The First Fridays Artswalk in downtown Pittsfield returns on Friday, September 1 from 5 to 8 pm. Enjoy an Art Market on Dunham Mall with DJ Champ, live music in Persip Park with sets by Niki Kaos and duo Bree Nicola and Crys Moore, a live art demonstration with Creative Sorceress Mollie Kellogg, opening receptions, open studios, and a Free Kids’ Paint & Sip and Scavenger Hunt. Other participating venues include the Berkshire Art Center, Clock Tower Artists, Hotel on North, Krol Headquarters, Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, Marchetti Headquarters, Marketplace Cafe, Methuselah Bar and Lounge, NUarts gallery + studios, ReDefine Community Center, Soda Chef, Soma’s Aromas, the Unitarian Universalist Church, and Witch Slapped. Click here to view our digital guided tour of all events!
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.
On Friday, September 1, solo musician Niki Kaos and duo Bree Nicola and Crys Moore will share the stage at Persip Park, 175 North Street, as part of the First Fridays Artswalk.
From 5 to 6:30 pm, duo Bree Nicola and Crys Moore will kick-off the evening, and from 6:30 to 8 pm, Niki Kaos will treat audiences to her original songs.
Niki Kaos is an indie-alt-rock-Americana influenced songwriter who has been creating music for over 30 years. Born and raised in Troy, NY – she lived in San Francisco and New York City in her 20’s, then returned to The Capital Region to be closer to family. She currently works for www.radioradiox.com as a DJ and music journalist, in addition to running her arts and entertainment business, Kaos Industries.
Niki’s love of music is boundless! She is well known for her support of the Capital Region music scene. Her 518 Homegrown original music open mic at 344 2nd Street in Troy, NY is a popular destination for songwriters on the first Sundays of each month. Her passion for promoting up and coming musicians in the 518 community is contagious. Niki is excited to see how our collective efforts are sparking a revival across our local music scenes!
Bree Nicola is a 22-year-old singer/songwriter from Pittsfield. She just graduated with a BFA from Rider University as a Musical Theatre major and is currently working on her first EP.
Crys Moore is a 20-year-old indie/RNB artist from Pittsfield. Crys attended The College of Saint Rose briefly, majoring in music industry. They will be continuing their studies in music production at BCC in the spring of 2024.
The duo is very excited to get to perform on the streets they both grew up in and can’t wait to have a blast with the community.
Creative Sorceress Mollie Kellogg will demonstrate her messy and glitter/star-embedded mixed media underpainting pouring process during the September 1st First Fridays Artswalk at Sotille Park, 200 North Street. This free live painting demonstration will be from 5 to 8 pm, rain or shine. Kellogg’s Incognito Witch Project celebrates hidden magick and encompasses fine art, film, music, and dance.
Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. will host a Free Kids’ Paint & Sip and Scavenger Hunt on Friday, September 1in the outdoor seating area next to Hot Harry’s and in front of the Marketplace Cafe (37 & 53 North Street). The Paint & Sip is from 5 to 7 pm, and the Scavenger Hunt is from 5 to 8 pm.
This free Back-to-School-themed Paint & Sip is best suited for ages 5 to 12, although younger and older children are welcome. All materials, instruction, snacks, 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.
The Free Kids’ Scavenger Hunt for art will be held from 5 to 8 pm on September 1 during the First Fridays Artswalk. Children who complete the hunt will receive a coupon for a free ice cream. A copy of the hunt can be picked up on September 1 at the Kids’ Paint & Sip beginning at 4:45 pm. Kids should return to the site of the Kids’ Paint & Sip no later than 8 pm with a completed Scavenger Hunt to claim their prize.
Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., in partnership with CozQuest Creative, will be curating an Art Market on Dunham Mall (100 North Street) on the first Friday from 5 to 8 pm through October 2023. The September 1st Art Market will feature local artists, artisans, makers, and food vendors, and DJ Champ will be playing Top 40 Hits, Hip Hop, and Funk on the steps of City Hall!
New Jersey born and raised in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, DJ Champ has been lighting up the dance floor since 2008 – doing everything from celebrity events to the smallest of venues. He is the founder of Young Champ Foundation which helps the community with back-to-school supplies and Christmas gifts as well as providing mentoring for our youth. There’s nothing DJ Champ hasn’t touched in Berkshire County. One thing you can be sure of is that when he is around the vibe with be great!
The Clock Tower Artists at 75 South Church Street will host an open studios event in their beautiful and ever-expanding space on Friday, September 1, and every First Friday of the month through December, from 5 to 8 pm, and on Saturday, September 2, and every first Saturday of the month through December, from 11 am to 4 pm. Witness the artists’ artistic processes firsthand and be captivated by an eclectic blend of masterpieces that will enchant and inspire you.
Artists with Open Studios in September include: Deborah H. Carter, Joan Palano Ciolfi, Marion H. Grant, Stacey Healy, Caroline Kelley, Bruce Laird, Mark Mellinger, Linda Petrocine, Shany Porras, Sally Tiska Rice, Ilene Richard, Audrey Shachnow, and Stefanie Weber.
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renee Avenue, will feature paintings by Karen Chase and Paul Graubard, September 1-29. There will be an opening reception with the artists during the First Fridays Artswalk on Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm.
Aerofauna Studio presents The P.E.B.E. Project with the artistic stylings of Natalie Zoe White at The Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue, September 1-30. There will be a reception with the artists on Friday, September 1, 5 to 7 pm, as part of First Fridays Artswalk.
The P.E.B.E. Project is a Biodata sonification demonstration. Exhibits are plants connected to instrumentation that registers stomatal conductance and translates the signal into sound. The Project is presented by Linda Merry who has a Master of Arts in Biology from Miami University and who currently works at Berkshire Community College in the Life Sciences. Pencil illustrations by artist Natalie Zoe White will also be part of this exhibit.
ReDefine Community Center, 5 Melville Street, will feature local artists, Matthew Brinton and Nicole Fecteau, for one night only during the September 1st First Fridays Artswalk. Stop by from 5 to 8 pm on September 1 to view their art and chat with them about their artistic process. Matthew Brinton will present works in charcoal, pen, marker, and pastels, and Nicole Fecteau will present works in fabric.
The Berkshire Art Center (BAC), 141 North Street, will continue to offer Free Family Drop-Ins on the First Friday of the month from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, year-round. For the month of September, The Berkshire Art Center will also feature two window displays: “Ping. Pong.” by multimedia artist Deborah H. Carter and a window display by their 2023 Berkshire Artist Residents: Noah Beauregard and Kelly Potter.
The smaller window display will Introduce the work of two local artists participating in Berkshire Art Center’s Artist Residency Program which has paired local visual artists with cultural institutions and historic landmarks across the Berkshires since 2012. The 2023 Artists have been creating work inspired by their site locations since the end of May. Kelly Potter, Chesterwood Artist-in-Residence, is a painter and a ceramic sculptor based in the Berkshires. Her visual art is based on preliminary studies of plant and animal activity within semi-natural locations in the Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley. Using oil painting and wall mounted ceramic relief sculpture, she investigates a dynamic between the tamed and the untamed.
Noah Beauregard, Red Lion Inn Artist-in-Residence, is a painter working out of Berkshire County. Drawn to painting and design as a child, Beauregard’s art focuses on abstracting common images through form and color. Beauregard pushes recognizable scenes into a bright bizarre world of saturated color and mythic design. The human form and unworldly plants are common motifs in his work.
Sally Tiska Rice will present “Autumn Reverie” at Krol Headquarters, 139 North Street, August 31 through October 2. Sally invites you to indulge your senses in the vibrant colors and intricate brushstrokes of abstract canvases and framed translucent watercolor works. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm, during the First Fridays Artswalk.
As a versatile multi-media artist, Sally Tiska Rice seamlessly employs a tapestry of techniques, working in acrylic, watercolors, oil paints, pastels, and collages containing botanicals and mixed media elements. Her creative spirit draws inspiration from the idyllic surroundings of her rural hometown, where she resides with her husband Mark and cherished pets.
On Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm, NUarts gallery + studios, 311 North Street, will open their Hall Gallery featuring the works of resident artists including Richard Britell, Kathy Gideon, Brent Ridge, Joan Rooks, Marney Schorr, and Laura Thompson.
Soma’s Aromas, 81 East Street, will host a reception with in-house artist, Nicole March, on Friday, September 1 from 5 to 8 pm.
Nicole is an emerging artist born and raised in the Berkshires. Intrinsically inspired by Mother Nature’s glory and equally as moved by the magic of capturing moments photographically, it was only in a matter of time that her creative, unrefined edge would merge with alluring images.
The Marketplace Cafe, 53 North Street, will host paintings by Mary Davidson for the month of September. There will be a reception with the artist during the September 1 First Fridays Artswalk from 5 to 7 pm.
Mary is a painter living in South Egremont, MA. Her New Hat Series presents large-scale, feminine forms that are mysterious, bold, dramatic, captivating, and complex. The many elegant, amorphic, and intricate shapes which flow throughout keep the eyes moving.
Marchetti Headquarters, at 314 North Street, will feature Strike a Memory: Imagery & Illustration in Berkshire Matchbooks, an art exhibit of vintage Berkshire matchbooks dating from the 1950s-1980s for the month of September.
The exhibit is curated by local artist Sara Paul of Shire Prints and features vintage matchbooks with famous landmarks in Lenox, Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and other Berkshire towns. The matchbooks have been scanned at a high resolution and printed many times greater than their size so that viewers can get an up-close look at matchbook art in its full color, detail, and splendor.
Visitors can meet Sara at a reception on Friday, September 1 from 5 to 7 pm at Marchetti Headquarters.
Witch Slapped, 78 North Street, will feature The Fantastical Artwork of Kit Curry on Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm.
Kit Curry’s serenely apocalyptic artwork draws upon those primordial beliefs — animism, witchcraft, the occult —that modernity and so-called enlightenment have failed to entirely exorcise. Combining graphite, charcoal, and pastel for a wide tonal range, Kit creates figurative and illustrative black and white chiaroscuro drawings in which witches and goblins dance amidst a crumbling world. Kit Curry’s artwork serves as a reminder of the mystery, terror, and delight of the strange world we inhabit.
Hotel on North, 297 North Street, will feature When Soft Particles Soften: Abstract work by Justin Carafotes & Ryan Garvey through September 30. Soft Particles was first presented at His Daughter Paloma Gallery in August of 2022 curated by Justin Carafotes. This is the gallery’s first traveling exhibition.
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 as well as a grant awarded by Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s Arts Build Community initiative with funding from the Barr Foundation.
For more information on First Fridays Artswalk, call Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. at 413-443-6501. 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.
Event Highlights (South to North):
Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue
Aerofauna Studio presents The P.E.B.E. Project with the artistic stylings of Natalie Zoe White
Opening Reception: Friday, September 1, 5 to 7 pm
Artists at the Clock Tower, 75 South Church Street, Third Floor
Deborah H. Carter, Joan Palano Ciolfi, Marion H. Grant, Stacey Healy, Caroline Kelley, Bruce Laird, Mark Mellinger, Linda Petrocine, Shany Porras, Sally Tiska Rice, Ilene Richard, Audrey Shachnow, and Stefanie Weber
Open Studios: Friday, Sept. 1, 5 to 8 pm; Sat, Sept. 2, 11 am to 4 pm
Soma’s Aromas, 81 East Street
Reception with in-house artist Nicole March
Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm
Free Drop-in Kids’ Paint & Sip
Outdoor seating area at Hot Harry’s and in front of
the Marketplace Cafe (37 & 53 North Street)
Friday, September 1, 5 to 7 pm
Free Kids’ Scavenger Hunt
Begins at outdoor seating area at Hot Harry’s (37 North Street)
Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm
Marketplace Cafe, 53 North Street
Mary Davidson
Opening Reception: Friday, September 1, 5 to 7 pm
Beacon Cinema Lobby, 57 North Street
TBD
Witch Slapped, 78 North Street
The Fantastical Artwork of Kit Curry
On View: Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm
Art Market on Dunham Mall with DJ Champ
Artists, Artisans, Local-makers, and Food Vendors
DJ Champ will be on the steps of City Hall playing Top 40 hits, Hip Hop and Funk!
Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm
Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue
Karen Chase / Paul Graubard
Paintings
Opening Reception: Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm
Krol Headquarters, 139 North Street
Autumn Reverie
Sally Tiska Rice
Opening Reception: Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm
Berkshire Art Center/Brothership Building, 141 North Street
2023 Berkshire Artist Residency: Noah Beauregard and Kelly Potter – Window Display (Small Window)
“Ping. Pong.” by Deborah Carter – Window Display (Large Window)
Free Family Art Making Drop-In: Friday, Sept. 1, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Soda Chef, 161 North Street
Nicole March Art – Window Display
LIVE MUSIC at Persip Park, 175 North Street
5 to 6:30 pm: Bree Nicola and Crys Moore
6:30 to 8 pm: Niki Kaos
Friday, September 1
Sotille Park, 200 North Street
Free Live Painting Demo with Mollie Kellogg
Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm
ReDefine Community Center, 5 Melville Street
Matt Brinton and Nicole Fecteau – On view one night only!
Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm
View art and chat with the artists about their artistic process
Hotel on North, 297 North Street
When Soft Particles Soften:
Abstract work by Justin Carafotes & Ryan Garvey
On View: Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm
NUarts gallery + studios, 311 North Street
Tour NUarts’ Hall Gallery featuring the works of resident artists
Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm
Marchetti Headquarters, 314 North Street
Strike a Memory: Imagery & Illustration in Berkshire Matchbooks, an art exhibit of vintage Berkshire matchbooks dating from the 1950s-1980s
Sara Paul of Shire Prints
Opening Reception: Friday, September 1, 5 to 7 pm
Methuselah Bar and Lounge, 391 North Street
Boss Themes/ Alien Communication by Edward Pelkey
On View: Friday, September 1, 5 to 8 pm