Plum Gallery adds burst of creativity to Water Street in Williamstown

Print Story | Email Story
Generations of Williamstown children knew the clapboarded building at 112 Water St. as Fanny Tash’s store. One of them was photographer Nicholas Whitman who, growing up on nearby Hoxsey Street, found the store a prime source of penny candy. Now Whitman, a noted photographer, and his wife, artist Mary E. Natalizia, have opened a gallery in the former store and part of the adjoining 18th-century house, where their opening exhibit showcases 13 artists. They kept the long, gleaming wooden counter from the old store as a centerpiece for the room where bright and bold paintings hang on white walls, and ceramics inspired by antique botanical prints cluster in the windows. Plum Gallery is the result of not only the pair’s creativity, but grueling physical labor as they transformed the space into a bright, airy venue for a range of art. “It’s a great old building, and it was for sale forever,” said Whitman. “Nick did all the restoration, everything except the electrical wiring, plumbing and sheetrocking,” said Natalizia. “It’s a real team effort.” “This place was a diamond in the rough,” said Whitman. “We filled up more than 15 dumpsters, and it did need some jacking, and it needed a lot of siding. “It’s solid, just not real square,” he said. “I tried to do a really sensitive restoration job,” he said. In the former store, the gallery’s main space, the bead-board ceiling had, fortunately, never been painted. Sheetrock panels were installed on the walls to screw paintings into. And in the second room, up a step, in the adjoining house, Whitman pulled down the ceiling and found chestnut beams — “extinct, beautiful and rot-resistant” — bearing the marks of the broad-ax that formed them. “All I did was vacuum, scrub and oil them,” said Whitman. Whitman said he enjoyed his work on the house, which was part of a mill complex on the Green River, and the 1922 store building. Whitman has a recently-released book on The Porches, the new inn in North Adams across from MASS MoCA. He has also done a book on MASS MoCA, documented the former, and now demolished opera house, and is in the middle of a project on the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. “It was really interesting to put the camera down and take the place apart,” he said. Natalizia, a painter, is on leave from teaching in Pownal, Vt. She said the idea for the gallery grew naturally “out of our interests in art.” “Most of the people in this show are also friends,” she said. “This is heartfelt art,” she said. “It’s not just a pretty picture, it’s the artists’ response to the world. It speaks to your heart, and you feel you’re tapping into the moment.” “We do have strong opinions about art, and we thought ‘wouldn’t it be nice to give people a place to show?’ This winter, we just decided that we’d go for it.” In one of the front windows is a sculpture of welded copper, the work of Greg Smith of Pownal. His stainless-steel sculpture is on the front lawn. Ceramic floral-derived shapes by Nermin Kura, who is from Turkey and went to the Rhode Island School of Design, is ornamented with designs inspired by calligraphy. “It’s so strong,” said Natalizia. “It’s wild stuff.” Much of her own work, she said, is based on floral shapes, and often includes fragments of poetry or journal entries. “This is very particular artwork,” she said of the work in the show. “It doesn’t take anything for granted. It tells something about how you feel, or tells something about the particular time, or the day.” Also on view are drawings and a print by Timothy Hawksworth, who, she said, “works only from memory.” A collage by Martin Bromirski includes “canvas cut and rewoven,” she said. “He’s obsessed with materials.” Steel gray and black shapes, sculpture by Makoto Yabe, who has work at RISD, the DeCordova in Lincoln, and the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, seems to prefigure the mourning in the wake of the Sept. 11 loss of life, although they were made beforehand, she said. Whitman’s platinum prints in the gallery include woods in North Berkshire and sculptural rock faces, some shot in Labrador, some strongly cubist. They are pleased with the reception so far, and enthusiastic about the endeavor. “I love to arrange things,” said Natalizia. “I saw this work and really loved it. It felt like it was a risk at first, but when we made the decision, it’s great. And we had good sales the first week.” The opening reception was May 23. Gallery hours are Wednesdays through Sundays 11-5 and by appointment. Telephone is 458-3389; web site www.plumbgallery.com.
Share
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Weekend Outlook: SuperBowl With Love

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Check out the events happening in the Berkshires this weekend, including Super Bowl parties, plays, Valentine's themed events and more.

Editor's Pick

Father-Daughter Valentine's Dances

Cheshire Community House
Time: Friday, 6 to 9 p.m.
 
Cost is $10, advance only; includes snacks and beverages. More information: Corey McGrath at 413-841-5057 or Tim Garner at 413-822-5671.

St. Mary's School, Lee
Time: Saturday, 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost: $12 per person, including snacks, a photo booth, and more. More information here.

Multiple Days

'Dinner at 8, Dead by 9'
Shire Tavern, Dalton
Friday and Saturday

Enjoy dinner and a show put on by the Taconic High School Theater Department. You'll encounter surprises and suspense while enjoying food from the Tavern.

More information and tickets here.

Some Valentine's Specials

Love Yourself Herbal Workshop
46 West St., Pittsfield
Time: Friday, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Create four different herbal body products for yourself or as a Valentine's gift at the Solarium Plant Shop

More information here.

Bloom Lab Perfumerie Workshop
35 Walker St,. Lenox
Time: Friday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Create a perfume for yourself or another. This two-hour session will cover basic perfumery and include charcuterie and socializing. Tickets are $125.

More information and tickets here.

Friday

 

First Friday
Downtown North Adams
Time: 5 to 9
 
This monthly First Friday event is themed "I Love North Adams." Businesses will have extended hours and many galleries will be hosting openings, closings, and other special events. 
 
Future Lab[s] hosts its closing reception for the exhibit featuring the work of more than 40 member; Steeple City Social will have special cocktails and a performance by Five Pound Horse; Installation Space will be projecting on the Flatiron Building; Gallery North opens with works by Isabel Rosenthal and permanent gallery artists; Common Folk Artist Collective has its weekly Common Craft Night; Savvy Hive has a fill-a-bag sale for $25; Alison Pebworth has open studios.

Spindle (music bingo) w/ DJ Pup Daddy
137 Brodie Mountain Road, Hancock
Time: 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Bring your friends and family and play musical bingo with DJ Pup Daddy at Bluebird and Co. Restaurant. Get a chance to win gift cards and be sure to reserve food when making your reservation.

More information here.

Saturday

Bousquet Mountain Grommie Jam
Bousquet, Pittsfield
Time: 11 a.m.

Grommie Jam is a community get-together where skiers and riders ages 16 and younger come together. Open to all with a valid lift ticket or season pass; prizes from Berkshire Bike & Board.

More information here.

Love you to Pizzas! UNO Neighborhood Party
157 River St., North Adams
Time: noon to 2 p.m.

Enjoy games, crafts, pizza, and drinks and socialize with the neighborhood with this free event by Northern Berkshire Community Coalition.

More information here.

Farmer's Market
Hotel Downstreet, North Adams
View Full Story

More North Adams Stories

A & E
image description

New Weekend Outlook: SuperBowl With Love

A & E
Community News
image description

North Adams Councilors to Speak Against Berkshire Gas Rate Hike

Community News
Community News
image description

Companion Corner: Kash at No Paws Left Behind (Update)

Community News
Community News
image description

State Planning to Temporarily Shut Down Route 8 Bridge in...

Community News
Community News
image description

Andrew Fitch Launches Bid for State Representative in North...

Community News
Community News
image description

Northern Berkshire United Way: Founding in the Depression Era

Community News
Latest Stories
Previous Next

What's Trending?