Photo of the Week: Amherst Arts Night Plus Returns
Laura C. Davis with one of her improvisational quilts at the Unitarian Universalist Society Meeting House. Photo: Art Keene
Arts Night Plus returned April 23 after a six-year hiatus. Across downtown, 20 venues opened their doors, more than 20 local artists shared their work, and a number of pieces were sold over the course of the evening. With the exception of exhibits at Gallery A3 and the Town Hall Art Gallery, the exhibits were spare, typically offering a small selection of pieces. But many of the venues offered the opportunity to converse with the artist about their work. And most venues offered free refreshments.
Katie Streater of the Amherst Business Improvement District (BID) estimated attendance to be about 125 people. She said of the night, “The Amherst Center Cultural District spearheaded the event’s return as part of our broader work to showcase arts and culture, welcome visitors to Amherst, and cultivate the downtown creative economy. A night like this one makes that work visible. Based on the response and support we have received so far, we’re starting to map out what a recurring version could look like, whether that’s quarterly or monthly. We’d like to hear from residents and artists about what would work best. Feedback and ideas can be shared at culture@amherstdowntown.com.”
Prior to the pandemic, Amherst Art Night Plus featured well-attended Art Walks, highlighting Amherst’s downtown galleries, on the first Thursday of every month from April through December. In 2020, Arts Night Plus sponsored virtual Art Walks in May, June, and July, but since then the event has been dormant.
Our feature, Photo of the Week, presents each week, a new picture by a local photographer. We invite local photographers to share their photographs here. Please include a description/caption and an indication of who is to be credited.
