MONTAGUE — A lively art gallery overlooking the Sawmill River is giving back to its beloved community.
Sawmill River Arts Gallery, located near the Montague Book Mill, donated a portion of its December sales to Community Action of Pioneer Valley. More than $650 was given to the charity, especially for its “Heat Up” campaign which ensures that local families don’t have to choose between keeping warm and feeding their families.
Community Action is a local nonprofit that offers “leadership, advocacy, and concrete resources that support children, youth, individuals, families, and local communities to thrive,” according to its website.
This is the second year that the gallery’s artists have allocated part of their proceeds for a good cause, and they intend to continue each December.
According to gallery member and potter Jaye Pope, many of the gallery’s members already donate to charities, so it made sense for the gallery as a whole to donate to a local cause. The donations were not mandatory, but most artists participated. Donation percentages varied: for example, Pope gave 20 percent of her pottery proceeds to the charity.
“It seemed important to do something local,” said Pope. “I was really blown away (by the final amount.)”
To the artists at the gallery, donating to the Heat Up program was especially important due to the intense cold this winter. Pope told the story of one individual whose pipes broke, and the donations to Community Action helped get them fixed.
“It’s kind of a way to celebrate coming off of a really good month,” said Sharon Loehr-Lapan, a painter who belongs to the gallery.
December is usually a very successful month for the gallery since art is a popular holiday gift. To gallery members, it seemed like the perfect month to donate.
“It’s nice to give back,” Pope said. “I think the gallery really appreciates the community.”
“We come from the community,” added Loehr-Lapan. “The artists are from the community and draw artistic inspiration from our community.”
Reach Christie
Wisniewski at:
cwisniewski@recorder.com
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