Hilltown Open Studios Tour Announces

Full Slate of Arts Demonstrations & Live Performances for the Open Studio Tour Weekend

Cummington, MA – The Hilltown Arts Alliance announced today their full slate of live artist demonstrations, talks and performances that punctuate the 5th annual Open Studio Tour. The public is invited to learn art techniques, meet with world-renowned artists and enjoy both music and dance performances as part of the weekend taking place September 30 - October 1st in the Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts. All events are free. 

Thirty-two artists who make the scenic and historic Western Massachusetts Hilltowns their place to live and create will be opening their work spaces from 11AM to 5PM each day. During this weekend, the following live demonstrations and performances include:

Saturday

• 11am: What I see, I paint | Jeanne Johns at Cummington Community House Tour Hub

• 12pm: Relief prints using a copy press | Leni Fried  |  494 Stage Rd, Cummington

• 1pm: Throwing large pots with stacked sections | Mark Shapiro  | 42 Conwell Rd

• 1pm:  The Road to Cummington | Sergei Isupov at ProjectArt, Main Street, Cummington

• 2pm: Back to black: the role of value | Kathryn Jensen at Cummington Community House Tour Hub

• 3pm: You can paint a horse | Cyndy Sperry  | 257 Sugar Hill Rd

• 4pm: Creating character with theatrical make-up | Beckie Kravetz at Community House Tour Hub

• 5pm: Quartet jazz band | Lithia Quartet at Cummington Community House Tour Hub

• 5pm: folk singer | Jitensha at Sena Farm Brewery

Sunday

• 11am: Re-using old frames demonstration | Pleun Bouricius | 53 Old South St, Plainfield

• 12pm: Blueprints: making botanical cyanotypes | Madge Evers at Cummington Community House Tour Hub

• 1pm: The Road to Cummington | Sergei Isupov at ProjectArt, Main St, Cummington

• 1pm: Prints using photopolymer intaglio plate | Nancy Doniger | 91 North Rd, Westhampton

• 2pm: The alchemy of watercolor | Valerianna Claff  | 32 Munson Rd, Chesterfield 

• 3pm: When red and blue don’t make purple: color mixing | Lena Garcia  | 105 South Street, Chesterfield

• 4pm: Human Erratics: On and Off Screen Dance, with Doug Abrams, piano | Ellie Goudie-Averill  | Chesterfield Town Hall – 422 Main Road, Chesterfield

The tour has added more food options this year including Worthy-Que Smoke N’ BBQ at Sena Farm Brewery, Saturday and Sunday starting at 12 noon, and Holyoke Hummus at the Cummington Community House (Tour Hub), Saturday, starting at 11am.

“We’re very excited that so many of our artists will be not just opening their studios but giving the public a close up look at their process. Whether you have wanted to learn how to throw a pot or understand various printmaking techniques, there is so much to choose from,” says Hilltown Arts Alliance President and award-winning fabric artist Kathy Ford. 

“This year we wanted to broaden the representation of what is art in the Hilltowns and we are pleased to be including local musicians and dancers. We encourage the public to come, meet an artist and see how they live and work, then stay for the performances and local foods,” says Kathryn Jensen, watercolor artist and this year’s tour chairman.

A Tour Hub and gallery featuring representative works of each artist is being set up in Massachusetts newest designated cultural district: Cummington, MA. It will be held at the Community House at 33 Main St.  Printed maps will be available there and at each studio stop on the tour. An interactive tour map is located at: hilltownartsalliance.org/tour-map.

New to the tour this year are: Adrian Almquist, Nancy Doniger, Madge Evers, Greta Gnatek Redzko, Lena Garcia, Ellie Goudie-Averill, Marie Haas, Eric Jacobson. Barbara Konieczny and Molly Smith.

Returning artists include: Elena Allee, Ana Busto, Pleun Bouricius, Laura Bundeson, Valerianna Claff, Gloria Conwell, Michael Falcone, Leni Fried,  Alexandra Cherau, Sergei Isupov, Kathryn Jensen, Jeanne Johns, Beckie Kravetz, Guy Matsuda, Michael Melle, Kevin O’Connor, Olwen O’Herlihy Dowling, Jen Parrish-Hill, Kädri Parnamets, Mark Shapiro, Cyndy Sperry, John Walker, Jr. and Susanna White.

The Open Studio Tour is made possible with support from the Hilltown Community Development Corporation, Cummington Cultural District; Mass. Cultural Council, Hilltown Community Health Center. Florence Bank, George Propane, East Branch Studios, Cummington Supply, and Old Creamery Co Op.

For the most updated information on artists and events throughout the weekend, go to hilltownartsalliance.org

About the Hilltown Arts Alliance. The Hilltown Arts Alliance is applying to be a registered 501(c)(3) and is a volunteer-run nonprofit arts organization serving the beautiful hilltowns of Western Massachusetts. These lush rolling hills are home to an impressive number of accomplished artists. Our mission is to spread the word! The Hilltown Arts Alliance seeks to connect and support local Hilltown artists and makers in their creative endeavors.

Hilltown Arts Alliance Open Studio Tour set for
October 1st & 2nd, 2022

Village of Huntington Added to the Tour of 23 Artists’ Studios

Cummington, MA – The Hilltown Arts Alliance announced today that 23 artists who have chosen the beautiful and historic Western Massachusetts Hilltowns as a place to live and work will be opening their workspaces October 1 and 2, 2022 for the 4th annual Open Studio Tour. The weekend features art demonstrations and a full slate of food and drink opportunities from unique Hilltown artists and producers. This year, the picturesque and historic town of Huntington is being added to the tour. A Tour Hub & Community House Gallery featuring representative works of each artist is being set up at 33 Main St. in Cummington, MA.  Printed maps will be handed out and an interactive tour map is located at: hilltownartsalliance.org/tour-map.

“The rural Hilltowns are home to a thriving population of creative people,” says Hilltown Arts Alliance President Kathy Ford. “We may not be as well known as places like the Berkshires or Northampton, but the Hilltowns are where artists increasingly choose to live. The beauty of this place brings out the beauty in our artists' work. Here we have the room we need to create.”

New to the tour this year are: Elena Allee, who focuses on nature as a construct or memorial; Susanna White, whose oils and alkyds often focus on light and clouds somewhere between realism and abstraction; John Walker, a painter and fine woodworker who recently won first prize at the New England Arts Festival; and Laura Bundeson who explores the brain in all its complexity and beauty through both painting and fabric art.

Attendees of the tour will wander Scenic Byways 112 and 143, plus many backroads, at their leafiest time of year. The Hilltowns feature many hiking and walking trails, white-steepled villages, farms and orchards offering their fall bounty and a river so significant it is designated Wild & Scenic by the National Park Service.

As a complement to the artwork, local producers such as Sena Farm Brewery and Glendale Ridge Vineyard are offering special tastings for tour participants. The Farmer’s Daughter Food Truck will offer lunch in Worthington during the weekend and local restaurants are celebrating with seasonal menus.

The artists included are painters, sculptors, fabric artists, artisan jewelry makers, printmakers and ceramicists. The complete list of artists participating is: Gloria Conwell, Kathy Ford, Mark Shapiro, Jen Parrish-Hill. Elena Allee, Michael Falcone, John Walker, Ana Busto, Sergei Isupov, Kadri Pärnamets, Jeanne Johns, Leni Fried, Chris Bagg, Susanna White, Laura Bundesen, Olwen O’Herlihy Dowling,  Susan Flores, Laurie Israel, Guy Matsuda, Pleun Bouricius, Cyndy Sperry, David Marshall, Valerianna Claff.

The Open Studio Tour is made possible with support from the Hilltown Community Development Corporation, primary sponsors ArtsAngels, Community Foundation of Western Mass; Mass. Cultural Council, Hilltown Community Health Center. Secondary sponsors: Florence Bank, Mr. Tire, Cummington Supply, The Hilltown Land Trust.

For the most updated information on artists and events throughout the weekend, go to hilltownartsalliance.org.

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About the Hilltown Arts Alliance. The Hilltown Arts Alliance is a registered 501(c)(3), volunteer-run nonprofit arts organization serving the beautiful hilltowns of Western Massachusetts. These lush rolling hills are home to an impressive number of accomplished artists. Our mission is to spread the word! The Hilltown Arts Alliance seeks to connect and support local Hilltown artists and makers in their creative endeavors

March 2, 2022 - Senator Adam Hinds presented a check for $50,000 to the Hilltown Mobile Market on the porch of the Sawyer Farm Store in Worthington this afternoon. The funding comes from the Massachusetts legislature through the American Rescue Plan or ARPA.

Hinds was quoted saying that the Hilltown Mobile Market solves many of the challenges we face in the Hilltowns with one innovative project, connecting residents with limited access to food and transportation to a market that also prioritizes the economic viability of local farms.

Hilltown CDC is grateful to the Senator for his support and to all the partners that have made this project possible. Hilltown Community Health Center, the Collaborative for Educational Services, and Cooley Dickinson Health Care have all worked together with Hilltown CDC over the years to address food insecurity in our communities.

The Hilltown Mobile Market 2022 season will begin July 16th and run through November 18th. Farm shares are will be available for purchase soon as well! For more information about the market please visit www.hilltownmobilemarket.info

The Channel22 WWLP story can be found at https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-market-makes-food-more-accessible-for-community/

2021 Mobile Market Operator Monica Guzik, originally from Huntington, recently completed her master’s degree in Sustainability Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For her final coursework she prepared an analysis of the impact that the Hilltown Mobile Market has had on farms and consumers in the Hilltowns since its inception in 2019.

Click here to read the 2019-2021 Impact Report!

Hilltown Mobile Market: Fresh & Local!

We are back for our third season in 2021! Visit our website to sign up for farm shares, view our market schedule and find out more about our amazing farm producers!

The Hilltown Mobile Market is a different kind of grocery store.  We carry produce grown by the farmers you know in the Hilltown places you love. We gather fresh and affordable Hilltown-grown produce from our neighbor farms each week for our mobile market. Everyone can shop for produce from our colorful veggie van at one of our four weekly stops in Blandford, Cummington, Huntington and Worthington. Purchases with SNAP, HIP, WIC and Senior FNMP Coupons are welcomed!

Our popular Hilltown Community Farm Share is a convenient and affordable way to enjoy fresh food grown on neighbor farms. Each share contains 5 items of produce, perfect for senior and small households. You get to choose the items in your share each week.  It's easy, fun, and delicious! 

The full value of a share is $180 worth of fresh vegetables - or approximately $15 per week. We understand this amount may not fit everyone’s budget. Thanks to grant funding and donations, we are able to offer additional reduced payment options. 

• Low-Income Share: $60 ($5 per week)

• Moderate-Income Share: $120 ($10 per week)

• Fair Share: $180 ($15 per week)

• Helping Hand Share: $240 ($20 per week)

 Please choose the option that best reflects your household’s ability to pay.  For more guidance, check out our sliding scale guidelines.  If you qualify for SNAP (food stamps) the cost will be fully reimbursed by the HIP program!  If you are able to afford a little more, our Helping Hand Share covers the cost of your share plus a Low-Income Share for another family in town.

 The share pickups are weekly for 12 weeks starting July 22-October 8. You can pick up your share at any of our market locations: Blandford, Cummington, Huntington or Worthington. Shares are limited so be sure to sign up early!

Sign up for the Hilltown Community Farm Share!

Our market opens on July 22, 2021 and end on October 8, 2021. Last year, we distributed over 80 farm shares, more than half of which went to low-income families. The “veggie van” moved over $20,000 of locally grown produce from 9 participating Hilltown farms. And 39% of customers reported an increase in their weekly fresh food consumption. Learn more to support our work or get involved!

Applications are now being accepted!

Hilltown CDC, on behalf of the Town of Chesterfield and with potential funding provided through both their CDBG FY19 grant and a CARES Act grant has established a Micro-enterprise Relief Program (MRP) to help businesses that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Program Summary

The Micro-enterprise Relief Program (MRP) is designed to assist businesses with 5 or less employees (including the owner) that have been negatively impacted due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The program will provide one-time grants for business owners who need financial assistance to support business operational costs in order to keep the business sustainable. Grant funds must be used within two months of award. Applications are now being accepted. Funding will be awarded based on a first come, first eligible, completed application basis, subject to the availability of funding. 

Grant amounts will range from a minimum of $1,000 to a maximum of $10,000 to cover business losses incurred after May 10, 2020. 

Eligible Towns for CARES Act funds: Ashfield, Blandford, Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Plainfield, Williamsburg and Worthington.

Examples of potential allowable grant uses:

·         Operating costs – rent, mortgage, utilities, business insurance premiums

·         Inventory, materials or supplies

·         Small equipment/tools needed due to altering product or service to be provided

·         Personal protection equipment purchases or alterations to location to allow ease of reopening due to COVID-19

·         Payment for professional services needed to pivot business including but not limited to marketing related activities or website improvements

Examples of grant uses that are not allowable (not exhaustive):

·         Payment of outstanding debt incurred prior to COVID-19

·         Vehicle purchase / lease for business use 

·         Payment of any existing Tax liens

Your business may be eligible if:

-          You have been in business as of Jan 1, 2019

-          You have 5 or fewer employees (including yourself)

-          Your place of business has temporarily closed or has reduced hours due to COVID-19

-         You live and have a business in an eligible town (listed above).

-          The business owner’s family income falls within income guidelines (if more than 1 owner, each owners family income must be below 80% AMI) See application for income limits.

You are NOT eligible if:

-          You have a not-for profit business

-          Business owner’s family income is above 80% AMI income level

-          Business owner does not live within in an eligible town

-          You have received emergency funding through another source for the purposes for which you are applying

-          Assistance is for one of the following types of businesses: real estate rentals/sales, owned by a person under age 18, businesses that are chains, liquor stores, tobacco sales, pawn shops, weapons/firearms dealers, lobbyists or cannabis related businesses, adult entertainment or social clubs.

Please be sure to save your completed application and email it, along with required documentation to:

  Bea von Hagke at beavh@hilltowncdc.org

or mail to: Hilltown CDC, PO Box 17, Chesterfield, MA 0101

List of Required Documents 

This is a list of the anticipated documents applicants will need to submit in order to be considered for financial assistance.

 -         Completed Application

-         Copy of most recent tax returns

-         Current Profit and Loss statement

These additional documents may be needed due to individual circumstances.

 -         6 months recent bank statements

-         Pay stubs for household members over the age of 18

-         Investment income documentation

-         Child support received, if applicable

 All questions should be directed to: Bea von Hagke at beavh@hilltowncdc.org

The Hilltown Arts Alliance and Hilltown Community Development invite you to come celebrate and support the Arts in the Hilltowns!

We all know that the Hilltowns possess a well-kept secret: the creativity per capita is amazing! For a population that is spread thinly over an expansive rural geography, there are a surprising number of artists and artisans that have made their homes and studios here. The mission of the Hilltown Arts Alliance is to connect and support local Hilltown artists and makers in their creative endeavors. With the support of Hilltown Community Development, our artists have benefited from business classes, new exhibit opportunities, and greater exposure through the Hilltown Open Studio Tour.

Through our creative partnership, we are expanding opportunities for working artists to develop, create, and share their incredible work in our region and beyond. We need your support to expand our collaborations and enhance our annual Hilltown Open Studio Tour, creative place-making, and cultural district formation work.

Join us for a fantastic silent art auction, live music, art trivia, and a seasonal buffet dinner and cash bar at the Velvet Restaurant in Worthington. Fall for the arts and be a vital part of growing our creative community!

Tickets may be purchased online or by mailing a check made out to Hilltown CDC to PO Box 17, Chesterfield MA, 01012 no later than October 5th, 2019. Advance tickets only - there will not be tickets available at the door. Your donation of $1,000 or more may qualify for a 50% MA State Tax Credit - learn more about the Community Investment Tax Credit program here. Thank you for supporting the arts in the Hilltowns!

The Hilltown Mobile Market aims to increase the availability of fresh, local, and affordable produce for Hilltown residents. In 2019 we are offering two “pop-up” locations: Thursdays from 3-5PM at the Maples, 48 Old North Rd, Worthington, and Fridays from 3-5PM at Stanton Hall Green, 24 Russell Rd, Huntington. The markets will run from July 25th through September 27th. For additional information, directions, recipes and more, visit the website, www.hilltownmobilemarket.info

There are two ways you can participate in the market. If you are eligible for SNAP (food stamps), you can sign up now for a $5 per week farm share that is 100% reimbursable through HIP (Healthy Incentives Program). The farm share is valued at $175 for 10 weeks and will include approximately five items of your choice from the abundant local produce on the market stand each week. Or, you can simply visit the market each week to purchase your favorite fresh, Hilltown-grown vegetables.

For details on how to sign-up for the farm share, contact market organizer Seva Tower at sevat@hilltowncdc.org or call 413-824-1840. There are limited spots available so don’t delay!

We are delighted to partner with several local farms including Crabapple Farm in Chesterfield, Hart Farm in Conway, Sawyer Farm and Four Corners Farm in Worthington, and Intervale Farm in Westhampton. This project is a collaboration between the Hilltown Food Council, Hilltown CDC, Healthy Hampshire, and the Hilltown Community Health Center. It is a two-year project funded through a grant from the Attorney General’s Office.

Help us support our local Hilltown farmers and provide more ways to get healthy, fresh food to our Hilltown communities. See you at the market!

The Baker-Polito Administration has announced $8 million in tax credit allocations to Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and Community Service Organizations (CSOs) through the state’s Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) program. 

The CITC program provides eligible CDCs and CSOs with a tool to leverage support from stakeholders and local residents to increase fundraising efforts and expand organizational capacity. These organizations partner with nonprofit, public, and private entities to improve economic opportunities for low and moderate-income households and communities. Since 2015, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded more than $22 million through the CITC program, and during this time, the CITC program has generated more than $34.5 million in private investments across the Commonwealth.

“Community Development Corporations undertake important work in our communities by supporting affordable housing, community development, and critical services for residents,”said Governor Charlie Baker. “We are proud to work with these organizations to ensure all Massachusetts residents have access to affordable housing and safe neighborhoods.”

“The Community Investment Tax Credit Program is a unique tool to encourage private investment,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “From instituting new lead paint programming in Central Massachusetts, to bringing on a full-time community planner in Boston’s Chinatown, our CDCs have leveraged significant funding to bring impactful programming to communities across the Commonwealth.”

Lt. Governor Polito announced the awards at an event at the Hilltown CDC in Chesterfield.  Through the CITC program, CDCs have been able to employ more staff, reach communities more effectively, and pursue new programming to the benefit of Massachusetts communities.  CDCs help families find homes, connect residents to jobs, grow small businesses, and bring communities together in rural, urban, and suburban areas.

“Hilltown CDC is grateful to host the Lieutenant Governor as she announces the state’s CITC awards to CDC’s.” Says Hilltown CDC Executive Director Dave Christopolis.  “CITC has been a successful financial and community organizing tool for our rural region. Access to capital is very limited in rural communities and this is no different in the Hilltowns of Massachusetts.  This is due to declining rural populations and decades long urbanization.   CITC provides a vehicle for people to invest in rural communities through Hilltown CDC.”  Hilltown CDC has used it’s CITC donations to expand work with local farmers and retailers, expand our senior van with a driver pool and offer marketing and organizing support to our local artists and musicians.   It has provided capital to build rural senior housing and provide technical assistance to our rural town governments.   “Rural communities are struggling to survive,” says Christopolis.   “Twenty-first century rural communities need a vision and the capacity to carry out this vision.  It requires our government and philanthropy to invest in people and to reimagine the importance of a vibrant rural economy.  CITC allows this to happen.”

“It is truly exciting to see what happens when banks, hospitals and individuals work together to make their communities a better place to live,” said Joe Kriesberg, President of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations. “Today, because of their collective belief and investment in their local community development corporations, millions of Massachusetts residents, regardless of their socio-economic status in life, will see demonstrative improvements to their neighborhoods and share in the benefits of Massachusetts’ success. For those unable to participate in the CITC for this year’s tax filing, be sure to visit the MACDC website to learn about how you can get involved next year.”

The CITC program awarded the maximum $150,000 in credit allocations to the Hilltown CDC. CDCs apply for tax credits to support fundraising for the development and implementation of their community investment plan from the CITC program. Individuals, corporations, and other entities that make a qualified contribution to a CDC earn a 50 percent state tax credit. For more information on the program and how to contribute, contact Finance Director Denise LeDuc at denisel@hilltowncdc.org or call 413-296-4536 x114.

This spring we are launching our new quarterly newsletter to share some of the many things we are working on here at the Hilltown CDC. Take a peak inside to read more about planning the new Worthington Senior/Community Center, Climate Resilience planning, the new Rural Policy Advocacy Commission, and the upcoming Hilltown Open Studio Tour!

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It’s here! Watch your mailbox for the 2019 edition of the Hilltown Business Directory. It’s your go-to resource for finding what you need locally, full of at-your-fingertips information on local businesses and services throughout the Hilltowns. No wi-fi necessary, and it even works in a power outage! Produced each year since 1986, the Hilltown Business Directory now covers 23 towns and is mailed to over 15,000 households each spring. It contains a comprehensive listing of everything from contractors and snow plowing, to attorneys, surveyors, doggie day-care providers and yoga classes. Please remember to tell them you found them in the Hilltown Business Directory! Working together we can support and grow our local Hilltown economy!

You can also find local businesses using our searchable online database at www.hilltowncdc.com!

October 16 was a special evening for Hilltown Community Development as we gathered to thank State Representative Stephen Kulik for his 25 years of service to the Hilltowns. Constituents, community leaders and former staffers took the opportunity to thank Steve and reminisce fondly of the years of leadership and hard work he has given to his district. The gathering took place at the Worthington Golf Club, and music was provided by Executive Director Dave Christopolis on Upright Bass accompanied by friends Charlie Tokarz on Saxophones and Dave Bartley on Piano. The gathering also doubled as Hilltown Community Development’s Annual Meeting with voting for Board positions. For years, the organization has held a spring Annual Meeting – yes, we had one in spring 2018 – but needed to move the Annual Meeting to fall to better align with the close of our fiscal year. By having two Annual Meetings this year, we have officially made the change and will have our next one in the fall of 2019. Finally, the evening was a first introduction to the community of our new logo and tagline, a refresh of our look and a more polished image to take us into the future.

Photos by HCDC Board Member Susan Slattery

This fall the Hilltown CDC celebrated the completion of the Goshen Senior Housing project.  Highland Village Circle consists of ten one-bedroom apartments for tenants who are at least 62 years old and who meet income qualifications. The apartments are located in the town center, across Route 9 from Town Hall and within walking distance to the Municipal Office Building, the Council on Aging, the Congregational Church, the post office, and the general store. Goshen’s Select Board appointed the Goshen Elder Housing Committee in the year 2010 to explore the possibility of building housing for senior citizens. The five-member committee met for eight years and worked with the Hilltown CDC to make this idea into a reality. At the September 28th Open House a proclamation by the Massachusetts State Senate honored the five members of the Goshen Elder Housing Committee, all of whom served for the entire eight-year period from the time of their appointment until the completion of the project. Job well done!