Blog

Shop Small Saturday is a nation-wide celebration of small local shopping opportunities. Its purpose is to support local businesses and artists. Each year this celebration occurs on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. For 2017, The Shop Small Saturday extravaganza is on Saturday, November 25th!

The Blackstone Valley Art Association has supported the Shop Small effort for many years now. We offer local art, crafts, and other items in Whitinsville. This year we have gotten an even better location than usual. We have arranged with the Whitin Community Center to have a table in their facility. They are a main stop for many visitors during the Shop Small celebration and we anticipate seeing a lot of sales here.

The Whitin Community Center is located at:

60 Main Street
Whitinsville, MA

This opportunity is available for BVAA members only. There is no fee to participate.

We will set up several panels to showcase hanging art. Each person is able to bring 2-3 hanging items. We also highly recommend members bring bin art, notecards, prints, and other inexpensive items. Those types of things sell very well at a holiday art booth.

The official time for the Small Shop is 10am to 4pm. Plan on being there an hour early so we can set things up. This is a one-day festival. Lisa will be manning the table but can definitely use some help. If you aren’t able to stay the full day you can drop things off in the morning and pick up what’s left in the afternoon.

Mark your calendar for November 25th, start getting those prints and notecards ready, and stay tuned for more details!

IMPORTANT NOTE – THE ART SHOW COMPONENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. PLEASE CONTACT LISA FOR MORE DETAILS.

The BVAA, in conjunction with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra, is offering a fun night of art and music! The orchestra provides the music while the BVAA provides the art!

Milford Town Hall
52 Main Street
Milford, MA 01757

On Saturday, April 28th, 2018 from 7:30-10:00pm the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra will be performing a show. The BVAA will have art up for patrons to enjoy before the show and during intermission. This is an art-loving audience and we see good sales at these shows.

Submissions
Deadline to submit your titles and sizes via the online form is Monday, April 23nd. This gives us time to determine how many panels will be needed. There’s no fee to participate and the show is open to all BVAA members. Anne will then respond back to everyone with a copy of the labels to proof and approve. If you don’t submit your information by Monday night you may still be able to participate, but your labels might not be proofed. This show is displayed on panels so works submitted need to be less than 36″ wide in order to fit on a panel. Any sales will include a 20% BVAA commission. Full BVAA terms: BVAA Show Terms and Conditions.

Drop-Off
Drop-Off for the show will be Friday, April 27th from 4-6pm. Everything will be set up Friday night so it’s ready to go for Saturday. If you can’t make it on Friday, you can drop off Thursday during their open hours. Just put the artwork up in the performance hall. We’ve never had any issue with items being left there.

Public Viewing
Participating artists get free entry to enjoy the show! Let us know if you’re interested in attending the music!

Pick-Up
Pick-up will be Sunday morning from 8-10am. If you can’t make that, email us to make other arrangements.

Theme
The music being performed will be:

Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 “The New World”
Copland: Rodeo
Southard: An Appalachian Trail Symphony, World Premiere

Claflin Hill’s notes:

As we all know, the best part of a tour is “coming home!” We complete this whirlwind Coming of Age season by celebrating our own country – both from the perspective of a composer of the “Old World” inspired on his first visit to American in the 1890s to pen his Ninth Symphony “The New World” – evoking the majesty, the beauty, the optimism and the possibilities in the American personality — accompanied by the “Dean” of American composers—Aaron Copland and his rambunctious and good humored “Rodeo.” Vermont composer Keane Southard’s “An Appalachian Trail Symphony” –recently completed after his hike through New England on the Trail pays homage to the beauty of our own New England.

We should aim to bring the best art in our libraries, to match the high quality of the performance. That being said, if you have two great pieces and one features an Americana theme then that might be a perfect one to choose!

Use the BVAA Online Submission Form to submit for this show.

Volunteers Needed
The BVAA is run by volunteers – please lend a hand! We need volunteers for the following activities:
* Bringing the art panels from Pam’s house to the show (they are 30″ X 84″ in size)
* Hang the show from 5-6 on Friday
* Take it down at 8:30 on Sunday
* Bringing the art panels back to Pam’s house

Let us know on your submission form how you’re able to help out. There is a 20% commission on sales – this commission is forgiven for those who help out!

Here’s the official Claflin Hill page with all details on the concert –

https://www.claflinhill.com/symphony-series/

DROPOFF DETAILS:

To get to to Milford Town Hall, 52 Main Street from Millbury take 140 S for around 10 miles. Take a slight left on West Street, which becomes Exchange Street. Turn left onto Main Street/MA-16 for about 2 1/2 miles. It’s a tall white steepled building very hard to miss.

There are parking lots on either side of the building as well as street parking.

You may enter by the side entrance where the handicapped ramp is, go in via the ramp and basement entrance and use the elevator to go to the second floor.

The BVAA, in conjunction with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra, is offering a fun night of art and music! The orchestra provides the music while the BVAA provides the art!

Milford Town Hall
52 Main Street
Milford, MA 01757

On Saturday, March 3rd, 2018 from 7:30-10:00pm the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra will be performing a show. The BVAA will have art up for patrons to enjoy before the show and during intermission. This is an art-loving audience and we see good sales at these shows.

Submissions
Deadline to submit your titles and sizes via the online form is Monday, February 26th. This gives us time to determine how many panels will be needed. There’s no fee to participate and the show is open to all BVAA members. We will then respond back to everyone with a copy of the labels to proof and approve. If you don’t submit your information by Monday night you may still be able to participate, but your labels might not be proofed. This show is displayed on panels so works submitted need to be less than 36″ wide in order to fit on a panel. Any sales will include a 20% BVAA commission. Full BVAA terms: BVAA Show Terms and Conditions.

Drop-Off
Drop-Off for the show will be Friday, March 2nd from 4-5pm. Everything will be set up Friday night so it’s ready to go for Saturday. If you can’t make it on Friday, you can drop off Thursday during their open hours. Just put the artwork up in the performance hall. We’ve never had any issue with items being left there.

SETUP NOTE: The panels will arrive on Friday at 5pm. So while people might start dropping off art at 4pm, we need help from 5-6pm to put the panels up. Thanks!

Public Viewing
Participating artists get free entry to enjoy the show! Let us know if you’re interested in attending the music! If you’d like to attend, you go to the ticket spot and identify yourself as an artist. They will identify an unused seat for you and give you that ticket.

Pick-Up
Pick-up and take down will be Sunday morning from 8-9am. If you can’t make that, email us to make other arrangements. We routinely leave art in that hall for a day or two until artists can make it in and have never had any problem with that.

Theme
The music being performed will be:

De Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Rodrigo: Concerto de Aranjuez featuring Daniel Salazar, Guitar
Strauss: Don Quixote featuring CHSO Principal Cellist, Johann Soults

Claflin Hill’s notes:

Next stop on our “World Tour’ is the Iberian Peninsula opening with Manuel De Falla’s colorful tone poem, “Nights in the Gardens of Spain” paired with Joaquin Rodrigo’s noble and elegant “Concerto de Aranjuez” with a return solo performance from old CHSO friend, Daniel Salazar. Our own CHSO Principal Cellist, Johann Soults, takes on the mantle of “knighthood” as we set off on a “quest” in the Richard Strauss masterwork depicting the fabled but flawed hero of Cervantes.

We should aim to bring the best art in our libraries, to match the high quality of the performance. That being said, if you have two great pieces and one features a Spanish / European theme then that might be a perfect one to choose!

Use the BVAA Online Submission Form to submit for this show.

Volunteers Needed
The BVAA is run by volunteers – please lend a hand! We need volunteers for the following activities:
* Bringing the art panels from Pam’s house to the show (they are 30″ X 84″ in size)
* Hang the show from 5-6pm on Friday
* Take it down from 8-9am on Sunday
* Bringing the art panels back to Pam’s house

Let us know on your submission form how you’re able to help out. There is a 20% commission on sales – this commission is forgiven for those who help out!

Here’s the official Claflin Hill page with all details on the concert –

https://www.claflinhill.com/symphony-series/

DROPOFF DETAILS:

To get to to Milford Town Hall, 52 Main Street from Millbury take 140 S for around 10 miles. Take a slight left on West Street, which becomes Exchange Street. Turn left onto Main Street/MA-16 for about 2 1/2 miles. It’s a tall white steepled building very hard to miss.

There are parking lots on either side of the building as well as street parking.

You may enter by the side entrance where the handicapped ramp is, go in via the ramp and basement entrance and use the elevator to go to the second floor.

The BVAA, in conjunction with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra, is offering a fun night of art and music! The orchestra provides the music while the BVAA provides the art!

Milford Town Hall
52 Main Street
Milford, MA 01757

On Saturday, February 3rd, 2018 from 7:30-10:00pm the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra will be performing a show. The BVAA will have art up for patrons to enjoy before the show and during intermission. This is an art-loving audience and we see good sales at these shows.

Submissions
Deadline to submit your titles and sizes via the online form is Monday, January 29th. This gives us time to determine how many panels will be needed. There’s no fee to participate and the show is open to all BVAA members. This is not a judged show – you can therefore bring any artwork you wish, even if it’s been previously shown and/or judged with the BVAA. This show is displayed on panels so works submitted need to be less than 36″ wide in order to fit on a panel. If you don’t submit your information by Monday night you may still be able to participate, but your labels might not be proofed. Contact us to arrange that. Any sales will include a 20% BVAA commission. Full BVAA terms: BVAA Show Terms and Conditions.

Drop-Off
Drop-Off for the show will be Friday, February 2nd from 4-6pm. Everything will be set up Friday night so it’s ready to go for Saturday. If you can’t make it on Friday, you can drop off Thursday during their open hours. Just put the artwork up in the performance hall. We’ve never had any issue with items being left there.

Public Viewing
Participating artists get free entry to enjoy the show! Let us know if you’re interested in attending the music!

Pick-Up
Pick-up will be Sunday morning from 8-10am. If you can’t make that, email us to make other arrangements.

Theme
The music being performed will be:

Rimsky Korsakov: Scheherazade featuring CHSO Concertmaster Angel Valchinov
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring Beth Surapine, Piano Soloist

Claflin Hill’s notes:

On to “Mother Russia” for a sumptuous and indulgent feast of Russian romanticism – featuring two magnificent and monumental icons of the genre – Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s colorful depiction of the story-telling Princess Scheherazade and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 – one of the most loved romantic concertos of all time!

We should aim to bring the best art in our libraries, to match the high quality of the performance. That being said, if you have two great pieces and one features a Russian / romantic theme then that might be a perfect one to choose!

Use the BVAA Online Submission Form to submit for this show.

Volunteers Needed
The BVAA is run by volunteers – please lend a hand! We need volunteers for the following activities:
* Bringing the art panels from Pam’s house to the show (they are 30″ X 84″ in size)
* Hang the show from 5-6 on Friday
* Take it down at 8:30 on Sunday
* Bringing the art panels back to Pam’s house

Let us know on your submission form how you’re able to help out. There is a 20% commission on sales – this commission is forgiven for those who help out!

Here’s the official Claflin Hill page with all details on the concert –

https://www.claflinhill.com/symphony-series/

DROPOFF DETAILS:

To get to to Milford Town Hall, 52 Main Street from Millbury take 140 S for around 10 miles. Take a slight left on West Street, which becomes Exchange Street. Turn left onto Main Street/MA-16 for about 2 1/2 miles. It’s a tall white steepled building very hard to miss.

There are parking lots on either side of the building as well as street parking.

You may enter by the side entrance where the handicapped ramp is, go in via the ramp and basement entrance and use the elevator to go to the second floor.

The BVAA, in conjunction with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra, is offering a fun night of art and music! The orchestra provides the music while the BVAA provides the art!

Milford Town Hall
52 Main Street
Milford, MA 01757

On Saturday, December 9th, 2017 from 7:30-10:00pm the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra will be performing a show. The BVAA will have art up for patrons to enjoy before the show and during intermission. This is an art-loving audience and we see good sales at these shows.

Submissions
Deadline to submit your titles and sizes via the online form is Monday, December 4th. This gives us time to determine how many panels will be needed. There’s no fee to participate and the show is open to all BVAA members. Anne will then respond back to everyone with a copy of the labels to proof and approve. If you don’t submit your information by Monday night you may still be able to participate, but your labels might not be proofed. This show is displayed on panels so works submitted need to be less than 36″ wide in order to fit on a panel. Any sales will include a 20% BVAA commission. Full BVAA terms: BVAA Show Terms and Conditions.

Drop-Off
Drop-Off for the show will be Friday, December 8th from 4-6pm. Everything will be set up Friday night so it’s ready to go for Saturday. If you can’t make it on Friday, you can drop off Thursday during their open hours. Just put the artwork up in the performance hall. We’ve never had any issue with items being left there.

Public Viewing
IMPORTANT NOTE!! The Holiday Pops sells out EVERY YEAR so we do not get free tickets to this one. If you want to attend, make sure you buy your tickets early!

Pick-Up
Pick-up will be Sunday morning from 8-10am. If you can’t make that, email us to make other arrangements.

Theme
The music being performed will be:

Timeless Classics!

Claflin Hill’s notes:

Let us make your spirits merry and bright as the Grand Ballroom is transformed into a magical place for all ages! Join us for everyone’s favorite holiday tradition featuring timeless classics like “Sleigh Ride,” “Stille Nacht,” a holiday sing-along and a visit from jolly ol’ St. Nick! Let’s ring in the Holidays together! The Greater Milford Community Chorus, under the direction of Daniel Zabinski, join CHSO for their third year!

We should aim to bring the best art in our libraries, to match the high quality of the performance. That being said, if you have two great pieces and one features a holiday theme then that might be a perfect one to choose!

Use the BVAA Online Submission Form to submit for this show.

Volunteers Needed
The BVAA is run by volunteers – please lend a hand! We need volunteers for the following activities:
* Bringing the art panels from Pam’s house to the show (they are 30″ X 84″ in size)
* Hang the show from 5-6 on Friday
* Take it down at 8:30 on Sunday
* Bringing the art panels back to Pam’s house

Let us know on your submission form how you’re able to help out. There is a 20% commission on sales – this commission is forgiven for those who help out!

Here’s the official Claflin Hill page with all details on the concert –

https://www.claflinhill.com/symphony-series/

DROPOFF DETAILS:

To get to to Milford Town Hall, 52 Main Street from Millbury take 140 S for around 10 miles. Take a slight left on West Street, which becomes Exchange Street. Turn left onto Main Street/MA-16 for about 2 1/2 miles. It’s a tall white steepled building very hard to miss.

There are parking lots on either side of the building as well as street parking.

You may enter by the side entrance where the handicapped ramp is, go in via the ramp and basement entrance and use the elevator to go to the second floor.

The BVAA, in conjunction with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra, is offering a fun night of art and music! The orchestra provides the music while the BVAA provides the art!

Milford Town Hall
52 Main Street
Milford, MA 01757

On Saturday, November 4th, 2017 from 7:30-10:00pm the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra will be performing a show. The BVAA will have art up for patrons to enjoy before the show and during intermission. This is an art-loving audience and we see good sales at these shows.

Submissions
Deadline to submit your titles and sizes via the online form is Monday, October 30th. This gives us time to determine how many panels will be needed. There’s no fee to participate and the show is open to all BVAA members. Anne will then respond back to everyone with a copy of the labels to proof and approve. If you don’t submit your information by Monday night you may still be able to participate, but your labels might not be proofed. This show is displayed on panels so works submitted need to be less than 36″ wide in order to fit on a panel. Any sales will include a 20% BVAA commission. Full BVAA terms: BVAA Show Terms and Conditions.

Drop-Off
Drop-Off for the show will be Friday, April 28th from 4-6pm. Everything will be set up Friday night so it’s ready to go for Saturday. If you can’t make it on Friday, you can drop off Thursday during their open hours. Just put the artwork up in the performance hall. We’ve never had any issue with items being left there.

Public Viewing
Participating artists get free entry to enjoy the show! Let us know if you’re interested in attending the music!

Pick-Up
Pick-up will be Sunday morning from 8-10am. If you can’t make that, email us to make other arrangements.

Theme
The music being performed will be:

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4

Claflin Hill’s notes:

Join us for our Eighteenth Season opener as we begin a year-long “Coming of Age World Tour” (from our comfortable concert seats!). We start in Austria and Germany, opening with the majestic “Symphony No. 7” of Ludwig van Beethoven, followed by the “Symphony No. 4” of Anton Bruckner. What Beethoven started as a “romantic symphonic revolution”, Bruckner brought to a culmination of Romanticism.

We should aim to bring the best art in our libraries, to match the high quality of the performance. That being said, if you have two great pieces and one features a romantic theme then that might be a perfect one to choose!

Use the BVAA Online Submission Form to submit for this show.

Volunteers Needed
The BVAA is run by volunteers – please lend a hand! We need volunteers for the following activities:
* Bringing the art panels from Pam’s house to the show (they are 30″ X 84″ in size)
* Hang the show from 5-6 on Friday
* Take it down at 8:30 on Sunday
* Bringing the art panels back to Pam’s house

Let us know on your submission form how you’re able to help out. There is a 20% commission on sales – this commission is forgiven for those who help out!

Here’s the official Claflin Hill page with all details on the concert –

https://www.claflinhill.com/symphony-series/

DROPOFF DETAILS:

To get to to Milford Town Hall, 52 Main Street from Millbury take 140 S for around 10 miles. Take a slight left on West Street, which becomes Exchange Street. Turn left onto Main Street/MA-16 for about 2 1/2 miles. It’s a tall white steepled building very hard to miss.

There are parking lots on either side of the building as well as street parking.

You may enter by the side entrance where the handicapped ramp is, go in via the ramp and basement entrance and use the elevator to go to the second floor.

Art Details:
Art at the Romanticism Show

In September 2017 we had a fantastic hands-on session with instructor Kris Occhino. We learned how to create paintings using permanent ink and watercolor. It was held at the Alternatives Community Gallery in Uxbridge.

Here are a few photos from that session, to show the style of art we learned about.

Here’s the full details of this event:

Kris Occhino 2017 Workshop

Halloween has us explore the darker side of artwork. The unsettling. The shadowy. The Blackstone Valley Art Association is holding their third annual Macabre show.

Canal Restaurant and Bar
65 Water St
Worcester, MA

About the Show
Spooky. Unsettling. Wisps of mists and dark shadows. Macabre brings out the fascination with the off-beat side of life.

Submissions
The submission deadline for the Macabre show is Monday, October 9th, 2017. We have limited wall space here – about 15 pieces total – so what we’ll do is have each member submit an image they’d like to include. Depending on how many entries we get, we’ll see how many items we can hang per person. It’s open to all BVAA members. This is not a judged show – it is primarily a visibility and sales opportunity. Any sales will include a 20% commission taken by the BVAA. Full BVAA terms: BVAA Show Terms and Conditions

Drop-Off
We’d like to do a hanging on Tuesday, October 10th. We realize this is short notice :). Lisa is willing to drive around gathering artwork from people. If we can’t make the 10th we can add in pieces at later dates as they become available.

Reception
We’ll have our opening reception at the Canal on Saturday, October 28th from 6-8pm. Invite friends and family – they have delicious food here!!

Pick-Up
Pick-up for the show will be Tuesday, November 7th, when we’ll also hang fresh art to replace what we take down.

Theme
This show is Halloween. Spooky. Shadowy. Here are photos from last year – Macabre Show 2016

Use the BVAA online submission form to submit for this show.

Canal Restaurant Facebook Page

IMPORTANT NOTE: The BVAA is running TWO Macabre shows this year. One is this full-month Macabre show at the Canal Restaurant in Worcester where the artwork will get a lot of visitors and views. The Canal’s walls have space for 14 artworks so this will be a smaller show.

The other is a one-day-only pop-up show at the Alternatives Uxbridge location. Because Alternatives uses the space for other things during the week, and because we are doing this on panels in the middle of the room, we can only have it go up Friday afternoon once the space is done being used. We need everything done and out by Monday morning. BVAA Pop-Up One-Day Macabre Show Details.

You are warmly encouraged to participate in both!