Rogue Galleries

Supporting local artists isn’t just for the holidays. Last-minute shopping needs aside, there are hundreds of cool pieces on gallery walls, ceilings, floors, and shelves during all of the Valley’s year-end art shows. The tradition of using these final chilly weeks of the year to showcase collections of smaller pieces is alive and well, and an afternoon of stop-in browsing provides a chance to see what everyone has been up to. Most galleries’ group holiday shows are cash-and-carry, which means you can fall in love with a beautiful landscape, strange collage, cute figurine, or kooky sculpture, then whip out your checkbook and take it with you.

That’s the case at Gallery A3 in Amherst, where the annual exhibit of small, affordable fine art includes over 50 works in painting, photography, collage, and mixed media (through Dec. 31). Same at Hope and Feathers Framing and Printing in Amherst, where the sixth annual Small Works Show features dozens of works by local artists, from photographs and paintings to illustrations and sculptures (through Jan. 15). At Nina’s Nook in Turners Falls, little people, pets, and creatures are looking for homes thanks to an exhibit called Wee the People (through Dec. 31). And at the Shelburne Arts Co-Op in Shelburne Falls, the Wintry Mix collection shows off holiday group work by member artists (through Jan. 23). There’s plenty more places to stop in, up and down the Valley. Check out the Art listings section, or ask around to discover your next favorite hideaway for local creative works. 

— Hunter Styles,  hstyles@valleyadvocate.com