25th Anniversary Cottage Street Studios
Open Studios and Sales
One Cottage Street, Easthampton, MA 01027
Friday, Dec. 2 12pm – 5pm ; Saturday Dec. 3rd 10am – 5pm; Sunday Dec. 4th 12 - 5
For more information contact Carolyn Cushing 413- 529-9759 / carolyn@artofchangetaraot.com or Margaret Larson 413-527-6103 / margaret@nesaw.com
Beautiful art and holiday gifts. Free and open to the public.
EASTHAMPTON, Mass. In a part of Massachusetts well known for its artists, writers, and creative community, blue-collar Easthampton and its former textile mills haven’t been the first place that comes to mind to look for nationally and internationally known artists. But this small city is quickly gaining in status as a cultural and artistic mecca.
A significant amount of credit for Easthampton’s increasingly visible profile should go to the artists and craftspeople who have set up shop at One College Street, a former mill converted to multi-use space in the 1970s by Riverside Industries. This December, Cottage Street Studios, the arts and craft collective housed in the building, celebrate the 25th anniversary of their Open Studios and Sales on December 2 – 4th with an extraordinary display of fine art and crafts for sale.
It was 25 years ago in December that a small group of intrepid artisans at One Cottage Street held their first holiday sale. Lynn Latimer, of Latimer Glass, fondly remembers the participants gathering together to hand-color hundreds of black & white show flyers. “We even applied gold stars and glitter,” she recalls. “At the time, we were all exhibiting crafts for sale, and there were so few of us that we all displayed our work in a single room.”
Flash forward to 2011: Cottage Street is now home to dozens of nationally and internationally recognized artists and artisans and is the longest-running Open Studios in the Pioneer Valley. Show participants meet many times over the course of the year to plan the show, manage an extensive advertising and direct mail campaign, train volunteers, and work with local sponsors. And while some participants still gather in a central, festive location, most of the artists happily open their studio doors to hundreds of eager art lovers and holiday shoppers.
From the very beginning, Riverside Industries, the building owner who serves those with developmental disabilities with programs also housed in the building, has supported and encouraged the artists with their efforts to open their doors and share their work.
The 25th Anniversary Open Studios and Sales will include fine art, photography, fine furniture, metal and mosaic sculpture, fused glass, ceramics, lighting, ornaments and jewelry. Fine artist Elizabeth Solomon will feature her wonderfully intimate oil on panel landscapes while Janna Ugone, of Ugone and Thomas, will display her popular line of ceramic shaded lamps as well as her new line of home accents, including wall clocks and mirrors. Visitors will particularly enjoy the treasure hunt of finding that perfect holiday gift at Piper Glass and Steel, White Dog Pottery, and Levy Larocque Wood and Tile, among many others.
This very special Open Studios takes place on Friday, Dec. 2, noon to 5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 4, noon to 5p.m.
There will be 25th Anniversary Kick Off Event on Friday, December 2 from 11:30am to 12noon. Artists and local dignitaries will gather to formally open the Holiday Open Studios. Riverside Industries will be acknowledged as the host of Open Studios, and the Mayor of Easthampton and member of the Massachusetts legislative delegation will honor Cottage St. Open Studio’s contribution to the city and region.
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