North Adams Open Studios Honored As Outstanding Community Arts Project
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - The Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire announced today that North Adams Open Studios (NAOS) is one of seven projects across the state to be honored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) with the Gold Star Award for excellence in community arts and culture.A reception and award presentation, free and open to the public, will be held on Wednesday, September 16 at 6pm at the Eclipse Mill, Route 2, North Adams, MA.
North Adams Open Studios is a citywide event that showcases artists working in and around North Adams. For one weekend in mid-October, local residents and tourists can see artwork by dozens of artists displayed in permanent and temporary galleries and private studios. Musical performances, literary readings, artist demonstrations, and living history performances are all part of the weekend celebration. Organized by a committee of volunteers that includes artists, gallery and business owners, representatives of MCLA and the City of North Adams, the event has grown and diversified every year since it began in 2006.
“The Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire nominates a local project for a Gold Star Award every year,” states Sandra Thomas, Co-Chair of the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire. “North Adams Open Studios has developed a tradition of providing quality artistic experiences while collaborating and engaging the community on many levels—with businesses, the municipality, art venues, educational institutions, volunteers and the community at large.” She adds, “The volunteer-run project has done an outstanding job of exposing those of us who live here, and those who visit North Adams, to the spectrum of artists who live and work here too. It’s a valuable addition to our cultural offerings and it’s exciting that NAOS is being recognized at the state level.”
The Gold Star program annually recognizes model community arts, humanities and science projects funded by the 329 Local Cultural Councils (LCCs) across the state. Nominated by the LCCs and evaluated by the MCC, these projects celebrate diversity, foster collaboration, showcase artistic excellence and provide learning experiences for people of all ages and backgrounds.
“It’s been very rewarding to have new volunteers bring fresh ideas to North Adams Open Studios each year,” says local artist Sharon Carson who headed the NAOS committee in 2007. “Open Studios began with a half dozen artists opening their studios at Eclipse Mill Artists Lofts in 2004 and after just a couple of years we had so many artists interested in participating that it became clear that we needed to add more sites.” As a citywide event North Adams Open Studios finds new ways each year to fulfill its mission “to inspire and enliven the community through the arts.” Carson continues, “The MCCs recognition of our event shows how far the North Adams art community has come in a short time.”
Phil Sellers, owner of River Hill Pottery and the chairman of NAOS 2009, appreciates how Open Studios makes connections in the community by “showing the public the creative part of our community.” Sellers says, “It's an opportunity for professional and non-professionals to share their lives and work with people who are looking to make the connection. It's about involvement with the community as a whole.”
North Adams Open Studios 2009 will be held the weekend of October 17 and 18 from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. both days. Once again dozens of local artists will join the weekend celebration, showing their latest creations in many downtown store fronts and galleries, and at Eclipse Mill, Heritage State Park, Windsor Mill, Kolok Gallery, NoAMA, North Adams Regional Hospital, and Beaver Mill.
About The Massachusetts Cultural Council
The Massachusetts Cultural Council promotes excellence, access, education and diversity in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences, in order to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our communities.
The MCC is committed to building a central place for the arts, sciences and humanities in the everyday lives of communities across the Commonwealth. The Council pursues this mission through a combination of grant programs, partnerships, and services for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and individual artists. The MCC receives an annual appropriation from the state Legislature and funds from the NEA, the Wallace Foundation, and other sources.
The LCC Program is the largest volunteer-run, grassroots arts funding program in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences annually.
