Celebrate Community Creativity on Valley Gives Day!

Our Draw-Around was so fabulous,
parents had to drag their children home!

 

From noon to midnight on April 28th, children, teens and adults filled 5000 square feet of paper
with intricate, whimsical, tender, poetic, hilarious, and exquisite drawings, scribbles, stories, patterns and marks.

 

Thank you Laura Iveson
and the many many volunteers
(including ARTeen Micah Goldstein, pictured here with Laura)
who made it all happen!

 

Bringing people together
to create and play and be community
is a BIG part of The Art Garden’s mission.

 

Please support our work
and creative community events like our Draw-Around
by making a donation
on Valley Gives Day   Today!   May 1st

Every donation, no matter the size, helps us qualify for random prizes
throughout this 24 hour Day of Giving!

Click HERE to go to our Valley Gives page!

Super Honey Bunny and other Art Garden friends
are matching donations to help make our intergenerational studio accessible to all!

 

Advertisements

50 Artists and Writers in “Great and Small” Exhibit

There are over 60 works of art, poetry and prose by 50 artists and writers
in our current community exhibit about the animals we love:

 

Painting,

collage,

assemblage,

tapestry,

needle-felted

sculpture,

drawing,

photography,

drypoint

and

monoprint,

poetry,

prose,

and

a

beautiful garland

of dog tags

and bells,

are just some

of the variety

of media

on exhibit.

Poignant tributes to the animals we love
attest to the deep relationships we have
with the ‘other-than-human’ among us.

 

And lest we forget,

our

youngest

participant,

Theo,

age 6 ¾,

has a watercolor

entitled,

Humans

Are

Animals

Too.

 

 

You Don’t Have To Take A Dog

                                              for Zoey, in memoriam

You don’t have to take a dog when you walk at night,
but it helps.  Neighbors driving by don’t have to wonder
what tragic event has occurred to you—
whether you’re trying to escape from your past
or your future; your husband, your kids, or just
the unwashed macaroni pot hardening on the counter.
People who don’t know you don’t have to waste time
wondering who you are, though they might
slow a bit, on account of your dog.

The dog is oblivious. That’s part of her charm.
She trots on ahead of you, sniffing for rabbits
you’ll never let her have.  She knows
you’d spoil her chances, lose your cool
and  shriek, “No!” right at the critical moment.
She loves you anyway.  She’s a dog.

You, on the other hand, are inescapably human.
Even if you could bring yourself to charge into
the underbrush baying at the top of your lungs, seeking,
maybe even finding, something vast and elemental,
some scrap of insight trapped and trembling
down a badger hole, there’d still be laundry
to do when you got home.

The moon’s not full tonight but it’s smiling anyway—
a lax, sideways smile—indulging you, indulging your dog.
Cornstalks nudge one another as you pass.
All the decisions you’ve made lately,
all the tears you’ve cried or not cried,
and still this flat plain, this little piece of the world,
looks exactly the same.

The dog could have told you that.
She’s waiting for you now, having left behind
the field’s enticements to come onto the pavement
to find you.  She sits, calm, watchful, wondering
how it is you can walk such a straight line
and still be so far back there.

                                                             Trish Crapo

 

 

The poem above by Trish Crapo is one of many in this exhibit. Poetry will be part of the closing reception (that includes other performances) on:

April 14, 6pm – 8pm

Performances at 7pm

 

View the exhibit at The Art Garden

on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays:

1pm – 5pm

 

Perhaps Super Honey Bunny will be here to greet you!

 

 

 This exhibit

is supported in part

by the following

Local Cultural Councils:

Ashfield,

Buckland,

Colrain,

Charlemont/Hawley,

Conway,

Heath,

Plainfield,

Rowe,

& Shelburne!

 

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

 

And thank you James Smith & Laura Iveson for taking exhibit photos for this post!

 

In the midst of winter: workshops, creativity, community!

  Edible gold ink valentine cookie that Jane made for Laura in 2017

The next few weeks are busy ones at The Art Garden!

We hope you can join us
for some [or all] of the following creative opportunities:

 

Laura Iveson and I will be facilitating this introductory drypoint workshop for adults [teens are welcome too!] using The Art Garden’s etching press and non-toxic Akua ink.

We’ll provide materials, prompts and instruction for exploring the beautiful mark-making that is characteristic of drypoint. No prior experience necessary. Registration is required! Please call or email The Art Garden to register: csartgarden@gmail.com or 413.625.2782

To see some of the amazing drypoint prints created by the artist, Louise Bourgeois, click here.

 

A week of intergenerational guest artist workshops:

February 19 – 23, 2018

The Art Garden has invited several guest artists to our studio for this full week, February Vacation program; providing special workshops in the mornings followed by mixed media studio projects in the afternoons.

All ages are welcome, including adults and teens!

The full week program meets from 9am – 3pm, February 19 – 23, 2018.

Morning workshops run from 9am – 11am.

Register for one or more workshops, full days or the whole week!
Click here for details.

 

Workshop Schedule:

On MONDAY morning, artist and set-designer Laura Iveson will guide students in the making of Shadow Puppets. She will provide a Shadow Puppet screen for us to use for creating shadow-puppet plays. Impromptu performances will happen throughout the day depending on participant schedules.

 

TUESDAY: Dream Catchers with Edite Cunhā

Dream Catchers (in Lakota Tradition) represent the web of life. They hang in homes to sift dreams and visions, letting the negative pass through, and holding the positive and helpful for the good of the people. In this workshop we will use vintage linens; colorful textiles, ribbons and yarns; fun notions and baubles; and natural materials, to make unique dream catchers as gifts for ourselves or others.

 

On WEDNESDAY, teaching artisan Leonore Alaniz invites participants to journey to the magic expanse of the sky and outer space. Inspired by music and visualizations, we will explore printing with recycled materials, gel plates and colorful non-toxic inks. Everyone will create a batch of unique images on paper and cloth: beautiful gifts that tell the story of imaginary space travel.

 

On THURSDAY, artist Mia Radysh will teach flat Needle Felting on wool felt. Cut out a crown, bracelet, play watch, or ornament shape to decorate, or make a patch for your favorite sweater. If you can draw or paint it, you can felt it!

 

On FRIDAY, Jen Luck Hale will demonstrate her process for making intricate,cut paper art using multi-colored and patterned origami paper and tiny scissors. Jen will show students the basics for creating their own designs and patterns.

 

All workshops are tailored to accommodate a mixed age group.
The Art Garden prides itself on fostering a culture of inclusion, where people of all ages and abilities are treated with equal respect. It is amazing what we learn from each other!

 

AND LASTLY:

 

Super Honey Bunny invites you

 

to celebrate the Year of the Dog

 

by participating in our next community exhibit

about the animals we love:

 

 

Drypoint with photoshop additions by Jane Beatrice Wegscheider

 

 

Join us for a little light in the darkness!

                                                                              Photo by Laura Iveson

 

Winter HooPla

Saturday & Sunday, February 3 & 4

6:30 – 8:30pm

at The Art Garden

and the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum Railyard

 

Our Winter HooPla features a series of ephemeral, outdoor art installations using rail yard buildings, old rail and commuter train cars, and other site-specific features of the railyard landscape.

 

In 2017, shadows cast from Reed Arahood’s carboard birds flew between large-scale shadow boxes set inside Freight house doorways. The shadow screens were created by Samantha Crawford, Jumi Shots and Laura Iveson. Photo by Reed Arahood.

 

Under the co-direction of artists Laura Iveson and Jane Beatrice Wegscheider, guest artists and community volunteers co-create a magical environment focusing on winter myths, whimsical and ephemeral winter-related ideas and contemporary issues. Installations are created using found, re-purposed, and natural materials, paper and light.

 

Brazilian guests helped paint the giant mushroom caps for     Mia Radysh’ giant Mushroom Fairy Ring in 2017.       

 

2017 HooPla Fairy Ring created by Mia Radysh. Photo by James Smith.

 

2016 HooPla historic T-car installation created by Laura Iveson.                               

 

In 2017, Laura and volunteers transformed the historic T-car into an aquarium (using our giant Green River Festival cardboard fish.) What will it become this year?

 

Our Winter HooPla is free and open to all!

Hot cocoa will be served outside and light refreshments will be inside where visitors can also see Against All Odds: a community exhibit about Resistance & Resilience. There are 37 works in this exhibit made by 27 artists.

 

 

The HooPla is supported by a generous grant from The Art Angels. Thank you!

It would also not be possible without the hard work (often out in the cold) of many volunteers, community members and local artists. Thank you! Thank you!

Community exhibits at The Art Garden are supported by the following local cultural councils: Ashfield, Buckland, Colrain, Charlemont/Hawley, Conway, Heath, Leyden, Plainfield, Rowe & Shelburne! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

 

 

Thank you also to the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum where The Art Garden is located. We are so grateful for all your support and the permission to play.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

 

An Invitation to Participate in our next Community Exhibit

You are invited to participate in a Community Exhibit about

 

Resistance & Resilience:

 

Participation is free and open to all ages and experience.

Submit a poem, painting, drawing, photograph, collage, etc. that relates to the themes. We will include at least one piece per person.

Some size restrictions apply. Call ahead if your work is larger than 3’ in any direction.

Bring work to The Art Garden on Nov. 22, 25 or 28.

 

Opening Reception:

 

Saturday, December 2, 2017

 

6 – 8 pm (performances at 7 pm)

 

Call by Nov. 28 if you have a story, poem, song or other performance that you would like to share during the reception. Performances are limited to 5 – 7 min.

Come see the Exhibit: Tuesdays – Saturdays, 1 – 5pm, until Dec. 28.

The Art Garden is located in the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum building.
Access to our parking is via Elm St. Please see our map!

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

Thank you to the following Local Cultural councils whose resilience and support keep our communities vibrant: Ashfield, Buckland, Colrain, Charlemont/Hawley, Conway, Heath, Leyden, Plainfield, Rowe & Shelburne!

Katie Sachs Studio Concert & Fundraiser: November 1, 7pm

Katie Sachs is a former western Mass resident active in the local music scene, who left four years ago to continue her music career in Austin, TX. She returns for a special performance of original songs spanning three albums worth of material, as well as some covers and a Tom Petty tribute. Come for an intimate evening of soulful Jazz-Folk, and to support The Art Garden.

 

Wednesday, November 1, 7 pm

Suggested Donation $10 – $15

Upcoming Printmaking Workshops at The Art Garden

We are pleased to be launching printmaking at The Art Garden with the following two monotype workshops and guest artist/teacher Joyce Silverstone:

Monotype Improvisation

Sunday, October 29, 1pm – 6pm

Monotype and Drypoint

Sunday, November 5, 1pm – 6pm

For a full description of the workshops with details about cost and registration, please scroll down to the bottom of our Calendar page.

 

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

 

to the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
Mission Express Grant

which helped us purchase the equipment needed to offer printmaking in our studio! Thank you Peter Chadwick for donating the press that got this all started! Thank you Liz Chalfin and Zea Mays Printmaking for providing us with your expert guidance and support! Thank you Bruton Strange for your donated time and carpentry skills creating a movable press and installing our cabinets and new sink area shelving and counter.
And thank you! thank you! artist and board member Laura Iveson for your dedication to this program and your work to make it happen.