October First Fridays Artswalk and Music on North!

Enjoy brand new indoor art shows, Indoors Out! Music on North, and an original video art show during the First Fridays Artswalk on Friday, October 1, 5 to 8 pm. Brand new for October, you can download the Downtown Pittsfield app in the App Store and on Google Play to follow a virtual walking tour of art and music on your cell phone.

From 5 to 7 pm on October 1, Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. will present free outdoor performances as part of Indoors Out! Music on North.

Singer/songwriter Jaane Doe will perform at Sotille Park, 200 North Street. Freestyle acoustic rocker, Garrin Benfield, will be at Persip Park, 175 North Street; and musical trio, The Midnight Anthem, will perform at the Marketplace Cafe’s parklet at 53 North Street.

From 7:30 to 9 pm, the Colonial Theatre, 111 South Street, will host the “On The Wall Video Art Show”. All are welcome to experience this free, unique outdoor show of video art created by 9 local artists projected on the south wall of the Colonial Theatre. This large-scale projection show of short videos was produced by local artist and sculptor Joe Wheaton. The show is family friendly, and you are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and settle in. The “On The Wall Video Art Show” is a collaboration of between the Downtown Pittsfield Cultural Association, Berkshire Lightscapes, and the Berkshire Art Association (BAA).

The Berkshire Art Association will present DISTILLATIONS, An Art Show, at The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, from October 1 through November 28.

DISTILLATIONS features work by artists Peg Dotchin, Jesse Tobin McCauley, and Ilene Spiewak – artists who have met the chaos, confusion and concerns of this moment in their artistic processes with a great passion for art and design. There will be an opening reception for DISTILLATIONS on Friday, October 1, 5 to 8 pm, during First Fridays Artswalk. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday, 11 am to 3 pm, or by appointment.

MCLA Pittsfield at 66 Allen Street will feature an art show by Ian Mosher from October 1-October 31, just in time for spooky season. The show will feature art centered on traditional and legendary monster themes as well as unique visions that run through the artist’s mind. The result is a collection that is an homage to Halloween.

There will be an opening reception in conjunction with First Fridays Artswalk from 5 to 6:30 pm on October 1. After the opening, Ian’s work can be viewed by appointment Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. To make an appointment, please call 413-662-5576 or 413-662-5422.

NUarts, 311 North Street, will host an Open Studios event on Friday, October 1, 5 to 8 pm, during First Fridays Artswalk. Among the artists opening their studios to the public for the October 1st Artswalk are Caroline Kelley, Shany Porras, Ilene Richard, and Sally Tiska Rice. New works will be on view and for sale by over a dozen artists in NUarts’ gallery space.

Hotel on North, 297 North Street, will feature then + now by Ellie Spangler for the October Artswalk. There will be a reception with the artist on Friday, October 1, 5 to 8 pm, as part of First Fridays Artswalk.

The Brothership Building Window at 141 North Street, curated by IS183 Art School of the Berkshires, will feature Urgency & Potential by Lindsey Patrick, October 1-29. Lindsey’s work is influenced by her studies in wildlife ecology and her fascination with humankind’s intricate and strained relationship with the environment.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue, will present a show by mother-daughter team, Kerry and Kamille Hylton, for the month of October. Kerry and Kamille enjoy creating unique enjoyable artwork targeting all age groups. Works on display will be acrylic paint on canvas. There will be an opening reception on Friday, October 1, 5 to 8 pm, as part of First Fridays Artswalk. The show will be on view through October 29.

Artists in the Guild of Berkshire Artists will show their work in a show entitled Plein Air in the Berkshires during the month of October at TKG Real Estate, 137 North Street. There will be a reception as part of First Fridays Artswalk on Friday, October 1, 5 to 8 pm. The work will be up during the month of October and can be viewed when TKG is open. Featured artists are Jean Rousseau, Debbie D. Smith, and David Edgecomb.

The Koussevitzky Art Gallery at Berkshire Community College’s Main Campus, 1350 West Street, will host a Closing Reception for Nicole Irene Art’s Endanger Your Complacency by Tempting the Lumps in the Cosmic Gravy on Friday, October 1, 5 to 7 pm. Enjoy complimentary refreshments, meet the artist, and purchase limited run prints. The show will remain on view through Friday, October 8.

This show is a “Behind the Scenes” into the artist’s process of creating with the humble yet profound circle shape which has always enchanted the human mind. There will be canvases on display in various stages of completion, and some not at all finished but just started, as well as new works on paper which have been an experiment during summer 2021.

The October Artswalk will also highlight murals downtown including: The Sun Will Rise by Jesse Tobin McCauley, Jay Tobin and Stephanie Quetti at 443 North Street and Gaia on Melville Street by Mike Carty. Also highlighted will be all of Artscape’s Pittsfield Paintboxes.

All art exhibits are on display in participating venues throughout the month. For more information on First Fridays Artswalk and to view a listing and map of all participating artists and locations, visit www.FirstFridaysArtswalk.com.

First Fridays Artswalk is supported in part by a grant from the Pittsfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. The Downtown Pittsfield app is made possible by a generous grant from the Feigenbaum Foundation. Indoors Out! Music on North is presented by Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. and funding has been provided by the Commonwealth Places Program created by MassDevelopment.