BRATTLEBORO — During the month of December, the sixth annual Brattleboro-West Arts Fine Art and Craft Sale will bring works by 10 of the group’s members to a new downtown venue for them: the River Gallery School.
All month, BWA artists will showcase their pottery, jewelry, woodenware, and home accessories, paintings, encaustics, and photographs in the school’s Gallery 34, located at 34 Main St.
There will be an opening reception for the gallery show on Friday, Dec. 6, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., coinciding with the town’s monthly Gallery Walk. On weekdays, it will be open by chance or appointment by calling River Gallery School at 802-257-1577 or Jen Wiechers at 802-258-8054.
On Dec. 14 and 15, there will be an expanded sale of work by the artists in the classroom space adjoining Gallery 34 at 36 Main St. This sale will offer a larger selection of fine art and craft for your gift-giving pleasure. Special hours for that weekend sale will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The annual BWA holiday event launched six years ago on the premise that the most accessible path to appreciating fine art and craft is simply to view it firsthand.
In addition to the open studio tours in which BWA members participate and show their individual museum and gallery exhibits, participating BWA artists gather each December in downtown Brattleboro to show their work in group format, allowing visitors to enjoy and purchase diverse works in one place.
This year’s participating BWA exhibitors include Jen Wiechers, encaustic painting and sterling silver jewelry; Naomi Lindenfeld, colored clay pottery; Chris Lann, sterling and gemstone jewelry; Matt Tell, gas and wood-fired pottery; Walter Slowinski, wood-fired and salt-glazed pottery; Jason Breen, fine woodenware and home accessories; Lesley Heathcote, pastel paintings of animals, birds, and landscapes; Gene Parulis, photographic prints and cards; Maisie Crowther, watercolors, prints, and cards; and the newest member to join BWA: John Dorsey, functional and sculptural ceramics.
Brattleboro-West Arts was founded in 2009 by artists and craftspeople who recognized the vibrant creative community in which they live — one that exists in the watershed of the Whetstone Brook west of downtown Brattleboro.
Since then, membership has grown to include some three dozen professionals, many of whom gather socially each month to share a meal and explore ways to enrich both their own art and the artistic climate of Southern Vermont.
BWA artists/craftspeople are also known to regularly share their knowledge with the public and fellow artists by teaching classes, leading workshops, and taking on apprentices. BWA also sponsors occasional public forums — billed as “Making It in the Arts†— that tap the wisdom of successful local artists.
For more information and biographies of the individual artists, see www.brattleboro-west-arts.com.