Harrison Gallery finds timing right for opening in Williamstown

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Harrison Gallery co-proprietor Jo Ellen Silipo thinks the timing is right for opening their fine arts gallery on Spring Street in Williamstown, and so far the reception is proving her right. “I think the timing’s right,” said Silipo. “We have a culturally experienced market here. And people come to visit the Clark for the “Impression” exhibit; there’s the Williams College Museum of Art’s 75th anniversary, and MASS MoCA’s hitting. ‘I’m not going back to my software job,” said Silipo, who spent 22 years in the computer field after graduating from Williams College. “People are receiving us well.” “We sold 37 paintings in June, and that’s without an existing client base,” she said. “And we’re beyond that in July.” “My partner and I are having a lot of fun,” she said. Her partner in the new enterprise, which opened at the end of May in the former Gatsby’s space at 31 Spring Street, is Laurie J. Thomsen. Silipo and Thomsen were art history majors and classmates at Williams, graduating in 1979. The gallery’s name was chosen to commemorate Silipo’s father, David Harrison, a 1953 Williams graduate. Silipo spent 22 years in high-tech sales and marketing, but continued collecting, yearned to return to art. Thomsen is a founding general partner for Boston-based Prism Venture Corporation. She has worked at Sotheby’s, New York, and she is an overseer at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The Harrison’s collection focuses on landscapes from the Northeast, by emerging as well as established artists. Each month, the gallery features a themed show. Its only one-person show is Jim Schantz, Oct. 2 - Nov. 15. The Stockbridge resident paints light-suffused landscapes, many of them South County scenes, such as magically-glowing skies above the Housatonic River. Silipo and WCMA Curator Vivian Patterson are curating “The Curator Show,” which opens tomorrow, Aug. 2, and runs through Sept. 15. “Laurie fell in love with Jim Schantz’s work, and found him through the Pucker Gallery on Newberry Street in Boston,” said Silipo. “His work has been very popular here.” The Harrison now has an arrangement with the Pucker Gallery, a business arrangement whereby the Boston firm shares its collection with the Harrison, and an informal arrangement in which Bernie and Sue Pucker act as mentors to the new gallery owners here. “We connected with the Pucker, first of all, to get Jim Schantz,” said Silipo, “but in a more general way, to be able to provide a higher-valued level of art as we were building a new gallery. Normally it would take two or three years to represent artists the caliber of Jim Schantz and Brother Thomas.” A striped ceramic vessel by Thomas is prominently displayed. His work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Victoria & Albert in London. “It’s so beautiful,” exclaimed Silipo. “One of my favorite things about this job is learning the character and taste of people,” she said. The Harrison’s collection includes works by Audrey Blafield of Lenox, who studied with Robert Motherwell, and who creates luminous landscapes. “Her subject is light,” said Silipo. Works at the gallery can be on commission, some the gallery has purchased, and still others come from the Pucker Gallery. “In June, 70 percent of our sales were to local residents. For July, sales were to residents and tourists, and averaged $1,000 to $3,000 on pieces,” she said. “We have works by artists such as John Terelak, who is famous around the world, but we also have work priced from $300 to $400. Everybody should get to have art,” she said. “My son suggested our motto: ‘Bringing Art Home.’ We always have a range. We want to share our enthusiasm, but not price people out of the market.” Except for the Jim Schantz solo show, she said, “our shows include multiple artists. We don’t want to lock ourselves into anything the first year.” “We started with a wish list of artists,” she said. “Artists we ourselves collected, artists we’ve seen in other galleries, and artists who come in the door.” Striking and sculptural are the Zambian beer and water pots, priced from $800 up, from the Pucker Gallery. These traditional vessels — the older they are, the more intricate their designs — are prized by collectors, and have been almost completely replaced as utilitarian objects by modern and insignificant imports. The shop also sells reproductions of antique furniture. And Silip has arranged a seating area, or salon, which she hopes will be a comfortable gathering place. “I hope it’s going to be a fun place in winter,” she said. The shop includes a custom framing business. Silipo said she likes finding the proper design element for an artwork. Local artist and weaver Birgitta Fuhrmann works in the framing operation, and Williams senior Sarah Nelson is gallery assistant. Most recently, the Harrison collaborated with the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation with a fund-raiser titled En Plein Air, in a reference to the current “Impression” exhibit at the Clark. En Plein Air raised $5,255 for the foundation, a nonprofit land trust whose mission is to preserve the New England character of Williamstown. The Harrison and WRLF invited regional artists to come to Sheep Hill, the Rosenburg Farm now owned by the foundation, to record their impressions of the landscape. The works were shown in the gallery one evening, then auctioned off at brunch the next morning, brunch being provided by 101 North, a new restaurant. WRLF Executive Director Leslie Reed-Evans called the event “the best possible partnership, bringing together art, nature and appreciation of the region’s cultural history.” For Silipo, the event, and its success, are an example of her and Thomsen’s wish to be an active, contributing part of the community. In explaining why they chose to open their gallery in Williamstown, she said, “We want to play a role in the community that we love and where we first developed our experience with art. There is an artistic and spiritual heritage that we want to continue here in Williamstown.” She is delighted with the new venture, and pleased to be working in the field of art that was her first love. “I bound out of bed in the morning,” she said. “It’s so exciting to finally have a job that I’m truly thrilled about.” Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday until 7 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Telephone is 458-1700; web site www.theharrisongallery.com.
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North Adams Jewelry Store Has New Owner

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Cheryl Coppens put out a call for someone to take over the jewelry business she began last spring  — jewelry maker Alexandra Padilla answered the call.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Artful Jeweler has a new owner who is looking to expand its offerings.

Cheryl Coppens opened the jewelry store in May, showcasing local artists, offering fine jewelry, and jewelry repair.

But a new grandson in Texas, and the difficulties in flying back and forth to see him, had her looking to move closer to him.

Last month, she posted on the business's Facebook that she wanted someone to take over the space and continue the venture. Alexandra Padilla reached out to her and Coppens said she met all her criteria she was looking for in anew owner.

"You have to really want to be in retail. You have to want to be in this community, priced where people can afford it. Alex is native to North Adams. Her husband, she's got two great kids, so it just felt like they would be able to continue the store," Coppens said. "So the criteria really was somebody that would work the store, not somebody that would just come in and hire employees. I didn't want that."

Padilla started taking over the store in the beginning of December. She has been selling jewelry for about three years, and has an online shop, and has worked in wholesale jewelry for about 15 years.

"I always wanted to have my own thing on it, and I wanted to bring something new, and I want to involve my family, my kids do something, and I want to be independent," she said.

Now Padilla showcases her jewelry in the Ashland Street store and plans to keep some of the local artists' items, like stained glass made by Coppens' mother.

Padilla customizes jewelry and tailors pieces to her customers.

She plans to work around her job at Berkshire County Head Start so she can open store for more hours. 

She also plans to redesign the store a little bit and bring in a couple more lines, like more rings and pearls. 

The store is open on Saturdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays 9 to 2, Fridays 9 to 6, and Sundays 9 to 3. The store has also been open on Mondays 10  to 5 and Tuesdays 10  to 3 for the holidays. 

Padilla thanks Coppens for trusting her and hopes customers continue to support the Artful Jeweler.

"Thank you for trusting me. I'm going to try and do my best and work hard to make it happen," she said. "This is our first time selling retail, so we hope the community supports us in here."

Coppens will be helping Padilla until she is comfortable operating the store on her own. She said it will continue to be a space of community support.

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