SHELBURNE FALLS — Now in its sixth year, the “Colrain and the Hilltowns on Canvas” art show will display more than 80 locally made paintings this weekend that showcase the region’s beauty during various time periods.
The annual art show at the Shelburne-Buckland Community Center, 53 Main St., is organized as a fundraiser for the Colrain Historical Society. Historical Society member Debby Wheeler said this year’s event will showcase artwork by 47 local artists.
“What people really like about this show is that we hang [the artwork of] long-deceased artists right next to contemporary artists,” Wheeler said. “People come through and reminisce on what used to be.”
Wheeler said the paintings are on loan from the private collections of hilltown residents, and include the works of Steve Maniatty, Robert Strong Woodward, W. Lester Stevens, A. Hale Johnson, Jim Murphy, Hannah Harvester, Giselle Harrington and many others.
“It’s amazing how much art is out there,” Wheeler said. “Every show is different.”
Paintings will include a variety of portraits and landscapes, Wheeler said. On the stage of the Shelburne-Buckland Community Center will be 12 portraits of hilltown residents, including a portrait of Shelburne resident Lovina Hawks, circa 1810.
She added that additional works on display include scenes of Colrain and its neighboring towns throughout the past and present, offering attendees the opportunity to reflect on the history of the area in comparison to what it looks like now.
“The landscape, it’s really quite beautiful,” Wheeler said.
The Colrain Historical Society will be selling prints of artwork, as well as historical maps. There will also be a silent auction featuring a few local pieces, including a watercolor painting of Arms Academy by Dirk Xu and an A. Hale Johnson print. Proceeds will support renovations at the Historical Society’s museum at 8 Main Road in Colrain.
“We’re putting in an ADA-compliant (Americans with Disabilities Act) bathroom, and we’re about halfway done with that,” Wheeler explained. “Funds will also go toward work on the barn. It’s very old and there’s structural work needed.”
The “Colrain and the Hilltowns on Canvas” art show will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, and Sunday, Sept. 21. Admission is $10 and can be paid at the door.
For more information, visit colrainhistoricalsociety.org.