September First Fridays Artswalk

Enjoy brand new indoor art shows, murals, and Artscape’s Pittsfield Paintboxes during the First Fridays Artswalk on Friday, September 3, 5 to 8 pm, and all month long. You can view all locations by clicking here, and new this year, you can download the PocketSights app to follow a virtual walking tour on your cell phone.

The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, will present THE CHASE / GRAUBARD SHOW, September 3-25, featuring works by married couple, Karen Chase and Paul Graubard.

Karen Chase paints abstract paintings. Paul Graubard paints narrative, visionary works. Their work could not be more different. This show highlights a few of their collaborations, as well as their individual paintings. When they make collaborations, each is free to obliterate or change what the other has done. Chase, primarily a writer and poet, has been painting since she was a little girl. Painting is a basic activity for her, like cooking or washing. Graubard began to paint when he was in his sixties, giving up his practice as a psychologist.  A number of museums collect his work.

One of their collaborations, Hongera Obama, Tanzanian Congratulations, will be silently auctioned off. The proceeds will be donated to the restoration of the Clinton AME Zion Church in Great Barrington. The silent auction is available in person at the Lichtenstein or you may contact [email protected] for information on how to bid on the item.

There will be an opening reception on Friday, September 3, 5 to 7 pm, during First Fridays Artswalk (gallery will stay open until 8 pm). Gallery hours are Wednesday-Friday, 11 am to 3 pm or by appointment. On Friday, September 24 at 5:30 pm, the public is invited to attend Collaboration: A Conversation with Karen and Paul moderated by Jayne Benjulian. This event is a part of the county-wide ArtWeek Berkshires.

NUarts, 311 North Street, will host an Open Studios event on Friday, September 3, 5 to 8 pm, during First Fridays Artswalk. Among the artists opening for the evening are Myk Daigle, Caroline Kelley, Shany Porras, Ilene Richard, and Sally Tiska Rice. New works will be on view by over a dozen artists in NUarts’ gallery space.

Myk Daigle will be showing and selling antique and restored fountain pens. Caroline Kelley will show new abstracts as well as her “transportation paintings” – works with small antique collage illustrations of people in transit. Shany Porras will show abstract paintings that visually translate what one experiences through music influenced by Bauhaus and the American abstract painters of the 20th century. Ilene Richard will show her original acrylic paintings including “Year of the Clown”. Sally Tiska Rice will show her most recent home portraits, and Marney Schorr will show her new series of abstract jazz paintings done with gouache on black and white paper.

Hotel on North, 297 North Street, will feature then + now by Ellie Spangler for the September Artswalk. There will be a reception with the artist on Friday, September 3, 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 “More Than A Daydream” by Stacey Silkey, September 3-25.

Stacey Silkey is an abstract painter from the Berkshires who focuses on promoting empathy. Her paintings are based on hurried sketches of moving images or photographs that her consciousness has not fully processed. Recognizing the neurological aspect of storing memories and the influence images have on experience, Stacey focuses on creating opportunities for shared meaning. Transforming incomplete memories, her paintings bring new connections to the surface.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue, will present Number One Job, a show by Erica Manville and Melissa Quirk for the month of September. There will be an opening reception with live performance poetry on Friday, September 3, 5 to 8 pm, as part of First Fridays Artswalk.

Becoming a mother is a magical transition that transforms one in body, mind, and soul. In Number One Job, artists Erica Manville (visual artist) and Melissa Quirk (poet) explore early days of motherhood through dimensions of poetry and visual art.

The Unitarian Universalist Church will host a second artist reception for Number One Job with live performance poetry on Friday, September 17 at 7 pm as part of ArtWeek Berkshires.

Artists in the Guild of Berkshire Artists will show their work in a show entitled Plein Air in the Berkshires during the month of September at TKG Real Estate, 137 North Street. There will be a reception as part of First Friday Artswalk on Friday, September 3, 5 to 8 pm. The work will be up during the month of September and can be viewed when TKG is open. Featured artists are Carolyn Abrams (mixed media and cold wax), Susan Sabino (photography), Arthur Djang (watercolor), and Ellen Jacobson (oil, watercolor and acrylic).

The September 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.

This program 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.