December 1 First Fridays Artswalk features New Art Exhibits, Open Studios, Wreath Art Auction, and Free Admission to the Festival of Trees!
The First Fridays Artswalk in downtown Pittsfield returns on Friday, December 1 from 5 to 8 pm. Participating venues include the Beacon Cinema, Berkshire Art Center, Berkshire Museum, Clock Tower Artists, Hotel on North, Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, Marketplace Cafe, NUarts gallery + studios, Soda Chef, TKG Real Estate, and the Unitarian Universalist Church.
Download the Downtown Pittsfield app in the App Store or on Google Play to follow a virtual walking tour of art on your cell phone.
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, will host its annual Wreath Art Auction to benefit the South Community Food Pantry on Friday, December 1. Dozens of local artists have donated their talent, time, and materials to create one-of-a-kind, original holiday wreaths, centerpieces, kissing balls, and more. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these original works of art will be donated to the South Community Food Pantry. Grab and go wreaths will be available starting at 5 pm, and the top items will be auctioned off at 6:30 pm following the Tree Lighting at Park Square. There will also be a raffle to win some amazing gifts from local businesses, and all of the proceeds from the event will benefit the South Community Food Pantry which serves over 1000 families a week in Pittsfield.
The Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, will offer free admission to the Festival of Trees: Nostalgia on Friday, December 1, 5 to 8 pm. This free event is sponsored by the Museum’s Board of Trustees. See trees decorated by community members, businesses, and institutions with ties to the community.
The Berkshire Art Center (BAC), 141 North Street, will continue to offer Free Artmaking Drop-Ins on the First Friday of the month from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, year-round. Stop by on Friday, December 1, for a Holiday Art Activity. For the month of December, The Berkshire Art Center will also feature two window displays: Shop Local Highlights (north window) and Turn the Tables by Deborah Carter (south window).
The exhibit in the north window is “Shop Local Highlights”. View highlights from Berkshire Art Center’s Gallery Shop including artworks by Kara Anton, Karen Arp-Sandel, Lorimer Burns, Ben Evans, Diane Firtell, Jesse Tobin-McCauley, and Lee Wendling. All work in the window is for sale just in time for the holidays! “Shop Local Highlights” will be on view December 1-29.
On Friday, December 1, 5 to 8 pm, NUarts gallery + studios, 311 North Street, will open their Hall Gallery featuring the works of resident artists including Richard Britell, Kathy Gideon, Brent Ridge, Joan Rooks, Marney Schorr, and Laura Thompson.
The Clock Tower Artists at 75 South Church Street will host a Holiday Open Studios event in their beautiful and ever-expanding space on Friday, December 1 from 5 to 8 pm, and on Saturday, December 2 from 11 am to 4 pm. Witness the artists’ artistic processes firsthand and be captivated by an eclectic blend of masterpieces that will enchant and inspire you.
Artists with Open Studios in December include: Deborah H. Carter, Joan Palano Ciolfi, Marion H. Grant, Stacey Healy, Caroline Kelley, Bruce Laird, Mark Mellinger, Linda Petrocine, Sally Tiska Rice, Ilene Richard, Audrey Shachnow, and Stefanie Weber.
Hotel on North, 297 North Street, will feature Go Big Where Expanding by Kara Anton for the month of December. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Friday, December 1, 5 to 8 pm, during the First Fridays Artswalk.
For her show, Go Big Where Expanding, Kara delves into a question that she has been exploring for some time. The inspiration stems from the colloquial idiom, “Go big or go home!” While the saying may inspire or trigger a number of reactions, it is a trite phrase that led to a profoundly deep question… Where in life do we want to give our all? Ultimately, “going big” transcends mere scale; it embodies a personal choice for wholehearted dedication. From her own quest, Kara determined, “Hope is a state of mind. Love is a state of being. Passion is a state of action. And for me, going all in on all three of these can create a beautiful life.”
Kara has expanded her contemplation into a community-driven exploration, encouraging viewers to reflect on where they want to focus their energy or make meaningful impact in their lives. Some paintings in this show were inspired by anonymous submissions collected from the people of Berkshire County, MA during her previous “Go Big Where” show in 2022.
The Marketplace Cafe, 53 North Street, will present Nature Photography by Susan Lynch Smith for the month of December. There will be an opening reception with the artist during the December 1 First Fridays Artswalk from 5 to 7 pm.
Photographer Susan Lynch Smith captures dramatic, fleeting moments in nature – always searching for a point in time that catches the breath and steals the heart. Susan’s work will remain on display through the end of December.
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue, will present an experiment with canine artists: Can Dogs Paint? December 1- 24. There will be an opening reception and silent auction on Friday, December 1, 5 to 7 pm, as part of the First Fridays Artswalk.
Inspired by a notable rescue dog in Connecticut, “Rembrandt” who has become known for his ability to create abstract art, the Unitarian Universalist Church has gathered a group of local pooches to see if they, too, could create unique and interesting paintings. This experiment is intended as a fun way to bring dogs and their owners together, and to play with a new way of looking at color and form. The pups’ paintings will be offered for sale via a Silent Auction to benefit the Unitarian Universalist Church.
TKG Real Estate, 137 North Street, will present “Landscape: Real and Imagined” by David Dew Bruner for the month of December. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Friday, December 1, 4 to 6 pm.
“As an artist and landscape architect I look at the world around me and synthesize it,” says Bruner. “My goal is to interpret, define and reimagine the environment. In this selection of art, I have chosen from several series to emphasize the range of imagery. They all attempt to give the viewer a new perspective on the subject.”
The Beacon Cinema Lobby, at 57 North Street, will present a show by the Clock Tower Artists curated by the visionary artist Dr. Mark Mellinger. This exhibition promises to be an extraordinary journey through diverse artistic expressions, inviting you to explore the intricate tapestry of the human spirit. Mark Mellinger seamlessly weaves a lifetime of experience, practicing art for six decades and psychoanalysis for four, into a compelling exploration of the unspoken, the ineffable, and the sensual world of materials through his paintings, collages, and intricate wood and iron constructions.
Featured artists in this exhibition are Deborah H. Carter, Marion H. Grant, Caroline Kelley, Bruce Laird, Mark Mellinger, Linda Petrocine, Sally Tiska Rice, and Audrey Shachnow.
Download the Downtown Pittsfield app in the App Store or on Google Play to follow a virtual walking tour of art on your cell phone.
First Fridays Artswalk is supported in part by a grant from the Mass Cultural Council, and a grant from the Pittsfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
This program is also supported in part by The Feigenbaum Foundation as well as a grant awarded by Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s Arts Build Community initiative with funding from the Barr Foundation.
For more information on First Fridays Artswalk, visit www.firstfridaysartswalk.com or call Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. at 413-443-6501.
Event Highlights (South to North):
Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue
An experiment with canine artists: Can Dogs Paint?
Opening Reception: Friday, December 1, 5 to 7 pm
Artists at the Clock Tower, 75 South Church Street, Third Floor
Deborah H. Carter, Joan Palano Ciolfi, Marion H. Grant, Stacey Healy, Caroline Kelley, Bruce Laird, Mark Mellinger, Linda Petrocine, Sally Tiska Rice, Ilene Richard, Audrey Shachnow, and Stefanie Weber
Open Studios: Friday, Dec. 1, 5 to 8 pm; Sat, Dec. 2, 11 am to 4 pm
Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street
Free Admission to the Festival of Trees
Sponsored by the Museum’s Board of Trustees
Free Admission on Friday, December 1, 5 to 8 pm
Marketplace Cafe, 53 North Street
Nature Photography by Susan Lynch Smith
Opening Reception: Friday, December 1, 5 to 7 pm
Beacon Cinema/Phoenix Theatres, 57 North Street
Art by the Clock Tower Artists curated by Dr. Mark Mellinger
On View: Friday, December 1, 5 to 8 pm
Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue
Wreath Art Auction to benefit the South Community Food Pantry
Friday, December 1
Grab and go wreaths will be available starting at 5 pm.
The top items will be auctioned off at 6:30 pm.
TKG Real Estate , 137 North Street
Landscape: Real and Imagined by David Dew Bruner
Opening Reception: Friday, December 1, 4 to 6 pm
Berkshire Art Center/Brothership Building, 141 North Street
“Shop Local Highlights” (north window)
View highlights from Berkshire Art Center’s Gallery Shop!
Including artworks by Kara Anton, Karen Arp-Sandel, Lorimer Burns, Ben Evans, Diane Firtell, Jesse Tobin-McCauley, and Lee Wendling.
“Turn the Tables” by Deborah Carter (south window)
Free All Ages Art Making Drop-In:
Friday, December 1, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Soda Chef, 161 North Street
Nicole March Art – Window Display
Hotel on North, 297 North Street
Go Big Where Expanding by Kara Anton
Opening Reception: Friday, December 1, 5 to 8 pm
NUarts gallery + studios, 311 North Street
Tour NUarts’ Hall Gallery featuring the works of resident artists
Friday, December 1, 5 to 8 pm
Featured images in header (left to right): Linda Petrocine and Marion H. Grant