***PLEASE NOTE: this page is under construction. Please scroll down below to view upcoming events!***
This Events page lists all events offered through the Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley. Please visit our Classes calendar for classes and workshops! Events and programs offered by our building partners Northampton Open Media and A.P.E. Ltd. can be found on their websites.
Come join us at Northampton Center for the Arts for our 1st Noho Tea Dance! on May 25th from 2 to 4 PM.
Masks are required for the first hour to ensure a welcoming and inclusive vibe for everyone. Masks are encouraged for the remainder of the event although not required.
Admission: $10 — $20, sliding scale at the door
* We honor the wonderful diversity of all of our rainbow family and want to make clear that trans women and non-binary folk are part of our Community and are always welcome and included.
SAVE-THE-DATE!
Linda Shear Singer Songwriter
Straw Dog Writers Guild invites you to this benefit concert by singer-songwriter Linda Shear at 4 pm on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at the Northampton Center for the Arts, 33 Hawley St.
Linda is a singer-songwriter and pianist, with music at the center of her heart and life. In the early 70s, she performed in Chicago at the first out-lesbian concert in the U.S. Linda toured with her band, Family of Woman, and played solo in bars, clubs, coffee houses, and festivals, including the main stage at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. Linda’s songs come from deep in her heart, and she invites you into that heart when she performs in celebration of love, social justice, and the power of authenticity.
Alice Robbins, a performer on both baroque cello and viola da gamba with Early Music ensembles world-wide, is a founding member of the Arcadia Players of western Massachusetts. A graduate of Indiana University and the Schola Cantorum of Basel, Switzerland, she also taught at Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges in the Five College Early Music Program since 1979. She now is venturing to explore other musical activities along with serving on the boards of Arcadia Players, Viola da Gamba Society of America, and as president of the VdgS-New England.
“They stay with you, these beautiful songs of Linda Shear; the tunes linger, and the lyrics take you places to remember and to emotions, you'll know. And her performances are so compelling. I have often said that if I played the piano, I would want to play it like Linda."
~Dan Crary, Bluegrass guitarist and 2022 awardee of the Lifetime Achievement award from the International Bluegrass Music Association
Watch a video of Linda's song: Morning Prayer
For more information and to buy your ticket (seating is limited): https://givebutter.com/lindashearSDWG
We hope to see you there!
2025 Creative Sector Summit presented by MASSCreative
Learning, Organizing, and Realizing a Creative Massachusetts for All.
The Creative Sector Summit is an annual convening of cultural thought leaders, artists, creatives, policy advocates, educators, culture bearers, arts administrators, teaching artists, and public officials. The 2025 Creative Sector Summit theme is Meeting the Moment: Creative Advocacy and Cultural Organizing for Stronger Communities.
Expect insightful cross-sector panel conversations and an inspiring keynote address. Choose from 16 participatory workshops to strengthen the impact and broaden the reach of the arts and cultural sector across the Commonwealth. If you are a member of the arts and cultural community and ready to work across regions, issues, and sectors to build stronger coalitions, solidarity, and political power, this Summit is for you! We welcome artists, creatives, cultural organizations, creative small business owners, civic and community leaders and arts and cultural supporters.
This year’s Summit is scheduled for Friday, June 6, 2025 at the Northampton Center for the Arts. Doors will open at 10 AM for networking and a light breakfast. The formal program will run from 11 AM to 5 PM.
To register, please visit: https://www.mass-creative.org/events/creative-sector-summit-2025
We strive to make access to the Creative Sector Summit as inclusive and accessible as possible. If ticket pricing is beyond your means, please email info@mass-creative.org to request a scholarship to cover registration costs.
Please join the Northampton Center for the Arts, A.P.E. Ltd., and Northampton Open Media at 33 Hawley for an opening reception with refreshments and live music during Arts Night Out on Friday, 6/13, from 5:00-8:00 pm!
The Northampton Center for the Arts presents there’s nothing wrong with love. Experience the transformative power of art where the works of Sunny Allis and Jae Southerland explore their imagined world of Love, in this context, as a celebration of desire and connection, and our muster point in a world on fire.
Join us at the Split Level Gallery for the Queernology & Naturepunk, where artists Emet Aron and JT Phillips take you on a journey through an imagined past, present, and future of queer existence. Discover these combined artists story as they works map a queer cosmology that spans myth and machine.
NOHO Art Club
Head downstairs to Eli’s Room for a Noho Art Club meet-up from 5:00-7:30 PM hosted by Paige Quinn-Vasic! Come play with collage and gelli plate printing, and check out Paige’s felt sushi demo, an original wet felting technique offered as a workshop through the Center!
Summer Bonus!
Please join NCFA from 7:30-9:30pm in the Courtyard for 33 Outside, our annual summer block party! 33 Outside is an outdoor, family-friendly, community dance party, free and open to the public, where DJs from the Peace & Rhythm collective spin, “head-nodding, feel-good, body-moving music.” These artists blend styles and genres and are responsive to the crowd, creating a joyful collaborative energy!
All exhibits can also be seen during open hours Wednesday through Saturday, 12-7 p.m. More information about the Barn Door Gallery can be found here.
33 Outside is the vision of our board member, Carlos Rec McBride, a multimedia artist, educator, and DJ. He imagined an outdoor, family-friendly, community dance party at 33 Hawley, free and open to the public, where DJs from the Peace & Rhythm collective would spin, “head-nodding, feel-good, body-moving music.” These artists blend styles and genres and are responsive to the crowd, creating a joyful collaborative energy.
Food trucks will be serving delicious treats starting at 6 pm!
Beer, wine, hard seltzer, and non-alcoholic beverages will also be available for purchase in our Beer Garden.
See you there! We can’t wait to dance with you!
33 Outside is made possible by City of Northampton ARPA funds.
SUMMER ARTS NIGHT OUT BONUS! Please join the Northampton Center for the Arts, A.P.E. Ltd., and Northampton Open Media indoors from 5:00-8:00 pm for Arts Night Out featuring receptions for each month’s art exhibits in the Barn Door Gallery and Split Level Gallery. Arts Night Out reception includes live music and free refreshments.
Join us for an exciting day of chess as players of all levels come together to compete in the Greater Baystate Spring Classic! This tournament promises intense matches, strategic gameplay, and the chance to showcase your skills. Ensure you have an active U.S. Chess Federation membership to compete. Late arrivals will receive a half-point bye for the first round and will be paired in the second round. Don’t miss out on potential discounts for early registration! Prepare your equipment and bring your best strategies to the board. There’s no better way to challenge yourself and enjoy the game you love!
Good luck, and we look forward to seeing you there!
For more info and to sign up:
GREATER BAYSTATE CHESS
Email: greater.baystate.chess@gmail.com
Phone: 413 356 0303
Website: https://www.greaterbaystatechess.com
Active, current U.S. Chess Federation Membership Required
$3,675 Prize Fund Guaranteed!
Prizes: Open: 1ST $500; 2ND: $300; TOP U2200: $250
U2000: 1ST $300; 2ND $200; TOP U1850 $175 (No Unrated)
U1700: 1ST$300; 2ND $200; TOP U1550 $175 (No Unrated)
U1400: 1ST $200; 2ND $150; TOP U1200 $125 (No Unrated)
Unrated Prize limits: U1400 To U2000; 1st $200 2nd $100
Clear 1ST In Open: $100 Bonus; Top Female: $200 Bonus
One $125 Scholastic bonus prize only for each of the following four categories:
Top Grades: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12
No U1900 or unrated in the open section
Registration: 8-9 am cut off On-site. Late Entrants will receive Round 1 Half Point Bye and be paired in Round 2
Format:
4ss, G/60; d10
30 Sets, Clocks, Scoresheets & Pens will be provided
*Please bring your own Sets in case of a shortage*
Players assigned black pieces have a choice of equipment that round
Rounds: 10 am Lunch, 1:15 pm, 3:45 pm, 6:15 pm or ASAP
Limit of one 1/2 point Bye; Specify Round with Entry or before Round 2 pairing
Entries:
U.S.C.F Membership required may be purchased at registration
GMS, IMS, WIMS, & WGMS FREE
FIDE & NATIONAL MASTER DISCOUNT: $10.
Unrated $20 Discount
WMCA & MACA members $5 Discount
Advance Entry fee Timetable:
• By 2/28; $30 Discount
• By 3/31; $20 Discount
• By 4/30; $10 discount
Entry Fee: 5/1 Up To At Site: Rated $100; U1200 & Unrated $80. (Before FM, NM, MACA & WMCA Discounts). Cash, PayPal, or Venmo Only. No Checks
Lexicon is an evening of developing and revisited dance works by choreographer Barbie Diewald and her collaborators. The program opens with Seven Sundays, a solo Diewald originally choreographed and performed in 2014, now performed by Mount Holyoke College student Robyn Pilecki. Next, Diewald joins longtime collaborator Meredith Bove in an untitled duet exploring intimacy, distance, voice, and familial histories. The evening culminates in a preview of Lexicon, an ongoing work begun in 2023. A companion to Diewald’s archival research on queer and lesbian aesthetics, Lexicon reflects a deeply collaborative process with Massachusetts and New York based artists Julia Antinozzi, Gabby Carmichael, Ellie Goudie-Averill, Leah Fournier, Chloe London, and Jenna Riegel.
* Audience members may pay what they can for tickets, no questions asked. Tickets purchased on the upper end of the sliding scale help support our ongoing commitment to accessibility and sliding scale models.
Originally from the midwest, Barbie Diewald is a dancer, choreographer and Assistant Professor of Dance at Mount Holyoke College. She is a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow in Choreography and New England Foundation for the Arts New Work New England Grant Recipient. Her dances have been presented in New York at BAM, the 92nd Street Y, Movement Research at the Judson Church, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, University Settlement, The Center for Performance Research, The Chocolate Factory, and The Kitchen, and in New England at the Academy of Music Theatre, A.P.E Gallery, The School for Contemporary Dance and Thought, High Street Studios, Motion State Arts Festival, and MAGMA (Movement Arts Gloucester). Diewald has developed her work through residencies at Jacob’s Pillow, Bates Dance Festival, the Bogliasco Foundation, The Iron Factory, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Cleveland School for the Arts, Ponderosa, Subcircle and SILO at Kirkland Farm. She is a recent Jacob’s Pillow faculty research fellow, and has presented her research at conferences held by the Dance Studies Association, National Dance Education Organization, and International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association. Diewald holds a BFA in Theatre from Millikin University and MFA in Dance from Smith College.www.barbiediewald.com
Please join the Northampton Center for the Arts, A.P.E. Ltd., and Northampton Open Media at 33 Hawley for an opening reception with refreshments and live music during Arts Night Out on Friday 5/9 from 5:00-8:00 pm!
The Northampton Center for the Arts presents softedge. Experience the transformative power of art where the works of Lena Mac and Rae Heller explore the delicate balance between beauty and pain, hope and despair. Delve into the soft edge of healing and human experience, and find a space where joy and grief coexist.
Join us at the Split Level Gallery for the Northampton High School student show and senior show, Playground! From stunning portraiture to captivating still life and impressive sculptures, the Northampton High School students have poured their creativity into an inspiring showcase of their work.
Live Music by Ruth Kendall
Ruth Kendall is a senior at Smith College, specializing in vocal performance, songwriting, and music production. Influenced by her gospel upbringing, she blends heartfelt lyricism with R&B textures. Since her first year, she has been a member of the Smiffenpoofs, Smith’s a cappella group, and has performed her original work at Carnegie Hall and other notable events. Ruth has released two original singles and collaborates with Grammy-nominated producer Troy Chester. After graduation, she plans to continue writing, performing, and growing her audience. You can find her music on Spotify and YouTube, with more to come soon.
NOHO Art Club
Head downstairs to Eli’s Room for a Noho Art Club meet-up from 5:00-7:30 PM hosted by Paige Quinn-Vasic! Come play with collage and gelli plate printing, and check out Paige’s felt sushi demo, an original wet felting technique offered as a workshop through the Center!
All exhibits can also be seen during open hours Wednesday through Saturday, 12-7 p.m. More information about the Barn Door Gallery can be found here.
Community Forum: Northampton's History with Housing Discrimination
Guest Speaker: Dr. Ousmane Power-Greene
Wednesday, May 7 from 5:30 to 7 PM
Tickets: up to $20 at Community Forum: Northampton's History with Housing Discrimination
Please join Dr. Ousmane Power-Greene, the E. Franklin Frazier Professor of Africana Studies and Professor of History at Clark University to discuss the history of housing discrimination in Western Massachusetts. Professor Power-Greene will place the most recent efforts to eradicate discriminatory housing policies and practices within the context of the long movement toward achieving equal rights in the United States.
Light refreshments will be provided.
Event details and ways to RSVP can be found here — https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/fair-housing-forum-northamptons-history-with-housing-discrimination
Please email anguyen@massfairhousing.org if you have any questions or need any accommodations.
PLEASE NOTE THE VENUE CHANGE! THIS EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE AT 25 MAIN ST (ABOVE FITZWILLY’S)
A Northampton Pride 2025 Party / Club Experience! Be transported to another world after Pride festivities: Full bar, 2 DJs, huge dance floor, chill lounge. Come show your colors May 3rd 8pm>1am. $10 pre-10pm / $15 after. 18+
Remember when a phone was a phone, not a newspaper, a computer, a GPS, a game of solitaire, or a spycam? Come be part of OBIE award-winning playwright and performer Deb Margolin's newest work in progress "A Brief History of the Telephone." Deb insists that when a young person's phone rings, they call the police, because they never heard that sound before. Is that you?
Let's chit chat and chew the fat, as Deb explores a lifelong passion for the sexy, disembodied possibilities of talking with friends and strangers on the phone. At this show, not only can you leave your hat on, you can leave your phone on! You can call Deb during the show if you want! Let's bring talking to people back in fashion! Live and in-person, Deb Margolin...she's a smooth operator.
This performance can only be seen with a VIP ticket to Revelry at 33. Seating is limited, so please get your tickets in advance!
Click your heels and follow the yellow brick road to Revelry at 33: There’s No Place Like Home, the fourth annual fundraiser for the Northampton Center for the Arts (NCFA), happening Saturday, April 26 from 7:00 to 10:30pm in the Center’s stunning home at 33 Hawley Street. This year’s Emerald City-themed celebration honors our longtime and beloved board member Dorothy Nemetz, who is retiring from the board this month. Dorothy has been an invaluable part of the success of NCFA, as well as the Northampton Community Arts Trust and the arts community more broadly.
Revelry at 33 brings the magic of community and creativity together under one roof, featuring:
Live music throughout the evening from Now’s the Time Jazz Ensemble, Kim Chin-Gibbons, and Tony Silva
Short performances by Sherine Khatoun and the Emerald City Dancers, poetry-on-the-spot by Dane Kuttler, and tarot in Heather’s Parlor
Art sales from over 35 local artists (yes, you can take a piece of the magic home!)
An online and in-person silent auction full of unique and exciting items (NOW LIVE!)
Delicious bites and desserts by Seth Mias Catering, and signature cocktails crafted just for the occasion
Join the VIP Experience: Remember when a phone was a phone, not a newspaper, a computer, a GPS, a game of solitaire, or a spycam? Guests who opt for VIP tickets will be treated to a 6:00pm private performance of “A Brief History of the Telephone,” a brand-new play by Obie Award-winning playwright Deb Margolin.
Tickets for this signature event are available online and we appreciate your advance purchase! Standard tickets are $75, and VIP tickets are $100. Tickets will still be available online in advance through April 25th, and at the door on the 26th.
For 40 years, the Northampton Center for the Arts has been a cornerstone for creatives across the Valley, providing affordable space, arts education, events and a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration. Your support helps ensure the NCFA continues to thrive and serve the community for years to come. Whether you're a lover of the arts or just looking for a fabulous night out, Revelry at 33 promises an unforgettable evening. So come hungry, come curious, and come ready to celebrate—because There’s No Place Like Home.
Join artist Mark Guglielmo for a Community Conversation entitled “Italians and Whiteness in the United States” on Saturday, April 19 from 4-5 pm in the gallery featuring his dear sister Jennifer Guglielmo (Professor of History, Smith College), and good friend Heshima Moja (Musician, Composer, Sonic Architect).
More about the exhibit can be found here!
Join us on Friday 4/11 from 2-4pm for an afternoon exploring the connections between art and community engagement. Local artists Paige Quinn-Vasic, Michael Sjostedt, and Maddie McDougall will share their work and participate in a panel discussion focused on the pressing importance of making and teaching in the local arts ecosystem. This event is a collaboration between the Northampton Center for the Arts and the Smith College Teaching Artists Program through the Jandon Education Initiative. It was created as a vehicle to connect Smith students with local teaching artists and is free and open to the public!
Please join the Northampton Center for the Arts, A.P.E. Ltd., and Northampton Open Media at 33 Hawley for an opening reception with refreshments and live music during Arts Night Out on Friday, 4/11, from 5:00-8:00 pm!
The Northampton Center for the Arts presents Portraits of My People by Mark Guglielmo. Discover how Guglielmo utilizes archival photographs and vibrant collages to confront the evolving identities of Southern Italians. With a keen critique of contemporary social issues, his work challenges us to reflect on the costs of racial identity, especially in today's socio-political climate.
Join us at the Split Level Gallery for the NCFA’s captivating fundraising exhibit, Revelry at 33: No Place Like Home. Experience the creativity and talent of over 30 local artists as they showcase their incredible work. Don’t miss this chance to support the arts and immerse yourself in the vibrant local culture!
Live Music by Mary Witt & Annie Patterson
Annie Patterson and Mary Witt love to sing and play together. They blend their soulful voices in swing, jazz, blues, folk, and Motown with guitar, bass, cajon, and banjo.
Annie is the co-creator of the popular songbook Rise Up Singing. She brings years of songleading and working for change to all her performances. Annie sings with the Swing band Girls from Mars (Philly-based). More about Annie: Rise Up and Sing. Mary Witt, singer, bass player, and bandleader for The O-Tones, lends her alto voice and grooving bass playing from 30 years performing weddings, parties, fundraisers, and more with the band, as well as growing up singing sister harmonies.
NOHO Art Club
Head downstairs to Eli’s Room for a Noho Art Club meet-up from 5:00-7:30 PM hosted by Paige Quinn-Vasic! Come play with collage and gelli plate printing, and check out Paige’s felt sushi demo, an original wet felting technique offered as a workshop through the Center!
All exhibits can also be seen during open hours Wednesday through Saturday, 12-7 p.m. More information about the Barn Door Gallery can be found here.
Is Twelfth Night a playful comedy of disguise, or does it explore deeper questions of gender identity and trauma? Are Cesario and Viola simply cross-dressed, or do they challenge the gender binary altogether? This interactive presentation with Alexa Alice Joubin delves into speech acts, performativity, and queer dramaturgy, examining how performances of Twelfth Night can be interpreted through a trans lens to think about body dysphoria, harassment, and homelessness.
Join Professor Alexa Alice Joubin, Director of the Digital Humanities Institute at George Washington University, inaugural bell hooks Legacy Award recipient, and co-founder of MIT Global Shakespeare’s digital performance archive, as she explores how Twelfth Night redefines identity and challenges heteronormative storytelling.
Don’t miss this insightful event—register now to join the conversation!
To reregister and make a donation, click here:
Winner of eight Tony Awards in 2007, including Best Musical, Spring Awakening is a groundbreaking show by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater that explores the tumultuous journey from adolescence to adulthood. With what Entertainment Weekly called “the most gorgeous Broadway score this decade,” this electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality, and rock and roll is unforgettable.
Set in 19th-century Germany, Spring Awakening follows a group of teenagers discovering their inner and outer worlds amidst the strict confines of their repressive society. Their poignant and passionate stories unfold in a stunning mix of raw emotion, heartbreak, and hope that continues to resonate with audiences today.
Spring Awakening contains mentions of abortion, verbal and sexual abuse, adult language, as well as depictions of suicide, partial nudity, and sexual content. This production is not recommended for audience members under the age of 13.
For tickets ($29.49 General Admission), please visit https://www.ketg.org/spring-awakening.html
Please join the Northampton Center for the Arts, A.P.E. Ltd., and Northampton Open Media at 33 Hawley for an opening reception with refreshments and live music during Arts Night Out on Friday, 2/14, from 5:00-8:00 pm!
The Northampton Center for the Arts presents El Telar De Un Sueño by Pamela Acosta, featuring a varied collection of illustrations, paintings, mixed media, and paper-cut art. The exhibit El Telar De Un Sueño or Looming Dreams intertwines figurative narratives with visual poetry and elements of magical realism, highlighting the beauty of nature.
A.P.E. Ltd. presents Hydroponically Speaking by Katie Jurkiewicz, which promises to be a powerful and thought-provoking exhibition, offering a unique perspective on nature’s beauty and fragility. Jurkiewicz’s use of color and form brings the natural world to life in ways that are at once striking and serene.
Live Music by Nora Borealis and the SureFireCure
Nora Borealis (they/she) is a Western MA Valley area soprano, multi-instrumental singer-songwriter, & voice teacher. Expect vocal harmonies + lush chords + lyrics that walk the slack-line between an existential void and the sublime cosmic flow of all things. Wherever you are, they hope you will take the plunge and sing more, especially with your chosen family. You can find them on Bandcamp, and on Spotify as SureFire Cure.
Nora Borealis and the SureFireCure is a rotating scene of folk and Polyjamerous musicians supporting each others' projects and creating community wherever they roam.
NOHO Art Club
Head downstairs to Eli’s Room for a Noho Art Club meet-up from 5:00-7:30 PM hosted by Paige Quinn-Vasic! Come play with collage and gelli plate printing, and check out Paige’s felt sushi demo, an original wet felting technique offered as a workshop through the Center!
All exhibits can also be seen during open hours Wednesday through Saturday, 12-7 p.m. More information about the Barn Door Gallery can be found here and the Split Level Gallery can be found here.