North Adams, Mass. — DownStreet Art, the last-Thursday-of-the-month popup program of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (MCLA BCRC), returns to downtown North Adams for the last installment of the season, 5-8 p.m. on Sept. 26, 2019. As always, DownStreet Art is free and open to the public.
There’s always something new at each DownStreet Art, so make sure to head downtown for new gallery exhibits, Main Street storefront installations designed by local and regional artists, mural-making from MASS MoCA’s Kidspace, music under the Mohawk Theatre marquee, an Eagle Street beverage garden, a community bike tour of the city’s murals, and more. Here’s what’s in store:
Gallery Openings:
MCLA Gallery 51:
51 Main Street
Thursday, September 26 –
Opening celebration 5-8 p.m.
Gravity Gallery:
44 Eagle Street
Thursday, September 26
Opening Reception 5-8 p.m.
Music on Holden Street: 5:15-8 p.m.
DownStreet Art is partnering with North Adams’ own TOURISTS to celebrate the final event of the 2019 DownStreet Art season! Building on TOURISTS’ Sing for your Slumber series – bands on tour are invited to stay and play in North Adams – we’re thrilled to welcome national touring artists Grant Farm and Reed Foehl to the DownStreet Art stage.
Hailing from Boulder, Colo., Grant Farm is a brotherhood with a song to sing and a story to tell. Led by former national flatpicking guitar champ Tyler Grant, the band is firmly grounded in both American roots music and rock & roll, with bent ear to the spirit of the fresh and new and a keen interest in the divine, creating a unique sound they’ve dubbed “Cosmic Americana.” Hard work and ambition are key elements of the Grant Farm ethos, as are love, community, and connection, which the band describes as “Farmily”. Fans of Sturgill Simpson, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Phish will revel in their high-energy, authentic sound.
Vermonter Reed Foehl touches on a range of Americana styles, all with emotionally charged lyrics and can’t-get- out-of-your-head choruses, from somber folk elegies to barroom country sing-alongs and jaunty calypso-flavored, country-infused pop.
Also on Holden: Delicious treats from A-OK Barbecue!
Main Street Storefronts:
49 Main Street:
Gloria Calderon-Saenz “North Adams with Strings Attached”
Eric Reinemann “Intersections”
68 Main Street:
Benjamin Lamb “Torn to Pieces”
101 Main Street:
Sarah DeFusco & Megan Karlen “Stratos-Fear”
105 Main Street:
Emilee Yawn “Fake Nature”
107 Main Street:
Hideyo Okamura “Abstract”
Sara Farrell Okamura “Fact vs. Fiction”
Also join us for:
Bike to the Murals: A four-mile long ride through downtown North Adams, coordinated by the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition. Meet at St. Anthony’s Municipal Parking lot at 6 p.m. and see the murals by bike.
Common Folk Presents: An artists’ market on Main Street, hosted by the MCLA-alum run artist collective.
Design Lab, 49 Main Street: “Creativity Capsule”: Create take away art capsules and discover a new way to create, share and think together in this participatory event at the Design Lab, 49 Main St. The capsule will house inspirational materials such as visual art and creative writing exercises.
Eagle Street Music: Live music on Main Street
Downstreet Art events are held on the last Thursday of every month from June through September and are free and open to the public. DownStreet Art is a program of MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, which provides professional development training, resources, and support to the artists, art managers, and creative workers of Berkshire County run by MCLA. DSA’s goal is to help the economic development of North Adams and encourage the dialogue between our community and the arts. Since its inception in 2008, more than 150,000 visitors have come downtown and through the doors of DownStreet Art’s galleries and exhibits.
About MCLA
At MCLA, we’re here for all —and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive on every level of their lives. Nearly 93% of our graduates land competitive jobs or are accepted by some of the best grad schools in the country. We engage in the most nationally relevant conversations by hosting some of the most celebrated thinkers and speakers on our campus in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, an area known for its mountain ranges, hiking trails, and panoramic views. Our home town of North Adams is brimming with young, creative energy and the regional economy is booming as a result. In nearly every way possible, the experience at MCLA is designed to elevate you as an individual, a leader, and a communicator, fully empowered to make your impression on the world.
For more information, go to www.mcla.edu.