Microbusiness Grant Profiles

Project Art

CUMMington, MA

Project Art supports and promotes local and international ceramic art and artists through artist residencies, internships, workshops, studio rentals, events, and exhibitions.  The live-work studio gallery on Main Street in Cummington opened in 2014 and offers studio space,  workshops, and residencies for emerging and professional contemporary artists, writers, curators, and critics.

Before the pandemic began in March 2020, art students, curators and collectors from as far away as Australia and Iceland were drawn to the Hilltowns to learn, teach, and collect art. They would stay in nearby bed and breakfasts, tour studios and bring income to recreation providers, craft and food producers.   When the pandemic began, Project Art was forced to cancel their entire season of in-person workshops and public programs, compounding the loss of income from tourism to other local businesses.  Due to travel restrictions, artists affiliated with Project Art programs were also unable to leave the Hilltowns to teach at universities, craft schools and museums where their work was on view.

As the pandemic wore on, like so many others, Project Art learned to adapt their programming into a virtual format.  The Microenterprise Grant from Hilltown Community Development covered the cost of new equipment, subscriptions to online teaching and marketing platforms, and training to create high-quality online programming.  Their first workshop with acclaimed sculptor Sergei Isupov was part of the virtual International Ceramic Congress 2020 and attracted 1000 attendees - far more than could ever have visited the studio in Cummington!

Director Leslie Ferrin is optimistic about the potential of virtual programming to connect artists, curators and collectors from around the globe.  Crossing the digital divide has significantly expanded the ability and lowered the barriers to meet and learn from internationally acclaimed artists who make their home in rural Western Mass.  Hundreds of new, virtual visitors have been introduced to Project Art and the Hilltowns through the Virtual Studio, and Ferrin looks forward to inviting them to in-person workshops  again as soon as it is safe to do so.

The Project Art Virtual Studio has already scheduled online workshops for 2021 with local artists, including sculptor Beckie Kravetz of Cummington and potter Mark Shapiro of Worthington.

"Crossing the digital divide has been the best thing for the Hilltowns," says Ferrin.  "We are all learning this together, and what we do will help other local businesses to thrive, too."

To see the list of upcoming virtual workshops at Project Art, visit projectart01026.com/project-art-virtual-studio/

River Studio

Middlefield, MA

Renown bronze sculptor Andrew DeVries opened his River Studio in Middlefield in 1985.  The studio sits on ten acres of bucolic meadow on East River Road, one of the most scenic roads in all of Western Massachusetts. Andrew began showing his sculptures in Lenox in 1989 and opened his own gallery there in 2002.  Last year, the closing of Tanglewood, Jacob’s Ladder and other major cultural attractions in the Berkshires forced Andrew to relocate his gallery to his own Barn Studio.  While the pandemic posed a significant challenge to artists throughout the region, it also proffered him the opportunity to develop an outdoor sculpture trail, something Andrew had been wanting to do on his scenic property for a long time.

Over the years, Andrew has turned to the Hilltown CDC for business assistance through the free classes offered regularly on everything from accounting to social media marketing.  Last fall, he received a Microenterprise Grant to fund the development of a new brochure for his sculpture trail, along with one-on-one marketing consultations and some additional studio supplies. It also allowed him to produce giclee prints of his pastel paintings, which he has found to be quite popular among his younger art collectors and followers.

This year Andrew is excited to host several Open Studios and invite the public to come and experience his newly created outdoor sculpture trail, with over forty works on display in the meadows and wooded groves.  “Throughout my life there have always been jumps and little miracles that have taken me from one chapter to the next,” says Andrew. “It’s always been my dream to do this, which the pandemic actually made possible.  I know how beautiful this place is, with all the wildflowers and knolls.  This is where I want to be and have people come.”

To find out more about River Studio and attend his first Open Studio event on May 29th, 2021, visit andrewdevries.com/open-studio-events

Hazel Bough Farm

ASHFIELD, MA

Megan Perry grew up in a small town surrounded by farms.  Over the years, she built her knowledge of raising healthy livestock on pasture until she was finally able to secure land in Ashfield to start her own Icelandic sheep farm.  She is passionate about taking care of soil and providing the best possible environment for her animals, including a grass-only diet and as little stress as possible for her lambs, who are not weaned.  As she developed her wool and meat business, she also grew and prepared herbal products on the side to reinvest in her herd.

In 2020, Megan was in between off-farm jobs when the pandemic hit.  She found herself at home taking care of her kids full time with no steady income, and although she had had a good lambing season, supply chain shortages created a 12-18 month delay at the slaughterhouse.  In addition, staffing shortages shut down nearby fiber mills for 5 months, leaving her with almost no product to sell to keep her business afloat.  Thanks to a surge in customers buying from local farms, her herbal products did well, but there was little available to support her family, let alone invest in her business.

Late in the year, Megan received a Microenterprise Grant from Hilltown CDC.  She immediately used it to buy winter hay for her animals, relieving a huge amount of stress and allowing her to free up other resources to finally send her fleeces to the mill for processing.  The grant has allowed her to get a fresh start to the new year.  Lambing season is about to begin again, and she is looking forward to growing her flock this year and selling more of her products locally.   

To see what she has available, check out hazelboughfarm.com or visit her store on Etsy!