Artists Offer Lay of the Land at Co-op Gallery

Sharon Carson's 'Fall'

The gallery, at 107 Main St., held an opening reception Thursday showcasing these imaginative depictions of the beautiful Berkshire scenery.

The co-op gallery, which opened its doors June 26, is a part of DownStreet Art. DownStreet Art is a collaboration between the city of North Adams, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition and Scarafoni Realty and consists of 19 art locales throughout city.

The gallery features fine art and crafts from artists throughout North Adams, Adams, Williamstown and Pittsfield, as well as Vermont and New York showcasing a wide variety of mediums including: painting, printmaking, photography, drawing, ceramics, mixed media, assemblage, sculpture, handmade paper, artist books, textiles and hand blown glass.

Every three weeks the member-run co-op gallery has been featuring the work of two or three new artists in a special display with an opening reception. The showcased artists for this opening were Thor Wickstrom and Sharon Carson. 

Wickstrom, 48, is a landscape artist specializing in oil painting originally from the state of Florida, but has lived the Berkshire area for five years. He now resides and works at the Beaver Mill.

Artist Thor Wickstrom with his work 'Romanesque Metro.'

"My landscapes are done on location, but like all of my work comes from my imagination," said Wickstrom. "My work is very freeing to me, like a lucid dream. I like to play with light, color and shapes in my paintings.

"I consider my works as a philosophical ideal, very aesthetic; I try to focus purely on the tradition of painting and not on a concept or idea."

"I don't like the idea of explaining what my work should be and find it the most gratifying when I see someone look at my art and see from their expression that they understand it."

He also works part-time creating illustrations for children’s books and claims that both professions influence each other and is useful for making him think about his art in new ways.

Carson, 55, is a landscape artist who has lived in the Berkshires for four years, residing at the Eclipse Mills Artist lofts with her husband and fellow artist Edward Carson. She has been painting and teaching for more than 30 years, her primary medium being oils, though she also uses watercolors and acrylics.  

"I enjoy living in the area," she said. "A lot of my landscapes are Berkshire inspired."

Carson  places great weight on creative expression and paints "the rhythms of nature," embellishing and experimenting with color and shapes.

Carson aims for strong impact through rich colors and simple design. "I try to direct eye of the viewer with how I contrast colors."

The gallery is expected to run until the end of October but may be extended into December based on its success. "We are all making this project work," said Diane Sullivan curator of the gallery. "Many artists have taken interest in the gallery and we have had to turn several down."

All works displayed in the gallery are for sale. The 16 members pay $40 a month to display their works but do not pay a commission on any works sold. Consignment artists can also display works in the gallery, but with a commission of 50 percent if they are sold.

The member artists of the gallery are Kay Canavino, Carson, Laura Christensen, Andrew Davis, Martha Flood, Jaye Fox, Karen Kane, Erin Ko, Cynthia Lewis, Susan Manley, Melanie Mowinski, Debi Pendell, Diane Sullivan, Wickstrom, Colleen Williams and Rodney Wilkinson.

Current consignment artists include Sarah Pike, Barbara May, Julie Wigg, Steve Levin, Barry Goldstein, Carmen Cuccia, Karen Combs, Lisa Nilsson, Leslie Kearsley, Jen Flores, Emily Gold, Mary Wright, Greg Scheckler and Deborah Combs.

Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 413-664-9121 or naacogallery@gmail.com.

North Adams Jewelry Store Has New Owner

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:34PM / Thursday, December 18, 2025

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.