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Date: 11/28/2022
EASTHAMPTON – Since 1986, Cottage Street Studios has opened their doors to the public with an annual Open Studios and Holiday Sale in December. The tradition continues this year on Dec. 3, 4 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There will be over 30 artists selling their work during the event. There will be artists who specialize in abstract and representational painting, functional and sculptural clay, photography, printmaking, letterpress, handmade soap, handmade chocolates, collage, lighting and more.
“It’s definitely an event that is rich in tradition. For some of those 35 years, it’s been the same artists so you’ve seen them grow over the course of their career here,” said Cara Taylor, one artist participating in the event.
Taylor is the founder of Taylor Ceramics and she specializes in wheel-thrown and hand-built porcelain. She will be selling planters, vases and candle holders with beeswax candles from a company in New York during the event.
Qaleidoscope is one new collective that is joining the event this year. They are an LGBTQ co-working art studio featuring around seven artists that will be selling their artwork.
“It’s exciting to have a collective in the building and a nice new group of people,” said Taylor.
Throughout the year, a committee of volunteers within Cottage Street Studios works together to organize and fund the event. They also receive help from a local sponsor. The 2022 sponsor is River Valley Co-op.
The event is a great way to meet new artists in the community and support them during the busy holiday season. Taylor said that many people were excited to support small businesses last year and she hopes that will happen again.
“Last year people were feeling frustrated with supply chain issues and a lot of commercial aspects of shopping and they felt really dedicated to supporting local artists. They wanted to buy things that were within a specific mile range of their home and they wanted to feel those connections. I’m hoping that this is the case again this year,” she said.
Taylor said that she is excited to welcome people into her studio and see both old and new faces.
“It never fails that there are people who have never been in the building before who decide to come, so there’s always new faces and it’s always interesting to talk to people,” she said. “It’s a very celebratory and joyful event. The building is so interesting and cool and it’s very relaxing. It’s crowded and it feels festive, but it’s not loud and overwhelming. It’s not like going to a mall. You get to meander at your own pace and see interesting things all along.”
Those interested in learning more about Cottage Street Studios and the event should visit https://www.cottagestreetstudios.com/open-studios.