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, April 26, 2017

33 Hawley Street Open House - Northampton Community Arts Trust


Northampton Community Arts Trust Open House
33 Hawley Street, Northampton, MA
Sunday April 30th, 1:30 to 3:30pm

Come see what we've been up to at 33 Hawley Street! From the outside not much has changed. But on the inside we're initiating the next phase of renovations at Hawley, work that will lead to partial occupancy of the building this Fall.

Drop by this Sunday between 1:30 and 3:30pm for a look around and catch up on our latest plans for the future nexus of arts, artists and audiences in the Valley.

BFMC 4th Annual Western MA Film & Media Exchange


Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative
4th Annual Western MA Film & Media Exchange

Friday May 12th, 11:30am - 6:30pm
Sheraton Monarch Place, Springfield, MA

BFMC presents Vitec Videocom's Roadshow - a day of hands-on workshops and seminars to make your production workflow more efficient. Visit our Demo room with the latest camera and lighting equipment. (straight from NAB)! The Exchange is for professionals in the broadcast, film and media, marketing and communications fields. Students welcome.

For more information, go to berkshirefilm.org or call 413.528.4223
Click HERE for tickets.




Pollinate at SCDT


POLLINATE
May 5, 9:00 PM - 12:00 AM
25 Main Street, 4th Floor (above Karuna Yoga)

An Eclectic mix of World-Tech-Deep-Bass sounds!
w/ Special Guest: Incus

Don't miss this amazing combination of talent. Get in on the Fire of Incus then get Pollinate-Ecstatic to cutting edge beats from the hottest producers around the globe!!!

Incus - 9-10pm
DJ Hip Sockit - 10-11:30pm
Incus - 11:30-12am

Northampton Jazz Workshop features guest saxophonist Benny Sharoni


Northampton Jazz Workshop features guest tenor saxophonist Benny Sharoni
Tuesday, May 2nd, 7:30 to 8:30 PM followed by an open jazz jam until 10:30 PM
The City Sports Grille at Spare Time Northampton, 525 Pleasant St, Northampton.

“Benny Sharoni, an Israeli-born, Boston-based tenor saxophonist, can energize even the largest, most lackluster venue with his big-toned sound and ebullient phrasing, packed with intense emotion and spirituality, a vibrant hybrid of the hip and the holy.” - The Hartford Current

A straight ahead player who fuses together the classic bop influences of Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and Steve Grossman (among many others), Sharoni flavors his music with Latin rhythms and an energetic drive that delights audiences worldwide.

HUT X at SCDT


The School for Contemporary Dance and Thought presents HUT X
An evening of contemporary music, movement and poetry

Saturday, May 6, 8 PM
SCDT Studios, 25 Main Street 4th floor, Northampton MA (across from Strong Avenue)
$10 general admission, $5 students/seniors
Reservations 413 570 4491 www.scdtnoho.com
https://www.facebook.com/events/1695753867392059/

SCDT’s director Jennifer Polins collaborates with local sound artist Jake Meginsky and local poet Laura Warman, to curate an ongoing dynamic performance series that combines local and international artists of different genres in a performance event. An evening of contemporary music, movement and poetry, 3 artists, 3 genres, 3 short sets. This month HUT X features Caliph Ali- poetry, Luke Stewart- music, Cori Olinghouse- clown therapy and dance.

The Brush Shop Film Screening at Historic Northampton


The Brush Shop, A Film by Stan Sherer
Sunday May 7th, 2:00PM
Historic Northampton 46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA.
Free & Open to the public
64 minutes, color and b/w

The sprawling brick complex in Northampton, Massachusetts called “Brushworks Arts and Industry” hosts the studios of a hundred artists and craftspeople. But the brush in “Brushworks” isn't a paintbrush, it's a toothbrush.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Northampton Jazz Workshop features guest vocalist Nicole Pasternak and saxophonist Ralph Lalama




Northampton Jazz Workshop features guest vocalist Nicole Pasternak and saxophonist Ralph Lalama Tuesday, April 25th, 7:30 to 8:30 PM followed by an open jazz jam until 10:30 PM
The City Sports Grille at Spare Time Northampton - 525 Pleasant St. Northampton, MA.

Monday, April 17, 2017

"Life in the 413" at Academy of Music on April 29


"Life in the 413"
Saturday, April 29, 2016 at 7:00 PM
Academy of Music Theatre
274 Main Street, Northampton 

This Valley tradition returns for a fifth year on April 29 at 7 PM at the Academy of Music Theatre! Come celebrate our collective hometowns here in Western MA as we laugh about and love our LIFE IN THE (413)!

Saturday, April 29 at 7 PM, New Century Theatre and WHMP are teaming up once again to present LIFE IN THE (413), a rollicking, celebratory night of original radio plays that lampoon life in the Pioneer Valley. Five short radio plays - each featuring a different locale - will feature a range of Valley performers. The event helps to kick off New Century Theatre's 27th summer season at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter High School in South Hadley and the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton.

CLICK Music presents ukulele virtuoso Stuart Fuchs


CLICK Music presents ukulele virtuoso Stuart Fuchs

Saturday, April 29th 7:00-9:00pm
CLICK Workspace, 9 ½ Market Street, Northampton

CLICK Music’s April concert by ukulele master Stuart Fuchs is the culmination of a day-long collaboration between CLICK Workspace and Downtown Sounds on Saturday, April 29th.

In the afternoon, ukulele students of all ages and skill levels will be led through workshops taught by Fuchs and arranged by Downtown Sounds owner Joe Blumenthal, who runs the local A.E.I.O.Ukes ukulele club. Then at 7:00 p.m., Fuchs will be joined by musician Sarah Carlisle for a performance of ukuleles, guitar, upright bass and mandolin, in which they will premiere new original songs from the upcoming album “After All the Time."

Florence Bank TV Commercial Casting Call


Florence Bank TV Commercial Casting Call!
Fairfield Inn Northampton (lobby) 115 Conz St. Northampton, MA 
April 20th, 2017 3:30pm - 7:00pm
Full Audition Details: stacasting.com

Do You Like To Sing?
We're looking for local talent to participate in our next Florence Bank TV Commercial! This year, no musical or performance experience is needed. However, we are looking for folks who are willing to have FUN on camera and sing a little tune-you don't have to sound like Adele!

Who We Are Looking For:
We're looking for real local people. We want to show off small businesses and people who are involved in the community. So whether you're a restaurant worker, bus driver, volunteer baseball coach, nurse, or a teacher, as long as you want to have fun and sing, we want you to audition.

VIDAM Presents Kaitlin June at Karuna Yoga Center




VIDAM Valley Improvisational Dance And Music presents KAITLIN JUNE
Monday April 17.  7:30 - 10pm 
Karuna Yoga Center 25 Main St. Northampton, 3rd Floor
facebook event

Each VIDAM -- hosted on 1st & 3rd Mondays -- features at least one veteran improvisational musician - collaborating in an open space the space for movement, composition and focus. 

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Colorplay by Mary Witt & Brianna Ashe at Oxbow Gallery


Colorplay, Artwork by Mary Witt & Brianna Ashe
Oxbow Gallery 273 Pleasant Street Northampton, MA
Opening Reception: April 14th 5-8 PM (Arts Night Out)
On Display: April 6-30, 2017

Paintings by Mary Witt
Mixed Media by Brianna Ashe

Works in Progress at SCDT WIP #4


Works in Progress at SCDT WIP #4
April 23, 2017 4:30 PM
25 Main Street (Fourth Floor) Northampton, MA

Independent choreographers Barbara Diewald, Leah Fournier, Madison Palffy and Jennifer Polins curate an informal performance series presented in partnership with the School for Contemporary Dance and Thought in downtown Northampton.

WIP is a works-in-progress performance series curated by Barbara Diewald, Leah Fournier, Madison Palffy and Jennifer Polins, out of a shared priority to open dialogue between local and visiting artists, and to share dance works in the early stages of the creative process. Outside of the vibrant Five College Dance Department, there is little local support for choreographic inquiry, and this program supports the development of a vital performance art community for the valley. The informal Sunday afternoon series provides a low-tech forum for movement-based work by emerging and mid-career choreographers.

Endangered River: Portraits of the Brazil Amazon at Forbes Library


Endangered River: Portraits of the Brazil Amazon
Saturday, April 15, 2017, 3:00 pm
Community Room, Forbes Library - 20 West Street, Northampton, MA.

Join photographer Jeanny Tsai at a talk and slideshow presenting a series of photos she took in the Brazilian Amazon in 2015 and 2016. She will describe her journeys as well as speak about the state of the environment there and the continuing struggles of the indigenous people who live on the Tapajós, Arrapuins, and Amazon Rivers.

Forbes Library
20 West Street
Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 587-1011www.forbeslibrary.org

Northampton Jazz Workshop features saxophonist Don Braden


Northampton Jazz Workshop features guest saxophonist Don Braden 
Tuesday, April 18th, 7:30 to 8:30 PM followed by an open jazz jam until 10:30 PM
The City Sports Grille at Spare Time Northampton, 525 Pleasant St., Northampton.

The Jazz Workshops celebrates it's 7th anniversary with guest composer, educator and master saxophonist Don Braden. This will be Don's fourth appearance at the Workshop.

The Stations of the Cross at Anchor House of Artists


THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS

APRIL 10 to MAY 10, 2017
PUBLIC RECEPTION: FRIDAY APRIL 14 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
ANCHOR HOUSE OF ARTISTS 518 Pleasant Street, Ground Floor, Northampton, MA
413-588-4377

In the late Seventies and early Eighties painter and musician Charles Miller (November 1931-)  interpreted the Catholic canonical tradition of the crucifixion of Christ into fourteen, fifty by seventy-two inch oil paintings of the episodic scenes set in urban Boston. He says, "I was trying to get away from the Classic stuff- you know, the Classic church kind of imagery, where everything is nice and and slick and beautiful. That's not what I was trying to do." He succeeded.

Eli Todd: A Life in Poetry and Prose


Eli Todd: A Life in Poetry and Prose
April 29, 7:00 pm: Readings and Visual Art
April 30, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm: Fiction Workshop, 1:00 - 3:30 pm: Poetry Workshop
A.P.E. Gallery, 126 Main Street, Northampton MA 01060

A two-day celebration of the life and work of Eli Todd and his impact in the writing and arts community. Saturday evening will feature readings of Eli’s work and works by others inspired by or about him, as well as visual and other art produced or inspired by Eli. Light refreshments will be served. On Sunday we will hold two consecutive writing workshops – one for fiction, led by critically acclaimed novelist Meg R Wolitzer (The Interestings, The Wife) and the other for poetry, led by two accomplished poets and friends of Eli, Jack Nachmanovitch and Northampton’s own Chris Gonzalez. We plan to turn the writing workshops into annual events in Eli's memory, sponsored by the Northampton Center for the Arts, to promote and inspire emerging writers. The events on both days are free.

Monday, April 10, 2017

Will McAdams, BLANK performer on Sunday, April 23rd A.P.E. Gallery


INTRODUCING:
Will McAdams, BLANK performer on Sunday, April 23rd
A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton, MA at 8PM

ABOUT WILL:
Will McAdams is a playwright, performer, and director who has worked in theater in the U.S., Indonesia, Brazil, and South Africa. Past projects include: a series of four plays about immigration, farming, and land, created with residents of Warwick, NY and the CA Central Valley; Peter Handke's "Kaspar," which he directed in Johannesburg at the brink of the post-Apartheid era; and "White Mourning", a new play about whiteness, parenting, and memory. He is a Visiting Professor of Theatre at Hampshire College, where he teaches a range of classes in acting, devising, and theater for social change.

2017 NEPR Arts & Humanities Awards Celebration





9th Annual Arts & Humanities Awards Celebration
May 24, 2017 at the Log Cabin - 500 Easthampton Road. Holyoke, Massachusetts.

New England Public Radio is pleased to announce the recipients of this year's Arts & Humanities Awards. The 2017 honorees are: artist and illustrator Barry Moser, children's book author, publisher and literacy advocate Ty Allan Jackson, and the Northampton Jazz Workshop.
Recipients will be celebrated at the 9th Annual Arts & Humanities Awards Celebration, May 24, 2017 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, Massachusetts.Tickets are available at NEPR.net. Proceeds support the programs and services of New England Public Radio.

"We are happy to recognize these worthy nominees," said Stephen Wittenberg, chair of the NEPR Foundation's engagement committee. "This is really a community-wide effort in acknowledging the great talent we are lucky to have here in the Valley."

Established by the New England Public Radio Foundation, Inc. in 2008, the NEPR Arts & Humanities Awards have been recognizing the rich and varied arts scene in the region ever since. The award celebrates the contributions of local talent and brings public awareness to the critical role played by musicians, artists, dancers, actors, writers, storytellers and teachers in western New England.

Ella Fitzgerald Centennial Bash at Log Cabin


Ella Fitzgerald Centennial Bash
April 29th 5:30-10:00PM
The Log Cabin, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke MA.

A celebration to honor the 100th Birthday of Jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald. Vocal Jazz workshops in the afternoon at Holyoke Community College, 1940's themed Supper Club at night at The Log Cabin in the beautiful Southampton Room. The Amherst Jazz Orchestra will accompany several local jazz vocalists and headliner internationally acclaimed vocalist Giacomo Gates, and play other music for dancing. 

Valley Performance Playground Summer Camp


Online registration is now open for Valley Performance Playground's summer camps!
We are very excited to be offering two sessions this summer:

IMAGINATION EXPRESS
campers will use acting, movement, and voice to create characters and tell stories
AGES: 5-7
WHEN: July 10-14, 9am-12 pm
WHERE: Lander Grinspoon Academy, 257 Prospect St, Northampton

MUSICAL THEATER ADVENTURE
campers will explore theater games, improvisation, music, and movement as they create their own original performance
AGES: 7-12
WHEN: July 24-Aug 4, 9am-3pm
WHERE: Lander Grinspoon Academy, 257 Prospect St, Northampton





Author David Leo Rice Reading at Broadside Bookshop

Author David Leo Rice Reading
Wednesday April 19th, 7:00pm
Broadside Books, 247 Main St, Northampton, MA

Author David Leo Rice will be coming to Broadside Bookshop on Wednesday April 19 at 7pm to read from his newly published novel, A Room in Dodge City.

A Room in Dodge City follows a nameless drifter into an American heart of darkness. In this nightmarish version of the historic Dodge City, mythic beasts crawl out of the woodwork; bizarre rituals are enacted; and death is never the end. Equal parts humor and horror-show, David Leo Rice’s novel combines the mundaneness of modern life—motels, strip malls, temp jobs—with something stranger, darker, and more eternal. Told through linked vignettes that read like metaphoric fairytales gone wrong, Dodge City consumes the reader just as it slowly consumes the drifter, leaving all to wonder whether any of us can ever truly escape this world—or our own.

raviddice.com
http://www.press.alternatingcurrentarts.com/2016/12/a-room-in-dodge-city-david-leo-rice.html



Saturday, April 8, 2017

STUDIO4 presents COLLIDER “PEOPLE DOING THINGS”


STUDIO4 presents COLLIDER- “PEOPLE DOING THINGS”
SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 8:00 PM

STUDIO4 | 25 MAIN STREET SUITE 444 | NORTHAMPTON, MA $15/$12 students/seniors | Reservations (413) 570-4491 www.studio4noho.com

STUDIO4 in downtown Northampton is proud to present COLLIDER, a new series juxtaposing performers from far afield. The COLLIDER series reaches across the arts and into the margins of human endeavor, showcasing masters of craft in singular pursuits—“people doing things”—in folk traditions, the natural and inventive sciences, outsider art, game-playing, and more.

COLLIDER 01 on Saturday, April 29 at 8pm will feature a professional ping pong exhibition by top- seeded New England players, to be followed by the captivating sounds of TENORES de ATERÚE.

Friday, April 7, 2017

On View at City Hall: Mona Shiber's “Lotusing is a Verb”

On View at City Hall:  “Lotusing is a Verb”
Arts Night Out Opening Reception: April 14, 2017, 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Show runs April 11– May 9, 2017

“Lotusing is a Verb”
[\ˈlō-təs-ing\]
- desires to grow, to wake up to true nature
- faces one's own light & shadow fearlessly
- blossoms it's heart in the mind, while rooted in earthy humanness

Inspired by eastern philosophy, and influenced by her middle-eastern immigrant family, Mona Shiber's visual language embeds archetype, symbol, and the written word. Her lotuses illustrate levels of human consciousness through the vail of psycho-spiritual centers known as the chakra system. It is there, that we are absent of any race, color, gender, class and cast. It is there that we are pure energy about to become. And it is there that we give birth to our reality.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

A Weekend with Katy Pyle at SCDT

The School for Contemporary Dance and Thought presents A Weekend with Katy Pyle

Saturday April 8, 7:30 PM- Womanifesto Performative Lecture, $10
Sunday April 9, 10-12 Master class- pre registration required! $15
SCDT / Studio 4, 25 Main Street 4th floor, Northampton MA

Reservations and information at 413 570 4491
www.scdtnoho.com

“By directly addressing and solidifying the queer community, (Pyle) creates space for marginalized populations to see themselves operating successfully within a world of their own making…”- Infinite Body

Collecting Inspiration: Contemporary Illustrators and their Heroes at Eric Carle Museum


Collecting Inspiration: Contemporary Illustrators and their Heroes.
May 23 through November 26
Presented by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
125 W Bay Rd, Amherst, MA

"Artists cannot work in a vacuum, especially if they have a dust allergy." Although a joke, author, illustrator, and now co-curator Mo Willems' words ring true. Picture books instill in children a sense of awe, magic, and wonderment, but what is it that inspires the illustrators--the people who bring incredibly imaginative worlds to life? The Carle's exhibition, Collecting Inspiration: Contemporary Illustrators and Their Heroes, on view May 23 through November 26, gives visitors a peek into the minds and motivations of an array of talented artists working today.

The show is organized by two prominent figures in the field of picture book art--Tony DiTerlizzi and Mo Willems--who share their personal stories of inspiration and influence. Their concept for the exhibition arose when they discovered that each had begun collecting work by other illustrators important to their careers. Willems, a lifelong admirer of Charles Schulz, and his wife bought an original 1953 Sunday Peanuts cartoon strip for their first wedding anniversary. Willems was enamored by Schulz's skillful use of lettering as a way to express emotion, a technique he admits to "freely lifting" when creating his first picture book, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Visitors can view Willems' exuberant pigeon--yelling in ALL CAPS--along with Lucy's similarly "loud" verbal tantrum in the Peanuts cartoon. "Later in my career," says Willems, "when I was lucky enough to actually own one or two of the actual drawings I studied in my youth, it was like welcoming an old friend into my home."

Friends of Children Presents Red Shoe Ball Annual Benefit


Friends of Children Presents Red Shoe Ball Annual Benefit
Friday April 7, 2017 at 6:00 PM
Look Park Garden House, 300 North Main St, Florence, MA, 01062

Put on your RED SHOES and join us for a CELEBRATION of the wonderful work in our community, featuring an extensive silent auction, live music from the The O-Tones, and a delicious dinner from local star caterer Seth Mias Catering at the gorgeous Look Memorial Park Garden House.

Northampton Jazz Workshop features Saxophonist Erik Lawrence


Northampton Jazz Workshop features guest saxophonist Erik Lawrence
Tuesday, April 11th, 7:30 to 8:30 PM followed by an open jazz jam until 10:30 PM
The City Sports Grille at Spare Time Northampton, 525 Pleasant St., Northampton.

BFMC and NCTV Networking Event



BFMC and our friends from Northampton Community Television present Networking in NOHO!!

Tuesday, April 18th, 6:00 - 8:00pmFitzwilly's, 23 Main Street Northampton, MAThese events are always free and open to all. Cash bar.

Meet other area film/media professionals

African Cinema Festival & Symposium at Mount Holyoke



African Cinema Festival & Symposium at Mount Holyoke April 5-8th

A 4-day African Cinema Symposium and Festival organized by the Five College African Studies Council will take place from April 5-8. Featuring film screenings, scholarly panels and Q&A sessions with filmmakers, the event will examine the role of African cinema as a form of social critique, reflection, and an agent of political change. Invited speakers/filmmakers are Keith Shiri (Zimbabwe/UK), Idrissou Mora Kpai (Benin), Jean-Marie Teno (Cameroon), Rama Thiaw (Senegal/Mauritania), Litheko Modisane (South Africa), Mahen Bonetti (USA), and Djo Tunda Wa Munga (Democratic Republic of Congo). They will be joined by Five College-based scholars/filmmakers. More details are available here: https://www.fivecolleges.edu/african/african-cinema-festival

Friends of Forbes Annual Meeting with Skylarkz



Wednesday, April 5

Friends Annual Meeting at 6:30 followed by Skylarkz at 7 PM
Coolidge Museum, Forbes Library

Please join us for a most entertaining program of American popular song. Local performers Sarah Clay and Nick Kachulis are Skylarkz. Drawing on their backgrounds as musicians and educators, they present a variety of American popular songs and jazz, from the Roaring ‘20s through World War II and beyond. 

Nassim Soleimanpour's BLANK, April 22-24 at A.P.E.


Nassim Soleimanpour's BLANK
A.P.E. Gallery 126 Main Street Northampton, MA.
April 22, 23, and 24

Now that Serious Play's Endgame Project has come and gone, we are excited to announce the dates of our next show, which will play at A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton on April 22, 23, and 24! Building on the energy generated by the excellent return performances in Serious Play's Endgame Project AND the new possibility of a college tour in 2017-18, we are moving forward in our PERSPECTIVES THROUGH PERFORMANCE initiative with Nassim Soleimanpour's play, BLANK.

BLANK is the second experimental work by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour. His first, "White Rabbit Red Rabbit," was presented by Serious Play in in the Fall of 2016.

NCTV's 7 Day Film Sprint Kicks Off!


7 Day Film Sprint Kicks Off!
www.7dayfilmsprint.com


The annual 7 Day Film Sprint kicks off once again Monday April 17th at 7pm at Northampton Community Television Studios at 380 Elm St. in Northampton, MA. The studios are located in the same building as the Northampton High School, with an entrance around the far back of the building accessed by hugging the structure all the way around.

The Sprint calls upon teams of filmmakers, from aspiring to professional, to tap into their creativity and produce an entire short film of up to five minutes in length, from start to finish, in the span of just 7 days. Each team will be assigned a prompt or series of prompts for their film - including a genre such as heist film or silent film or coming of age film. In past years prompts have also included a line of dialogue and a prop that must appear within the body of the film.

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