WARWICK — The Warwick Arts Council invites the community to view the work of 20 artists local to Warwick and neighboring towns during the 32nd annual Warwick Art Show and Sale this weekend.
Artwork ranging in medium, subject and style will be on display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, and Sunday, Oct. 12, at Warwick Town Hall, located at 12 Athol Road.
“It’s all different things — it’s paintings, sculptures, ceramics, photographs,” organizer Janice Starmer said. “There’s a wide range.”
Starmer said the show will include everything from fiber art to oil and acrylic on canvas. She added that displayed artwork varies from photo-realistic styles to abstract. The show is purposely not juried and welcomes submissions from any artist from Warwick or who has a connection to Warwick.
The show is organized by the eight-member Warwick Arts Council. The council is not affiliated with the town or the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and is made up of private residents who wish to promote art and music in town.
The Warwick Art Show and Sale allows the town’s artists to showcase their work and for the residents to see this work. Starmer noted Warwick is 30 minutes away from Greenfield and Brattleboro, Vermont, and close to an hour away from Amherst and Northampton that have larger art communities. Being so remote can make it difficult for Warwick residents and artists to engage with the art world, but this annual show is their chance.
She added that it’s also an opportunity to bring people from surrounding towns to Warwick and show that even towns with small populations can have spectacular art.
“There are a lot of artists who live in Warwick and a lot of them are extraordinary,” Starmer said. “It’s hard for people in town to get out and experience art. … We want to bring people into Warwick to see all the art here.”
She joked that the idea for the art show came from the town coordinator, who playfully ordered Starmer and residents to promote art in town.
“The town coordinator told me he wanted me to do an art show on Columbus [Day] weekend, so we did it,” Starmer said.
The show is free to attend, though the council will accept donations to support future programming. In addition to the open gallery hours on Saturday and Sunday, an opening reception where attendees can meet the artists will be held on Friday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m.
The Facebook event page can be viewed at tinyurl.com/WarwickArtShow.