Newsletter #197_2 | September 2024

LAST WEEK TO SEE

BLAM!

Pop Explorations in Visual Word Plays

Please note that Big Red Frame and the Elusie Gallery will be closed Saturday 9/28.



To learn more about the artist Matthew Simons, visit his website here.

We are very excited about the Elusie Gallery's October exhibit!

"A Feast for the Senses and a subtle nod to Judy Chicago’s dinner party tablescape celebrating the togetherness and abundance a table brings in the form of art."

A Group Exhibit curated by Rachel Ciecko, Liana Marks, Lee Totman.

Featuring 20+ New England Artists in the media of Ceramic, Fiber, Floral, Food and Fine Artistry.

For a list of participants, see the Elusie Gallery page of our website.

OYEZ! OYEZ! OYEZ!

The Elusie and ECA galleries of Old Town Hall are seeking

ART MAKERS OF ALL STRIPES

for the 11th Annual Art is a Gift

Art is as Gift is a unique Holiday Marketplace that allows Artists and Craftpeople to showcase and sell their wares for several weeks with extended shopping hours.

Conveniently located In Easthampton's Old Town Hall.

This year, AiG will open on Saturday November 30th for Small Business Saturday, and run through the Holidays.

The participation fees are as reasonable as ever, $10 for a half table (about 9 sq/ft) and $20 for a full table or wall space (about 5 feet wide wall space).

Registration ONLY through our website, using the application form on the top of the Elusie Gallery page of our website. Be sure to select Art is a Gift in the "type of exhibition" box.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 31ST.

Space is limited, apply early. Selection of participants will be made to bring quality, craftsmanship and diversity to this event.

What is City Space, who owns Old Town Hall?

These are two of the many questions that new visitors and customers to Big Red Frame and the Elusie Gallery often ask.

We thought we’d answer these questions in writing here!

Easthampton’s Old Town Hall is owned by the City of Easthampton. This historical building is under the management and care of CitySpace, an ALL VOLUNTEERS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has as its mission to restore, preserve, and manage Old Town Hall as a center for the arts for the City of Easthampton and Western Massachusetts.

The current tenants of CitySpace are Big Red Frame, where we operate our custom framing shop and the Elusie Gallery, and Easthampton City Arts (ECA) which runs an art gallery accross the hall. Also on the first floor: the Blue Room, a performance space run by CitySpace.

We have been so fortunate to be tenants of CitySpace for now more than seventeen years. During which time we have witnessed the many changes, renovations, and improvements that this bunch of volunteers, under the leadership of Board President Burns Maxey, have achieved.

Restore, Preserve, Manage: three little words with very real implications. CitySpace not only manages the day to day stuff of the building, it is also in charge of rentals and events in the Blue Room, and runs a capital campaign to transform and renovate Old Town Hall’s second floor into a 21st century performance space and community space.

Three little words that mean nothing without two other words: community engagement, and financing.

I am inviting you to learn more about what YOU can do to support City Space and their amazing dedication to the thriving of this beloved building:

Click here for a short video of community members talking about why they care about Old Town Hall.

Click here to access City Space’s website and learn more about their mission, as well as what is happening in the building.

Click here if are already familiar with CitySpace and just want to make a donation.

And thank you for considering supporting CitySpace and Old Town Hall, home of Big Red Frame since 2007.

REMINDER:

One of Michael's Sjostedt's popular Collage Workshops will happen at Old Twon Hall. Register soon as these fun and creative events tend to sell out!

Saturday, October 12 from 10:00am to 12:00pm

Cut Loose: Battleground – Collage workshop inspired by Barbara Kruger

Hosted by Big Red Frame in Easthampton, MA

Prepare for a visual showdown at Cut Loose: Battleground, inspired by the powerful and provocative work of Barbara Kruger. This workshop invites you to explore Kruger’s distinctive style—bold, graphic, and unflinching—as you create collages that challenge and question the messages we encounter in the media.

$45 per person. Includes workshop materials and light refreshments. Space is limited to 12 people. Save your seat by clicking on the logo above.

You can learn more about Michael Sjostedt by visiting his website.

Thank you for reading, and for your continued patronage and friendship.