For several years, the five founding members of Westwood Artists had been discussing the absence of an adult artist’s presence in Westwood. Individually, they had become members of artist organizations in surrounding towns as a way of finding a sense of community.
In April of 2016, Melinda Garfield of WestCat contacted the Artists with an offer to create an artist display area in her proposed new WestCat space. She was successful in securing a spectacular space and is looking forward to a “soft opening” on December 8. She is installing cases and hanging racks to permanently display the work of Westwood Artists.
With new-found excitement over having a permanent space to call their own, the Westwood Artists banded together and made their first appearance as a group at Westwood Day. The camaraderie of selling to their fellow townspeople,side by side, was enough to get them thinking about what they should do next.
This inspiration culminated in the Westwood Artist’s Holiday Marketplace, which will be held at the historic Fisher School, 830 High Street, from 3:30-8 p.m. on Friday, December 9, and from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 10. Six more Westwood Artists will be joining the founders for this sale. There will be ceramics by Jane Wojick and Lisa W.B. Walker, paintings by Carol Ahearn and Catherine Perrone, photographs by Karen Flowers Cagan, jewelry by Stephanie Hasenauer, Gaye Whalen, and Melanie Guerra, blown glass by Kevin Becker, weaving and knitting by Kathy Zola, and home decor by Jane Norris.
The Westwood Artists are grateful to the Historical Society for sharing their special space for this marketplace. They look forward to seeing the community at the marketplace, and hope to continue to find ways to build a sense of artistic community in Westwood. They can be found on Facebook as Westwood Artists.
