Artisans of WMASS + Artspace Holiday Sale, Twist and Craftopia

UPDATES from ARTISANS of WMASS

Our fabulous group of local artists and artisans is expanding rapidly (now over 50 members!) to include a fabulous selection of handmade art and good. Please remember to check us out as you start to think about your holiday shopping, and tell your friends too. Shopping with us is a great way to support local artists and the creative culture of the region as well as keep money in your own community. Check out our website to see all the fabulous things we have to offer. Look on the blog for the various shows we'll attending. Grab a bumper sticker from us at a show, plop in on your car to help spread the word. And stay tuned for a special AWM online holiday sale! www.artisansofwmass.com

NOVEMBER SHOWS

This Friday and Saturday you will find me in Greenfield among a variety of handmade treasures. Artspace in Greenfield, MA is sponsoring a Holiday Gift Sale at Greenfield High School on Friday, Nov. 5, 6 – 9 pm and Saturday, Nov. 6, 10 – 4 pm. Admission and parking are free. Thirty artists will participate, showcasing works in fiber, pottery, glass, jewelry, painted furniture, wooden bowls, holiday ornaments, paintings, photography, dolls, doll clothes and more will be available at the sale. The sale is located at Greenfield High School on Lenox Ave., Greenfield MA.



Next weekend, come on out for TWIST, the valley's favorite indie craft show. Twist is a fresh kind of fair, showcasing original goods and art from 60+ talented vendors. It's always a lot of fun, with music and drinks on Friday night, continuing all day Saturday for lots of holiday shopping. As usual I'll be in the East Gallery next to my friend Ben Westbrook of BMW Ironworks and Donnabelle of Donabelle Designs. Get some veggie glasswork for your friends and family, or order that something special you've been thinking about.



The vibe of this show is just awesome and the selection and ingenuity is outstanding. I really recommend a visit. It's held in the Northampton Center for the Arts beginning on Friday November 12 with VIP entrance from 4-6pm. If you come then you have to pay more, but you get a swag bag ad first peek at all the goodies! Then the show opens for the regular admission price from 6-9pm and continues on Saturday from 10-6pm.



Finally, on Sunday the 14th, I'll be at another sweet show for any of you who are farther south or feel like taking a drive. Craftopia, a great indie fair run by Rhody Craft, is in it's second season. It's located in Pawtucket Rhode Island, just outside Providence and will be open from 10-5pm.

'Complementary Contrast' opens this week!

The work in this show is about complementary contrast, between Joshua Primmer's work and that of Katie Richardson's. "We make diverse forms through very different approaches, yet the works seem to formally complement each other and start a conversation," states Richardson. She continues: "The show is so named also for the binary elements in each of our individual work. For me, the material contrast is the combination of glass and metal. Glass is seen as a delicate, beautiful, fragile material, while steel is associated with structure, rigidity, and strength. These materials complement each other and create a delicate balance while the forms defy the traditional characteristics associated with the materials...The thematic contrast in my work is safety/ danger, fear/ comfort, belonging / exclusion"

Primmer adds: "The elements that I contrast in my work are surface and form. This is an abstraction of the relationship between medium and process and the relationship between nature and man/technology. Medium and nature are represented by surface and process and man/technology are represented by form."

Hope you get a chance to see it! I know it's far away for those of you down here in the valley, but a trip up to North Adams at this time of the year is gorgeous, so its a good excuse. Take a drive, see some art, go hiking among the fall colors and enjoy!

Garlic and Arts Festival and Amherst Biennial Exhibition

Come one, come all, to the stinkiest festival in MA?! The Garlic and Arts Festival is this weekend in Orange, MA and promises to be a lot of fun. The clouds look like they'll clear away for us. The Festival runs from 10-5 on Saturday and Sunday this weekend, October 2nd and 3rd. It features a wide variety of arts and crafts, lots of great music (including a brief set by my acapella group, the Connotations, at 2:30 on Saturday), activities for kids, and tons of yummy, garlicky food.


Next weekend, the Amherst Biennial Exhibition will awaken the creative juices of folks all over Amherst. This exhibition is being held in multiple sites across town, from the NACUL Gallery at UMASS to the new ETTA Gallery/ Community Photo Access. I'm excited to see the work that was selected as I imagine it will be a stunning representation of local artist. Two of my sculptures, Tucked Away and Cascade, will be included in the show. Read the info below for more details, who's involved and where to go when. Hope to see you there!

Old Deerfield and more!

This weekend I'll be at one of the areas oldest shows, the Old Deerfield Fall Art and Craft Festival. Not only are their tons of interesting vendors, many of whom I've been seen at other shows this year, but they are doing wine and cheese tasting, scarecrows and artist demos. Check out their website here and print an entrance coupon.



Also coming up next weekend is the Amherst Apple Harvest Festival on Saturday the 25th on the Amherst Common. This was a great show last year, and promises to be much fun again this year.

SAVE THE DATE!
Complimentary Contrast: Works by Katie Richardson and Joshua Primmer will open at North Adams Artist Co-op Gallery on October 28, 5-8. The show will be up from October 27 to November 28, and will feature many new sculptural pieces by both artists. Make sure to check out MASS MOCA when you come up to see the show, and enjoy fall in the beautiful Berkshires.

BEADMAKING CLASSES
Last but not least, if you are itching to take a beadmaking class or workshop, I'll be teaching an intro workshop at Bisque, Beads and Beyond in Pittsfield on September 26. Last I heard there were still 2 spots available for the morning session. If that's too far for you to travel, let me know if you'd like to join a class in Northampton next time I run one, or if you'd like to set up private instruction or a home workshop.

Chilifest! and Upcoming Bead Classes

CHILIFEST!


Stone Soup Farm's biggest event of the year is this Saturday, August 21st- the 3rd Annual Chilifest! A great time is had by all, what with farm tours, music, hayrides, a chili cook-off, salsa tasting, artisans and more, there is something for everyone. Its free and open to the public, and is really a celebration of summer, good healthy food and our lovely farm. I organize the whole shabang, so you'll find my metal and glasswork there, along with a bunch of other vendors, many of whom are part of my group Artisans of WMASS.

I hope you'll be able to join us! Let me know if you'd like to submit some chili for the cook-off! Winner gets a giant veggie basket to take home. Even if you aren't going to bring your smokin' chili, maybe you could bring a plate of muffins or a fruit salad. All contributions are welcome. It's free because we do it potluck style and ask for participation, but we can't feed everyone all by ourselves.

Check out the line up of artists and musicians on Stone Soup Farm's website and invite your friends via Facebook.

UPCOMING BEADMAKING CLASSES

OPTION 1) In collaboration with Bisque, Beads and Beyond in Pittsfield, I'll be teaching 2 introductory beadmaking workshops on September 26. One session in the morning, 9-12 and one in the afternoon 1-4. This is a great opportunity to try something new and have a lot of fun. We'll get you on a torch melting glass and you'll get to leave with a few of your own sweet creations. All the info is HERE, and you should contact the store directly to sign up.

OPTION 2) For those of you who missed my last bead class at Valley Hands in Northampton over the summer, here is the new plan. Let me know that you'd like to take the class, and when it fills, we'll begin. It will run Tuesday nights for 4 weeks from 7-9pm. Cost is $150, materials included. We only need 5 people to fill the class, so tell your friends and we'll start one up as soon as possible.

Teacher/Artist Show: Reception Next Week

This intriguing art exhibit displays the work of 10 artists who are also teachers. The show will be up through mid- September, but the reception is next Wednesday, August 4 from 4-6pm. Eagle Hill Cultural Center is also a really neat place if you've never been.




Watch for these UPCOMING EVENTS in August:

Handmade in the Park, August 7, 10-5pm in Lee, MA. Put on by BerkshireMade.

3rd Annual Chilifest at Stone Soup Farm, August 21, 12-5pm, 275 Jackson Street, Belchertown, MA

Events This Weekend!

Hi friends,

Just letting you know that tomorrow I'll be at Valley Hands during Northampton Arts Night Out, making glass beads along with another jewelry artist Lisa Oram. This is a FREE EVENT, a fun and creative way to spend the evening. Artist Demonstrations and Acoustic Guitar by Corleen Roberts from Agawam. Friday, July 9th 4-8pm, watch glass beadmaking, listen to some music, have a sip of wine & a snack,chat with the artists, pull up a chair and Watch Art Develop!



Then on Saturday and Sunday, I'll be in Springfield at the Hoop City Jazz Festival! The festival is free to all and offers a stellar line up of entertainment, including many Grammy Award winners on stage along with Springfield’s own Greg Caputo’s Big Band. This year’s performers include: Terence Blanchard, Average White Band, Elan Trotman, Zoe with Cindy Bradley, Kashif, Ken Navarro, Greg Caputo’s Big Band, Ed Fast & Conga Bop, Soul Source, Modern Riffs, and the Springfield Youth Chorus. Looks like a lot of fun and a chance to hear some great music. Hope to see you there!

Finally, I'll be in Pittsfield again next week for their Third Thursday event which shuts down the main street in Pittsfield, opening it up for a festive evening of live music, new art, including many folks from our AWM sister group BerkshireMade, great dining & shopping late!