Gallery 25, Union Street neighbor to project spearheading organization Barrington Stage, will be a proud participant in Pittsfield’s first ever “10×10 On North” winter arts festival. In keeping with the “10×10” contemporary theme, the quaint and storied gallery will host an exciting show of 10 new works of art by 10 of its most celebrated artists. The show, entitled “10x10x25”, will run for the duration of the festival, which takes place February 16 through 26. Gallery hours are 12-5 each day. An opening reception with the artists will take place on Friday, February 17, 5-7PM, 25 Union Street, Pittsfield.

With a broad range of approaches and styles, the focus here will be on painters, though elements of mixed media will certainly be present. The artists that will be showing work include Marguerite Bride, Joan Palano Ciolfi, Ellen Joffe-Halpern, Jackie Kearns, Art On No founder Annie Laurie, Gallery 25 director Leo Mazzeo, Sean McCusker, Lisa Merullo, Scott Taylor, and Rosemary Wessel. A fitting venue for an arresting lot, Gallery 25 is. From the shingled roof located within its interior to its boarded up window walls, the space is an ideal match for a contemporary visual arts show.

For more information on Gallery 25, please visit their website or “like” them on Facebook. Gallery 25 proprietor Mary McGinnis may be reached via (413)464-2127. Gallery 25 director Leo Mazzeo may be reached via l-mazzeo@hotmail.com or (413)281-6665.

A rare timeout from Marge Bride. Photograph by Nicholas DeCandia.

Joan Palano Ciolfi works on a commission. Photograph by Nicholas De Candia.

Ellen Joffe-Halpern begins a piece in Art On No studio #11.

“Farmer’s Market”, mixed media, 28″x22″. (c)Ellen Joffe-Halpern.

“Cube”, oil on furniture, 26″x22″x16″. (c)Jackie Kearns.

Art On No founder, Annie Laurie.

Gallery 25 director, Leo Mazzeo. Photograph by Nicholas De Candia.

“Secret Punch”, super heavy body gesso, spray paint, and oil on canvas, 36″x24″. (c)Leo Mazzeo.

Sean McCusker works intently in his Lichtenstein Center for the Arts studio.

“Hills”, oil on panel, 10″x8″. (c)Sean McCusker.

Work in progress from Lisa Merullo.

Scott Taylor cheerfully displays “Concordance”.

“Concordance”, acrylic on canvas, 40″x30″. (c)Scott Taylor.

“Dawning”, plaster cast, fabric, ceramics, wire, plastic, latex molding, and oil on canvas, 21″x25″x9″. (c)Rosemary Wessel.

Gallery 25 will present a new exhibition featuring the work of oil painter and designer, Joan Palano Ciolfi. An artist reception will take place from 5-7 pm on Friday, November 25 at the gallery located at 25 Union Street, Pittsfield. The exhibit, entitled “25”, will feature a series of festive vintage dress paintings.

Ciolfi‘s paintings are gorgeously expressive oils which push realistic subject matter towards the brink of abstraction; an abandoned building, a summer storm, a red dress. The pieces are vibrant and atmospheric and painted with distinctive rhythms to create dramatic and intriguing renditions of intricate objects and selective landscape elements. Her use of simple images and a powerful interplay of light convey a wonderful sense of stillness and understated beauty.

Ciolfi received a BFA from Southeastern Massachusetts University with a focus on graphic design. She has worked as a textile and wall covering designer for numerous national brands and as a freelance artist for clients throughout the northeast. Her experiences show through in the choices of colors and textures in her work.

Gallery 25 is located across the street from Barrington Stage at 25 Union Street, Pittsfield, MA. Hours are Thursday through Saturday, 12-5PM. More information about the artist may be found on her website: www.joanpalanociolfi.com. “25” is free and open to the public.

Nicholas De Candia will show a career-spanning potpourri of photography work at Gallery 25, 25 Union Street, Pittsfield, MA. The exhibit, entitled “This That Then”, will preview on October 20, Pittsfield’s final “3rd Thursday” of the season. An artist reception will be held at the gallery the following week on Friday,October 28, 5-7PM.

Nicholas De Candia was an adjunct photography instructor at Berkshire Community College for 30 years and also taught photography at Southern Vermont College and MCLA. While a photo technician and photographer at The Berkshire Eagle for three and a half years, he had a bi-weekly column called “Window on the Berkshires” in Berkshires Week, a supplement to the Eagle. De Candia was also a photographer at the North Adams Transcript and public relations photographer at Berkshire Medical Center and Hillcrest Hospital.

As a recipient of numerous grants from the Northern Berkshire Cultural Council, De Candia’s projects have included: “To Care,” a photo essay about the Christian Center of Pittsfield, which exhibited at the Berkshire Museum and the State House in Boston; “Facing Berkshires Heritage,” a permanent installation of banner-type photos depicting the life and people of the Berkshires at the Berkshire Atheneum; “First Steps,” a photo essay of the teenage mothers and their children living at Redfield House, Pittsfield; “Helen Duke Has Alzheimer’s Disease,” a photo collage with recorded narrative about Alzheimer’s Disease, shown at Berkshire Community College and various Alzheimer’s support group functions; and “Bittersweet,” a photo montage of patients at Berkshire Medical Center, commissioned by the president of Berkshire Medical Center.

Gallery 25 is located across the street from Barrington Stage, 25 Union Street, Pittsfield, MA. Hours are Thursday through Saturday, 12-5PM and one hour before every Barrington Stage show. “This That Then” is free and open to the public.

“Chute”, photograph. (c)Nicholas De Candia.