BRATTLEBORO — For the fourth year in a row, the art and crafts of Brattleboro-West Arts will make their way eastward for a downtown exhibit and sale - but this year's event will feature an additional day of shopping, as well as delicious food and live music.
Titled simply “17 Artists, 4 Days,” the show in the public event space at 118 Elliot St. will offer pieces ranging from paintings, photography, and pastels to encaustics, pottery, textiles, woven baskets, jewelry, and glass.
The 2017 show will open a day earlier than in past years, with a Thursday, Nov. 30, reception offering snacks and a cash bar provided by Whetstone Ciderworks from 5 to 8 p.m.
The event will continue from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, with refreshments offered for free by the show participants during Brattleboro's monthly Gallery Walk, which begins at 5 p.m.
On Saturday, Dec. 2, visitors will be able to enjoy café fare followed by live music. BWA member Sharon Myers, renowned in the area for her fine catering, will offer delectable soup, salad, bread, and homemade baked goods for sale from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Whetstone Ciderworks will return from 6 to 9 p.m., accompanied by the swing stylings of Doctor Slow and the Chalumeau, a trio featuring BWA Coordinator and potter Walter Slowinski on clarinet and sax, Bill Conley on guitar, and Jay Cook on bass.
The show will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3, with Myers serving brunch including quiche, scones, salad, and breads until 2 p.m.
Brattleboro-West Arts is a group of about three dozen artists who create their art and make their homes within the watershed of the Whetstone Brook in West Brattleboro, Marlboro, and Dummerston.
This annual show brings BWA to the public under one roof during Brattleboro's bustling holiday retail season. The event coincides with Brattleboro's monthly Gallery Walk as well as “Holly Days, Holly Nights,” the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce's annual weekend holiday shopping event.
The 2017 exhibit will include the work of four BWA members new to the show: pastelist Lesley Heathcote and painters Kay Curtis, Greg Moschetti, and Cai Xi.
Works by returning members will include paintings by Stephen Lloyd; blown glass by Josh Bernbaum; pottery by Slowinski, Naomi Lindenfeld, and Matt Tell; textile art by Jackie Abrams and Kris McDermet; turned bowls and furniture by woodworker Jason Breen; encaustic paintings by Slowinski and Jen Wiechers; jewelry by Marta Bernbaum, Chris Lann, and Wiechers; and the photography of Gene Parulis.