Second annual Bridge of Flowers Art Show & Sale to feature 100-plus works

Ashfield painter Nina Anderson Coler’s watercolor piece, “Looking at Clouds,” which was displayed at the inaugural Bridge of Flowers Art Show & Sale in 2023. Anderson Coler is a returning artist at this year’s event.

Ashfield painter Nina Anderson Coler’s watercolor piece, “Looking at Clouds,” which was displayed at the inaugural Bridge of Flowers Art Show & Sale in 2023. Anderson Coler is a returning artist at this year’s event. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Carroll Durand’s “The Bridge of Flowers,” pastel on paper, was displayed at the inaugural Bridge of Flowers Art Show and Sale in 2023.

Carroll Durand’s “The Bridge of Flowers,” pastel on paper, was displayed at the inaugural Bridge of Flowers Art Show and Sale in 2023. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

A piece by Ashfield painter Nina Anderson Coler, who will be showing her work at this year’s Bridge of Flowers Art Show & Sale. Anderson Coler is a returning artist, having also participated in the inaugural event in 2023.

A piece by Ashfield painter Nina Anderson Coler, who will be showing her work at this year’s Bridge of Flowers Art Show & Sale. Anderson Coler is a returning artist, having also participated in the inaugural event in 2023. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

By VIRGINIA RAY

For the Recorder

Published: 08-14-2024 10:35 AM

Modified: 08-14-2024 6:59 PM


SHELBURNE FALLS — The Bridge of Flowers Committee will host the second annual Bridge of Flowers Art Show & Sale on Saturday, Aug. 17, and Sunday, Aug. 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m at the Shelburne-Buckland Community Center on Main Street.

An opening reception will take place on Friday, Aug. 16, from 5 to 8 p.m.

According to Bridge of Flowers Committee Chair Annette Szpila, the inaugural event in 2023 saw “a wonderful turnout.” Organizers were left feeling “happily exhausted by the end of the show,” she said, following their efforts to secure the art and create a high-quality display for visitors.

This year’s event will feature more than 100 works — including paintings, drawings, photography and fiber art — by hilltown artists. The show and reception are free to attend, though all art exhibited will be for sale, with 50% to 100% of sale proceeds benefiting the Bridge of Flowers. The bridge is undergoing a roughly $3 million repair project before its gardens are replanted for the 2025 spring/summer season.

“Last year’s show was very warmly embraced by the community and we decided to make the Art Show & Sale an annual event,” plein air painter and show co-organizer Ann Lofquist said. “We will have pieces for sale in all price ranges, from emerging artists to established professionals.”

When the Bridge of Flowers closed in late June for the start of repair work, committee members were able to save many sections of the bridge garden’s iconic wisteria, which will be auctioned off. This year’s event will also feature a silent auction.

Some artists are returning for a second year and others are exhibiting at the Bridge of Flowers Art Show & Sale for the first time.

Ashfield painter Nina Anderson Coler, who is back for a second year, said she enjoyed the first event, “both as an artist and as an attendee.”

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“The quality of all the work was inspirational,” Anderson Coler recalled.

“What could be more fun than a bunch of local artists and makers getting together and showing their wares for the benefit of one of the town’s greatest expressions of beauty?” said pastel artist Carroll Durand. “It’s just a wonderful experience.”

Virginia Ray serves on the Bridge of Flowers Committee in the role of secretary and spearheading publicity.