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The Easthampton Bear Fest is coming to an end. It's hard to believe that only 4 months have passed since the bears were first unveiled back in June. It really seems like they've always been here, part of the cityscape, calmly observing the scenes, greeting visitors, letting themselves being hugged and photographed. Locals have accepted them, the artists are proud of them, kids know them by name, or nickname, they come again and again to visit their favorite. It's going to be quite sad to see them leave our streets.
Artist Marcia Reed and her Bear Ursa Great Spirit
To say that the EBF was a success is an understatement.
From the thousands who crowded downtown on opening day June 13th, the thousands more who came throughout the summer and early fall, to the many beautiful, funny and sometimes moving stories and testimonies that the Bears have initiated, this Public Art Event was, as one long time city resident put it, "the best thing that's ever happened to Easthampton".
Really the only cloud on the otherwise very bright Bear Fest sky: the theft and damages done on some of the little bears. In retrospect, Easthampton City Arts people (me included) made a mistake: We should have known that little cubs, just like children, cannot spend the night out alone on the streets! They are too young, too cute, too vulnerable.
We learned it the hard way the first night already when "Bearly There" disappeared, later again when "Rubber Ducky" was taken away, and again when an attempt to bearnap "Morie" and "Bear, Bath and Beyond" was fortunately foiled.
Since then, volunteers have taken all the little ones inside for the night, every night, and out on their log again the next morning, every morning.
Some little Bears on their way back to their logs one morning.
No more theft since, proof that curfew time is good for children (hear that, kids?). This has also shown that parents can, and should look after their little ones: only the cubs that were alone were taken in for the night, the ones that were with a "grown up" were left under their supervision, and they did a wonderful job keeping their little ones safe night after nigh, nothing happened to them!
"Mother and Child at the Parade"
This Saturday will marks the start of the final chapter of the Bear Fest, a week long Celebration of the Arts with events scheduled every day, including the Gala dinner and auction of the bears at the Log Cabin on Thursday the 15th. For a complete list of events, please visit the EasthamptonBearFest website.
Gotta run now, my friends Louise and Christian are coming from Switzerland and I have to pick them up at the airport. See you around for the final week of the Easthampton Bear Fest!
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Missing those bears already?
You should keep some memorabilia of this memorable event: There are still some stock of merchandise available, either at the ECA office at the Old Town Hall, at Mt Tom's Ice Cream and the Nashawannuck Gallery.
You can also get the official
Bears of Easthampton Poster
This poster is available for $10.00 at the above mentioned locations.
Mounting and framing options available:
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Mounted on foamcore: $25.00
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Mounted and UV laminated on a 1/2" MDF board: $49.00.
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mounted and framed with a 3/4" eco-friendly black frame: $89.00
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Mounted and framed with a yellow (same color as the text) metal frame: $99.00
These prices include the poster. Eastmont will donate 10% of the sale of any framing to Easthampton City Arts.
Another wonderful way to remember the Bears is to own a print of George Phillips's winning Artwork "Bearly There" from this year's Eastmont Art Fund.
A limited edition archival giclee print, numbered and signed by the artist, this print is yours for a contribution of $100.00, of which 60% is donated to the Eashtampton Bear Fest and 20% goes to the artist George Phillips. So not only will you own a beautiful bear related artwork, you will also support Easthampton City Arts and local art.
Please call 413-529-9265 to place an order,
thank you.
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invites you to discover
the latest work in paintings and drawings of
Chris Blair
Chris Blair presently lives and works in Holyoke, and this is how he describes his work:
"My work is a conglomeration of styles
ranging from
surrealism to abstract expressionism.
I feel my work
exudes a sense of freedom as well as
discipline"
Join us for the
Artist Reception
this Saturday October 10th, 5-8PM
part of Artwalk Easthampton
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Speaking of the Artwalk, this October edition promises to be a pretty exciting one:
From the chainsaw woodcarving taking place in front of the Old Town Hall from 2pm to the Prize Ceremony of the 2nd Annual Plein Air Painting Competition at the Nashawannuck Gallery, there will be a great number of arts related events all day long. For a complete list, see either the Artwalk Easthampton website or the Easthampton Bear Fest site, links on the top left of this newsletter.
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Some Eastmont related Artists in the spotlight:
Nava Grunfeld is holding an exhibit at the Northampton Center for the Arts October 9 - 30, with a reception October 9, 5-7PM
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Marty Klein has been working on an interesting project this summer: The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University (the oldest public arboretum in North America and one of the world's leading centers for the study of plants) has granted him permission to visit the grounds during the growing season, take clippings from plants in their collection and create new works based on what he collected.
Klein will be showing the images resulting from this exciting experience as well as other compositions created from materials collected elsewhere at the
The Arnold Arboretum's Hunnewell Building,
Lecture Hall
October 24, 2009 - December 15, 2009
Reception with the Artist:
Saturday, October 24, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Artist Talk:
Thursday, November 19, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
for more info and directions, see the Arboretum's website
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Thank you for reading,
Jean-Pierre Pasche
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