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Date: 10/13/2021
AMHERST – Amherst’s local arts scene has suffered a blow as the Amherst Arts Night Plus (AANP) has ceased operations after nearly 20 years.
Prior to COVID-19 and the restrictions that followed, AANP provided a monthly Thursday evening walk through more than 15 art and culture venues in downtown Amherst. While attempts were made to create a virtual version of the event, the operation had become unsustainable.
Amy Crawley, chair emerita of Amherst Arts Night Plus committee since late 2015, was a part of the shift from Amherst Art Walk into Amherst Arts Nights Plus that brought in more music and arts to the town designation cultural district. Crawley believed her time as head of the project was coming to an end, mainly for the reason of bringing in new people with new ideas for the sake of the art. But when the pandemic began it made the entire event shift greatly in its operations, and Crawley had to adapt.
“Back in 2019 I said that I was looking to step down and offer opportunity to new people, new ideas to come in, because that’s always a good thing to do when you’ve been in that position for a number of years,” Crawley said. “Then in March of 2020 with the pandemic and everything shutting down it was like, ‘Now what?’”
This led to the virtual art walks in late summer of 2020. Wanting to try go further to bring attention back into AANP amid a pandemic, the group took the money originally received from local cultural counsels to bring in music performances and put it toward a walkable art exhibit in downtown where displays were in the windows of closed businesses in downtown.
Ultimately, operating with such a small group showed its tolls on those involved in leading the AANP, and led Crawley to begin looking at options for the future of the project.
“People had changes in their lives, new jobs, new responsibilities. There were just a lot of factors we were looking at with what was going to be workable, and we came to this conclusion we could not continue with all the changes either personally or what is manifesting with the pandemic,” Crawley said.
With AANP ceasing current operations, co-chair Elizabeth Bradley explained in a press release the thought process behind the situation and the future for arts in the local scene.
“The decision to dissolve the current operation was not an easy one. Changes to the downtown landscape following COVID-19 as well as a lack of volunteer support meant continuing was not sustainable for the present team. However, change brings opportunity, and we look forward to seeing the next iteration of community arts events in downtown Amherst. We hope this creates a space for a new vision to emerge and encourage those with serious proposals to be in touch.”
Interested parties can email the AANP at info@AmherstArtWalk.com by the end of October.
"The art walk itself is almost 20 years old and it has gone through different manifestations through different people,” Crawley said. “The hard part of the decision was, you know, this is an event that has gone on for almost two decades and it brought people to town, and restaurants, so there was benefit with everyone that was involved.”
Crawley hopes interested parties will reach out and see this as an opportunity, whether it be to continue the event the way it has been run or look at it as a chance to revive something and create something completely different for the arts scene in Amherst.
“I really think that art is essential to the community. It can bring people together it can spark conversation; it can make us question things. Art has an impact not only on the town from a financial standpoint, but its beneficial to our health both mentally and emotionally. It touches us in so many ways.”