#sulfurbooks

[asamustardseed]

Main Street Arts

God’s grace has been ABUNDANTLY exposed throughout this pandemic and in various ways. For some of us, it’s as simple as time spent with a family member who has been laid off. For others, more outdoor walks when travel isn’t exactly an option. For how very wrong the turn into electronics can go, I myself have been exposed to the beautiful side of options like zoom. One of those options has been provided (and greatly appreciated by me!) by Main Street Arts in Clifton Springs, NY, about 45 minutes north east of my town. 

Not only is this an amazing and every changing gallery that you absolutely MUST see but the youth programming provided for our kids during this pandemic is unmatched. Brad and Pam have given those who can’t be in studio a chance to experience the gallery and learn art technique virtually but in a very virtual reality way as Brad often handholds his phone during our zoom meetings to take Addison and Gavin “through” the exhibits as if they were there. They make their way through the paintings and Brad “takes” them upstairs so it’s as if we are right there with the class. 

Fortunately, we have been able to schedule visits to the gallery to see the work live and in living color, texture, and vibrancy. The kids are currently in their second session but I have some photos here of their first session which included both working with air drying clay as well as multimedia artwork using markers, colored pencils and pastels. At a reasonable cost, you can purchase a generous art kit when you register which can be used for any and all of the sessions. If you do end up taking their sessions virtually, your kids can look forward to seeing unique exhibits and interacting with Pam, Brad and the in house students while learning new ways of creating!

An amazing bonus to visiting this gallery is enjoying this gorgeous town. I feel like I’m stepping back in time whenever we are there. I highly recommend planning a visit to the exhibits followed by a meal across the street at Warfield’s Restaurant and Bakery (I’ve had amazing dishes and desserts here - HIGHLY RECOMMEND)! There is a lovely bookstore down the street called Sulfur Books that I absolutely loved and went on a surprise shopping spree recently. On our way over we passed an old timey barbershop, a pizza joint which I can only imagine from the line has the best local NY style slices, a comic store, hardware store and so on. We were there on a Saturday evening so most of these places were closing up but I can see enjoying a wonderful afternoon in Clifton Springs gushing over the architecture, the shops and the whole eclectic scene in this storybook town. When in a pandemic, seek out places like this! 

#tools for tots #main street arts #sulfurbooks #warfields restaurant and bakery simple thoughts #art #art gallery #exhibits #simple thoughts

[sonolucent]

#cultivateawe : Interest. Congratulations to @sulfurbooks, whose Grand Opening was tonight. Sulfur Books is now owned by @mainstreetarts, a non-profit arts organization in Clifton Springs. Tonight @bbradleybutler, Main Street Arts Executive Director and Curator talked about the (100 year-old) new bookstore, followed by Rachel Crawford, Literary Arts Coordinator for Sulfur Books. Author Brian Wood, before reading an amusing, captivating short story from his book “Joytime Killbox,” highly recommended reading works of contemporary author Rodrigo Fresán. (at Sulfur Books) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5ytMiaBD4E/?igshid=1m5jc3xcl51w9

#cultivateawe