Bill Shontz will be held at 3:15 p.m. Kids crafts and activities will be available at Bearland, a Bear Fest Kids committee creation. The bands, FlavaEvolution and Bluegrass Co-op will play from 4:30 to 8 p.m., and food by Glory of India, Dino's Pizza, SugarBakers, and beer by Opa Opa.

Other highlights of Bear Fest 2012’s opening day include the following:
• Barbershop singers, Shave and a Haircut, will perform throughout the city, starting at 2:45 p.m. at the Williston Park on Railroad and Union streets. • Bear Fest artists will speak about their work throughout the day in front of their bears. • Artwork by local artists will be on view in selected galleries and businesses from 5 to 8 p.m. for Art Walk Easthampton. See ArtWalkEasthampton.com for more information.
• Bear Fest 2012 commemorative merchandise will be on sale at the ribbon-cutting on Cottage Street, the Nash Gallery, Mt. Tom’s Homemade Ice Cream, and the ESB green.
• Table Top Bears created by school children in Easthampton, Westhampton, and Southampton and in Riverside Industry’s art classes will be on view throughout the city and available for bidding. Pick up the day’s program and a Bear Fest map many participating downtown Easthampton locations.
• Poetry read by White Brook and Maple School Students at White Square Fine Books and Art

Pick up your Bear Fest map and schedule of the days events at Bear Fest or download it at easthamptonbearfest.com on June 9.

Fifteen Printmakers from Seven States ESCAPE!!!

Lyell Castonguay will exhibit a multi-artist show, “ESCAPE!!!,” in the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery from June 8 through June 30, 2012. An artist’s reception will be held on Saturday, June 9, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. as part of Art Walk Easthampton.

Castonguay independently curated the show, inviting fourteen other printmakers from seven different states for an artistic exploration of the literal and metaphorical implications of the concept of escape. “The theme was developed by myself in response to a series of ongoing figurative woodcuts of historical magicians I am creating,” says Castonguay. The exhibition, visible online at escapeexchange.blogspot.com, ranges from the intricate color line work and dark themes of Carand Burnet’s woodcut “Henhouse,” to the surrealist isolation expressed in Eben Kling’s silkscreen “Ride the Crowd.” The range of processes includes: relief, engraving, etching, letterpress, silkscreen, and lithography. The artists exhibiting in ESCAPE!!! also collaborated to produce a print portfolio. Each artist created an edition of 15 prints, which Castonguay collated and shared amongst the group. “Portfolio exchanges are great because they illustrate a broad artistic interpretation of a common theme,” he says.

Castonguay chose each artist specifically based on the quality of his or her previous work. Fifteen artists will partiicpate in the exhibition, including: Tiberiu Chelcea, Joseph Van Kerkhove, Scott Schnepf, Carand Burnet, Aaron Drew, Maya M. Bajak, Brianna Ashe, Chris Millette, Eben Kling, Ned Roche, Bill Cass, Christopher Stepler, Sean Young, Ethan Berry, and Lyell Castonguay.

Castonguay also collaborated with Carand Burnet in creatively transforming a large bear sculpture as part of the 2012 Easthampton Bear Fest--a city-wide public art festival. The large bear named Dia Del Oso Muerto (Day of the Dead Bear) was painted with intricate symbolic motifs in celebration of the Mexican holiday. The bear will be placed at the entry way of La Casita Azteca, a Mexican restaurant located in the heart of Easthampton at 58 Cottage Street. The opening of Easthampton Bear Fest coincides with their ECA+ Gallery exhibition on June 9.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery Hours are Tuesday- Saturday, 12-6 p.m.

ECA+ Artist Creates Collectible Bear Fest Platters

Evelyn Snyder, owner of Kaleidoscope Pottery at One Cottage Street, has designed a special line of plates to honor Bear Fest 2012 and will donate a portion of the earned proceeds to Bear Fest and Easthampton City Arts+, which organizes the event.

The large plates will be unveiled and for sale at the Bear Fest 2012 Table Top Viewing at Cottage Street Open Studios on May 19 and 20. In addition to featuring work by studio artists, the open house event will highlight 52 miniature bears decorated by students in Easthampton, Southampton, and Westhampton, as well as participants in art classes at Riverside Industries and the Northeast Center for Youth and Families.

Snyder said she was delighted to create the Bear Fest plates to support ECA+ and its work in the community as well as to support this year’s Bear Fest events. “I was really amazed by the number of people who came to Easthampton as a result of the first Bear Fest,” she said. “It introduced people to the town in such a friendly way and focused in on what the arts do for this community.”

Snyder said her Bear Fest plates are a version of the best-selling “Fantasy Plate” originally conceived by Kaleidoscope’s founder Kathy Hibshman. That plate features a sort of landscape made by imprints of fern fronds, surrounded by stars and moons; the Bear Fest version of the plate has a bear sitting among the foliage.

“Just looking at them makes me smile,” Snyder said.

Snyder created a similar style plate for the Apollo Grill restaurant, which features rockets and space aliens.

Snyder loves the collaboration that is continually ongoing in the arts and business community in Easthampton. “We have the chance to interact with each other, and we all benefit from it,” she said.

“There are people making a living from artwork here,” she added. “What that means is that in addition to happy, creative, working people, there are also people who will buy our work or make donations to support our work. It's the combination of artists and arts supporters that I love most about Easthampton.”

As part of the Table Top Viewing, 52 18-inch bears will be on view and up for bid in artists’ studios at the open house, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 19 and from Noon to 5 p.m. on May 20 at Cottage Street Studios, 1 Cottage Street, Easthampton.

Additional Bear Fest merchandise for sale will include T-shirts designed by Center School student Amelie Fisher and more.

Following Cottage Street Open Studios, the 52 Table Top bears will be on view throughout Easthampton, Southampton, and Westhampton. Bear Fest Kaleidoscope Pottery plates will be available at the Nash Gallery located at 40 Cottage Street in Easthampton.

Marlies Stoddard of the Nash Gallery said, “Having merchandise created by local artists continues the spirit of Bear Fest. Even if Bear Fest fans are unable to contribute or take part in the final auction of the bears, they can still participate in supporting the arts by purchasing original works by local artisans.”

Photographed are the prototypes of the platters.

Summer Arts in Easthampton

Easthampton City Arts+ presents the Summer Arts in Easthampton, a calendar packed with fun cultural activities held throughout the city of Easthampton. The summer programming is created in collaboration with organizations and city departments such as the Cottage Street Studios, Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Easthampton Park and Recreation Department, and more. The majority of the programs are free and all are open to the public. The kick-off of the summer programming begins with Cottage Street Open Studios and viewing of the Bear Fest table top bears on May 19 & 20.

See a list of the events below and mark your calendar today!

May 19 & 20 Cottage Street Open Studios and Bear Fest Table Top viewing

May 25 Kick-off of Arts in the Park @ Millside Park Concerts every Friday through August.

June 3 Sunday Kind of Jazz

June 9 Bear Fest Unveiling and Celebration
See the Bears, celebrate with The Expandable Brass Band, experience a Teddy Bear Picnic featuring Bill Shontz, meet the Bear Fest Artists, and more! Also, Art Walk Easthampton : Exhibitions throughout the city!

June 23 Bear Fest Scavenger Hunt and Bearland at the Easthampton Fireworks.

July 28 Bear Fest Family Program Mass Audubon, Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary. Sponsored in part by the Easthampton Cultural Council.

July 14 Art Walk Easthampton
Exhibitions throughout the city!
Goldilocks and the Three Bears, a puppet show by ECA+ members

August 11 Art Walk Easthampton
Exhibitions throughout the city (Shh, don't tell. You might see a flash mob or citywide video projections)!

August 19 Bear Family Program Mass Audubon, Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary. Sponsored in part by the Easthampton Cultural Council.

September 8 Art Walk Easthampton
Exhibitions throughout the city!

September 14 Karrin Allyson & the Amherst Jazz Orchestra ($) A special performance in conjunction with Bear Fest. Sponsored in part by the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce and by the Easthampton Cultural Council.

September 20 Auction of the Bears at the Log Cabin in Holyoke! ($)

Local Students. Local Artists.

Parents Lissie Fein and Shelly Bathe Lenn received an Easthampton Cultural Council grant for a new art program at Maple School entitled “Local Students. Local Artists.”. Students in kindergarten to fourth grade classes have worked with six local artists in a program that expands their artistic experience. The culmination of this collaborative program will be on view throughout Easthampton’s galleries, showcasing the students’ work in a citywide art show. During Art Walk Easthampton on May 12, from 5 – 8 p.m., the public can view the citywide exhibition at White Square Fine Books and Art, Nash Gallery, Popcorn Noir, ECA+ Gallery, and the Old Town Hall.

Professionally established artists who worked with the students included sculptor Matt Evald Johnson, illustrator Chris Murphy, fabric artist Audrey Hyvonen, animators Lissie Fein and Peter King, and mixed media artist David Poppie. Invited artists worked with mediums not currently available in the school further enriching the already established art program. Exhibited throughout the city will be works created by the individual classes. Quilts by the 2nd grade class will be shown at White Square Fine Books and Art at 86 Cottage St. Sculptures by the kindergarten class will be on view at the Nash Gallery at 40 Cottage St. Animation by the 3rd grade class will be shown at Popcorn Noir on 32 Cottage St. Mixed-media by the 4th grade class will be exhibited in the Old Town Hall hallway at 43 Main St. Illustrations by the kindergarten & 1st grade classes will be on view at ECA+ Gallery at 43 Main St. Accompanying artist statements will be on view with the work at each location.

Shelly Bathe Lenn, a parent and grant recipient says, “Local students. Local artists. has been a bigger success than I imagined. It has been such a joy to watch all the students at Maple School engaged with a new art medium and working so hard on their own creations. Each artist did an amazing job-from talking about their own work in the medium to helping students make their ideas come out in the creative process.”

All exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Call for Proposals for Easthampton Savings Bank Loan Center

In collaboration with Easthampton City Arts+, Easthampton Savings Bank seeks submissions of original art work for permanent display in the new Easthampton Savings Bank Loan Center.

Located on the corner of Northampton and O’Neil Streets, the new structure will house the entire lending team and operations departments, as well as provide banking services with a new branch office. The new building has architectural elements that emulate Easthampton’s historic mill buildings with contemporary features that connect it to the 21st century. Approximately 75 - 100 customers will walk through the building’s lobby daily.

The application calls for original work by a registered ECA+ artist that will display on a 5 x 5 ft. wall in an 8 ½ ft. wide walkway of the interior lobby. Up to $10,000 commission will be awarded to the selected artist. The criteria for the competition will be juried by representatives of Easthampton Savings Bank with consultation by Easthampton City Arts+. Final selected work will be chosen by Easthampton Savings Bank. There are no restrictions on materials. All media will be considered. Finished and newly created site-specific work will be accepted for proposals. Only completed proposals will be reviewed and should include a finished application form, three examples of completed work, a bio and artist C/V. If a new work is to be proposed for the submission, a visual reference (i.e. sketch, photograph, painting) is requested. Only digital images will be accepted and can be mailed on cd or emailed to info@easthamptoncityarts.com. Submissions will not be returned.

The deadline for submission is May 1, 2012. The selected artist will be notified on May 8, 2012. Winning designs must be completed, delivered, and ready to hang by July 16, 2012. Detailed submission requirements, application form, and an architect’s drawing of the building are available at easthamptoncityarts.com/esbsubmission. Applications may be mailed to ESB Arts Submission c/o

Easthampton City Arts+, 43 Main Street, Suite 2, Easthampton, MA 01027. Easthampton City Arts+ is a city arts organization that works to enhance the collaborative efforts of the artist and business communities to increase economic opportunities for artists. ECA+ has close to 250 members who are artists and/or creative businesses that live or work in Easthampton, Westhampton, or Southampton. Artists and businesses may apply to become a member at easthamptoncityarts.com/apply.

Photographers: Abel and Yandoli

Photographers Charles Abel and Paul Yandoli will exhibit in the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery from April 7 through April 28, 2012. An artists’ reception will be held on Saturday, April 14, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. as part of Art Walk Easthampton, sponsored in-part by High and Mighty Beer.

The two artists will be exhibiting black and white photography with differing processes but addressing similar notions of memory and surrealism.

Charles Abel uses a combination of film photography with a Holga camera then digitally pieces the frames together to create a dreamlike a panoramic image with an otherworldly use of space. “They are meant to conjure up the feeling of remembering”, says Abel about his work in The Mind’s Eye, Panoramic Expressions.

Paul Yandoli will be exhibiting, Only a Dream... B&W Infrared Photographs 1994 – 1999. Using black and white infrared film for a decade, Yandoli creates surreal images that capture a dreamlike memory. “My selection of subject matter usually stems from a visceral response to what I am seeing, although with infrared film, I also consciously focused on particular subject matter that I felt was suitable to infrared film.”

Charles Abel earned his MFA from Hartford Art School. He is a recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant amongst other photographic awards, and he has exhibited his work throughout the Pioneer Valley including at the Jones Library and Wistariahurst Museum. Abel is currently an assistant professor of photography at Springfield College.

Paul Yandoli has exhibited widely throughout the Pioneer Valley including at the Hosmer Gallery, the Burnet Gallery, and the Woodstar Café. He has been a contributing photographer to StockBoston, Inc. and he has been a advertising photography assistant where he worked with established clients such as the Boston Globe, The Boston Children’s Museum and Harvard Divinity School.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery Hours are Tuesday- Saturday, 1-6 p.m.

ONE GIRL'S JOURNEY CAPTURED IN COLOR

Photographer Sarah Platanitis will exhibit, “Trekking in Color: A Photo Story” in the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce Gallery from March 21 through May 24, 2012.

Sarah Platanitis’ photographs capture a journey through vibrant color images. The underlying thread in these photographs is from the viewpoint of a wandering traveler catching moments in time as she is passing from one place to another. The images were taken in Brattleboro, New York City, Baltimore, Washington DC, Salamanca and Numazu. They seize an instant in time and evoke the question of who is this peripatetic character and what is she seeking to find in these found moments and scenes.

The photographer explains, “She's peeking inside of places and catching glimpses of the overlooked. Most importantly, she's keeping in time to the rhythm of the places where she's standing instead of imposing her own on them,” says Sarah.

Sarah Platanitis is a photographer, artist, and journalist. Influenced by the photographs of Helen Levitt, Bernice Abbott, and James Natchaway, she has been inspired by photography since a young age. Her work has been seen in the Republican, Preview Magazine, and beyond.

She is an ECA+ member, owns Anselblue Design Studio, and lives in Western MA. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The gallery, located at 33 Union Street, Easthampton, MA, is open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

(We All Scream for) an interview with Jim Ingram

It seems like everyone in the valley knows where to get the best ice cream. A mainstay in the city of Easthampton, Jim Ingram's Mount Tom's Homemade Ice Cream is a step into yesteryear with its tin ceilings and its icecream parlor style seating with updated flavors and walls filled with art by local creative talent. Jim, a photographer and entrepeneur, is a creative and community force that has embraced the city of Easthampton since his arrival in 2003. ECA+ spoke with Jim about his store, his photography and his story.

photography by Jim Ingram

ECA+: Why did you open a business in Easthampton?
JI: Synchronicity.
I was actually looking for a location in the Boston area. A few months into that fruitless search, every town seemed to already have a good ice cream shop or was cost-prohibitive, I just happened to come out to Western Massachusetts to visit a friend. She owned a B&B in Worthington and knew Carl of now retired Sunrise Bakery. She also knew he had started a little candy store in the same building, was having a tough go of it, and was quietly shopping it around. She called him that night to set up a tour for me. I rerouted my trip home via Cottage Street the next day. The place had me at twenty foot high tin ceilings and hardwood floors. I sometimes wonder if I hadn’t come out for that visit where I’d be and what I might be doing.

I stick by the synchronicity thing since I hadn’t talked to my B&B friend in at least six years before that visit, and I haven't seen her since. I wish I could say I had more entrepreneurial foresight about downtown Easthampton’s renaissance when I decided to set up shop here. Suffice to say, I had a good feeling about the town then, despite the many empty or struggling storefronts. My intuition seems to have paid off, and here I am nearly a decade later, still growing right along with it.

ECA+: What makes Mt Tom’s a success?
JI: At the risk of sounding a bit esoteric, I believe it’s because it makes people happy.

Someone once told me, you’re not selling ice cream, you’re selling memories. Part of what makes going to an ice cream shop or candy store fun is it reminds you of those carefree days when you were a kid, when Mom would bring you there after a good report card or on the way home from the beach with your family. An ice cream parlor is meant to be a happy place, and I work hard at making the experience of coming to Mt. Tom’s as positive as possible. That not only includes offering the best ice cream I can possibly make in an ever-changing array of interesting flavors but doing it in a way that ‘facilitates happy’. For my shop, that means things like hiring friendly servers, maintaining an old-fashioned candy store/ice cream parlor that’s clean and orderly, and offering prices that are fair. Just to name a few.

Let’s face it, people have many choices when it comes to ice cream and sweets. Like most ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses in the age of the internet and the superstore, small biz survival depends on being able to offer an ‘experience’ that makes it worthwhile to come to your shop.

ECA+: How long have you been doing photography?
JI: I used to swipe my parents’ instamatic when I was a kid and run off with it to take pictures of the cat. Suffice to say, I’ve been aiming a camera at stuff for about as long as I can remember.

ECA+: What is your photographic process?
JI: Photography is the art of capturing light. It has its technical aspects - aperture, depth of field, over-exposure, under-exposure, etc. All these contribute to the quality of an image and can’t be ignored, but that’s not enough to explain the difference between a snapshot and a great image.

For me, the essence of photography is that it forces you to be present in the moment. Instead of mindlessly stomping over a patch of mist-covered clovers, your eyes and lens are getting right up close, taking in the scene from every angle. In twenty minutes, the scene may be completely different. No more dew. Different shades of green from the sun slightly higher in the sky. Being able to capture and share a beautiful moment is what brings the most satisfaction to me. Creating a great image involves being in the right place at the right time, and like most forms of luck in life, the more you’re out there, the greater your odds of success. And thanks to the magic of the digital photography and the invention of the delete button, you can take as many shots as you want, because you never know which one will capture that moment in a way that truly captivates.

My camera of choice is a Canon Digital Rebel, but I’ve gotten plenty of keepers with my trusty point-and-shoot digital Canon Elph. When I’m out taking photos deliberately, it’s my DSLR, but as I mentioned, that right place, right time moment can come at any time, so for me it’s about always being prepared and on the lookout for that next great shot.

ECA+:How has ECA+ impacted your business?
JI: Art Walk and Bear Fest 2009 have, without a doubt, had the biggest impact on my business. A has been most helpful in the off-season. It’s been a great way to get people to come to the shop on a cold night when they might otherwise not be so inclined. Mt. Tom’s does have an espresso bar and an array of gourmet chocolates for those who think ice cream is just for summer, and those off-season Art Walks have helped to remind people of this. As for Bear Fest, it nearly single-handedly rescued me from a cold rainy summer. Where most of my ice cream shop owner friends suffered through a very down season, I did quite well, thanks to the many families who came to Easthampton to enjoy strolling through town to discover the bears. The summer-long event hit my demographic perfectly, and I look forward to the next one!

ECA+: Describe how ECA+ has impacted your photography?
JI: The biggest impact ECA+ has had on my photography has been with the Art Walk. I’ve shown my work on six different occasions and am preparing for another next month. I am always on the lookout for the next great image, but as many artists and runners will agree, it’s the planned shows and events that do the most to encourage you to get out there and do what you do. I’ve enjoyed networking with other photographers and artists through ECA+, and learned a lot from other members, so thanks for all you do to keep the arts community alive, communicating, and prospering. Keep up the great work!

Click here to read Jim's Ice Cream diaries and see more of his photography.

Aesthetic Compulsion In-Habits ECA+ Gallery

Artist Carolyn Clayton will exhibit “In-habit” in the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery from March 8 through April 3, 2012. An artist’s reception will be held on Saturday, March 10, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. as part of Art Walk Easthampton, sponsored in-part by High and Mighty Beer.

Clayton investigates domesticity, gender dichotomies, and human habits of consumption and disposal through methods of performance, sculpture, and documentation. She combines disparate materials such as wood, steel, fabric, plaster and glass with artificially colored plastics, foams, silicone, building waste and discarded objects. She sews together broken teacups and stitches her daily path--a recorded GPS pattern. Also to be viewed are Clayton’s sliced wooden houses that are filled with found objects, foam, paint, wood, plastic, toys, rope, and more. The innards of these sculptural dwellings when exposed reveal a similarity to cross-sectional anatomical cadavers. A video of the artist with her opposite self opposed at the other end of the saw, displays a once whole house being sawed in half—an act that may be part archetype destruction and/or part examination. In one photographic documentation she captures logs on a wooded path with the edges transformed by unnatural colors. Within all of these works by Clayton, is a development of the artist’s methodology of exploration and comparison of diametrically opposed matter and concepts.

In 2010 Clayton completed a residency at the Vermont Studio Center after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 2009. She has been awarded a grant from the Northampton Arts Council and has exhibited her work in Northampton, Pittsburgh, and Paris. She is a recent ECA+ artist and maintains a studio in Eastworks. Clayton is also a C3 Northampton Collective Member.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery Hours are Tuesday- Saturday, 12-6 p.m.

Social Media Forum for Artists

A Social Media Forum for artists was held on Wednesday, March 14, 2012.

Follow-up:
Download reference materials from the social media foum.

Tish Grier and Sarah Platanitis are invited panelists speaking on social media with ECA+ Coordinator Burns Maxey. Following the forum, updates will be posted here for information on the discussion, quick links, and tips and tricks to creating a sucessful social media plan.

Tish Grier is a freelance writer-journalist and highly accomplished professional blogger, crowdsourcer and content developer. The former Chief Community Officer for Placeblogger.com, she assisted journalism start-ups and small businesses in effectively using multiple social media channels with key content and statistical know-how. As a social media specialist, Tish focuses on audience development and engagement through strategic content cultivation in addition to keeping up with the latest legal concerns related to marketing and privacy rights across social networks. Google "Tish Grier" for a list of publications and to read her fashion blog, highfashionaveragewoman.com. Favorite Sites: Blog on Wordpress, Facebook & Twitter for promoting/keeping track of prof’l friends, Pinterest for fun and as a warm-up for writing.

Sarah Platanitis is a freelance writer, photographer and the creative entrepreneur behind Anselblue Design Studio. Her work as a journalist is what led her to develop a workshop called “Press Ready”, where she coaches artists, organizations and businesses on how to build an effective publicity tool kit and prepare for successful media opportunities. An award-winning inner-city public school Journalism teacher and 2009 Reynolds Journalism Institute fellow, Sarah also spent two years as a children’s media literacy educator for PBS Ready To Learn. To learn more about Sarah, visit sarahplatanitis.wordpress.com.
Favorite sites: her website/blog, Etsy, Google Docs, Flickr and Facebook. Mailchimp for newsletters.

Forum Topics:
1. Branding and Knowing Your Audience
2. How do you develop your persona using your platforms?
3. Copyright and Security Issues
4. Tips: how to add social media to your schedule without going insane

Naked Bear Party

Easthampton City Arts+ will expose Bear Fest 2012’s unpainted bears and artist designs at a Naked Bear Party on Thursday, Feb. 23 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The event will be held at Eastworks, 116 Pleasant St., and it’s expected to bring artists and friends of the community out of hibernation to kick off the second event of its kind in town.

ECA+ coordinator Burns Maxey, who is overseeing the largely volunteer-based fundraiser, hopes the festive Mardi Gras-themed event will “warm up our imaginations of a transformed downtown Easthampton for this upcoming summer's festivities. With artists' designs and the unpainted bear sculptures on view, we are extremely excited to share this preliminary kick-off to Bear Fest."

The Easthampton Bear Fest is a public art project in which life-size fiberglass bears are creatively transformed by locally- and nationally-known artists and will be highly visible throughout the downtown area of Easthampton from June to September 2012. The 2009 Easthampton Bear Fest brought thousands of visitors to Easthampton and raised over $60,000 for artists, art education, and art organizations.

The Easthampton Bear Fest Committee and Easthampton City Arts+ brings the popular event back for another summer of activity. At the kick-off, offerings will include art, food from the Apollo Grill restaurant, Naked Bear Party merchandise for purchase, and New Orleans Jazz by Samirah Evans and her Handsome Devils. Party-goers can also vote for their favorite bear design.

Can't bearly wait? Swing by ECA+ Gallery at 43 Main St., Easthampton to purchase a Mardi Gras mask/ticket to wear to kick-off (available February 1). Masks cost $15 and will serve as the ticket for the party. Tickets may also be purchased upon entry of the party.

Following the party, the unpainted bear sculptures will be on view at Eastworks through the month of February.

Easthampton City Arts+, formed in 2005, is working to enhance the collaborative efforts of the artist and business communities to increase economic opportunities for artists. Efforts are geared toward enhancing the opportunities of local artists to showcase and market their work and to provide the public with the opportunity to discover emerging and established artists. ECA has recently merged with the Easthampton Cultural Council and Art Walk Easthampton to form ECA+.

Assemblage: Works by Rosemary Barrett

Artist Rosemary Barrett will exhibit “Assemblage” in the Easthampton City Arts+ gallery from February 9 through February 28, 2012. An artist’s reception will be held on Saturday, February 11, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. during the February Fire and Ice celebration of Art Walk Easthampton.

In the tradition of Joseph Cornell, Barrett exhibits assemblage sculptures that explore poetic themes with found objects in delicate boxes. Many years ago she began exploring the usage of found materials within her work as she compiled an extraordinary amount of fragile materials from antique shows and thrift stores. With feathers, dolls, hat pins, boxing gloves, hair, and more, Barrett’s tableaus of precious objects create clues to a surreal narrative that lies somewhere in between the romantic and disquieted nostalgia. In some of her boxes she situates her miniature surrealist paintings amongst the objects. These paintings are hints to her more recent work. Embracing her current work of sculpture and painting, Barrett has since departed from her box constructions. Once exhibited amongst the works of Nevelson, Oldenburg, and Cornell, these boxes hold up as timeless views into the forbidden psychological landscape.

Barrett comes from a long line of artists and crafts people who have influenced her sculpture and painting. She graduated from the School of Worcester Art Museum and has exhibited extensively throughout the northeast including at Sunne Savage Gallery in Boston, the Berkshire Museum, and OK Harris in New York City. She has recently returned to the area and teaches sculpture, mold making, and painting at After Midnight in Eastworks located in Easthampton, MA. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The ECA⁺ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA.

images by John Polak Photography

Valley Arts Newsletter's Bronwen Hodgkinson Talks Shop

Recent ECA+ volunteer award winner Bronwen Hodgkinson might just have the most art- filled inbox in the valley. As guru of the Valley Arts Newsletter, she receives and distributes art events and information on a weekly basis keeping us art junkies informed and connected. Here she shares about her path in creating the newsletter:

How long have you been doing the Valley Arts Newsletter?

Since September 2008. I took it over, and changed it up, from former Easthampton residents Tom Hanus and Michael Crawford who had done it under the name “The Arts Newsletter Experiment.” (which in turn was originally done by Mo Ringey). Tom and Mike are the guys who started Art Walk Easthampton.

What does it entail- putting the newsletter together on a weekly basis?

I spend about an hour on Sunday gathering the listings that have been emailed. Sunday nights or Monday mornings I spend about 3-4 hours putting the newsletter together. The challenge is the rapid growth and popularity of the newsletter. It's definitely filling a need in the valley – i.e. a comprehensive weekly visual arts listing. Subscribers have increased, and website visits have increased greatly. I’m at a bit of a crossroads now, deciding how to accommodate this growth, and make the newsletter an even better resource for readers.

Why?

It's definitely a labor of love! I guess the basic aim is to spread the word, here and beyond our area, about all the visual arts in the valley. There is so much visual art that happens in the valley that no one hears about, and little media coverage. I wanted to try to fill the gap in coverage of visual arts listings in the area, and especially to help local artists to publicize their shows/events/classes for free--Especially young and emerging artists who may not have the resources to advertise or promote a show, or the clout or know-how to get a mention in the press. This area is so rich in the visual arts, and many people have no idea just how much is happening and the sheer number of artists and art venues in the area. One of the really cool things is that the newsletter has become not only a resource for our community, but also for tourists to the area. That makes me smile.

Describe your connection to the arts?

I’m a web/graphic designer and artist, have degrees in graphic design and art history, and simply love the arts. I guess I’m kind of a cheerleader for the local art scene. It’s tremendously exciting to me to meet some of the utterly amazingly talented artists in the area, and some of the incredible people supporting the arts in the area. Beyond that, I just have a huge appetite and appreciation for art.

See Bronwen Hodgkinson’s ECA+ profile

Help Support the Valley Arts Newsletter

2011 ECA+ Volunteer Awards Announced

On December 8, 2011, during the Light Up the Arts Holiday Bash, Easthampton City Arts+ (ECA+) announced two awards to volunteers who have shown exemplary service to ECA+ and the creative community of the Pioneer Valley.

ECA+ is proud to recognize James Zarvis of American New Media for “Best ECA+ Volunteer Award” of 2011. Zarvis gave an endless amount of time and shared his expertise in creating a new website for ECA+. Zarvis’ company American New Media is an Easthampton-based company dedicated to web/mobile development and data management that has a wide range of clients but specializes in museums and artists.

Zarvis says, “The arts community has revitalized Easthampton in a way the city has never before seen and at a time when it's desperately needed. I donate to ECA+ so that when I walk downtown with my wife and kids I walk by stores filled with life and color.”

Bronwen Hodgkinson, mastermind of the Valley Arts Newsletter, was recognized for ‘Best Arts Volunteer of the Pioneer Valley’. The Valley Arts Newsletter informs the entire Pioneer Valley about art openings, calls to artists, and studio availability keeping the arts community connected on a weekly basis.

Hodgkinson, who is designer and artist, says, “There is so much visual art that happens in the valley that no one hears about, and little media coverage. I wanted to try to fill the gap in coverage of visual arts listings in the area, and especially to help local artists to publicize their shows/events/classes for free. One of the really cool things is that the newsletter has become not only a resource for our community, but also for tourists to the area.”

ECA+ created the annual volunteer awards in 2011 to bring awareness to the significant individuals who have given their time and service to the cultivation of the arts in the community. Awardees were offered a certificate of award, a pack of notecards with the images of ECA+ artists’ work, and a gift certificate to local businesses.

4th Annual Small Works Show

Mixed Media Artist Samantha Pliska Exhibits at Chamber Gallery

Samantha Pliska will exhibit in the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce Gallery from November 17, 2011 through January 10, 2012.

The mixed media artist will exhibit her abstract paintings and montage sculptures. Although a photographer at heart, Pliska has embarked on new work that uses acrylic, spray paint, wood, wax, ink, alcohol ink, and found objects. The artist explores the concept of beauty and how it can be perceived from different viewpoints. Her abstract paintings are more internalized while her found object sculptures reflect upon kitsch with the use of toys, religious emblems, and more. However she approaches her art, Pliska finds her inspirations from the same place. She says, "I always enter with an open mind, close my eyes, dig deep and let go. No matter what I am working on, I always end up with paint all over me, even if I'm not painting." Pliska studied criminal justice at Holyoke Community College and studied art under Dean Nimmer.

This will be the artist’s first solo exhibition. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The gallery located at 33 Union Street, Easthampton, MA, is open Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Light Up the Arts Holiday Bash

On December 8, 2011, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. ECA+ invites the community to celebrate the Light up the Arts Holiday Bash—an evening that will include a Small Works Show, the annual silent auction, ECA+ Best of the Valley Volunteer Arts Awards, and a DJ dance after party. The evening will be catered by the Apollo Grill. All community members, art lovers, and artists are invited to attend this festive night at the Historic Town Hall located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA.

The Small Works Show is a salon style exhibition that will include numerous artists both local and beyond who will show their small scale works in the ECA+ Gallery. It will be a cash and carry format, encouraging buyers to purchase gifts for the holidays at affordable prices. All works will be smaller than 8 1/2” x 11”, and some much smaller being 1” square. Attendees are encouraged to bring cash.

The Silent Auction will include goods from local businesses and artists. The bidding for this annual auction will begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. Some of the auction items include selections and gift certificates by Popcorn Noir, the Lift Hair Salon, East Heaven Paradise Spa, Pioneer Valley Ballet, Valley Art Supplies, and many more. Bidding will begin low but is expected to grow throughout the evening. A cash raffle will also be available for purchase throughout the evening.

Volunteer Awards

This year ECA+ is excited to give outstanding individuals awards for their service to the pioneer valley arts community and ECA+. Two awards will be announced: the 2011 Best ECA+ Volunteer Award and the 2011 Best Pioneer Valley Creative Volunteer Award. These chosen individuals have given their time and service to the cultivation of the arts in the community. Join us to find out if you are the winner!

AfterParty

Following the silent auction and small works show at 8:30 p.m., bidding and selling will come to an end and all can enjoy a DJ dance after party with DJ Youthelectronix at Flywheel.

This event is open to the public and admission is free. Enjoy the delectable catering by the Apollo Grill. For more information please see easthamptoncityarts.com.

Closed - Call to Artists for 2012

Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery is seeking artists/artisans to apply for exhibition for the 2012 exhibition season.

For more information and to apply download a 2012 Prospectus.

The Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery is located in the Historic Town Hall at 43 Main Street in Easthampton, MA, home to other arts businesses and organizations. The ECA+ Gallery exhibits the works of ECA+ members, local artists, and regional artists. A wide-array of artists have exhibited their work in the ECA+ gallery representing a diverse range of medias and stylistic considerations. All are encouraged to apply.

DEADLINE: December 1, 2011

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists

ENTRY INFORMATION:
• Send 3 images or links to website images to info@easthamptoncityarts.com
• Include a description in 300 words or less about your proposed exhibition
• Include a C/V and/or bio
• Name three months you are able to exhibit from January – December 2012

If you are unable to send digital images, please mail three images, description, c/v, and month preferences to Easthampton City Arts+, c/o Burns Maxey, 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA 01027. Please do not send slides. Images and descriptions will not be returned.

Art in the Orchard: Watch the video

Art in the Orchard, a public art project created in collaboration by Jean-Pierre Pasche and Park Hill Orchard, successfully ended its exhibition at the end of October. The outdoor sculpture park was subject to thousands of visitors throughout the summer and fall who enjoyed a variety of installations created from a multitude of media. Revisit this sculpture park through this video:

Muralist Reflects on Experience

Artist Nancy Howard Smith completed a mural on Chapman Avenue in Easthampton in September of 2011. Nancy is an artist and landscape architect who's design was selected by a jury. This is the third mural in Easthampton created with the help of ECA⁺.

The mural was funded and organized by ECA⁺ and the Massachusetts Cutural Council, Big E's Supermarket, Easthampton Savings Bank and Robinson's Properties. The wall was generously donated by Manchester Hardware.

Hidden/Private Side of Artists

Twelve selected artists/artisans will exhibit in “Hidden/Private side

of artists” in the Easthampton City Arts+ gallery from October 8 through November 9, 2011. An artists’ reception will be held on Saturday, October 8, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. during Art Walk Easthampton.

In an exhibition curated by artist Marcia Reed, twelve local artists/artisans who are reputed for a specific type of work will be showing a more vulnerable side that rarely leaves their studios. Marcia Reed who has exhibited her landscapes extensively says, “This show came about because I’m always creating pieces that I rarely ever show privately, never mind publicly,” she explains.

Reed selected a variety of artists whose work she was familiar with and she was confident that they created other works outside of their traditional confines. Reed says, “My hopes were to fill the small gallery space with work by twelve local artists who are known for a specific medium or style. Perhaps they are known for their evocative intimate interiors with dramatic lighting, or creating exquisite refined marquetry furniture," says Reed.

Artists included in the exhibition are Susan Boss, Mark Brown, Frank Cressotti, Susan Halls, Alix Hegeler, Natania Hume, Juli Kirk, Silas Kopf, Burns Maxey, Marcia Reed, Justin Thomas, and Susanna White.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA.

FILL THE WALLS! ECA+ PRESENTS a SALON EXHIBITION of SMALL WORKS

Call to Artists – Easthampton City Arts+ hosts its 3rd Annual Small Works Show. An exhibit that aims to benefit patrons and artists, the ECA+ Small Works exhibit is offering a cash and carry format for what is looking to be an amazing salon style show!

The exhibit will run from December 8, 2011 – January 7, 2012. Bought works will be given upon purchase to the buyer and artists will be paid directly. ECA+ requests a 25% commission to the gallery from the artist for all purchases. Artists may submit multiple pieces for the show and are encouraged to keep their prices below $100, however this is not an obligation.

To submit work for consideration, please email info@easthamptoncityarts.com with an image of your work, title, size, your name, and location. If the work has not yet been produced, please submit a description.

DEADLINE November 25, 2011

ELIGIBILITY Open to all artists

SIZE REQUIREMENTS No larger than 8 .5" x 11"

MEDIUM/INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS There is no medium requirement, however all works must be ready to install/hang. Artist supplies pedestals for 3-dimensional work.

ABOUT THE GALLERY The Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery is located in the Historic Town Hall at 43 Main Street in Easthampton, MA, home to other arts businesses and organizations. The ECA+ Gallery exhibits the works of ECA+ members, local artists, and regional artists. A wide-array of artists have exhibited their work in the ECA+ gallery representing a diverse range of mediums and stylistic considerations. All are encouraged to apply. ACCEPTED WORKS • Deliver work on December 6 from 12 - 6 p.m. at 43 Main Street Easthampton, MA 01027 • Pick up unsold work Wednesday, January 11, 2011, from 12 - 6 p.m.

ECA+ Hosts Cottage Street Artists

Eighteen artists and crafters will exhibit in "Cottage Street Studio preview" in the Easthampton City Arts+ Gallery from November 12 through December 3, 2012. An artists’ reception will be held on Saturday, November 12, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. during Art Walk Easthampton. The reception will be sponsored in-part by High and Mighty Beer.

In this annual exhibit at the ECA+ Gallery, Cottage Street Studio Artists exemplify a growing number of renowned artists and crafters whose annual sales in December and June have become a traditional destination point for art viewers and shoppers in the pioneer valley and beyond. During this December sale on December 3-5, Cottage Street Studios celebrates its 25th anniversary. This annual sale will follow the exhibit at ECA+, giving a preview to the works of 18 participating artists and creative businesses.

The following artists will be exhibiting in the Cottage Street Studio Exhibition: Amanda Barrow, Linda Batchelor, Kate Childs, Karen Iglehart, Suzette Jones, Mary Ann LaDuke, Ruth Kjaer, Lynn Latimer of Latimer Glass, Levy Larocque, NESAW ( New England School of Architecture Woodworking), Janine Norton, Patricia Parker, Laura Radwell, Riverside Industries Artists, Annie Steiner, Evelyn Snyder of Kaleidoscope Pottery, Briana Taylor, and Justin Thomas and Janna Ugone of Ugone and Thomas.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA.

Unbuttoned

Easthampton City Arts⁺ announces that Art in the Orchard, an outdoor sculpture exhibition, has been awarded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s (MCC) for the Gold Star Award for excellence in community arts and culture.

In 2011, Art in the Orchard was partially funded by the Easthampton Cultural Council (ECC), the city’s Local Cultural Council Program funded by the MCC. The Gold Star Program annually recognizes model community arts, humanities and science projects funded by the 329 Local Cultural Councils (LCCs) across the state. The recognized projects celebrate diversity, foster collaboration, showcase artistic excellence, and provide learning experiences for people of all ages and backgrounds.

In 2010, Jean- Pierre Pasche, owner of Eastmont Custom Framing and Elusie Gallery, learned that Alane Hartley and Russell Braen, owners of Park Hill Orchard in Easthampton, were interested in creating a cultural event in their orchard’s landscape. Inspired by a similar project from Pasche’s homeland of Switzerland and in combination with the ECC call for grant applications for ‘Art in Unusual Places’, Pasche and the owners of the orchard joined together to create an outdoor sculpture exhibition. After learning about the awarded ECC grant, the collaborators orchestrated the art sculpture trail that included works by sixteen artists and was open to the public to visit throughout the summer and fall of 2011. The highly successful event brought visitors throughout the pioneer valley and beyond to view art in an outdoor setting overlooking the pastoral views of Easthampton. Because of the immense response to the project, Pasche, Hartley, and Braen are planning another sculpture trail for 2013.

Minutes after learning about the Gold Star Award, Jean Pierre Pasche says, “It’s a nice recognition for everyone involved! I feel like the project really met the criteria perfectly for the Gold Star.” Only three projects were awarded the Gold Star Award this year including Brick + Mortar, a large-scale video festival in Greenfield, MA. “Having two out of three awards going to Western Massachusetts events says a tremendous amount about the area,” says Pasche.

The Gold Star awards are nominated by Local Cultural Councils and are evaluated by the MCC based on a variety of criteria including: artistic quality, success in reaching out to underserved constituents, educational value, and ability to engage with the community.

Kristin Angel, Chair of the ECC says, “The Easthampton Cultural Council is always excited to fund collaborations. We nominated Art in the Orchard because it was a collaboration that brought arts to the community and between businesses and many artists.” She says, “Jean-Pierre Pasche and the Park Hill Orchard really took the idea to the next level. For example for fundraising, they took donations for a public vote for purchase of one of the artist’s sculptures. It also is a project that has the potential for longevity.”

The LCC Program is one of the largest volunteer-run, grassroots arts funding program in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences annually.

Watch a video about Art in the Orchard