DownStreet Art Takes You 'Here' and There Tonight
  The Gallery 51 sign says it all: It's where you should be tonight. Left, the Corner Market at the 'Here' exhibit; top, thousands of pages represent genocide victims. |
Jonathon Secor, director of special programs for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, said the summerlong arts event has been drawing tourists and residents to the city in good numbers.
"I think we've done well," he said on Thursday hours as he checked on preparations for exhibits tied to the college. "I know we've seen more people than last year."
Response from downtown businesses he's talked to have been upbeat. "They definitely feel there's been extra foot traffic, and it's showing at the cash register. We're also seeing more sales of art this year, too. Nobody's getting rich but it's going well."
DownStreet Art launched in 2008 as a way to boost traffic in and around downtown through the arts, filling empty storefronts with temporary galleries and promote existing galleries and businesses. The summerlong event nearly doubled in venues this season; the fourth Thursday of each month was promoted with new exhibition receptions to create a destination event.
Tonight's openings include "Here" at MCLA's Gallery 51, a reflection on being (or becoming) an artist under the influence of Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the largest contemporary art museum in the world.
Just a few steps from Gallery 51, former Moulton's General Store at 77 Main St. was filled on Wednesday with thousands of booklets representing Rwandans killed in the brutal genocide in 1994.
The exhibit, "800,000 Acknowledge. Remember. Renew." is artist Will Snyder's response to learning about the massacre in 2004 from a Rwandan who shared his story at Snyder's church in Pennsylvania.
 Mickey Crews of North Adams, a student at MCLA, leaves her handprint on a blank page in the '800,000' installation. |
The tragedy was still on his mind when he met another a teacher who was bringing Kenyan women into the city to teach women on welfare how to garden for food. "He was calling it art," said Snyder. "I never thought about meeting a basic need with art."
So with his fine arts degree in printmaking, Snyder envisioned a way enormity and the anonymity of that faraway human catastrophe by creating 800,000 pages — one for each life lost — in 2,500 volumes, stored in 100 crates to symbolize the number of days over which the murders took place.
The pages are blank — except for those marked by the handprints of viewers contributing $5 to benefit projects renewing Rwanda. "800,000" has become both a reminder of genocide and an agent for healing.
"The handprint is the mark of life and humanity, it symbolizes life that was lost," said Snyder.
In this installation, the crates are stacked like a wall, forcing the viewer to confront it; in other venues, they have been laid out singly on the floor like a graveyard, inviting viewers to wander through and reflect.
Exhibits opening tonight will continue into October. DownStreet Art will culminate with Open Studios on the weekend of Oct. 17 and 18. Now in its sixth year, Open Studios is becoming a North Berkshire event in which artists open their studios and galleries to thousands of visitors.
For a full schedule of events, see below:
DownStreet Art Thursday!
Sept. 24, 6-9pm
GET DOWN.
Come to downtown North Adams for the LAST Thursday opening night. You won't want to miss these art openings, live music and more!
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Projects and Objects at Works and Days 1979-2009: A Survey of Selected Work by Mark Mulherrin 28 Holden Street (413) 664-8718 On view through October Projects and Objects, curated by Rich Remsberg, is the final of three consecutive exhibitions showcasing the 30+ year body of work by Mark Mulherrin. It will present an archeology of forms and sources that have inspired Mulherrin’s work throughout his career. Installations, paintings and sculpture will all be presented. |
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Claire Fox at Avalon Seafood Gallery 7 Holden Street (413) 664-8718 On view through October Claire Fox draws abstract pictures that are rooted in illustration and folk art. They are inner landscapes; maps, diagrams, and schematics of a different zone. Fox, born in MA, creates ink drawings on board and handmade dolls. She has been working with dolls for over 10 years, using fabric collected from family, friends and thrift stores. The dolls provide the color that is absent from the stark black and white drawings. |
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Out of the Box at the North Adams Co-op Gallery 33 Main Street (413) 664-8718 On view through October 18 Performances by Eric Buddington www.naacogallery.com The show features member’s artwork that stretches each artists comfort zone. Members may show forms which they have not previously explored, use media that differs from that found in their primary body of work, or investigate new creative processes. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 11am-6pm, and Sunday 11am-4pm. Left: Rabbit, Ed Carson. Photo courtesy artist. |
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Here at MCLA Gallery 51 51 Main Street (413) 664-8718 On view through October 25 www.mcla.edu/gallery51 Since the opening of MASS MoCA, there’s been a surge of interest in how art and culture, and the institutions an individuals which propagate such things can effect the small, struggling, post-industrial city in which they reside. It’s been a transformative 10 years in North Adams & surrounding areas. This group exhibition seeks to explore this time and this place that we call home. Here features the work of local and national artists including: Scott Barrow, Kay Canavino, Gordon Chandler, Laura Christensen, Joan Diamant, Wendy James, Jaye Fox, Joe Fusaro, Wendy Goldberg, Amanda Hartlage, J.C. Jorgerst, Phelan Levall, Melanie Mowinski, John Mitchell, David Ricci, Greg Scheckler, Nicholas Whitman, Thor Wickstrom and Michael Zelehoski. Curated by Leslie Ferrin of Pittsfield’s Ferrin Gallery. |
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Video Portraits: Men, Women, Music and the Moon at the Video Lounge 33 Main Street (413) 664-8718 On view through October 18 Visit curator Lana Z Caplan’s website for more info. Views into Another is a series of portraits of relationships, pop culture, an all girl, feminist, 50’s do-wop, punk rock band and a pioneer woman all wrapped up into one powerful look into another. Artists included in this program are Natalie Bookchin, Liz Nofziger, Goatsilk, Saul Levine, Lana Z Caplan, Michelle Handelman and Katrine Burkitt.Left: The Commotitties: A Rocumentary, Katrine Burkitt, 2008, 6:46 |
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800,000 Acknowledge. Remember. Renew. 77 Main Street (413) 664-8718 On view through Click here for more information This project and exhibition compliments MCLA’s community read An Ordinary Man, written by Paul Rusesabagina, who will be the feature speaker at the November 5th Public Policy Lecture. Will Snyder, the creator of this project, will welcome visitors to the exhibit at 18 Holden Street, from 6-8 pm. Both An Ordinary Man and 800,000 Acknowledge. Remember. Renew. address the 1994 tribal genocide in Rwanda during which an estimated 800,000 people were killed in 100 days. The 800,000 installation is an artistic response to the tragedy and is made of 800,000 pages in 2500 books displayed in 100 crates: one page for each victim, one crate for each day of the war. The books have been hand-bound through the collaboration with various groups and an accompaniment track of music adds to the atmosphere. |
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Michael Mongue at the Alley Gallery 23 Eagle Street (413) 662-2223 MEET THE ARTIST, 7-9pm Click here for more informatin about the Alley On view: Exhibit of Selected Works. Mongue, a self-taught painter currently residing in Williamstown MA, has been exhibiting in Berkshire County for over 10 years. His paintings are characterized by bold colors, stark contrasts between dark and light tones, sharp lines composing the depicted forms, and painted forms are often reduced to flattened planes of color. |
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Performances at The Refractive Kinescope by Kinodance Company G51 Annex 65 Main Street Performances with Q&A at 6, 7 and 8pm $7 general admission, $5 MCLA faculty and staff, FREE for MCLA students and members Space is limited - reservations required. (413) 662-5204www.kinodance.org Kinodance Company presents durational live dance performances that incorporate selected sequences from early silent films and reconstruct embellished gestures, zealous eye movements, exaggerated postures and dramatic spatial pathways with manipulations of speed, focus and movement quality influenced by Butoh and contemporary dance forms. |
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Northern Berkshire Center for the Arts, MCLA, Inkberry, North Adams Open Studios, Railway Cafe, and the Ballet Center Downtown/Main Street 6-9pm Local arts organizations will be showcasing their cultural offerings all evening long! |
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Meet Artist Jarvis Rockwell Maya III/Heirarchy 75 Main Street 6-9 pm FREE Jarvis Rockwell, the artist behind Maya III and the other wonderous installations to be found at 73 Main Street will be there to answer any and all questions about his work. Ever wanted to know why the little googly eyes? Where are all the action figures going on the pyramid? What is up with the crushed beer can on the wall? This is your chance to ask! |
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Artists Reception at Gallery at Tangiers 45 Main Street (413) 664-4444Gallery at Tangiers, an artspace for local artists to exhibit their work year round, will be hosting a reception for over 8 artists currently showcasing their work including: Barbara May - limited edition prints, pastels |
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Michael Martin - Singer/Songwriter Downtown North Adams 6-9pm FREE Hear MCLA student and musician Michael Martin perform covers and original songs on his ukulele throughout downtown North Adams. Martin has been rocking since he was a little kid. The rock didn’t really have an outlet till 2003 when he became singer for The Smokey Wambas, a Northampton/Holyoke based emo/punk band that met with some success in the younger Northampton music scene at the time. He has since picked up guitar and fell in love with the ukulele. |
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Open Mic Night at the Alley 23 Eagle Street (413) 662-2223 8:30-11pm Amateurs and professional are welcome. The Alley is the perfect venue for local musicians to showcase and develop their skills and talents, and gives music-loving audiences an opportunity to hear some of North Adams’ newest talents. Bring your instruments and be prepared to shine! |
| Local merchants keep their doors open late and offer DownStreet Art specials including: |
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The Hub 55 Main Street (413) 662-2500 Open until 9:30pm |
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Taylors Fine Dining 34 Holden Street (413) 664-4500 www.taylorsfinedining.net 10% off all dinner entrees! |
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Shima 105 Main Street (413) 364-1055 www.shimaboutique.com 15% off 1 item if you bring in a gently used child’s winter coat, snowsuit or boots |
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Papyri Books 45 Eagle Street (413) 662-2099 www.papyribooks.net Open late 10% discount on all merchandise excluding rare books and local photography |
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Moulton’s Pizza 117 Main Street (413) 664-6279Open late Buy 1 large one topping pizza get 1 small pie OR 2 ltr soda FREE with stamped DownStreet Passport! |
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Creations 59 Main Street (413) 664-4032 www.craftycreations.orgOpen late $100 gift basket raffle and specials throughout the evening |
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cup and saucer. 67 Main Street (413) 664-4225 www.cupandsaucer.us Open late |
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Persnickety Toys 13 Eagle Street (413) 662-2990Open late Offering specials throughout the evening 20% off one item with stamped DownStreet Art Passport |
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Christo’s Famous Pizza 20 Holden Street (413) 662-3500 Check out Christo’s on Facebook Open til 10pm |
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Verizon Wireless 43 Main Street (413) 664-0111 www.wirelesszone.com Open late |
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Gramercy Bistro 24 Marshall Street (413) 663-5300 www.gramercybistro.com Open late |
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The Party Place 27 Eagle Street (413) 662-2199 Open late |
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Shear Madness 81 Main Street (413) 662-2444 Open late |
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Village Pizza 51 Eagle Street (413) 664-4134 Open late |
