By Jessica Schultz
Western New York isn’t all cities and suburbs, there is an amazing rural landscape that plays host to a variety of interesting shops and stops. Why not take a great weekend to explore those options? The North Shore Alliance invites the members of our communities to come out and visit the Chautauqua-Lake Erie Art Trail for the annual Art Trail Hub Crawl September 3-4 from 10-5pm each day. The Villager had the opportunity to speak with President, Marcia Merrins about the upcoming Hub Crawl and what inspired the event.
The Villager (V): What is the North Shore Arts Alliance?
Marcia (M): “North Shore Arts Alliance was founded about thirteen years ago by a group of artists with the mission to promote, mentor, and encourage visual artists of all disciplines in Chautauqua County. The organization has grown significantly since then and membership in the alliance includes local artists and community members who can join for a nominal fee. All administrative work is done by volunteers and the funds raised go directly to the promotion of Alliance artists and to arts scholarships for local college-bound seniors. Their signature event is the Chautauqua-Lake Erie Art Trail, a driving trail that brings patrons directly to the homes, studios and galleries of many of the artists in the Alliance. They call it the “Art Trail Hub Crawl” because many stops on the trail are “hubs” where you can see the works of multiple artists at a time.”
V: This event was born way back in 2009, what was the inspiration?
M: “The Art Trail Hub Crawl serves as an economic driver for Chautauqua County with patrons arriving in from across the state, and many from the bordering state of Pennsylvania as well, to come and seek a totally unique, original work of art. While many recognize the Chautauqua area for Chautauqua Institution, many tourists as well as many from the local community, are drawn specifically to the Art Hub Crawl for its accessibility and its direct connection to the artists themselves.”
V: Is there anything new for 2022?
M: This year’s second Art Trail Hub Crawl will take place on September 3-4 from 10am-5pm. There are fourteen “hubs” on the trail with art that ranges from paintings to textiles and the hubs are scattered from Fredonia through Westfield and Bemus Point down to Jamestown. It is well worth the stop on your Labor Day weekend to check out this unique event, meet the talented artists in the North Shore Arts Alliance, and perhaps find a new piece of art to take back home with you. Building on the changes from last year, which included our interactive map, and developing a QR code, we have created a “passport”. Visitors will get a unique stamp for each stop. When the “passport” is fully stamped, patrons are entered into a drawing to win $300 worth of artwork by artists on the trail.”
V: How many artists will be participating and in what mediums?
M: “We have 24 artists this year. Among them we have Lisa Ann Eppolito (Fredonia) who makes functional wood and soda-fired pottery, Melissa Meyers (Bemus Point) a nature inspired artist who works in traditional and more unique mediums, myself (Marcia Merrins, Fredonia) that works in wood fired and raku animal pieces, Thomas Annear (Fredonia) a plein air painter who captures the unique weather patterns and natural resources of WNY, Karen Glosser (Westfield) a photographer inspired by the wonder and awe of nature and so many more that specialize in paintings, sculpting, stained glass and photography.”
V: The North Shore Arts Alliance’s goal is to “Keep Art Personal”; what does that mean exactly?
M: “The event is a unique occasion to get an amazing look into the creative processes of highly skilled and talented artists, all located within the boundary of Chautauqua County. Tourists from nearby states, and local community members are drawn to The Art Hub Crawl for its accessibility and its direct connection to the artists themselves. Mark your calendar for this event, it takes place rain or shine, support our local art community and take a day to just enjoy.”
Thank you, Marcia, for taking the time to speak with us and for sharing so many great details on the Art Trail Hub Crawl. Find more information about the Art Trail Hub Crawl at nsaachautauqua.org.