Getting Ready

Cottage Street Cultural District Subcommittee meeting

One of the things I do frequently is get ready.  I get ready to make pots. Get ready to glaze them, get ready to load the kiln, get ready for a show.  Coming up this weekend is a big event on my calendar.  It’s our annual Spring Open Studios in the wonderful old factory-converted-to-studios where I’m fortunate to have my space. I have a lot of getting ready to do.

Over the last twenty or so years, I’ve been part of the group at Cottage Street Studios that organizes the events that are our Open Studios.  In just the last few years, the spring Open Studios event has paired up with a new group—members of a subcommittee of the city arts organization (Easthampton City Arts+) group that managed to get the State of Massachusetts to declare our street a “Cultural District”.  To celebrate the designation last year, we decided to have a little party and call it “Cultural Chaos”.  It was so much fun that we decided to do it again.  So in addition to getting ready for the Open Studios, we’ve also been getting ready for “Chaos”.  I have to say, I so enjoy working with this energetic group.  It has really been fun to get out of my studio a few days every month (or every week as it’s been for about the last month) and work to make a really fun event.  We have a shoe string budget but our eyes are always looking to how we can have more fun: dance, eat, enjoy artists and music, and share our great little slice of town with the larger community.  

So, I still have a few more days to get ready.  Tomorrow Anna and I will move tables around, change the production room into a display space and price and move a lot of work from my office into the display. Friday I will run around the building trying to tie up loose ends for Chaos.  I will help chalk off spaces for the outdoor makers market, gather keys, trash cans, floor mats—all just tiny parts of the whole that I hope will make the festival run a little more smoothly.  On Saturday, people will come.  They will see our studio looking cleaner than ever, lots of great work for sale, and if they venture out beyond the building there will be a crazy street fair put together by a small but dedicated group of people who tap into all their community connections just for the sake of bringing attention to a very special little part of the world. I’m very excited about getting ready for it. Hope you can join us.


A few details:
Cottage Street Open Studios is June 13 from 10-5 and June 14th from noon-5
Cultural Chaos Festival is June 13th only from noon-7p.m.