Your Local Art Gallery in North Amherst, MA

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Artists represent a swath of mediums, styles, and influences

bringing their unique inspirations to our local community to enjoy.

A ten-foot gathering table makes space for classes and intimate conversation. Or easy sharing of art supplies while crafting and creating together.

All the work in the Gallery is 100% local, meaning your money goes right to artists creating in and across the Valley!

CURRENT ARTISTS

Rachael Brooke Goren

Amherst, MA

Hope is fundamental to Rachael Brooke Goren’s creations; hope that we can make a better world and that something broken can be transformed into something beautiful, valuable, and meaningful. Rachael is inspired by the whimsical and magical, nature, social justice and politics, humor, things that sparkle, yard sales, and music. Rachael’s work is currently on display and sold internationally at museums, retail shops, synagogues, and galleries. During the 2020 election, Rachael had media appearances in the Boston Globe, Judaica In the Spotlight, Architectural Digest, and MSNBC.

Helen M. Thelen

Amherst, MA

Always fondly remembering her pottery classes with Ms. Melonis when she was a young child, Helen returned to clay and the joy of working on a wheel six years ago. White clay is her typical medium, though she does enjoy experimenting with other types of clay, such as black porcelain. Helen enjoys learning more each day through her apprenticeship with Joy Friedman.

Stefania Amore

Springfield, MA

Stefania Amore is an artist whose first love has always been fashion and textile design. Learning at the feet of her Sicilian matriarchs, Stefania has always been around the buzz of a sewing machine. Over the last 25 years, Stefania has created jewelry, wearable art, and custom handbags. Stefania’s latest project unleashes her artistic expressions in the form of denim wear. Her goal is to tell stories through her works, mixing paint, thread, and found objects in thoughtful ways.

Liz Armstrong

Shutesbury, MA

Liz Armstrong rescues, restores and sometimes repurposes found items to be useful and beautiful for the next hundred years. The bulk of her art and artistry with woodworking appears on furniture rescues. She pulls her inspiration from cultures, textiles, nature and the works of other amazing furniture artists.

Naturalis Mundi Macaylla Silver

Leverett, MA

Macaylla Silver has a great love for Nature, Wine, Art and Women. For Silver, life has presented many opportunities to work with people far more talented and intelligent and by osmosis and observation, has achieved a small measure of talent. Whether derived by time spent selling free range chicken eggs or high powered camera equipment observing birds, all things have affected the style and substance of the work.

Francis St. Germain

Easthampton, MA

A lifelong lover of working with wood, Francis’ projects have evolved from home remodeling to custom wooden pen making. His craft has expanded to include making pens with acrylic, stone, ebonite and metal. Each pen is truly a unique creation.

Linda Carrier

Westhampton, MA

A lifelong resident of the Western Mass hill towns, Linda finds inspiration for her creative outlets from the natural world. Always intrigued by the beauty and individuality of stones, integrating them into her art developed naturally. Linda uses copper and fine metals in her work and infuses each unique piece with energy meant to serve the highest good of those that wear it.

David A. Dickinson

Leeds, MA

David Dickinson has been a “frequent flyer” of the Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary since uveal melanoma surgery and radiation of the left eye in 1986. His current works on exhibit are inspired by his visual experience during double cataract surgeries in the fall of 2020.

“The explosion of almost neon-like colors in a ‘fireworks’ display I witnessed while the surgeon removed the old lens…sent me into a new direction of mark making.”

Eric Talbot

Easthampton, MA

Eric Talbot Is best known for his work on the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. He worked on the property for Mirage Studios in Northampton MA for over 25 years. His artwork is inspired by his love of Halloween, Monsters, Rock and Roll and all things Spooky! He is currently working as a professional tattoo artist in downtown Easthampton, Massachusetts.

Barbara Ballou

Monson, MA

Barbara is a self-taught polymer clay artist. Her pieces have a delicate vintage feel.

A firm believer in using what’s on hand, she takes textures and design ideas from unusual places - like her kids’ toys or pressed flowers from her garden - to create uniquely beautiful and detailed jewelry. Her work is ever evolving as she continues to experiment with different techniques and finding joy in the art of playing with clay.

Janice C. Alden

Warwick, MA

Janice has been a maker of many things throughout her life, but beading is her passion. Each piece of jewelry is handstitched bead by bead. She enjoys the process of choosing different shapes and colors and combinations, creating ombre effects, three-dimensional shapes and embellishing them.

Mikey Bernet Cutting

Amherst, MA

Mikey’s background is in art history and studio art and has received a bachelor’s degree in material culture. She also completed the Decorative Arts Program at Christie, Manson & Woods (London, UK). Mikey’s favorite part of painting is the process itself - creating layers upon layers in both oil and cold wax and then digging back into the painting to reveal the colors that are no longer on the surface. Mikey is currently on the board of The Amherst Historical Society and works in cataloging.

Eliza LaCroix Newland

Hatfield, MA

Eliza LaCroix Newland draws inspiration from the vibrant world of education and the ever-changing beauty of nature. Natural materials such as branches, stones, and fibers are carefully integrated into her creations, further enhancing the connection to the environment. She aims to remind viewers of our inherent bond with the natural world and the responsibility we bear as stewards of the Earth.

Heather Geoffrey

Springfield, MA

Heather Geoffrey is an interdisciplinary artist whose body of work includes acrylic painting, digital photography, analog collage, multimedia works, written word, and performance. Heather’s works have been exhibited in both group and solo exhibitions and has been commissioned for public murals and private collections. Heather approaches the creation of art as an ongoing dialogue with the source of existence.

Donna Roy

South Hadley, MA

Donna Roy is a Western Massachusetts native who began her love of painting while studying privately with a local oil painter when she was ten years old. A graduate of UMASS with a BFA, Donna continued her exploration of art through numerous mediums. Her award-winning paintings have been exhibited in local, national, and international juried shows and she developed a line of post-consumer glass and copper garden sculptures that are available online. Donna enjoys visiting local farms, rivers, and trails with her trusty camera in search of inspiration.

Lois Barber

Amherst, MA

In 2013, an incidental moment of inspiration led Lois to create a series of joyful and whimsical paintings, called “Birdz of a Feather.” Lois applies the colors first, lets the paint dry, then “finds” and defines each bird with pen and ink. Lois was born and raised in Irvington, New Jersey, received a BA degree in Fine Arts from Indiana University and a MA degree from the University of British Columbia. She divides her time between Amherst, MA and Henderson, CO.

Rachel Bellenoit

South Hadley, MA

Rachel Bellenoit fell in love with photography in the 50s and 60s reading Life and Look magazines. She credits her grandfather and father with encouraging her camera skills and her teacher, Ron Rosenstock, with teaching her how to ‘see’. Rachel’s photography reflects her love of nature, birding, hiking, and music. After spending time raising her children, Rachel had a renewed interest in photography. Recent activities include serving as the field trip coordinator and on the board of directors of Springfield Photographic Society.

Stephen Kotfila

Hadley, MA

Stephen Kotfila has been drawing what he sees in his life, from landscapes to portraits, since he was young. He began, as anyone does, with scribbles of marker on sheets of paper. No matter how ugly the results were, he persisted with art because he found pleasure was not in the final product, but in the process of creating. Stephen tends to prefer painting scenes with bright, warm sunsets; he is heavily inspired by contemporary artists such as Layne Johnson and Mark Maggiori.

Ami Fagin

New Salem, MA

A visual artist specializing in a modern translation of manuscript illumination and an independent scholar in genocide studies, “Ami’s” newest line of work is seriously lighthearted. In 2015, Visual Haiku emerged as a daily watercolor meditative expression articulating life’s challenges and opportunities. Off-the-Wall Canvas Creations evolved from this work. These acrylic explorations “writ large” are bold and alluring compositions of line, shape, color, and contrast.

Kathleen Anderson

Amherst, MA

An award-winning artist, whose work has exhibited on the national scene, Kathleen handcrafts limited edition and one-of-a-kind adornment pieces for women and men, eyeglass boxes, key fobs, kaleidoscopes, and her original HeartBox™ collection. Influenced by Pueblo, Navajo, Chinese, Japanese, and West African art traditions, the process Kathleen uses to create patterns in clay is originally borrowed from the Italian glassmaking traditions of millefiori and murrini cane work, incorporating combinations of only the strongest, most durable translucent and opaque clay.

Ravneet Marwaha

Amherst, MA

Ravneet Marwaha is a commercial and fine-art photographer based in Massachusetts. Her work has been showcased in numerous group exhibitions, spanning from Boston, MA to Rome, Italy.
Through her lens, Ravneet invites viewers to contemplate the profound significance of seemingly ordinary objects and moments, elevating them to a level of appreciation and introspection.

Suzanne DiSessa

Westfield, MA

Suzanne is a Massachusetts-based self-taught artist painting in oils. When seeking calm and peace she turns to nature and her paints. Almost without exception her work is inspired by experiences in the landscape, and by objects from nature. Suzanne finds refuge in the blue dome of the sky, a flowing river, or the habit of a tree bending to the light. She enjoys painting from life by setting up her own still lifes in her home studio, painting landscapes en plein air, and also from reference photos she captures while traveling.

Christina Giebner

West Springfield, MA

One-of-a-kind semi-precious gemstones and metals are the foundation of this limited edition jewelry line. All work is designed and fabricated in Christina’s Western Mass. studio and is created with the utmost regard for quality and authenticity. Organic, delicate and singular - Hallies Comet Fine jewelry is the perfect alchemy of color, design and spirit bringing bliss and beauty to your life.

Kristi Beisecker

Amherst, MA

Kristi Beisecker is an artist who combines her interest in evolutionary biology with her passion for art. She received her B.A in Art from Moravian University in 2012 and has over 10 years of experience in marketing, graphic design, and specialty photography. Her interests in art, science, and spirituality inform her work and enable her to create content that resonates with a wide audience. Her work in specialty photography has been recognized by several prestigious awards such as The Kennedy Center VSA, Arte Laguna Prize Venice, IPA International Photography Awards, and Grocery Story and Lux Life Magazine.

Norm Vexler

Amherst, MA

Norm has been involved with underwater photography for the past 36 years. His extensive travels around the world have taken him to some of the most remote and beautiful locations on the planet including Micronesia, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Indonesia and Thailand. His love for the ocean is reflected in his art as a photographer and his images capture the essence of the incredible natural beauty found in this amazing underwater environment.

List of Former Gallery Artists

HOW IT WORKS...

1. Rent space monthly at $20 per linear foot

(Side to side -2.5' Minimum)

2. Sell your work and keep 80%.

3. The other 20% of your sales goes back into the gallery for events, marketing you as an artist and other artist-forward opportunities.

Your success is our success!

Artists are reviewed and selected by a community panel on a quarterly basis. We welcome painting/drawing, digital, ceramics, mixed media, fiber/leather, photography, jewelry, sculpture, metal/wood, more!

Gallery Artist Application

the Front Window Gallery

The front window is a gallery within a gallery. Featuring installations curated by the Gallery team, guest curators, neighbors, local business owners, and other unlikely curators. Stop by every few months to check out the new show in the Front Window Gallery as well as new local artists in the main gallery.

Currently Featuring

Amherst Plein Air Society and Kestrel Land Trust

This exhibit showcases over 30 works of art by 11 artists who participated in the society’s seasonal Plein Air Paint Outs at Kestrel’s relatively new location of their main office in South Amherst, warmly referred to as their “Home on the Range”. Enjoy walking the Sweet Alice Conservation Area Pond Loop Trail that meanders through this property and then come to the Local Art Gallery to explore a variety of artistic interpretations that capture the beauty of this land through the seasons.

Art collectors and nature enthusiasts will appreciate that the exhibiting art is available for purchase directly from the artist who will donate 15% of the proceeds to Kestrel Land Trust.

Parking for Sweet Alice Conservation Area is located at 59 Bay Road, Amherst, MA.

Amherst Plein Air Society Facebook

Kestrel Land Trust Website

Apply to Exhibit in The Front Window Gallery

Save the date! Join us on Friday, Sept. 29th from 5-7pm for a special Front Window Gallery Artist and Kestrel Trust Reception

Winter Art Classes & More in Amherst, MA!

Make the Gallery your Sunday Spot with Sunday Art Space!

9 AM - 12 PM

The Gallery table is open for you to sit and create. Bring your supplies from home, or grab new items from our terrific art section.

1 PM - 3 PM

The Gallery hosts a different artist, leading an activity or just holding space for your creative exploration.

The space is welcoming of all ages; kids under 14 must have an adult in the area.

No purchase necessary...however, art supplies are 10% off ALL DAY SUNDAYS

See Classes & Events

Monthly Artist Social and Critique

Join us at our Artist Social and Critique on the 2nd Thursday of every month from 6 - 8pm.
Artists of all abilities and mediums are welcome to bring 1-2 pieces of artwork or images of artwork for peer critique. This is not art school! Help us create a safe community space by providing constructive and supportive feedback. Let's boost each other up and encourage our artistic growth. Hosted by Nayana Lafond.
Free.
Ages 14+ with adult accompaniment.

See Classes & Events

Holiday Arts Market