August 2 First Fridays Artswalk

 

The First Fridays Artswalk in downtown Pittsfield returns on Friday, August 2 from 5 to 8 pm as part of the City of Pittsfield’s First Fridays at Five. Participating venues on Friday, August 2 include Berkshire Art Center, Berkshire Black Economic Council, Clock Tower Artists, Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., Hotel on North, Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, Living in Recovery, Marie’s North Street Eatery and Gallery, Marketplace Cafe, Methuselah Bar and Lounge, NUarts gallery + studios, Roots and Dreams and Mustard Seeds, Soda Chef, and THECOLLAB. There will also be Interactive Pottery Demos in Palace Park with Jim Horsford and a Free Kids’ Paint and Sip on Dunham Mall.

 

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 Clock Tower Artists at 75 South Church Street will host an open studios event in their beautiful, light-filled space on Friday, August 2, 5 to 8 pm. Immerse yourself in a world of boundless creativity as you wander through the gallery and studios of our diverse Clock Tower Artists. Witness the artists’ artistic processes firsthand and be captivated by an eclectic blend of masterpieces that will enchant and inspire you.

 

During the First Fridays Artswalk/First Fridays at Five on August 2, a free art shuttle to and from the Clock Tower Artist Studios will run from 5 to 8 pm – every 15 minutes from City Hall on Allen Street. The Art Shuttle is provided and operated by RSVP Volunteers.

 

Artists with Open Studios at the Clock Tower on August 2 include Karen Carmean, Deborah H Carter, Joan Palano Ciolfi, Randy Foulds, Marion Grant, Nava Grunfeld, Caroline Kelley, Bruce Laird, Mark Mellinger, Linda Petrocine, Shany Porras, Sally Tiska Rice, Ilene Richard, Audrey Shachnow, Jordan Stone, Sharon Walthew, Stefanie Weber, and Carmel Wilson.

 

THECOLLAB, 163 North Street, will feature “From the walls of Union Street Tattoo” by Patrick Swan for the August Artswalk. Mediums include Mixed Media, Cotton Rag, Liquid Acrylic, and Watercolor. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Friday, August 2 from 5 to 8 pm.

 

Hotel on North, 297 North Street, will feature landscape paintings by Marita Glodt, August 1 through September 30. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Friday, August 2, from 5 to 8 pm.

 

“When I paint the Berkshire landscape, I am often overcome by its beauty, power and majesty,” says Marita. “Every time I venture into the field to draw or paint, I am hopeful that the Berkshires are seen with new eyes – mine and yours…. I create art to spark joy, conversation and community and to inspire our shared responsibility to preserve our cherished landscape.”

 

 

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. For the month of August, The Berkshire Art Center will also feature two window displays: “ All Fired Up Again: Atmospheric by the Berkshire Potters Collective” (north window) and “Sue Browdy, Potter: The First 65 Years” (south window).

 

“All Fired Up Again: Atmospheric” will be on view August 2-31. The theme of this show will be atmospheric firing with smoke, pit, soda, salt, and wood fired pieces. All members of the Berkshire Potters Collective have been invited to exhibit their atmospheric fired work. There will be an opening reception on Friday, August 2, from 5 to 7 pm.

 

Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. and Framework, 437 North Street, will feature “Looking Outside” by Len Gerwick for the August 2 First Fridays Artswalk.

 

In “Looking Outside”, Len presents his oil and acrylic paintings. Len paints plein air or inside, often both on the same painting.  His work has been exhibited in Northampton, Amherst, Worcester, Boston, and Marlborough.

 

There will be an opening reception with the artist on Friday, August 2, from 5 to 8 pm, and the show will be on view Monday-Friday through the end of August by visiting the Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. offices during normal business hours.

 

 

The Marketplace Cafe, 53 North Street, will feature “Hat Series” by Mary Davidson for the month of August. There will be a reception with the artist during the August 2 First Fridays Artswalk from 5 to 7 pm.

 

Mary Davison is a Pittsfield native, currently living in South County. Her elegant, amorphic, intricate works are captivating and complex. Mary, painting seriously for the last 25 years, confesses, “I love to paint. Many people tell me these paintings make them happy.”

 

 

The Tartell Gallery at Methuselah Bar and Lounge, 391 North Street, will feature “Nouvelle Chicane: new paintings by Edward Pelkey”. There will be an opening reception with the artist starting at 5 pm on Friday, August 2.

 

On Friday, August 2, 5 to 8 pm, NUarts gallery + studios, 311 North Street, will open their Hall Gallery to the public featuring the works of resident artists. The artists of NUarts include: Ma’leek Adams-Powell, Casey Dougherty, Marney Schorr, Elina Estrella, Myk Daigle, Brent Ridge, Julia Britell, Richard Britell, Madeleine Boga, Dawn Meltzer, Laura Thompson, Kathy Gideon, Joan Rooks, and Kate Merlini.

 

Roots and Dreams and Mustard Seeds, 119 Fenn Street, will feature local artist Nicole Fecteau during the First Fridays Artswalk on August 2 for one-night only, 5 to 8 pm.

 

The Berkshire Black Economic Council, 33 Dunham Mall, Suite 101, will feature “The Creative Journey” by DeSean Scales for the August 2 First Fridays Artswalk. There will be a reception with the artist on Friday, August 2, from 5 to 8 pm.

 

DeSean Scales is a self-taught photographer based in Pittsfield. In every frame, DeSean aims to capture not just an image, but a connection—a shared moment of joy, reflection, or understanding. Whether photographing people, landscapes, or objects, photography is DeSean’s way of bringing light into the world, one frame at a time.

 

 

Living in Recovery, 75 North Street, will feature artworks by Jeff Malderez and Stephanie Campbell on Friday, August 2, 5 to 8 pm. All are welcome to participate in Coffee and Canvas led by Shane Ott at 7 pm.

 

Jeff Malderez is a British/French visionary artist originally hailing from the charming seaside town of Torquay, England, now residing in Pittsfield, MA. With his masterful skill and intricate techniques, he creates stunning works that capture the essence of divinity. His pieces are an exploration of life and its intricate complexities, revealing the true beauty found within its depths. Through the medium of both digital and traditional art, Jeff aims to bridge the gap between the seen and the unseen, uniting all beings into one universal consciousness.

 

Stephanie Campbell is new to displaying her artwork. She is a woman in recovery with a broad vision for beauty. See her amazing work created from small dots, showing us how all things are connected in life, even when we do not notice it.

 

For the month of August, Marie’s North Street Eatery and Gallery, 146 North Street, will feature a multi-media piece entitled TEMPEST containing the exhibit “Hidden By the Weight of Our Scales”. Hidden By the Weight of Our Scales attempts to provide moments to explore the subtlety of the human emotional landscape through illustrations by Antoine Adams. The exhibit will be on view on Friday, August 2 during the First Fridays Artswalk.

 

 

The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, will present CATA’s “I AM A PART OF ART” through August 20. The exhibit will be on view during the First Fridays Artswalk on August 2 from 5 to 8 pm.

 

I AM A PART OF ART, Community Access to the Arts’ Annual Art Show, features more than 150 paintings and drawings by artists with disabilities from across Berkshire County, MA and Columbia County, NY. This annual exhibition is the culmination of hundreds of visual arts workshops that CATA holds throughout the year for teens, adults, and elders with disabilities across Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and Columbia County, New York. Through these workshops, CATA artists grow creatively, learn new techniques, and build community. Works in the exhibit are professionally matted and framed, and available for sale, with proceeds providing commissions to the individual artists. The curated exhibit features a wide range of styles, including abstract and representational paintings, drawings, photographs, collage, sculpture, and printmaking, as well as comics, illustration, and stop-motion animation.

 

Dottie’s Coffee Lounge/Dorothy’s Estaminet, 438/444 North Street, will host a First Fridays After Party featuring the Tap on Friday, August 2, from 7 to 10 pm. The Tap is a 3-piece band featuring Trey Carter, Al Lucas and Pete Prieto, playing classic and original rock, and some 90’s alternative music. There will be a full cash bar and coffee available for purchase.

 

Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. and First Fridays Artswalk will host a Free Kids’ Paint & Sip on Friday, August 2, 5 to 8 pm, as part of the First Fridays at Five Family Fun Zone on Dunham Mall (100 North Street).

 

This free Paint & Sip is best suited for ages 5 to 12, although younger and older children are welcome. All materials, instruction, and juice will be provided. Children are welcome to drop in anytime over the course of the event, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.

 

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.

 

First Fridays at Five is a brand-new event led by the City of Pittsfield and Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. taking place in downtown Pittsfield from May-September. Season partners and sponsors include: the Feigenbaum Foundation, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, Mill Town Foundation, MountainOne, and the Pittsfield Cultural Council.

 

Check out all of the August 2 First Fridays at Five events at lovepittsfield.com/first-fridays.

 

Featured artists in header image (clockwise starting at top left): Marita Glodt, Nava Grunfeld, Mary Davison, Karen Carmean, Berkshire Potters Collective, Jordan Stone