Generations of Williamstown children knew the clapboarded building at 112 Water St. as Fanny Tash’s store. One of them was photographer Nicholas Whitman who, growing up on nearby Hoxsey Street, found the store a prime source of penny candy.
Now Whitman, a noted photographer, and his wife, artist Mary E. Natalizia, have opened a gallery in the former store and part of the adjoining 18th-century house, where their opening exhibit showcases 13 artists. They kept the long, gleaming wooden counter from the old store as a centerpiece for the room where bright and bold paintings hang on white walls, and ceramics inspired by antique botanical prints cluster in the windows.
Plum Gallery is the result of not only the pair’s creativity, but grueling physical labor as they transformed the space into a bright, airy venue for a range of art.
“It’s a great old building, and it was for sale forever,†said Whitman.
“Nick did all the restoration, everything except the electrical wiring, plumbing and sheetrocking,†said Natalizia. “It’s a real team effort.â€
“This place was a diamond in the rough,†said Whitman. “We filled up more than 15 dumpsters, and it did need some jacking, and it needed a lot of siding.
“It’s solid, just not real square,†he said.
“I tried to do a really sensitive restoration job,†he said. In the former store, the gallery’s main space, the bead-board ceiling had, fortunately, never been painted.
Sheetrock panels were installed on the walls to screw paintings into.
And in the second room, up a step, in the adjoining house, Whitman pulled down the ceiling and found chestnut beams — “extinct, beautiful and rot-resistant†— bearing the marks of the broad-ax that formed them.
“All I did was vacuum, scrub and oil them,†said Whitman.
Whitman said he enjoyed his work on the house, which was part of a mill complex on the Green River, and the 1922 store building. Whitman has a recently-released book on The Porches, the new inn in North Adams across from MASS MoCA. He has also done a book on MASS MoCA, documented the former, and now demolished opera house, and is in the middle of a project on the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield.
“It was really interesting to put the camera down and take the place apart,†he said.
Natalizia, a painter, is on leave from teaching in Pownal, Vt. She said the idea for the gallery grew naturally “out of our interests in art.â€
“Most of the people in this show are also friends,†she said.
“This is heartfelt art,†she said. “It’s not just a pretty picture, it’s the artists’ response to the world. It speaks to your heart, and you feel you’re tapping into the moment.â€
“We do have strong opinions about art, and we thought ‘wouldn’t it be nice to give people a place to show?’ This winter, we just decided that we’d go for it.â€
In one of the front windows is a sculpture of welded copper, the work of Greg Smith of Pownal. His stainless-steel sculpture is on the front lawn.
Ceramic floral-derived shapes by Nermin Kura, who is from Turkey and went to the Rhode Island School of Design, is ornamented with designs inspired by calligraphy.
“It’s so strong,†said Natalizia. “It’s wild stuff.â€
Much of her own work, she said, is based on floral shapes, and often includes fragments of poetry or journal entries.
“This is very particular artwork,†she said of the work in the show. “It doesn’t take anything for granted. It tells something about how you feel, or tells something about the particular time, or the day.â€
Also on view are drawings and a print by Timothy Hawksworth, who, she said, “works only from memory.â€
A collage by Martin Bromirski includes “canvas cut and rewoven,†she said. “He’s obsessed with materials.â€
Steel gray and black shapes, sculpture by Makoto Yabe, who has work at RISD, the DeCordova in Lincoln, and the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, seems to prefigure the mourning in the wake of the Sept. 11 loss of life, although they were made beforehand, she said.
Whitman’s platinum prints in the gallery include woods in North Berkshire and sculptural rock faces, some shot in Labrador, some strongly cubist.
They are pleased with the reception so far, and enthusiastic about the endeavor.
“I love to arrange things,†said Natalizia. “I saw this work and really loved it. It felt like it was a risk at first, but when we made the decision, it’s great. And we had good sales the first week.â€
The opening reception was May 23. Gallery hours are Wednesdays through Sundays 11-5 and by appointment. Telephone is 458-3389; web site www.plumbgallery.com.
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Local Stop & Shop Inventory Still Low After Cyber Attack
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Shoppers have reported bare shelves at local Stop & Shops after a reported cybersecurity attack.
The Boston Globe reported on Nov. 12 that Stop & Shop claims a cybersecurity issue is affecting its parent company, Ahold Delhaize.
Company officials reported that there is limited inventory on certain products and they are restocking shelves as soon as item availability improves.
The grocery chain's parent company Ahold Delhaize said its US outlet had to take some of their systems offline, disrupting its pharmacy and e-commerce business.
Ahold Delhaize reports it is investigating the issue and is working with law enforcement, the Boston Globe reports. They are taking some systems offline to protect them.
In North Adams, shoppers have reported empty shelves in the produce section of the store as well as limited selections for meat.
Ahold Delhaize, an international Dutch company, also owns Hannaford markets, among other brands. There are Stop & Shop stores in Pittsfield and in North Adams.
The scope of the work includes demolishing the existing roof membrane, flashing insulation and protection boards on the existing flat roof, repairing and repainting the window frames and sashes, and painting and sealing all surfaces.
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Community, education and business leaders are promoting the Northern Tier Passenger Rail Restoration Project as a critical component for economic development. click for more
Monument Mountain's Everett Pacheco took control of the race in the final mile and went on to a convincing Division 3 State Championship on Saturday at Fort Devens. click for more
Some of the students were urged on by the Swarm Club, which hosted a pizza tailgate party that drew about 75 parents, students and staff before the game and then sited themselves on the field where "Swarm" was stenciled on the ground.
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