Cross Town Contemporary Art Exhibition to Open July 1

XTCA co-curator Sandy Litchfield with Tom Friedman’s “Ghost Shed.”
XTCA co-curator Sandy Litchfield with Tom Friedman’s “Ghost Shed.”

North Pleasant Street between campus and downtown Amherst takes on the added role of art and culture bridge on Sunday, July 1 when the Cross Town Contemporary Art (XTCA) exhibition officially opens.

A dozen outdoor public sculptures have been installed over the past month along the North Pleasant Street corridor from the Fine Arts Center area of campus to downtown’s Kendrick Park. They will remain in place for public viewing until Nov. 1.

XTCA organizers say, “The exhibition seeks to reveal our interconnectedness as citizens and to highlight the gateway district” between downtown Amherst and the university, as well as to generate a robust public dialogue about the value of art and culture in building community.

The exhibition will be celebrated with a reception Sept. 21 at the University Museum of Contemporary Art (UMCA). A daylong symposium will be held Sept. 22 in the John W. Olver Design Building to be followed by a parade from UMCA to downtown Amherst. Other related events will be announced.

Organized and curated by Loretta Yarlow, UMCA director, and Sandy Litchfield, assistant professor in the department of architecture, the exhibition represents a partnership among UMCA, the architecture department and the Town of Amherst.

Artists and projects are:

Around the Fine Arts Center and on upper Massachusetts Avenue

  • Collective LOK, “Framing”
  • Rob Swainston, “Free the Press”
  • Naomi Darling and Darrell Petit, “Solar Time”
  • Josephine Halvorson, “Tree Measure (Amherst)”

North Pleasant Street across from Massachusetts Avenue

  • Pamela Matsuda-Dunn, “Bridging Our Community”
  • Roberly Bell, “A Visitor and One Other”

North Pleasant Street at the former Fraternity Green

  • Tom Friedman, “Ghost Shed”
  • Benjamin S. Jones, “All the Time in the World”

Kendrick Park, Downtown Amherst

  • Erika Zekos, “Common Sounding”
  • Sarah Braman, “Day Trip”
  • Harold Grinspoon, “Family Reunion”
  • Gary Orlinsky “Gioco”

In addition, the exhibition is partnering with Building Bridges, the ongoing public arts and engagement initiative that aims to create connections between campus community members. A special Building Bridges exhibit will open in the UMCA Gallery on Sept.12.

Exhibition information, brochures and downloadable audio tours are scheduled to be available online July 1 at fac.umass.edu/UMCA/Online

Exhibition brochures are scheduled to be available July 3 at Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce-BID, 35 South Pleasant St., Amherst.

Sponsors include: The UMass President’s Office; Berkshire Taconic Foundation; UMass Amherst Office of External Relations; Amherst Business Improvement District; Five College Credit Union; and Massachusetts Cultural Council, Amherst Cultural Council.