Focus On: Pioneer Valley

FOCUS ON PIONEER VALLEY

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PIONEER VALLEY

FOCUS ON PIONEER VALLEY

The Sheldon House at Historic Deerfield. Deerfield, MA. Photo: Penny Leveritt.

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n the fall, the Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts becomes one of New England’s key destinations for art fairs, exhibits, cultural activities and, of course, leaf peeping. The air turns cool and crisp attracting visitors from everywhere just to gaze at the rolling hills swathed in a range of brilliant, warm hues—from the flaming red maples to the squash-yellow elms.

The quaint villages and the old brick mill buildings recall the area’s rich industrial and agricultural heritage, while the urban geometry of the old town centers bustle with shoppers and new businesses. All reflect a revival in this historic and occasionally edgy region.

In the northwest corner of the region, along the Mohawk Trail, Route 2, the village of Shelburne Falls spans the Deerfield River and overlays two towns, Shelburne and Buckland.

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After losing her studio to Tropical Storm Irene, quilt-maker Ann Brauer opened a new modern studio along the Buckland side of the Deerfield River of Shelburne Falls village. In Ann Brauer Quilt Studio and Gallery, you’ll see just how this artist turns color, fabric and quilt-making traditions into abstract landscapes, the basis of her contemporary work. Brauer displays larger and smaller works, plus takes custom orders. You’ll find her quilts displayed throughout the region including the Federal District Court House in Springfield.

Back on the Shelburne side, Molly Cantor has been making functional and art pottery for the past 20 years. In Molly Cantor Pottery, you’ll see how this artist draws inspiration from printmaking, local plants and animals and New England life. Based on watching her father in his printmaking studio, Cantor now incises work

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using a sgraffito technique. She carves, draws and inscribes layers of porcelain. The tone of Cantor’s work ranges from humorous to ceremonial to festive.

Follow Route 2 east to downtown Turners Falls to find a sliver of a gallery, Nina’s Nook.

One visitor described it as “more awesomeness per square inch than any other place around.” In this tiny, eclectic rehab of an old disused alleyway market building, you’ll find objects in every category, rotating exhibits by regional artists as well as a predilection for cheerful slugs represented in several media, including stuffed animals.

Be sure to see artist-in-residence Paul Root’s exhibition of contemporary paintings, on view from October 1–23.

The back roads in this area offer breathtaking views, especially as you round the bends and come across a white steeple church nestled

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PIONEER VALLEY among pumpkin- and cooper-colored trees, surrounded by Colonial-era brick homes. It’s along Routes 5 and 10 (one road) approaching Deerfield where you’ll be treated to such a scene, especially around Historic Deerfield. This interactive museum, including 11 historic buildings, immerses visitors into the life and art of early New England. Two wonderful exhibitions to visit this fall are Celebrating the Fiber Arts in the Helen Geier Flynt Textile Gallery and Engraved Powder Horns from the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. Two other exhibits feature early woodworking and furniture-making of the Connecticut River Valley region. From the end of September through October, the Historic Trades series brings skilled craftsmen to demonstrate early American crafts and handiwork, from blacksmithing to pottery to early 19th century medicine. The real

highlight of the autumn season is the 2014 ADA/ Historic Deerfield Antiques show. Fine antique dealers gather over Columbus Day weekend for one of the best antique shows on the East Coast.

Farther south and a slight detour from the proverbial beaten path, you’ll come across a spot in Hatfield that feels a little like Brigadoon—a throwback in time. There the Old Mill Inn perches at the crest of a waterfall giving guests postcard-perfect views of the river and countryside—not to speak of luxurious accommodations and three-course breakfasts. Art lovers will enjoy Off the Wall, a continuous, rotating exhibit of local art, curated by co-owner Georg Burwick. The former curator at the UCR/California Museum of Photography in Riverside, California, Burwick shares his sharp eye and extensive knowledge with art lovers and collectors.

Spend a day in old New England.

TEXTURE AND SUBSTANCE

East of Hatfield, you’ll discover Amherst— a lively college town with a number of galleries and museums. Gallery A3 is a cooperative contemporary, fine art gallery launched after the attacks of September 11, 2001, as a way for local artists to engage and connect with the community. Its founders recognized art as integral to a community’s growth and wellbeing. Now the gallery is home to approximately 20 community artists and memberships are available.

New shows are offered monthly, with openings to coincide with Amherst’s Art Walk on the first Thursdays of each month from 5-8 p.m. The line-up for the fall includes Rebecca Muller in September, Guru Karam Khalsa in October and Janet Walerstein Winston in November.

Downtown in Amherst, along the town green, is Amherst College’s Mead Art Museum. In

CONTEMPOR ARY FIBER ART

Visit Historic Deerfield, an authentic 18th-century New England Village in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. Explore our historic houses and world-famous collection of early American art, crafts, ceramics, furniture, textiles, and metalwork.

It’s a celebration of New England heritage.

413 775-7214 www.historic-deerfield.org

PAPER CITY STUDIOS 80 R ACE STREET, HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS

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PIONEER VALLEY addition to its collections, it offers special exhibitions, such as Schubert Sound Installation, featuring five speakers, positioned on stands in a large oval configuration, each playing one of the five parts of Schubert’s Cello Quintet (1828)—on view through September 28. Animals in the Art of the Ancient Americas will be on view through October 12. Two shows, Images of the Unimaginable: Art of the First World War and Paper Landscapes: Prints of the American City and Countryside 1820–1920 will be on view October 3 through December 28. All exhibits are free of charge.

South of Amherst College, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is on the campus of Hampshire College and is perfect for children and adults alike. Founded by the adored author and illustrator Eric Carle and his wife, Barbara, the museum coordinates exhibits, creative work-

shops and performances as well as training for educators. The extensive collection includes 10,000 illustrations and a scholarly library. Harriet the Spy Turns 50 is on display through November 30 and features original art from the book. Simms Taback: Art by Design celebrates the work of the Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator of Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. A significant portion of Simms’s archives has been given to the museum. This show runs through October 26.

Crossing west over the Connecticut River into Northampton, Smith College Art Museum stands as one of the Pioneer Valley arts community pillars. The museum features an extensive permanent collection with work by American and European painters and sculptors, and contemporary and ancient pieces by African and Asian artists. The Cunningham Center for the

Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs houses more than 16,000 works of art and can be visited by appointment. Of note: the art in the restrooms is worth a peek.

Another example of the bustling local arts community is the Oxbow Gallery in Northampton. Owned and operated by 36 member artists working in painting, sculpture, photography and installation, the Oxbow has two gallery spaces and new shows every four weeks. September 4–28 in the Front and Back galleries: Marjorie Portnow and Arnold Skolnick.

October 2–26 in the Front Gallery: Sarah Belchetz Swenson and Linda Batchelor; Back Gallery: Catherine Swift. Openings coincide with Arts Night Out on the second Friday of every month.

Just a few minutes north of Northampton, Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence, is a studio,

HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

TABER ART GALLERY 303 HOMESTEAD AVE., HOLYOKE, MA 01040 PH.413-552-2614

http://thetaberartgallery.blogspot.com

GET YOUR CULTURE ON!

PERFORMANCES | EXHIBITIONS | EVENTS

2nd Saturday of the Month, 5-8 PM September 13: Busker Central street performances October 11: Know Thy History walking tours

artwalkeasthampton.org

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PIONEER VALLEY workshop, gallery and educational and research center devoted to ecologically sustainable printmaking. The work of the artists is vibrant and varied, appealing to many different tastes. In this restored Cutlery building, artists will find workshops and residencies. A recent project took director Liz Chalfin to Havana, Cuba, where she and colleague Sheldon Carroll conducted a workshop in polyester plate lithography.

A bit farther to the north, Snow Farm in Williamsburg offers studios in ceramics, glassblowing, flame-working, weaving, textile surface design, metalsmithing/jewelry, drawing/painting, welding, woodworking, digital photography and digital video. Residential workshops for adults and teens take place on a gorgeous 50-acre farm built in the 1700s, today offering contemporary studios.

In the last few years, Easthampton has turned into one of the liveliest art spots in the region.

Artists have worked together and with other organizations to convert spacious, high-ceilinged, large-windowed mill buildings and historic structures into artist studios, live-work spaces, and light arts manufacturing. Each artist studio seems to offer a new dimension in art making: bookbinding, furniture making, glass fusing, lamp designing, printing and more.

High on the must-see list is Arts Walk Easthampton, occurring the second Saturday of each month, 5-8 p.m. The Easthampton City Arts+ promotes and organizes art exhibits at various locations around Easthampton, such as the old Town Hall. In September, All the Girls, photography by Erica Ann Flood, will be on view, and in October, Lyell Castonguay will exhibit his

large-scale woodcut prints.

Artists from across the state will set up their easels in Easthampton from September 6–13 for Nash Gallery’s annual Easthampton Paint Out. This week-long plein air painting competition culminates with an exhibition and artist reception at Nash Gallery during the Art Walk.

MAP (Mill Arts Project) has become a successful incubator space. It’s a collaboration between Easthampton City Arts+ and Eastworks, offering gallery space to nurture new curatorial voices in a community context. Easthampton offers the longest running open studios sale in the Pioneer Valley. Located at One Cottage Street, a renovated mill building in the heart of the Cottage Street Cultural District, this open studios event connects buyers to more than 50 quality artists and craftspeople in December and June.

ANN BRAUER QUILT STUDIO Celebrating my new studio at

Providing an eclectic, stimulating array of alternative, independent artistic and cultural programming to the Greater Springfield and Pioneer Valley area.

716 Sumner Avenue • Springfield, MA (413) 731-9730 • brian @ BingArtsCenter.org www.BingArtsCenter.org

enriching lives through community, culture, & the arts.

2 Conway Street Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 ann@annbrauer.com 413 625-8605

EasthamptonCityArts.org

Rainbows of the Dawn, 45 x 45", wall hanging, private collection.

Photo credit: John Polak.

Matisse Drawings Curated by Ellsworth Kelly from the Pierre and Tana Matisse Collection 30 August–14 December 2014

Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954), Femme en fauteuil (Woman in chair), 1935, pencil on paper, collection of The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, 346.203120 © 2014 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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PIONEER VALLEY Eastworks is a 500,000-square-foot converted mill bustling with creativity. Mixed use is one way to describe it, though that doesn’t do it justice. It feels like a creative hive buzzing with activities: books, yoga, ballet, businesses and nonprofits.

In renovated Mill 180, visitors will discover independent art gallery Loft Parlor where director Kim Carlino displays locally made artifacts by emerging artists: jewelry, pottery, clothing, curiosities and more. The Loft offers revolving exhibitions throughout the year: works by Rachel Thern, September 3-October 1; Jim Garmhausen October 3-November 1; and Jessica Bass and Laura Flinner, November 1-December 1.

Nearly a century before women gained the right to vote, Mount Holyoke Female Seminary began in 1837. Now known as Mount Holyoke

College, in South Hadley, it’s an acclaimed women’s college with strong emphasis on empowerment and the arts. Listed by art critic Sebastian Smee as one of the top 10 college museums in New England, Mount Holyoke College Art Museum contains more than 15,000 works and artifacts and is a center for exhibitions and lectures.

Now through December 14, the museum exhibits Matisse Drawings, curated by Ellsworth Kelly. Visitors are able to compare these drawings with Kelly’s through a parallel exhibition, Plant Drawings by Ellsworth Kelly, 1964–66. For something entirely different, see The Potter’s Tale: Contextualizing 6,000 years of Ceramics, which covers a spectrum of ceramics from five continents.

In the storied industrial city of Holyoke, one of the first planned industrial cities in the US and

former papermaking capital of the world, Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College showcases work by area contemporary artists.

Because Taber’s nonprofit, community college venue is not sales-dependent, it’s able to exhibit installations and more “difficult” works. It also offers gallery talks by artists. The gallery begins this school year with a first-time-ever group faculty show with more than 12 members. The HCC Faculty Art Exhibition runs September 2–25.

On Race Street, Paper City Studios owned by artists Bruce Fowler and Nancy Sachs, is a mixed-use studio and gallery space in a renovated mill located in Holyoke’s historic Canal Arts and Innovation District. The exhibition Texture and Substance: Contemporary Fiber Arts, on view through September 28, features work by 15 artists and offers exciting variations in the use of

The Universe According to

A Galaxy of Glass: The Luminous World of Josh Simpson June 28 – October 18, Downtown Art Gallery Inspired Explorations Josh Simpson and Friends September 9 – October 18 Reception: September 19, 6:00 – 8:00 Arno Maris Gallery

Explore The Events at www.JoshSimpsonUniverse.com

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PIONEER VALLEY materials and color.

Just next door, Gateway City Arts, also on Race Street, offers studio space for visual art, teaching and performance. It includes a wellequipped woodshop, art studio, ceramics studio, as well as individual workspaces and several event and meeting spaces with a seasonal serving licensure. Memberships are available in this artistrun community workspace.

A specialty craftsman, Vitek Kruta of VK Restoration specializes in fine art restoration for paintings, sculpture, gilded antique frames and historic interiors. A professional artist, art restorer and educator, Kruta is classically trained in Old World restoration techniques and also serves as a consultant for various education, art organizations, historical commissions, developers and homeowners. Kruta is the co-founder

and director of Gateway Arts.

Springfield, the largest city in western Massachusetts, is home to the Bing Arts Center.

Located in the Forest Hills neighborhood, the Center presents an eclectic array of alternative artistic and cultural programming. Concerts, spoken word performances and screenings by regionally, nationally and internationally acclaimed musical artists, poets and filmmakers are regularly scheduled. In addition, exhibitions of work by students and recognized professional artists are displayed in Bing’s three galleries. Bing also strengthens community arts accessibility through its children’s theatrical and studio art classes and productions.

The MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield is hosting the juried show of regional artists 5 Narratives, on view through October.

275 Pleasant Street Northampton, MA Thursday–Sunday, 12–5pm 413-586-6300 www.oxbowgallery.org

In 2007, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority created a Community Arts Program and since has featured work from various communities within the Greater Boston area, showcasing hundreds of local artists at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston. As part of the growing awareness and appreciation about art, the MCCA and Global Spectrum have brought the same Community Arts Program to the Pioneer Valley.

Julia Courtney, curator of the Springfield Museums, Loretta Yarlow, director of the UMass Museum of Contemporary Art, and Aprile Gallant, curator of prints at the Smith College Museum of Art, served as jurors. This inaugural exhibition features works from five local artists: Imo Nse Imeh, Lydia Nettler, Tom Wyatt, Faith

One Stop.

Four World-Class Museums.

springfieldmuseums.org •

I N S P I R AT I O N E V E R Y W H E R E changing exhibitions | distinguished collection artist-designed restrooms | museum shop + café

Photography by Lynne Graves

smith.edu/artmuseum

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PIONEER VALLEY Lund and Laura Radwell.

The Springfield Museums include five institutions in the same area of the city grouped around the Quadrangle: Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts; Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History; George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum; Springfield Science Museum; and the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum. Stunning architecture and widely varying collections make this area worth repeated visits. History of the Pioneer Valley and its fine art collecting tastes are evident here, as well as local industrial and mechanical history, science and natural history. Steampunk Springfield: Re-imagining an Industrial City is on display through September 28. Norman Rockwell’s World: Reinterpreting the American Tradition in the 21st Century is up until January 4, 2015.

At Western New England University Art Gallery, Patricia Jenks, curator, oversees a teaching gallery, where artists present regular talks to provide greater insight into their works and the creative process behind them. Exhibitions run approximately four to five weeks and include a weekend opening reception and gallery talk.

The fall schedule includes painter Kim Carlino, director of the Loft Parlor in Easthampton, Possibility of Space, September 7–October 2.

The next show will feature Jacin Giordano, Before after, October 5–November 6, and then Louise Kohrman Works on Paper will run from November 9–December 12.

The Westfield State University Downtown Art Gallery is hosting a show by Pioneer Valley resident and world-renowned glass artist Josh Simpson. His work is in the permanent collection

of many museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the White House Collection of American Crafts; and the Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague. He works on a converted dairy farm in Shelburne Falls and takes his primary inspiration from images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Simpson is known for making intricate glass planets of varying sizes. Catch the show through September 28.

This is just a taste of the lively arts life in the Pioneer Valley. It is a place where you are encouraged not just to look, but participate. The inspiring setting is a constantly moving landscape where light and color are never fixed. The artists of the valley reflect this independent, everchanging spirit through their unwavering dedication to creating and innovating.

—Samantha Wood

MOLLY CANTOR POTTERY

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Functional art pottery

Simms Taback: Art by Design Through October 26, 2014

Studio craft workshops for adults and teens in an inspiring New England setting.

WWW.SNOWFARM.ORG info @snowfarm-art.org • 413-268-3101 5 Clary Road • Williamsburg, MA

Filled with irrepressible humor and joyful detail, Taback’s vivid illustrations shine in this exhibition honoring his life’s work.

Studio • Gallery • Classes 20 Bridge St., Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 mollycantor.com • 413-625-2870

SPRINGFIELD, MA

Kim Carlino, September 7-October 2, 2014

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125 West Bay Rd, Amherst, MA 413.658.1100

www.carlemuseum.org

Art Gallery www.wne.edu/artgallery

Jacin Giordano, October 5-November 6, 2014

Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Louise Kohrman, November 9-December 12, 2014