NORTH ADAMS, MASS- More than 80 artists, 33 exhibitions, 3 murals, 1 bus stand… From June through October, DownStreet Art has brought downtown North Adams a vital, large and multifaceted community of creatives and professionals that once again have embraced and fostered its mission to bring visitors and locals alike to downtown North Adams. It’s time to celebrate this successful season, a season that has seen the best attendance to date. On Thursday, Oct. 25 from 5-8 p.m. DownStreet Art will host new exhibition openings, special performances, happenings, and events to beat the drums and share the art and fun with visitors of all ages.
Performances will include two of upstate New York’s dynamic performers and visual artists, C. Ryder Cooley and Patrick Porter, local hero musician and MCLA alumni Mike Martin, a play by Nicholas Corbello and many of MCLA’s clubs and musical groups including the Allegrettos, Dance Company and Harlequin. Galleries hosting exhibitions of new work include MCLA’s Gallery 51, NAACO, North Adams Transcript, and PRESS Gallery.
At the event, there will be a free “haunted” trolley ride from/to MCLA campus. Everyone that wish to attend the event can be picked up from the trolley at the Berkshire Towers, Hoosac Hall, and Flagg Townhouses every 15 minutes and will be dropped off in front of the Jarvis Rockwell Gallery, located on 49 Main Street. The trolley will feature zombies and scary music throughout the entire night in celebration of Halloween. Also, the Downstreet Art Passports are still effective until Halloween Day. Individuals that get their cards stamped six times at any art gallery will receive a free or a discount off of a purchase from any of the participating Downstreet Art Sponsors that are listed inside the passport.
Exhibition openings will include:
MCLA’s Gallery 51: “This Blue Marble: The Universe of Josh Simpson”, a solo exhibition that features a series of new and old celestial inspired glass pieces and the Infinity Project from glass artist, Josh Simpson who will be present during the opening reception, along with the Allegrettos who will perform from 6:30-6:45 p.m. This exhibition will be on display until Nov. 23. MCLA President, Mary Grant, will make a special appearance at 6:00pm to give her closing remarks for Simpson and Downstreet Art.
NAACO Gallery: An opening reception in recognition of the Berkshire-based painter, Bruce Mac Donald. Mc Donald will be in attendance at the reception.
North Adams Transcript: “Transcope: North Berkshire through the Eyes of Randy Trabold. Selecting the photos himself, Trabold picked the photos from the Transcope files, the name of the photo page that Trabold put into the Transcript.
PRESS Gallery: “Fly By: The Bird at PRESS”. Viewers that enter the gallery always ask about the significance of the bird. “Fly By” will answer those questions with a display of prints that were created at PRESS by student interns and visiting artists, all showcasing bird imagery.
Visitors shouldn’t miss the opportunity to visit the following galleries and events:
Adams Community Bank Gallery: “Figuratively Speaking, Abstractly”, curated by MCLA Alumni Kristen Parker, featuring the work from abstract artists, Bob Anderson from New York and Berkshire based printmaker, William Clements. Both of these artists express their emotions through non-representational work.
Gallery X at the Jarvis Rockwell Gallery: “The Afterlife: An Interpretation of the Hereafter”, curated by MCLA student, Christina Stott, the exhibition further explores each of the artist’s views of the afterlife while continuing the conversation with Jarvis Rockwell and the artists. These local and regional artists featured in the show include Marcus Anderson, Pam Buchanan, Amy Modesti, Kristen Parker, Jason Peabody, Patrick Porter, Christina Stott, and Jennifer Wojtowicz. Visitors will have an opportunity to meet Jarvis Rockwell while enjoying a special performance from the Allegrettos from 6-6:15 p.m.
The Artery Gallery: “Transforming Decadence” , a mural exhibition by Pam Buchanan, Kristen Parker, and Christina Stott that reflects on the mundane and the challenges of confronting the ideas of death and decay in order to achieve revitalization. Buchanan will be in attendance to speak to guests who will be able to listen to a musical performance from Patrick Porter from 6-6:45 p.m. and closing up the night with a musical and projection inspired performance from C. Ryder Cooley from 7-8:00p.m.
Gallery 107: Connecticut- based artist, Gil Scullion, uses repetition and reproduction through the use of stencils and templates to create his pieces within the theme of insomnia and dreams that’s portrayed within the largest gallery space designed to look like a bedroom. Trick or treaters that want to collect their candy throughout the night can come to the gallery to collect their candy and bags. The Allegrettos will perform at the gallery from 7-7:15 p.m.
Branch Gallery: “Occupy Wall Street” featuring the works from Emily Breuning and other local and regional artists. The gallery will host the performance “A Play” by Nicholas Corbello. The piece examines a tense ambivalence to exist according to terms that another may comprehend, with characters that submit to the scrutiny of a video camera, but refuse to speak. In this piece, live performance, projected video, and explanatory text interface, but refuse to fully coincide.
There is more for the public to enjoy. The three murals realized throughout the summer are now part of North Adams urban fabric and they will remain on view throughout the gray winter! Visitors should check out muralismo publico’s mural on the back of the Mohawk theatre as well Maya Hayuk’s colorful graffiti like mural on Center Street and “Gneiss”, created by North Adams artist, Melissa Matsuki-Lillie on Holden Street.
Visitors will be also given the opportunity to create their own mural puzzle on a temporary DownStreet Art wall on Main Street. We accept comments, suggestions, drawings, and all creative ways to express your appreciation for DownStreet Art.
A prominent part in the closing DownStreet Art Thursday celebration will be performances throughout the downtown area from 5pm-8pm. Ukele player and singer songwriter Mike Martin will be performing at Gallery 107, 107 Main Street from 5:30pm-7:30pm. At the Artery Gallery there will be performances by two of upstate New York’s dynamic performers. At 6pm Patrick Porter will do a solo set of his own songs, and at 7pm C. Ryder Cooley will be performing a duet with her taxidermied sheep, Hazel.
In front of the Berkshire Bank MCLA’s a capella group the Allegrettos will be performing from 5:30-6p. At 6:30p MCLA’s musical theater club will be performing, and then at 7p there will be a fire dancer performing.
Updates on the various happenings, exhibitions and more are available through Facebook, Twitter and DownStreetArt.org.
DownStreet Art is a project of MCLA’s Berkshire Culture Resource Center, partnering with the City of North Adams, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and Orbit Visual Graphic Design. The program is made possible through lead sponsorship support provided by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Excelsior, Scarafoni Associates, Waterman Excavation, Berkshire Bank, Transcript, Orbit Visual, The North Adams Transcript, Porches an Inn at MASS MoCA, The Franzoni Family, Public Eat& Drink, Adams Community Bank, The Sushi House, O’Connell Oil Associates, Edward Jones Investments, Berkshire Emporium & Antiques, Hoosac Bank, Persnickety Toys, Jack’s Hot Dogs, Desperado’s, Lickety Split at MASS MoCA, Luma’s Muffin & Mug, Freight Yard Pub & Restaurant, I’ve Got Goodies, Verizon Wireless Zone, Shima’s, and The Local.
The initiative was designed to revitalize downtown North Adams by identifying the City as a cultural haven. The program serves not only to increase MCLA’s visibility, but to showcase what other local arts organizations have to offer. For more information about DownStreet Art and the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, go to www.downstreetart.org and www.mcla.edu/bcrc .
