AHA! presents 2nd Thursday year-round FREE nights of Art, History & Architecture programs in Downtown New Bedford with 37-venue partners.
Call us at 508-264-8859 or visit us at www.ahanewbedford.org.
The AHA! Project was formed in 1999 by a dedicated circle of cultural leaders, downtown businesses and individual artists. Since July of that year, the project has continuously presented its 2nd Thursday events. What originally included 14 venues now numbers 37 and spans eight galleries, three museums, The National Historical Park, City Hall and The Library, many of the downtown’s unique stores, restaurants and cafes as well as individual artist studios, a meditation center, several churches, The Bristol Building, The New Bedford Preservation Society and The UMass Dartmouth CVPA Star Store. AHA!’s mission is to collectively promote downtown culture and work towards greater sustainability of the downtown cultural scene and partner organizations.
AHA!’s articles on http://newbedford360.com are part of an expanding effort to bring more attention to the wealth of cultural events and experiences happening in downtown New Bedford.
AHA! (Art, History, and Architecture!) takes place the second Thursday of each month; all activities are FREE and held rain or shine. The theme for AHA! on Sept. 11 is "Night of Walking Tours."
After you take a historic tour, you can explore independent artist's working studios lining the cobblestone streets of historic downtown.
One such working studio is TL6 The Gallery at 100 William St.
Besides the hand-crafted leather bags, hand-made soaps and hand-carved pencils, co-owners Arianna Swink, Jenny Newman, Bridget Lajoie work as silversmiths and painters in the shop.
Lajoie is a self-taught watercolor artist who makes cards; Swink and Newman are silversmiths who specialize in traditional and alternative wedding bands, neck pieces, earrings and rings set with unusual stones—namely fossilized coral, opal and mystic topaz.
"When people come in, usually we're working at our benches," said Newman. "We have our jewelry cases set up behind our benches. People can watch Bridget painting or they can watch us using our torches or hammering jewelry. For AHA! nights, I'll do demonstrations."
Wood sculptor John Magnan, who has been featured on the program Sunday Morning on CBS, has his studio at 23 Centre Street.
"Right now I'm making a diamond-back rattlesnake out of wood, and working on a large outdoor sculpture that looks like a whale's tale you can sit in. I'll be working on AHA night, and Open Studios, too."
Magnan is best known for his wooden books— with pages that look real enough to turn— that sell in shops around the U.S.
Mosaic Gallery at 762 Purchase St. will put on a card-making demonstration for September's AHA!
"People can sit down and make the cards themselves," said co-owner and print-maker Judith Klein.
"They usually bring their kids; we have cheese and punch. People like to learn the way artists work and just enjoy the process."
Klein said she and fellow co-owners— Lori Bradley, Gabrielle Giblin, Carol Vincent— all have working studios in Mosiac Gallery.
Klein is a print-maker; Bradley is a ceramicist and mixed-media artist; Vincent works with textiles, and Giblin is a painter.
If you like watching artists at work, you'll love the 4th Annual New Bedford Open Studios, taking place Sat. Oct. 4. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
View art in the working studios in which it was made and talk to more than 100 artists exhibiting in 15 historic downtown buildings including mills, a former church, and other vintage buildings.
Parking for both events is available at the Elm Street Garage. On-street parking also available for free after 6 p.m. Directions: From I-195 E or W. Take Exit 15 (Rt. 18). Follow Rt. 18 to 2nd traffic signal; take a right onto Union St. At the first traffic signal take a right onto Second Street and take your first left for parking in Custom House Square or continue on two blocks to the Elm Street garage.
For more information call (508) 996-8253 x205, e-mail ahainfo@cfsema.org, or visit www.ahanewbedford.org.
Lauren Daley is a SouthCoast-based freelance writer. Reach her at ldaley33@gmail.com.