The Hilltown Open Studio Tour is set to take place next month, giving art lovers the opportunity to visit the studios of nearly two dozen local artists.
The tour, which will take place Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2 and 3 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, is organized by the Hilltown Arts Alliance. Participants are asked to be prepared to wear masks in studios and obey indoor size gathering limits.
“We have a wide range of artists and their media,” said Kevin O’Connor, president of the Hilltown Arts Alliance.
Ceramics, quilts, bronze art and watercolors are some of the forms the artists on the tour work in.
“The thrust of the effort is to see the artists in their territory,” he said.
O’Connor’s studio, located at 7 Cummington Road in Worthington, will also be part of the tour, and his architectural work will be on display.
“It’s great feedback,” O’Connor said, who also noted that he’s had pieces purchased by those who’ve gone on the tours.
Another artist participating in the tour is photographer Pleun Bouricius, whose studio is located at 151 Pleasant St. in Plainfield.
“I’m hoping to talk to a whole bunch of people about my work and perhaps sell some of it,” Bouricius said.
Bouricius has an ongoing project called “Portraits in the Carbon Cycle,” where she takes photographs of things growing and decaying in the forest. She said that she got a “little bit obsessed with water lilies” this year.
“I just hope that people will really enjoy seeing the different artists’ spaces,” Bouricious said.
A list of studios and their locations in the communities of Cummington, Worthington, Plainfield, North Chester, Chesterfield and Middlefield can be found at https://hilltownartsalliance.org/open-studio-tour/.
Live demonstrations will also be part of the tour at some studios, including Cutting Edge Quilting at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at Kathy Ford’s studio at 27 Ireland St. in Worthington and Sculpting a Really Big Head at Beckie Kravetz’s studio at 7 Frazier Lane in Cummington at 2 p.m. on Sunday. A list of the demonstration times and locations also can be found on the website.
O’Connor said that the tour was originally scheduled for June but was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t held last year for the same reason. Each studio will also have its COVID-19 guidelines posted.
Applications are open for grants from the Williamsburg Cultural Council for its 2022 cycle.
During the last cycle, $5,340 was distributed to 11 applicants, out of the 29 that applied.
“We carefully look at each and every application,” said Trish LaFreniere, the Cultural Council’s treasurer.
Last year’s grant cycle funded the Angel Park Concert Series and Visual Arts Kits for the Anne T. Dunphy School. Nature walks, educational events on history and theater productions are also projects that were awarded grants.
This year, $5,000 is available for distribution.
“We encourage everyone to apply,” LaFreniere said.
The deadline for applications is Oct. 15 and interested people can learn more by going to https://massculturalcouncil.org/local-council/Williamsburg/.
In addition, the Cultural Council is also looking for an additional member, and more information can be found on the Cultural Council’s webpage.
The Williamsburg Select Board and Hampshire Regional School Committee’s elected Williamsburg contingent unanimously voted to appoint Allison Arbib to the Regional School Committee.
“We’re glad to have anybody that’s willing to spend the time,” said Select Board Chairman David Mathers.
The vote took place at the Select Board’s Thursday meeting and the appointment will last until the town’s next election.
A second vacancy on the Regional School Committee from Williamsburg still exists.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.