19 Jun 2014

DownStreet Art public art festival Kickoff on June 26, 2014

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' (MCLA) Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC) will kick off the Seventh Annual DownStreet Art summer public arts festival on Thursday, June 26, from 6 to 9 PM, with the opening of nine new exhibitions, the unveiling of a new, 60-foot-long mural created by Egyptian street artist Alaa Awad, as well as pop-up performances and other happenings throughout downtown North Adams.

Alaa Awad, whose mural will be revealed on Thursday, June 26, on the 60-foot stretch of the Route 2 Overpass, facing Center Street and the existing mural by Maya Hayuk, is a painter and muralist who engages ancient Egyptian motifs to describe contemporary political and social realities.

'Recently listed as the number-two city for young people to live in on PolicyMic's '15 Cities for Creative 20-Somethings That Aren't New York or Los Angeles' list, North Adams is fast becoming the go-to destination for artists, art lovers and all those that fall in between,' said Jonathan Secor, BCRC director. 'We hope to build on this enthusiasm by continuing to define North Adams as not only a cultural destination for the weekend, but as a place to live and work with other young creatives.'

New exhibitions opening around the city include:

• Ceramic artist Sin-Ying Ho, and Beijing-based artist Lianghong Feng at Independent Art Projects, 1315 MASS MoCA Way
• MCLA Hardman Family Grant recipient Alke Groppel-Wegener's works at PRESS Gallery, 49 Main Street
• Egyptian artist Alaa Awad at MCLA Gallery 51, 51 Main Street
• Artist's Books, Altered Books, and Related Installations, by Nava Atlas at DIScourse Gallery, 85 Main Street
• Artist Doug Paisley's work at CONcourse Gallery, 85 Main Street
• Work from members of ArtDORM, an arts collective comprised of artists working at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) at Gallery 107, 107 Main Street
• Photographer Ian Grey at MountainOne Bank Gallery, 93 Main Street
• Works by local artist Eric Rudd and various regional artists at Rudd Art Museum, 82 Summer Street

DownStreet Art is a project of MCLA's Berkshire Culture Resource Center, partnering with the City of North Adams, Develop North Adams, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Orbit Visual Graphic Design. The program is made possible through lead sponsorship support provided by Excelsior and Greylock Federal Credit Union.

For more information about DownStreet Art events and the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, go to www.downstreetart.org, www.mcla.edu/bcrc and www.facebook.com/downstreetart