Sculptures, collages, weavings, water paintings and more filled the Petersham Town Hall this past weekend for a local art show.
After a five-year hiatus, the Petersham Cultural Council hosted the event that showcased 35 artists from 17 towns — from nearby Athol to Rhinebeck, New York.
Jeannette Martin, co-chair of the Petersham Cultural Council, said she enjoyed meeting all of the artists.
“It was nice just getting artists and people interested in art together from all of those towns,” she said. “For artists, I think it is a way to network, because in these small towns in rural areas there are not as many opportunities … as there are in the city.”
Back in February, when the winter weather was hitting hard, Martin said the council decided on “Warmth and Wonder” as the theme to channel warmer spring energy. But, she said, keeping the theme broad was essential to inspiring local artists to join the show.
“I thought that that would be enough of a pull to attract people — the idea of spring — but we had to keep it a little generalized because we didn’t want people to think that their artwork had to be about spring … we kept it a little loose,” she said.
The event showcased more than 100 pieces of artwork. Each artist was allowed to submit up to 4 pieces of their work for the show. One artist from Orange, Katherine Moon, submitted a self-portrait for the show made out of tiny pieces of National Geographic magazines. Linda Paquet, co-chair of the council, said for Moon’s fluffy, gray hair she used pictures of clouds from the magazines, while cutting out pieces of maps for her facial features.
The show’s reception took place Friday, the night before the exhibition opened, with food and music. Pianist Isaac Richardson played the grand piano on the stage of Town Hall for the community members enjoying the artwork.
According to Paquet, the event sold almost $3,000 worth of art. The Cultural Council received a 20 percent commission on each item sold and said they hope to use the money to fund future events.