Brattleboro-West Arts brings ARTstravaganza to open studios in West Brattleboro
WEST BRATTLEBORO: The festivities of the Arts Council of Windham County’s ARTstravaganza weekend will overflow into West Brattleboro on May 8, as five neighboring members of Brattleboro-West Arts participate by opening their studios to the public.
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mother’s Day, the Brattleboro-West Arts ARTstravaganza Open Studios will offer art and craft for sale and a behind-the-scenes look at the artistic processes of the following BWA artists and craftspeople:
Potter Naomi Lindenfeld (www.naomilindenfeld.com), whose colored clay work was featured in the January issue of Ceramics Monthly magazine, will demonstrate her techniques and show a new series of pieces using layered, colored slips with combed designs between the layers. Her studio is at 330 Meadowbrook Road.
Jen Wiechers (www.facebook.com/Laughing.Lizard.Studio) will show her encaustic paintings and jewelry in Lindenfeld’s studio. Her jewelry is handcrafted with semiprecious stones, glass, Swarovski crystals and sterling silver. Her encaustic paintings are made with a combination of beeswax and dammar resin, oil pigment sticks and various found objects.
The founder of Brattleboro’s Center for Digital Art, Michel Moyse, (https://sites.google.com/site/michelmoyseart/) will show a series of “motionpainting” portraits (projections) that he has been working on for more than two years. His studio is at 81 Pleasant Valley Road.
Sharon Myers, a mixed-media collage artist, (www.sharonmyersarts.com) will be showing collages referencing women's bodies, undergarments and the use and treatment of women in today's world. She is also working on a piece about the meaning of marriage, divorce and the rituals surrounding these events, at 744 Meadowbrook Road.
In addition to opening his showroom of wood-fired pottery, BWA’s coordinator Walter Slowinski (www.walterslowinskipottery.weebly.com) will be firing his wood kiln for all to watch during the event at his 658 Orchard St. studio.
Brattleboro-West Arts is a group of about three dozen artists who create their art and make their homes within the watershed of the Whetstone Brook in West Brattleboro, Marlboro and Dummerston, Vt. Since 2009, many BWA members have welcomed the public into their studios among the wooded hills to the west of Brattleboro for open studio tours in the spring and fall. The most recent tour Oct. 3 and 4 was part of the nationwide American Craft Week, which named Brattleboro-West Arts the week’s Best Local Artists’ Event. Later this spring, a host of BWA members will open their studios again for the statewide Vermont Craft Council’s Open Studio Weekend May 28-29. (www.vermontcrafts.com)
Spearheaded by ACWC, ARTstravaganza will shine a spotlight on Brattleboro’s diverse community of artists. Events will kick off May 6 during the town’s monthly Gallery Walk and will include a slideshow of artists (including a number of BWA members), an art market in the Brooks House atrium and performances all weekend.
Slowinski said BWA welcomes the chance to participate in the townwide event. “It’s a win-win,” he said. “We can open our doors to this project, and The Arts Council is looking to have more collaborators, so they gain momentum from what we have to offer.”
He added that he hopes an event like ARTstravaganza will take root and bring art lovers to town in years to come.
“We’re known as an art town, but we don’t have an annual event where collectors or buyers gather,” Slowinski said. “That’s a niche that’s still open in Brattleboro. And it’s ripe.”
For details about ARTstravaganza and a full schedule of events, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/432054393672534/
Visit www.brattleboro-west-arts.com for more information about BWA, including profiles of member artists and news about other upcoming events. Please email questions about the May 8 open studios to info@brattleboro-west-arts.com or phone Slowinski at (802) 257-1030.
Jan 17, 2025, 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Phat Book Club - Meeting QuarterlyJan 18, 2025, 4 to 5 PM
Brattleboro Concert Choir: An Hour to DanceJan 18, 2025, 7 to 8:30 PM