Hope & Feathers Framing and Gallery to host artist reception for ‘Antiquities’ exhibit
Hope & Feathers Framing and Gallery, 238 Bridge St. in Northampton, will present “Antiquities,” an exhibition of original mosaics by western Massachusetts artist Isabel Margolin through Sept. 29. An opening reception will be held during Arts Night Out on Friday, Aug. 14, from 5 to 8 p.m. Margolin’s work employs the indirect mosaic technique, embracing chance and discovery in the creative process. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit hopeandfeathersframing.com or call 413-835-0197.
Sip413 in Florence to host Artists Hangout
An Artists Hangout will be held Thursday, Aug. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sip413, located at 90 Maple St. in Florence. The free, bring-your-own-project gathering will also serve as the reception and artist talk for Florence artist Ryn Hodes’ exhibit, “ClothesLines in Camps.” The collage series that depict clotheslines in Gaza refugee camps with paper Tatreez patterns, a unique embroidery of the Palestinian people. According to the artist’s statement, the collages “evoke crowded camp conditions and recall the loss of land, villages and homes, while Palestinian culture, art, history and tradition live on.” For more information, visit sip413.com/gallery.
A.P.E. to present ‘Familial Bestiaries’
A.P.E. Ltd. Gallery will present “Familial Bestiaries,” a solo exhibition by Ava Harper, through Aug. 28 in the Split Level Gallery at 33 Hawley St. in Northampton. An opening reception will be held during Arts Night Out on Friday, Aug. 14, from 5 to 8 p.m. Through photography, printmaking and drawing, Harper explores grief, memory and family following the loss of her sister, creating a world that blends personal narratives with imagined imagery. The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. For more information and related programming, visit apearts.org.
Drag Bingo will benefit Peace Development Fund
The Peace Development Fund and Four Phantoms Brewing Co. invite the public to Drag Bingo on Friday, Aug. 14, from 7 to 9 p.m. Located at 301 Wells St. in Greenfield, bingo will begin at 7 p.m. Hosted by Fanny Lockhart, the event will feature performances and prizes from local businesses. Proceeds will support the Peace Development Fund’s social justice organizing grants in the Valley, including funding for LGBTQ+ groups. Guests are welcome to attend even if they do not play bingo. Tickets are $20 and include 10 rounds of bingo and drag performances. To purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/4xk3tfO.
Production by Northampton playwright makes East Coast premiere in Chester
Chester Theatre Company will present “Dear Alien” this weekend at the Chester Town Hall Theatre. Dear Alien is a cheeky existential comedy play by Northampton-based playwright Liz Duffy Adams. The play follows a reclusive advice columnist known as “Dear Alien” as they attempt to finish a book, respond to their readers, help the lovelorn, enlighten the confused, avoid financial ruin, hide from online trolls, escape desolation and explain the nature of human existence.
The recipient of a 2025-2026 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, Dear Alien premiered in May 2026 at the Alley Theatre in Texas. In addition to Dear Alien, Adams has also written numerous other plays and musicals, including “Born With Teeth,” which was produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company in London’s West End in 2025, and Or, a neo-Restoration comedy which premiered Off-Broadway at WP Theater and has been produced more than 80 times since. Adams is also a New Dramatists alumna and has received the Women of Achievement Award, Lillian Hellman Award, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship and Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship. Dear Alien runs Aug. 14-23. Visit chestertheatre.org to purchase tickets.
Historic Deerfield offers free admission
Historic Deerfield will offer free admission on Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as part of the Highland Street Foundation’s August Adventures program. Visitors can tour the museum’s historic houses and the Flynt Center, participate in hands-on arts and crafts activities, and enjoy other family-friendly offerings at the museum, 80 Old Main St. in Deerfield.
Northampton Jazz Festival receives $3K sponsorship from Gateway Fiber
The Northampton Jazz Festival has received a $3,000 donation from Chicopee-based internet service provider Gateway Fiber, which will fund the organization’s “Side of Jazz” live music series in downtown Northampton restaurants. Side of Jazz is a live jazz series the Northampton Jazz Festival launched in the summer of 2025, bringing jazz ensembles to one featured restaurant each Arts Night Out in downtown Northampton.
“The Northampton Jazz Festival helps keep it lively by staging jazz at one of Northampton’s breweries, bars, cafes or restaurants following Arts Night Out on the second Friday of the month,” said Ruth Griggs, President of the Northampton Jazz Festival. “We want visitors to enjoy live jazz while they sip and dine after their Arts Night Out experience.”
The 2026 Northampton Jazz Festival will be on Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26. Concerts will be staged at eight restaurants, breweries and bars on Friday night for the Jazz Strut, and at eight churches, concert halls and Pulaski Park on Saturday, Jazz Fest Day. All Jazz Strut and Jazz Fest Day performances are free and open to the general public. The headliner concert, Lakecia Benjamin “We Dream” will be at the Academy of Music on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and is the only ticketed event.
“Gateway Fiber is proud to support the Northampton Jazz Festival and help keep the music playing year-round through our sponsorship of Side of Jazz, bringing live jazz performances to restaurants and venues throughout Northampton,” said Amanda Lambert, regional marketing coordinator for Gateway Fiber.
Tickets range in price from $55 to $20 student rate, and we participate in Card-to-Culture. Sponsorships of the 2026 festival are still being solicited. For more information or to make a donation, visit northamptonjazzfest.org or facebook.com/northamptonjazzfest, or email info@northamptonjazzfest.org.