River Hill Pottery

ArtWeek Berkshires will occur at multiple venues from October 14 to 23. In North Adams the Eclipse Mill will again host open studios.

This article extends a photo/word installation at the Berkshire Art Museum, North Adams, MA. The installation can be seen at BAM until October 2022 as part of the exhibition 'Artists of the Thursday Chinese Dinner Group,' where 27 are participating. The museum's primary reason is to show Eric Rudd's oeuvre of sculptures created during 50 years. Both, the permanent and temporary shows are well worth a visit!

Covid delayed the opening of Artists of the Thursday Chinese Dinner Group by two years. It was worth the wait with a tasty buffet dinner on opening night at Berkshire Art Museum in downtown North Adams. The former church houses the Barbara and Eric Rudd Art Foundation, Most of the church displays a permanent installation of his work. The three levels of the tower galleries has a lively display of works by diners and artists.

This week we lost a neighbor and friend the artist/ activist Phil Sellers. He grew up in Ohio where he and his wife Gail Kolis Sellers launched a pottery business. They moved to North Adams to be with her family. Together they ran River Hill Pottery in the Eclipse Mill. The Sellers were involved in many arts and politcal activities. That entailed organizing artists to help oust long term mayor John Barrett,III. They became close friends with mayor Dick Alcombright who helped with their many public art projects.

The Eclipse Mill Gallery, in North Adams, is featuring a special exhibition of unique drinking vessels "I'll Drink to That." It opens with a reception for the artists on Friday, August 4, from 6 to 8pm. It remains on view, Thursday to Sunday, from 10 am through 5pm, through August 27. Some 25 renowned potters from coast to coast will display their work.

Visitors passing along Route 2 and the Mohawk Trail on their way to Mass MoCA and nearby Clark Art Institute and Williams College Museum of Art can pause and refresh with a taste of locally created work in the 7th Annual Berkshire Salon. (May 9 to June 1)

The annual Berkshire Salon will be shown at the Eclipse Mill Gallery in North Adams, Mass from May 10 to June 2. For a handling fee of $15 all artists are invited. Drop off times are 3 to 7 pm on Sunday, May 5 and Monday, May 6. The exhibition, which is hung salon style, usually includes fifty or more artists. The gallery is located on Route Two within walking distance of Mass MoCA.

The Berkshire communities of artists and non artists alike were invited to participate on May 6th in North Adams, Mass. National and international artists were also invited to email a jpeg and dedicate a portrait to the project. Eventually, all portraits will be seen on the ' Friend Me Projects' website, along with future Global Portrait Parties and other media events. The North Adams portrait paint party became the first outside of Canada and here, the BFA Gallery is showing many fine results.

The lively and much anticipated Fifth Annual Berkshire Salon 2012 is dedicated in memory of the recently deceased Eclipse Mill resident Norman Thomas. A grid of his Cubist/ Pop paintings is featured in the installation of works by some forty regional artists. The Salon is open on weekends in North Adams from May 18 through June 10.

As home to Mass MoCA, MCLA and a growing arts community North Adams is one of the most unique cities in the Commonwealth. There wasn't the same intensity and media coverage of the race this time between incumbent Dick Alcombright who handily defeated opponent Ron Boucher. The 2009 contest against old time pol, John Barrett, III was a bloodbath. To make things interesting Barrett has won a seat on the City Council. Whether he is there to help the city or hurt Alcombright remains to be seen. Stay tuned.

A crew of high school and college students, and artists created colorful, ersatz Sol LeWitt crossing walks in front of Mass MoCA. Through the summer the organization Art About Town plans to create a series of original designs for the 24 North Adams cross walks. The painting days will be coordinated with summer events.

The first annual Berkshire student art exhibition was held last night at Mass MoCA. It was a fun event with awards and cash prizes followed by snacks and live music. The exhibition moved to the Eclipse Mill Gallery in North Adams from March 12 to 27. There will be a panel discussion and reception at the Eclipse Mill Gallery on March 19.

It has become a lively North Adams tradition that the season of the Eclipse Mill Gallery, at 243 Union Street along Route 2, ends with a special holiday store. There are extended hours that are convenient for shopping with a more personal touch. The Eclipse also offers other shopping options with River Hill Pottery, Brill Gallery, and G.S. Askins used books.

Next summer there are plans for Sidewalk Sam and an army of volunteers to create the world's largest sidewalk painting in the parking lot of Mass MoCA. To give the folks in North Adams a hint of the immensity of that project, and to assist with fund raising, during the Down Town celebration Sam and his wife Tina were on hand to help create an enormous Matisse on Holden Street. Everyone involved had a blast.

This summer through fall foliage the arts are flourishing in North Adams. Now in its eleventh year Mass MoCA is lending a helping hand to a vital, imaginative and ever more vital arts community. New Mayor Dick Alcombright is working shoulder to shoulder with Joe Thompson of Mass MoCA, MCLA, local galleries, artists and community leaders. Now in its third year there are 35 stops on the Down Street arts map. There's a free trolley to get you around town. Events include a huge Wilco Festival at Mass MoCA, the Eagle Street Beach Party, and River Lights III. A world record sidewalk drawing is in the planning stages. Lots of family fun from now till whenever.

With seven additional visual art destinations over last year’s offerings and 11 new galleries, this year’s DownStreet Art initiative â€" organized by the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC) at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) â€" not only will increase in scope and size; its installations will highlight communities from around the world.

For the second year Jane Ellen DeSomma of Greylock High School and Phoebe Pepper of Drury High School have organized an exhibition of student work in painting, drawing and sculpture. It is a part of the mandate for community outreach by the Eclipse Mill Gallery in the artist work/ residence loft building in North Adams. According to curator, Phil Sellers, "These are works by the next generation of fellow artists." The work remains on view weekends through April 11.

With fresh snow on the ground there was the right ambiance for the annual Winterfest in North Adams. Artists carved ice sculptures and there was a chowder contest with local restaurants. Later we moved on to Greylock Arts in Adams where the artist Nathaniel Stern was busy installing.

For the first time in 26 years this week North Adams will have a new mayor in Dick Alcombright. After a busy weekend of ceremonies and celebrations he will be rolling up his sleeves and getting to work. In stating that this is "Our City" he pledges that his door will always be open. In a tough economy with many challenges nobody predicts that it will be easy.

The old line print media, The Berkshire Eagle, the North Adams Transcript, and the Boston Globe were dead wrong in their unflinching support of Mayor John Barrett. At 26 years he was the longest running mayor in the history of the Commonwealth. Yesterday some 60% of the 52% of registered voters in North Adams supported Mayor Elect Dick Alcombright.

Given the generally miserable weather during the annual North Adams Open Studios attendance was down by 40% from last year. But the sales were widely reported as much improved. Works by 180 artists were seen but only 81 registered to participate. Still the chairperson, Phil Sellers is upbeat and moving on to next year's plans.

With the participation of several teams of artists Ralph Brill lit up the sky over North Adams as a part of his second annual Hoosac River Lights. The event is intended to call attention to the natural resource and beauty of the river which powered the mills along its banks. Including what is now the vast Mass MoCA. It was an evening highlight of the Fifth Annual North Adams Open Studios.

The Fifth Annual North Adams Open Studios will occur on the weekend of October 17 and 18. During the Columbus Day weekend there was a preview of the anticipated mayhem with opening of the Eclipse Annual and Studio 21 South. Organizer Phil Sellers is upbeat about the city wide event.

North Adams City Council incumbent and candidate for reelection Lisa M. Blackmer held a meet and greet at the Freight Yard. While drinking and snacking the rumors were flying in an ever more contentious Mayoral campaign between incumbent, John Barrett, and challenger Dick Alcombright. They both dropped by to press the flesh.

There was a lively turnout of some 272 supporters for a sit down dinner at Bounty Fare for Candidate Dick Alcombright. For many, the cupcakes with their Alcombright banners on top, baked by Keith Bona, were symbolic of the rising tide. While some feel the race is now a piece of cupcake Alcombright says it would be a mistake to be overly confident in the final month of a tough campaign.