Carrie Saldo reports from North Adams.DownStreet Art kicked off its fifth season of cultural happenings and coordinated openings in pop-up galleries throughout downtown North Adams on Thursday, June 28, with music, receptions, and the unveiling of several public artworks, including the first of four major murals and Bus Stand, a functional installation that provides shelter to BRTA riders while nodding at the Sol LeWitt show at MASS MoCA. Designed to bring foot traffic to Main Street businesses while fostering the city’s artist community, DownStreet Art has now grown to 31 galleries and expanded outdoors and into alternative spaces as vacant storefronts have become occupied by new businesses. DownStreet Art, which is organized by MCLA'sBerkshire Cultural Resource Center'sValeria Federici, (at center in photo above, flanked by Muralismo Publico artists Estibaliz Vera, left, and Marta Gil) takes place on the final Thursday of each month through October.
Laura Thompson, director of exhibitions and education at MASS MoCa's Kidspace, with North Adams Mayor Dick Alcombright, Bus Stand artist Victoria Palermo, and MCLA's director of special programs, Jonathan Secor; Muralismo Publico contributing artist and Jarvis Rockwell Gallery associate manager Christina Stott with art enthusiast Julie Eisgruber.
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center executive director Beryl Jolly with her husband, Mahaiwe production manager and lighting designer Matthew Adelson; studio potter Phil Sellers with Rikki Rudd, 99, and her son, artist Eric Rudd.
Alchemy Initiative'sJess Conzo with her son Wylder Vecchia; Virginia Phyllis Garrett with writer Joe Manning.
MCLA's James Stakenas and North Adams Mayor Dick Alcombright; MASS MoCA interns Nick Marmor and Sara Seidman.
B-Hip InternsJacqui Proctor, Lo Sottile, and Katherine DiPierro; MASS MoCA's director of marketing Katherine Myers, with one of the bikes from the museum's rental fleet, and gallerista Leslie Ferrin, a member of the DownStreet Art Curitorial Committee.
Stuart Chase, owner/consultant of S.A. Chase & Associates, with Beth Sapery, Barrington Stage Company board member Rosita Sarnoff, and Julie Chase, director of special projects at The Clark Art Institute; North Adams City Council vice president Lisa Blackmer at Studio 21 South with gallery co-manager Jaye Fox.
Musicians Luis Granda and Keri Florence with B-Hip intern Sharbreon Plummer at the Press Gallery; Storey Communications digital projects manager Daniel O. Williams with designer Frances Duncan.
The Mohawk Mural, the first of four to be unveiled this summer, executed by Muralismo Publico on the back of the historic Mohawk Theater to catch the eyes of those traveling routes 2 or 8.
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Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
