Creativity Supports Community

Photo by Anna Goldstein

Before summer’s abundance of creativity begins (in and outside The Art Garden),
I want to share some enchanting images from the third Fabulous Hilltown Draw-Around: our 12-hour creative community art-making extravaganza that local artist and Art Garden board member, Laura Iveson imagined, organized, coordinated and made happen with the help of over 50 volunteers.

First hour of the Draw-Around captured by James Smith

“Creativity is a force of Enchantment!”

                                                                    —from Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Photo by Emily Crehan

One of the most magical things about the Draw-Around, for me, is how it draws out (sorry for the pun) the creativity in everyone:

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Photo by Emily Crehan

The historic Cowell Gym (where the Draw-Around takes place) is big enough to get lost in; after 12 hours the floor and walls were covered with exquisite and humorous testaments to private musings and communal exchanges:

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Photo by Emily Crehan

This year, 400 people became a part of something ephemeral and enchanting and bigger than ourselves; something that encouraged us to be ourselves, which is essentially what it means to be IN community.

Photo of local artist Nancy Katz ‘having a blast’ by James Smith

ARTeen Micah drawing her dad while her sister Anna takes photos

Thank you! Thank you, LAURA IVESON!

Photo by Nancy Katz

Thank you to the core group of movers and shakers who met for weeks to help shape the event. Thank you to the volunteers who showed up to prepare the space and clean it up afterwards.

Photo by James Smith

Thank you to everyone who helped during the Draw-Around, the artists who led workshops and community members who donated healthy food. Thank you Janice Sorensen for organizing and managing our Cowell Café! Thank you Reed Arahood for creating the Draw-O-Saurus:

Photo by James Smith

Thank you Samantha Crawford for creating the elaborate drawings that we enlarged to become the walls of our 3D garden coloring book:

Photo by James Smith

We are so grateful and enchanted!

Thank you local businesses for your support and Suzanne Conway for your whimsical tribute to them (and 12-hour drawing performance!)

Thank you to the following Local Cultural Councils for your support: Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont/Hawley, Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Heath, Leyden, Plainfield, Rowe, and Shelburne!

Thank you Phyllis Labanowski and ARTeen volunteers for welcoming everyone!

Photo by Phyllis Labanowski

All proceeds from the Draw-Around help support our ARTeens program.

Here are our current spring session ARTeens after Valley Gives Day
(which also supported their program!)

All this is what community looks like!

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Please Support ARTeens on Valley Gives Day! May 2, 2017

The spring session of our ARTeens afterschool program is up and running. It’s popular! We are now offering it twice a week, with 21 teens coming from three public high schools (Mohawk, Frontier, Four Rivers) and home school networks.

The slideshow below takes you INSIDE ARTeens! See and read some of the reasons why teens LOVE this program:

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ARTeens is a pay-what-you-can program so that no one will be turned away due to lack of funds. 85% of our families require financial assistance to attend.

Do you want to help support ARTeens OR do you know others who might?

The Art Garden is participating in Valley Gives Day on Tuesday, May 2^nd.
This 24-hour day of giving supports the good work of hundreds of local non-profits.

All donations made on our Valley Gives page will support ARTeens*.
Every gift matters!
And each individual donor and each individual gift makes us eligible for prizes given out throughout the day.

Please pass this on to family, friends, and neighbors.

This link will take you to our Valley Gives page:
https://www.valley-gives.org/designee/the-art-garden-inc

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!

 

*ARTeens is a pay-what-you-can, afterschool program serving rural Franklin County teens. Teens come from three public schools (Mohawk, Frontier, Four Rivers) and home school networks. Teens come hungry for the freedom to express themselves and direct their own art-making in our community studio. Many of our teens have been marginalized or bullied for being different. Core to ARTeens is the co-creation of an inclusive community that fosters safety, acceptance, and responsibility using democratic processes to ensure everyone’s participation. ARTeens are encouraged to develop their understanding of themselves as engaged and compassionate artists, contributing to our communities with their artistic skills and creativity.

ARTeens has become a signature program of The Art Garden, embodying key components of our mission to nurture diverse creative processes, support the exchange of ideas, explore and build relationships in a non-judgmental and intergenerational art studio and engage people of all ages and abilities in community art projects that serve the common good. Our pay-what-you-can model reflects The Art Garden’s commitment to broad community access to quality arts programming. Artist co-facilitators, Phyllis Labanowski and Jane Beatrice Wegscheider, develop curriculum that incorporates exploration of new materials and creative engagement with contemporary issues; helping emerging teen artists understand the powerful impact their art-making can have in our communities and in the world.

 

Liz Chalfin, Artist Presentation, May 6th, 6pm – 8pm

This event is free and open to the public. Please see our map for directions.

Questions? call 413-625-2782 or email csartgarden@gmail.com

Small Things Add Up

Stop in to The Art Garden before April 1st to see
our Small Things Matter Community Exhibit!
There are 144 pieces by 66 artists in this delightful show.

There are prints, collages, paintings, paper cuts, assemblages, drawings, fiber works, photographs, tiny sculptures, tiny poems and more.
All of the pieces are under 5″ (all dimensions.)
Artists range in age from 6 years old to (well, I didn’t ask.)

This exhibit is supported in part by the following local cultural councils: Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont/Hawley, Colrain, Conway, Heath, Leyden, Plainfield, Rowe & Shelburne! Thank you! Thank You! Thank You!

Please note: During the month of March, The Art Garden will be open during these hours: Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 1 – 5 pm, and Mondays 3 – 5 pm. It is also a good idea to call first if you are coming from afar: 413-625-2782.

SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday, April 8th is our 3rd annual

Fabulous Hilltown Draw-Around

from noon – midnight

at the Cowell Gym in Shelburne Falls!

For updates see The Art Garden’s Facebook page!

 

HATCH public art awards part of Fringe Fest, February 11

FRINGE FESTIVAL
Saturday, February 11 (almost all day long) in Shelburne Falls, MA
2 to 5pm: International Women’s Film Festival on the theme of LOVE!
5 to 7pm: HATCH 2 reveals the 6 recipients of public art grants.
7:30 to 8:30pm: The premier of the Shad Ladder Radio Hour

HATCH (Hilltown Art & Thriving Community Happenings) is a collaboration
between the Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association, The Art Garden
and Phyllis Labanowski (with support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.)

This is our second round of awards and we are excited to have you meet and hear from the artists about their upcoming public art projects!

Please join us (and them!) for a casual time of good food, good conversation, and good company! Artist presentations from 5:30 – 6:30.

$5 supports the program and gets you some yummy soup & snacks.
Cash bar. (Bring a snack or dessert to share and you’ll get a free drink.)

 

 

Winter HooPla in the Rail Yard: January 28, 5-8pm

We’ll have temporary art installations throughout the rail yard (made with found, repurposed and natural materials, paper and light.) We’ll also have hot cocoa
and a fire. Dress warmly so you can enjoy walking around!

The opening reception of our community exhibit: Small Things Matter will take place inside The Art Garden. (See the next post for details about the exhibit
and how you can still participate.)

Check out our map for directions. Close parking access is via Elm Street.
Depot Street is unplowed. If you park at Salmon Falls Artisan Showroom,
you can hike in.
For handicap access, please use Elm Street and drive around
to the left of (behind) our building. We hope to see you!

Small Things Matter

Photograph by Laura Iveson. Graphic design by Jane Beatrice Wegscheider.

The Art Garden invites you to participate

in the Community Exhibit:

Here’s how it works:

Reflect on the theme! 

What are some

of the small things

in your life

that

make a difference

in the quality

of that life?

The pragmatic in me thinks:

paper clips,

twist ties,

buttons,

&

tape, staples and scissors

(all indispensable small things

to a group of self-directed

elementary-aged artists.)

What are some of the small things you care about?

My list includes my friend Elisabeth’s beautiful, almost 70 year-old hands with their stubby thumbs, the fan of laugh lines that emanate from Bob’s eyes and the sound of John’s “How are you, Dearie?” on the phone.

 What

small

things

do

you

do

to

nurture

yourself,

your

family,

your

friends,

your

community?

Do you recycle?

shovel

your elderly neighbor’s

walkway?

volunteer at a

community

meal?

buy

locally

grown

food?

Skylar, Jen and Delia with mittens they made to give to families in transition.

Are you contributing

[something small]

to the larger battles

against poverty,

intolerance,

habitat loss,

injustice,

racism,

bullying,

species extinction,

pollution,

oppression,

hunger,

or hatred?

The small things we do add up.

Which is partially why we are doing this exhibit NOW.

We invite you to make “small” art that reflects your ideas, feelings, and/or interpretation of the theme: “Small Things Matter”.

Write a small

poem.

Create a tiny book

from a short story.

Make a small

painting,

collage, sculpture,

drawing, print,

assemblage,

photograph,

& & &

All work (even written pieces)

must have dimensions (height, width, depth)

under 5″

(that includes borders and frames!)

Because of this size restriction, you can also mail your submission[s] to us at:

The Art Garden
4 Union Street
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

Please include a SASE for return of your work and an Artist Information Form
(see below to download) to be included in the exhibit folder.

Deadline for submissions is January 25, 2017
(if you would like your work to be part of our Winter HooPla event and the official opening on January 28.)

Participation is free and open to all ages and experience. Work will be accepted throughout February and added to the exhibit after the opening, until there is no space left on the walls. Show closes April 1.

Questions?

Email Jane Wegscheider at csartgarden@gmail.com or call 413-625-2782.

 

Downloadable form to complete for each submission:
artistsinfosmallthingsmatter

 

This exhibit is supported in part by
the following local cultural councils:

Ashfield,

Buckland,

Charlemont/Hawley,

Colrain,

Conway,

Heath,

Leyden,

Plainfield,

Rowe

& Shelburne!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Handmade paper by Jane Beatrice Wegscheider. Poem by Sappho.