Western Massachusetts

In Hampshire County, our idea of art is a sculpture garden in the middle of an apple orchard, or a yoga class in the gardens of Amherst’s Emily Dickinson Museum. It’s art where you expect it—dinosaur footprints at the Beneski Natural History Museum, a very hungry caterpillar at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art or a poetry slam at Northampton’s historic Academy of Music theatre.

And it’s art where you don’t expect it. In old factory buildings turned artists’ studios, tattoo parlors, a rainbow crosswalk in the center of Downtown Northampton. The internationally-known Young at Heart Chorus, gyrating geriatrics belting out rock classics. Artisan beer taps. Whimsical, artist-designed restrooms at the Smith College Museum of Art. Sculptures that double as bike racks on Easthampton’s downtown sidewalks.

Here’s just a sample of the 50+ events that you’ll discover in western Massachusetts during ArtWeekMA.org. Click here to plan your visit.

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Behind the Scenes Collection Tour, Amherst
April 27 at 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road Amherst, MA 01002

The Carle’s collection includes more than 7,000 objects, with a very small percentage on display in the galleries. Join us for a special program that not only includes a guided tour of The Carle’s current exhibitions, but a behind-the-scenes look in Collections to view works by artists including Leo Lionni, Arnold Lobel, Ashley Bryan and many others.

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Snow Farm New England Craft Program Studio Tour, Williamsburg
April 27, 9:30 – 10:30AM and 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Snow Farm, 5 Clary Road, Williamsburg, MA 01096

Join executive director Mary Jo Murphy on a tour of the Snow Farm studios for instant access to artist demonstrations in ceramics, printmaking, flameworking, and metalsmithing. Tour highlights include a visit to the 1750 farmhouse and a behind-the-scenes tour of the dorms while sampling homemade treats from the kitchen.

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Faces of the Fabulous at the UMass Fine Arts Center, Amherst
April 27 at 10:00 pm–11:59 pm
UMass Fine Arts Center, 151 Presidents Drive, Amherst, MA 01003

Hold onto your wigs; grab your glitter; and get ready to raise a glass with us! The UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center (FAC) and Department of Theater come together to celebrate the arts and the LGBTQIA+ community with a fabulous after-party following the Department of Theater’s production of Taylor Mac’s extravaganza The Lily’s Revenge, which celebrates radical acts of compassion and love and the Fine Arts Center’s presentation of organist and LGBTQIA+ activist, Cameron Carpenter. The Lily’s Revenge team will perform an excerpt and talk about the unique costume designs and unusual demands of the script.

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Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail, western Mass hilltowns
April 28, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM and April 29

The 14th Annual Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail (AVPT), on April 28-29, is a free, self-guided studio tour featuring the work of nine nationally-known host potters and their 13 guest potters, including demonstrations by Francine and Frank Ozereko in Pelham and Lucy Fagella in Greenfield. The AVPT reflects the vibrancy and diversity of handmade ceramics in Western Massachusetts.

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Belchertown Art Walk, Belchertown
April 28, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Recreation Center, 66 State Street, Belchertown, MA 01007

You are invited to the Belchertown Town Wide Art Walk! Visit venues across town to see artist demonstrations, attend workshops, participate in art activities, view art & photography displays, and much more!

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Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail After Hours Party at Snow Farm, Williamsburg
April 28 at 5:30 pm–8:30 pm
Snow Farm, 5 Clary Road, Williamsburg, MA 01096
$35

In celebration of the 14th Annual Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail (AVPT), which is a free, self-guided studio tour happening April 28-29 and featuring the works of nine nationally-known host potters and their 13 guest potters, we invite you to our After Hours Party at Snow Farm! This event, from 5:30 to 8:30pm on Saturday, April 28, offers participants live music, a kiln opening and sale and demonstrations from two of our host potters, Francine Ozereko and Tom White.

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Show Circus Studio Circus Sketch Lab, Easthampton
April 28 at 6:00 pm–7:30 pm
SHOW Circus Studio 150 Pleasant Street Suite #313, Easthampton, MA 01027

This Circus sketch lab is a special moving figure drawing session held at SHOW Circus Studio for artists and circus performers of all levels. Artists will have a chance to come into the space and sketch circus performers, with a focus on capturing movement in drawings. Special for ArtWeek, our longest hold pose will be repeated three times so that artists can draw more details and focus more on the interlocking shapes and layered intracacies. Artists can sketch in whatever medium they work with but must bring all their own materials. We welcome all levels and ages at the studio but materials/supplies not provided.

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Judies Restaurant Art Bar, Amherst
May 5 at 11:00 am–7:00 pm
Judie’s Art Bar 49 Boltwood Walk, Amherst, MA 01002
Free

Guests will enjoy a demonstration of various painting techniques that they can then use on a mini canvas of their own! Each mini canvas will be equipped with a black line that will create a larger image when all mini canvases are placed together as a final mural. Participants will be able to be a part of a larger image created by the community to be put on display as a finished mural.

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Cottage Street Open Studios, Easthampton
May 5 @ 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM May 6 12:00 -5:00 PM
Cottage Street Studios, One Cottage Street, Easthampton, MA

Please join us for the Cottage Street Open Studios sale. You'll get a peek into the creative process in 24 unique artist and craftspeoples studios and have an opportunity to support local artists who bring beauty and creativity into challenging time.

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Northampton Pride Parade & Celebration, Northampton
May 5 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Downtown Northampton