The Northampton Arts Council works to support and nurture the arts in the city of Northampton. The Council awards grants twice each year to artists and arts groups from both state and locally-raised funds, and seeks to improve public awareness of the arts. Its' goals include maintaining and preserving the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Northampton, programming such annual events of interest to the community as First Night Northampton and Transperformance.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

First Generation Performance

First Generation Performance
Tuesday, October 6th At 7:00 pm


Augusta Savage Gallery
103 New Africa House
University of Massachusetts
180 Infirmary Way
Amherst, MA 01003
(413) 545-5177

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Northampton Film Festival

Join us for the inaugural Northampton Film Festival, celebrating the Cinematic Arts on the weekend of October 9-11 at the Academy of Music Theatre.

Northampton Print and Book Fair

Free and open to the public, the Northampton Print & Book Fair is a one-day event that will take place at A.P.E. Gallery in downtown Northampton, MA on Sunday, October 4th from 12-6pm.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Northampton Jazz Workshop features trombonist Steve Davis

Northampton Jazz Workshop features guest trombonist Steve Davis along with trumpeter Josh Bruneau Tuesday, October 6th 7:30 to 8:30 PM followed by an open jazz jam until 10:30 PM at the The City Sports Grille at Spare Time Northampton, 525 Pleasant St., Northampton.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Cinema Northampton: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off


Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Wednesday October 7, 2015
6:30 PM 
Forbes Library Lawn
Free Admission

Thursday, September 24, 2015

The Northampton Community Arts Trust Celebrates at 33 Hawley Street

The Northampton Community Arts Trust will host State President Stan Rosenberg, State Representative Peter Kocot, Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz, other elected officials and city department heads and members of the community at an event to celebrate the start of renovations at 33 Hawley Street on Friday, October 2nd at 12 noon. This event marks the Arts Trust’s first step in creating affordable space for the arts in the heart of Northampton. Grants from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and private foundations, gifts from individuals and the support of local government and civic associations have brought the Arts Trust to this transformative phase. Continued support from the State and the community will carry this project to completion and invigorate the creative life of Northampton and beyond.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Northampton Jazz Workshop features saxophonist Erik Lawrence

Northampton Jazz Workshop features guest saxophonist Erik Lawrence, Tuesday September 29th 7:30 to 8:30 PM followed by an open jazz jam until 10:30 PM, The Loft at the Clarion Hotel.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Call for Poetry: MOTION/EMOTION

MOTION/EMOTION

Northampton Arts Council Announces a Call for Poetry 


"The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that 100 years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life."

-William Faulkner

Western Massachusetts Poets are invited to submit poems that resonate with the theme Motion/ Emotion. Artwork inspired by the same theme will hang at the Northampton Arts Council's Biennial Exhibition during October in the Hosmer Gallery at Forbes Library.

The deadline for submission is Monday, October 12. The Arts Council will announce a list of accepted poets on October 19. A jury composed of Northampton’s Poet Laureate Patrick Donnelly, Perugia Press publisher Susan Kan and poet Chris Gonzalez will make selections. Accepted poems will be posted on the Arts Council's website (www.northamptonartscouncil.org). Selected poets will be invited to present their work in the Coolidge Room adjacent to the Hosmer Gallery at a reading hosted by the Arts Council the evening of Monday, October 26.

· Poets may submit up to 3 poems.

· Previously published poems are permissible.

· Submit poems as a pdf attachment to an e-mail addressed to: biennialpoetry@gmail.com with Biennial Poetry in subject line.

· Judging will be blind. Include your name, address, e-mail address and phone contact in the body of the e-mail but not on your poems.

· Poems may be submitted up until midnight on the October 12 deadline.

· Questions? E-mail: biennialpoetry@gmail.com.


Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Northampton Jazz Workshop features baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan

Northampton Jazz Workshop features guest baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan, Tuesday September 15th, 7:30 to 8:30 PM followed by an open jazz jam until 10:30 PM, The Loft at the Clarion Hotel.

The Senegal-America Project Benefit Concert

S A T U R D A Y,  S E P T E M B E R   26   8:00 PM

The Academy of Music, Northampton, MA
Tickets at: www.academyofmusictheatre.com  $10/$12/$20 (plus fees)

featuring performances by:
Gokh-bi System    Impulse Ensemble
Tony Vacca’s World Rhythms Ensemble

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Fast Forward Film Series at Historic Northampton


FAST FORWARD FILM SERIES
at Historic Northampton
September 20 at 3pm
 Artifacts of Fixation 
Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 3pm 
 


Tuesday, September 8, 2015

A.P.E. Gallery - Phil Lawrence: One Death/ An Installation

Artist Reception: Friday, Sept. 11:  5-8 pm

Phil Lawrence
One Death/ An Installation

Location: A.P.E. Gallery
Exhibition Dates: September 8-27, 2015
Gallery Hours:  Tuesday - Sunday 12-5, Friday, 12-8, Closed Monday

An installation of graphics and manipulated chairs based on the quote " One death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic." Often attributed to Joseph Stalin, the original saying is in German, "Der Tod eines Menschen: das ist eine Katastrophe. Hunderttausend Tote: das ist eine Statistik! " from an essay called "French Wit," written by satirist and writer Kurt Tucholsky in 1932. The names of victims of two incidents in recent history, July 8, 2014 in Gaza, Beit Hanoun, Khan Younis, Jabalia and Rafah and April 2, 2015 in Garissa, Kenya. 24 Palestinians and 147 Kenyan and other African students died suddenly and violently on those dates.

Phil Lawrence is an artist/ teacher/ builder living and working in Western Massachusetts. He teaches drawing and sculpture at Holyoke Community College in Holyoke, Ma. He has worked in various disciplines including painting, sculpture, installation art, theater and writing.


Sunday, September 6, 2015

RETROFAIRE OPEN-AIR MARKET

RETROFAIRE 2015
The Northampton Arts Council invites you to RETROFAIRE 2015 on Saturday, September 12. The event takes place in conjunction with Northampton Jazzfest in the space behind Thorne’s Marketplace. RETROFAIRE is an open-air market featuring a treasure trove of 30 vendors selling vinyl records, vintage clothing, jewelry, and other items of interest.

Come check out collections from local and regional vendors selling the finest vintage fashions, the freshest records and unique reclaimed & re-purposed designs. Our vendors of interesting, hard-to-find, curious items include Mystery Train Records, Tiny Anvil, Vintage Steele, Wood & Barrel Co., Bucktooth Whale, Blue Collar Artisans, Plumb Farm Workshops, and Estes Millinery. Join us for a relaxed day in the late summer sun, peruse the market stalls, hear the sounds of jazz float through the air and kick back for a glass of wine.  

The event will also feature a Raffle for a Fender Vaporizer Guitar Amp. Featuring a bow-tie grille and bright retro colors, this vintage-style amp includes two inputs, reverb effects and an overdrive footswitch. $10 Tickets are available in advance at Downtown Sounds or the day-of  at the Northampton Arts Council Tent. The drawing will be held at 4:30 PM on the Northampton Jazz Fest Main Stage. You must be present to win. Only 200 tickets will be sold so your chances are strong!

All proceeds benefit the Northampton Arts Council’s BJ Goodwin Grant, a grant designed to provide direct assistance to a Northampton-based artist, writer or arts organization in recognition of exceptional work and to support the further development of artistic talents.

Sponsored by Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice
Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice
Northampton Jazz Festival




Friday, September 4, 2015

THE NORTHAMPTON ARTS COUNCIL ANNOUNCES FALL GRANTS


The Northampton Arts Council has set an October 15th deadline for applications from organizations, schools and individuals for grants that support cultural activities in the community.

The online application form link: http://application.northamptonartscouncil.org/2015F

The application process will be online only. Please do not submit paper applications.

According to Council spokesperson Brian Foote, these grants can support a variety of artistic projects and activities in Northampton, Florence, and Leeds, including exhibits, writings, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies or performances in schools, workshops and lectures. The Northampton Arts Council will hold open office hours at their location at 240 Main Street, Memorial Hall Room #1 Northampton, MA 01060 on Wednesday October 7th from 4:30 PM – 6:30PM for any potential applicants looking for advice on the application process.

The Northampton Arts Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences and humanities every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.

This year, the Northampton Arts Council will distribute up to $11,590 in grants. Previously funded projects include: $1000 to Emma Weinstein for Guerrilla Filmmaking For Teens. $800 to Elizabeth Pols for “Letters from Away” Contemporary Art at Historic Northampton. $750 to Lynne Bertrand for "The Parlor Sessions.”



Founded in 1980, the Northampton Arts Council has an all-volunteer board, appointed by the Mayor, and staff, consisting of one director, one part-time arts events producer, and one student intern. Each fall, the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), a state agency, allocates money to all of Massachusetts' 351 cities and towns through 329 Local Cultural Councils (LCCs), one of which is the Northampton Arts Council, in support of community arts activities. This is the largest decentralized program of its kind in the United States.

In addition to administering the LCC program, we were the first cultural council in the Commonwealth to raise money for a second round of funding every spring, with only a few other LCCs recently following our lead. The ArtsEZ Spring Grant round is made possible by two major fundraising events produced by the Northampton Arts Council: Transperformance, an end-of-summer concert at Look Park held every August, and the Four Sundays in February series which includes events such as the Silver Chord Bowl and the Really Big Show. In addition to grant programs, the Northampton Arts Council offers arts enrichment programs in the public schools, initiates public art projects and advocates for the arts in the city. For more information please visit our website: http://northamptonartscouncil.org.

For specific guidelines and complete information on the Northampton Arts Council please visit http://www.northamptonartscouncil.org/ or contact Brian Foote at (413) 587-1069/arts@northamptonma.gov.


COLLAGE ARTIST MICHAEL SJOSTEDT’S SOLO SHOW



COLLAGE ARTIST MICHAEL SJOSTEDT’S SOLO SHOW, MAGAZINE DREAM DESIGNED FOR LOCAL RETAIL SPACE OPENS IN NORTHAMPTON
The exhibit opens on Friday, September 11, at J. Rich Men’s Clothing in Northampton, MA

Northampton, MA, September 1, 2015 – Magazine Dream, collage artist Michael Sjostedt’s latest series, will be on display at J. Rich Men’s Clothing (153 Main Street, Northampton) from September 11 to September 27, 2015. Magazine Dream is the first collection Sjostedt created to suit a particular space – a modern men’s clothing store. The opening reception takes place during Northampton’s Arts Night Out on Friday, September 11 from 5pm to 8pm.

“J. Rich’s space has a modern, minimal aesthetic,” said Sjostedt. “Creating work to suit the environment challenged me to work with fewer design elements and embrace precision. This new direction aligns with my main visual inspiration: mid-century modern design and color palette.”

Sjostedt sourced the majority of his imagery and design elements from magazines and sewing pattern books from the 1950s and 1960s. All pieces measure 14 x 17 unframed (16 x 18 framed), and are handmade using the traditional cut and paste collage technique.

Learn more about the event on Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/799569163497727/. Follow Sjostedt’s work on Instagram: @magazinedreamcollage.

About Michael Sjostedt

Michael is a western Massachusetts-based collage artist and event organizer. In 2014 he curated Recipher: Coding with Collage, a 10-person show that explored how collage can be used to reinterpret and repurpose the messages and representations in mass communication into something more elusive and personal. He’s also the founder of LOOP Upcycled Art Market, which showcases artisans who specialize in handmade art and craft using repurposed materials.


NAVE Gallery Artist Opportunities


Artist Opportunities



Embracing Differences:
Mending the Isms and Schisms    
Deadline: September 8, 2015
October 4-31, 2015
Nave Gallery, Teele Square
Curated by: Claire Roll, Craig Milanesi
Is inequality the defining issue of our time? How does injustice show its face in our community? What impossible heights can we achieve as a society by embracing difference as strength? Racism, sexism and economic inequality are still systemic and deeply personal in America today, both influencing and influenced by global inequities. What does it take to mend the things that divide us? How do we let in the light?

The Caring Forest 
Call for Yarnstorm Contributions   
Deadline: September 15, 2015
September 26, 2015-January 2, 2016
Powderhouse Park (aka Nathan Tufts Park), Somerville
Organized by: Jen Fuchel, Sandy McDonald, Alice Sajdera
To promote the Nave Gallery's Wrap Around Project and the work of the Somerville Homeless Coalition, four trees in Powederhouse Park will be yarnstormed. Each tree will have a social justice theme and an individual color scheme.

Inspired by mosaic, The Caring Forest is based on the construction of the pieces on multiples of 4" (4"x4"; 4"x8"; 8"x16"; etc). Squares and rectangles--plain and elaborate--in acrylic yarn are needed.

Details
Predictions
Deadline: October 15, 2015
November 22, 2015-January 9, 2016
Nave Annex, Davis Square
Curated by: Kathy Desmond
With recent predictions for a significant El Niño this season, questions and concerns are raised that investigate the tenuous balance between humanity and the natural environment.

The Nave Gallery Annex seeks submissions that address a range of environmental issues including: conservation of "place", sustainability of ecosystems, and topics related to global warming.

Details
2016 Independent Curatorial Opportunities
Deadline: January 15, 2016
Nave Gallery and Nave Annex

The Nave is currently accepting proposals for group exhibitions in 2016.
 
Experimental work, multimedia work and installations are encouraged but must fit the available space. Artists shown to date have been local and national, emerging and established and represent a variety of media. Projects detailing new

Applications open for Hosmer Gallery 2016 season

Western Massachusetts artists in all media are eligible!

From September 3 through October 10, 2015, artists may apply to exhibit their work in the
Hosmer Gallery at Forbes Library next year. Submissions are due by October 10, 2015. Exhibits will take place between April 2016 and March 2017.

The application can be completed online or printed and mailed with a CD of images.  Criteria for review include technical and artistic quality, a coherent theme, and contribution to an interesting and varied program for the year. Artists living and working in the greater Northampton area are eligible to apply. First-time exhibitors, individuals and groups are welcome.

The Hosmer Art Gallery is designed to provide opportunities for local artists to show their work to the public. Exhibits include a wide range of media and content reflecting the diversity of the Pioneer Valley community.  The Hosmer Gallery has versatile display panels, cases and pedestals to accommodate a variety of two- and three-dimensional art formats.

There is no fee for application or for the use of the space. Details and applications can be found at http://forbeslibrary.org/gallery/info-for-artists/.


Northampton Jazz Workshop guest saxophonist Felipe Salles

Northampton Jazz Workshop features guest saxophonist Felipe Salles and UMass saxophone students, Tuesday September 8th, 7:30 to 8:30 PM followed by an open jazz jam until 10:30 PM, The Loft at the Clarion Hotel.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Black Maria Film Festival Tour Returns To Pioneer Valley

After Long Absence, Black Maria Film Festival Tour Returns To Pioneer Valley

Local filmmaker Luke Jaeger and the Northampton Arts Council will co-present a selection of short independent films from the 2015 Black Maria Film Festival. The film festival will be presented on Friday, September 11 in conjunction with Arts Night Out. Starts at 7:00pm in the main foyer of Memorial Hall at 240 Main Street in downtown Northampton.

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