Nina Marks, right, helps a 'Wee Goddess' put flowers in her hair.
ADAMS — Chanting, African drumming, browsing New Age (and old-fashioned) merchandise, and activities were part of the celebration of the female spirit at the 4th annual Goddess Fair on Sunday.
It was the first time the event took place in Adams and the first time it was held indoors, at the Topia Arts Center. Founder and organizer Isabella Raven said last year's rain out forced the event to be postponed a week and, subsequently, it lost vendors.
Planning paid off, as a multitude of merchants — selling items from artwork to incense — took over the center's theater space (the former Adams Theater). While some vendors represented stores, many were local craft enthusiasts who took the opportunity to exhibit their goods.
Kay LaViola of Adams had a collection of her oil paintings for sale. "It's just a hobby," she said.
Her interest in painting emerged while she was working toward her associate's degree at Berkshire Community College. LaViola wasn't enthused to take an algebra course she needed to graduate, so she decided to also enroll in an art class "for fun" and has been painting ever since.
"I said 'I've got so many of them, I've got to do something with them,'" LaViola said, adding that some of the artwork only took her 15 minutes to complete.
Her work captures landscapes from the Berkshires as well as villas from Italy and France. LaViola said she loves to paint Mount Greylock, noting the changes the mountain had incurred from landslides.
The Adams native has also shown her work at Art on the Green in July and at an art show at Town Hall this past winter.
Above, Kay LaViola of Adams displays her oil paintings; at left, a handcrafted necklace by Vickie Hutchinson of Greenfield.
This was the first year Vickie Hutchinson of Greenfield had sold her jewelry at the Goddess fair. She has traveled across the country to find semi-precious stones for her custom pieces.
"I've even done some of my own mining," said Hutchinson.
The artisan has done open-desert mining in Nevada for opal, rhodonite and obsidian; some gemstones, like garnet, can be found in the Berkshires. Hutchinson said gemstones can have healing properties.
"On some people, that would vibrate," the jewelrymaker said about one of her hand-strung necklaces.
Tania Gajda of Adams displayed her knitted sweaters for children and spoke about her passion.
"I love to knit. The harder, the best for me," said Gajda, who added that she will also make clothing for adults.
Gajda showed how she uses four needles to knit intricate designs and how to make a sweater without a seam.
Among other items for sale at the fair were Elaine Burdick's fall crafts for Halloween and Thanksgiving, Western Mass. resident Tracy Wilkinson's herbal teas, incense and flower essences, and products from Inspirit Common, which offers yoga, massage and healing arts at its Hadley location.
The Goddess Fair started four years ago at Raven's Florida Mountain home, inspired by the many herbal fairs the bead and jewelrymaker had attended over the years. The fair moved to the more convenient Western Gateway Heritage State Park in North Adams the following year and took up Louison House as its cause.
Fairgoers were asked to bring supplies for the women's shelter or offer donations.
The fair has typically offered activities for children, demonstrations, plenty of singing and dancing and, of course, merchandise, especially herbal notions.
Events and Entertainment
Singer/songwriter Kelliana described her music as "goddess-based" and "mythology inspired." The musician, who also chants, said she takes inspiration from Norse, Celtic, Greek and American Indian mythology and from world religions.
"If I like a story, I put it to music," said Kelliana, who has appeared at fairs and festivals around the nation.
Visitors could also get a reading from the cards about the lives — but not their future.
"I don't want to be called a fortune teller. I don't think you can [predict the future]," said Jana Deanu, who interpreted the cards. She added that the pictoral form of the cards are symbolic of a person's current situation in life.
At the center, the beats of the Marafanyi Drummers had the audience clapping their hands as the group sang and danced.
An instructor for the Berkshire Dance Theatre held a hip-hop dance lesson and performer Alyssa Ferland taught a group some dance moves on the stage.
Representing Mother Nature, Nina Marks led a line of children, some wearing crowns or flowers in their hair, around the courtyard, back inside the Topia Arts Center and onto the stage for the Wee Goddess Parade.
Marks works with Project Native, a nonprofit organization that promotes native habitats, and that donated plants to be sold at the fair. The fair, she said, would have a great benefit for the Louison House.
"It's a great cause — to help young families get back on their feet," said Marks.
