AMHERST — Painters, photographers, fiber artists, writers and multimedia creatives will be among those participating in Arts Night Plus, which returns to downtown Amherst’s businesses and cultural spaces Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m.
After revitalizing Arts Night Plus in April, the Amherst Business Improvement District and Amherst Center Cultural District are staging the free event for a second time, in anticipation of it becoming a quarterly event. The winter event is set for Feb. 4, with the spring event scheduled for May 6.
This week, visitors can enjoy fine art from 12 local artists at eight locations.
The Visitor Information Center, 35 South Pleasant St., will feature Diane Steingart, a Pelham mixed-media artist and Laura Holland, a writer and visual artist from Amherst.
The Hive Collective, 49 Boltwood Walk, hosts John Romanski, a Hadley painter and photographer.
UMass Downtown, 108 North Pleasant St., will feature Nancy Meagher, an Amherst painter, writer and teacher.
Masuda’s Cafe, 17 Kellogg Ave., hosts Chloe Torres, a painter based in Northampton.
The Unitarian Universalist Society, 121 North Pleasant St., will feature multimedia artist Amy Dawn Kotel, painter Hadassah Fiorini, and artist, author and illustrator Julie Kumble.
Zanna, 187 North Pleasant St., hosts Nina Rossi, an Amherst illustrator.
Dulces by Vera, 63 South Pleasant St., will have Christine Mirabal, a multimedia visual artist, and Gary Smith, a comic book artist.
Finally The Toy Box, 201 North Pleasant St., will host fiber artist Diana Stiles.
The latest Electrify Amherst art boxes will also be on view that evening. Those feature artwork by Monica Aguilar, near the Spring Street parking lot, Ron Lebrasseur, near Douglass Funeral Home, 87 North Pleasant St., and Peter Zierlein, near PeoplesBank, 56 Amity St.
During the event, both the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College and Gallery A3 in the Amherst Cinema building will be open. Mead will have exhibits “My Beautiful, Pitiful Age” and “Remittance.”
The Town Hall gallery will be open, as well, and the Burnett Gallery at the Jones Library, which is closed as the expansion and renovation of the library continues, is online at https://www.joneslibrary.org/919/Current-Virtual-Exhibit
Those who attend can find a map of all participating locations at amherstcenterculturaldistrict.org/arts-night-map-guide.
