EASTHAMPTON – Over 25 local artists are ready to sell their art, interact with customers and kick off the holiday season at the Cottage Street Studios Holiday Open Studio and Sale. The event will take place on Dec. 4, 5 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

With five floors of art to peruse, there will be pieces ranging from pottery, ceramics, paintings, photographs, woodworking, fine chocolates and more.

The event is free and open to the public. All attendees are required to wear a mask and maintain social distancing.

According to Evelyn Snyder, one organizer of the sale and longtime artist at Cottage Street Studios, all artists used to set up tables in one room for the event. Over time, the building became so full that they decided to allow people to walk around and shop instead.  

“Eventually, it made much more sense for us to just open our doors and invite people in. So that’s what we do now,” said Snyder. “Open Studio is just really a great way for us to be able to focus mostly on working and producing work and then having these special times where we’re open to the public.”

Last year, the event was canceled due to COVID-19. Snyder said that this not only affected artists financially, but also caused them to lose important in-person feedback and interaction.

“It can be very isolating to be working in your studio and concentrating. Being able to open up and have the public come in and get that feedback is really key. It’s very important to all of the artists in the building that we get that to see if what we’re doing is working or how we can change what we’re trying to say. We have missed that so much through the pandemic,” she said.

Artists will be in attendance to chat directly with customers about their pieces, the story behind them and answer any questions. This is one of the key differences when it comes to supporting local vendors and artists over big business, according to Snyder.

“When people buy things in a big store they go in and they look and buy what they want, but they don’t really learn anything about the person who made it or the people or the machines who made it. But when you buy something handmade, whether it’s a painting or a photograph or a wooden table, not only are you supporting that person but you get to talk to them. You can get a little bit of story and background about what went into the piece,” she said. “It creates something that’s very different than just shopping online or in a big store.”

Snyder said that this is also a great time for residents to come out and explore a historic and unique Easthampton building.

“What I suggest is look at the list and find what you really want to see and go visit them. From there, go up to the top floor and work your way down. You may not be able to get through all of the open studios, but come back then. We do this every year. Go see the people you really want to see first and then go explore the building. It’s a chance to roam around this incredible old building,” she said.

Snyder is hopeful that residents will come out and support local artists after a tough year while also being respectful of COVID-19 precautions.

“We’re hoping that people will come and be very respectful of the fact that we’re still in a pandemic and that people are getting breakthrough infections. But we still hope that people will come and just follow the rules and that we can all stay safe, but be together,” she said.

More information on the Holiday Open Studio and Sale and a full list of participating artists can be found on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CottageStreetStudios/.