‘The Artery’ to Hold Pool Tournament for Downstreet Art Thursday
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The event, which is part of DownStreet Art Thursdays, is free and open to the public.
All are welcome to join the tournament or to come and watch – and hear – others play. The pool table, part of the art installation by Boston-based artist Liz Nofziger, is amplified, and broadcasts the sounds of the game through speakers set up in the gallery.
Prizes will be awarded to tournament winners, and Nofziger will be on hand to discuss her installation, which is set up at the location once known as “The Artery Lounge,” a well-known North Adams watering hole.
Nofziger said she arranged the tournament to encourage viewers to interact with and spend time in the space.
“This informal, single-elimination tournament will do that. The social structure of the game will bring about unexpected connection between visitors. Also, it just seems like the right thing to do in the space. It’s a revival of sorts,” Nofziger said.
DownStreet Art Thursdays will continue on the last Thursday of every month from 6 to 9 p.m. These events will feature music, performances, gallery openings and other downtown activities.
DownStreet Art is a project of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' Berkshire Culture Resource Center, partnering with the City of North Adams, Develop North Adams, Orbit Visual Graphic Design and Scarafoni Realty. The program is made possible through lead sponsorship support provided by Greylock Federal Credit Union and Greylock Investment Group. Additional support is provided by: Adams Co-Operative Bank, Berkshire Bank, the City of North Adams, Gramercy Bistro, Hoosac Bank, The Hub Food and Spirit, Doug Morin MD, Papyri Books, The Party Place, Petrino’s Café, The Porches Inn at MASS MoCA, Supreme Pizza and Wings, Taylor’s and TGL Photoworks.
The initiative was designed to revitalize downtown North Adams by identifying the city as a cultural haven. The program serves not only to increase MCLA’s visibility, but to showcase what other local arts organizations have to offer. For more information about DownStreet Art and the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, go to www.downstreetart.org and www.mcla.edu/bcrc.
