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Date: 9/7/2022
EAST LONGMEADOW – The Norcross Center, 89 Maple St., East Longmeadow, is hoping to spark creativity and restore a long-dormant use for one of the town’s historical buildings.
The Norcross House was built in the 1880s by brownstone quarrier J. Franklin Norcross. The property has served many purposes in the century and a half since, both as a private residence and as the home of several businesses.
“Way back in the [1960s], the Carriage House was an art studio,” said Donna Martinez, president of the Norcross Center Board of Directors. “That was one of the visions for the Carriage House,” when the non-profit Norcross Center took over preservation of the property in 2003, Martinez said.
That said, the organization has focused on other uses and restoration projects in the nearly 20 years since it was established, and the idea of an art center took a back burner. The intention to use the Carriage House as what Martinez described as an art center was reinvigorated when the center hosted a craft fair in the spring, and two retired teachers “fell in love with the Carriage House,” Martinez said.
The teachers approached the board about teaching art classes there. While usually rented out for weddings, birthdays and other gatherings of 30-40 people, Martinez said the Carriage House can accommodate tables and chairs set up for instructional purposes. The walls are already equipped with fixtures to hang art and track lighting to highlight the displayed works.
The center tried to arrange a sketch class for children during the summer, but Martinez said there was not a large turnout, possibly because it was late in the season when plans had already been made by many families or because there wasn’t enough publicity. Despite this early stumbling block, the center continues to pursue a life for the Carriage House as what Martinez called, “an art gathering place.” Any medium could be taught there, she said.
The cost of the classes would vary by instructor and the Norcross Center would receive a small portion of the proceeds for upkeep of the property. Martinez said that the art classes would have to move into the Norcross House in the winter because, while the Carriage House is heated, it is not insulated. Rest assured, she said, there is plenty of room in the main building.
Another way in which the center is encouraging art is by providing a space for young artists and crafters to create during its fall craft show on Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. No matter the age of the artist or the medium in which they work, Martinez said, “We’d be more than happy to host their class.”
For more information on the Norcross Center, visit https://www.norcrosscenter.org. To inquire about the craft fair, email rnadm@yahoo.com.