The First Fridays Artswalk in downtown Pittsfield continues its 5-month season (May through September) at a special date and time: SATURDAY, July 11 from 1 to 4 pm.
Participating venues on SATURDAY, July 11 include Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. Hotel on North, Indie Readery and Records, O.U.R Resurge, the Onota Building, Sanctum Gallery, Solarium Plant Shop, and the Soda Chef.
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.
Solarium Plant Shop, 46 West Street, will feature “Layered”- Visionary Alchemy of Paper, Scissors & Glue by Margo Serina at a reception during the Artswalk on Saturday, July 11, 1 to 4 pm.
Margo Serina of Sacred Bridge Studio is a Berkshire native and life-long artist who explores with various mediums to create art while gravitating towards collage and watercolor as two of her favorite forms of expression. Her work features contrast, textures, and vibrant color combinations as well as the use of mixed media and elements of nature.
“Layered” – Visionary Alchemy of Paper, Scissors & Glue is a collection of collages Margo has created while exploring and allowing the paper she cuts and collects to come together organically in her creative process with both simplicity and articulation of the elements involved to create multi layered and cohesive images. She finds this process to be both meditative and highly therapeutic.
Hotel on North, 297 North Street, will feature Autumn Phoenix Photography for the month of July.
Autumn Phoenix is a professional artist and photographer. Her work spans landscapes, animals, cityscapes, and portraiture. Her photographs are defined by unique lighting and vibrant color to capture moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. She is inspired by her grandfather. She views each photograph as a “treasure chest” to preserve experiences long after they pass.
There will be a reception with the artist on Saturday, July 11 from 1 to 4 pm during the Artswalk.
Sanctum Gallery at 148 North Street will feature artist Amy Dawn Kotel during the Special Saturday Artswalk. Amy’s exhibit will be on view Saturday, July 11 starting at 1 pm with an Opening Reception on Saturday, July 11, from 3:30 to 7 pm. The reception will feature live music by Improvisational Musician (and Amy’s husband), Matt Swift.
Amy Dawn Kotel creates vibrant, immersive artwork that bursts with movement, color and curiosity. Inspired by nature, spirituality, human connection, and the hidden layers beneath everyday life, her paintings and mixed media works transform countless forms into expansive dreamscapes, surreal imagery, and emotionally rich worlds. Her work invites viewers to wander, wonder, and discover beauty in both the chaos and magic of being human.
Matt Swift’s music spans electric bass, guitar, and synths.
Aisha will also have a table of her beautiful soaps and candles available on a table outside the gallery.
Starting July 1st, twenty poetry broadsides created by Pittsfield High School Students will be on display in the windows of the first floor of the Onota Building at 74 North Street as part of an Arts & Literacy Fellowship developed by The Mastheads.
The 11” X 17” broadside posters were printed with Xerox and Risograph on locally-made hemp, bamboo, or cotton paper, generously donated by Onyx Mill. Each one features a poem by a Berkshire County elementary school student, and a design by Pittsfield High School Students.
The broadsides were developed as part of the Masthead Needed Arts & Literacy Fellowship, a collaboration between The Mastheads and the children’s publishing press Citation Needed, that provides Pittsfield High School ESL students with multimedia arts-sector experience, including instruction in visual art, poetry, songwriting, bookmaking, graphic design, and sales.
For each broadside, pairs of high school fellows from Marina Coppola’s and Chloe Mascitelli’s ESL classes read dozens of poems written by local elementary school students. Each pair selected a poem and explored the work through different media, including zines, drawing, and printmaking in the PRESS Room at MCLA. Finally, in a series of design and collage workshops, students developed a coherent broadside representation of the work.
Funding for The Masthead Needed Arts & Literacy Fellowship comes from the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, the Blackwing Foundation, and the Feigenbaum Foundation.
O.U.R Resurge, 119 Fenn Street, will feature artists Ashley Sposato, Matt Brinton, Nicole Fecteau, Rochely DeJesus Melendez, and Hannah Mitchell.
Ashley Sposato is a chronically ill poet and mixed-media artist based in the Berkshires. Through her project Idyll & Wild, she explores love, longing, grief, and transcendence with myth, ancient history, and the natural world.
On a good day, you can find her by the riverside calling to birds and buried in ancient Greek poetry. We won’t talk about other days (those are reserved for poems). More conventionally, she can be found on Substack as Idyll & Wild, and on Instagram as idyllwildpoetry.
Ashley is published in journals by “The Way Back To Ourselves” and is Pushcart Prize nominated. She is currently working on her inaugural book of poetry, Hymns for the Orchard.
Matthew Brinton’s artwork and writing are inspired by the experiences that have shaped his life. On the page and on the canvas, he attempts to express his understanding of the human condition. Matt’s hope is that by being honest about his experiences, he can connect with a universal truth and remind others that they are not alone in their struggle to find meaning and purpose.
Matt’s drawings are done in a realistic style but often incorporate a painterly and classical linear style. The drawings of landscape and still life he creates are inspired by the sheer beauty of the subjects. His portraiture mainly consists of historical figures who have impacted his life. In his portrayal of these figures, the main focus is to capture their inner spiritual lives.
Nicole Fecteau’s art is an expression of the interconnectedness of life, the unending tapestries of stories we weave as communal beings deeply connected to each other and also profoundly integrated within our natural world. Utilizing fabric, colored pencils, and embroidery, Nicole strives to portray various allusions to life and faith as a journey that brings us deeper into our shared experience, inviting us into more heartfelt levels of compassion and mercy.
Rochely DeJesus Melendez is growing in various art mediums and will be showcasing her watercolor and acrylic paintings.
Hannah Mitchell is a craftsperson who enjoys creating jewelry. She will be showcasing her bracelets for sale.
Indie Readery and Records, 314 North Street, will feature a collection of collage and painting on unconventional surfaces by Brent Ridge now through September 1. Stop by during the July 11 Artswalk from 1 to 4 pm to take a look!
Brent uses patterned recycled papers and fabrics in place of traditional canvas and paper. These works depict the post-industrial landscape through a tension of decay and renewal of image, material, and abstraction. Ridge is a Berkshires-based artist whose work delves into themes of industrial decay, natural beauty, and human resilience. A local artist, originally from Flint, MI, Brent has an artistic history in NYC, abroad, and in Boston before resettling in the Berkshires. He is currently the art teacher at Reid Middle School in Pittsfield, where he inspires young artists.
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. Direct link: https://downtownpittsfield.stqry.app/list/62641
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.
First Fridays Artswalk is also supported in part by The Feigenbaum Foundation.
Event Highlights (South to North):
Solarium Plant Shop, 46 West Street
“Layered”- Visionary Alchemy of Paper, Scissors & Glue
Margo Serina of Sacred Bridge Studio
Reception: Saturday, July 11, 1 to 4 pm
Onota Building, 74 North Street
PHS Poetry Broadside Show
Window Display
O.U.R Resurge, 119 Fenn Street
Hannah Mitchell, Rochely DeJesus Melendez, Ashley Sposato, Matt Brinton, Nicole Fecteau
Artist Reception: Saturday, July 11, 1 to 4 pm
Sanctum Gallery, 148 North Street
Amy Dawn Kotel
Show on view Saturday, July 11 starting at 1 pm
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 11, 3:30 to 7 pm
Featuring Live Music by Improvisational Musician, Matt Swift
Soda Chef, 161 North Street
Drift & Bloom: The art of Nicole March
Window Display
Hotel on North, 297 North Street
Autumn Phoenix Photography
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 11, 1 to 4 pm
Indie Readery and Records, 314 North Street
Collage and painting on unconventional surfaces
Brent Ridge
On View: Saturday, July 11, 1 to 4 pm
Featured image: Margo Serina
Framework by Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., 437 North Street
Berkshire Art Center (BAC) Summer Faculty Artist Show
Artists: Thad Kubis, Jody King Camarra, Thomas Libetti, Kim Waterman, Jill McLean, and Laura Thompson
On View: Saturday, July 11, 1 to 4 pm