MICAfest 2024

MICAfest 2024

by | Oct 14, 2023

MICAfest 2024 Art for Change The M/others View

Where  M/otherhood and Artistry Unite

May 1-31st, 2024, all in Northampton, MA

It’s here! With 80 artists from all of New England and Beyond.

Expect powerful poetry, thought-provoking dance and theater, and visual art that challenges.

Questions about tickets or events? Email us!

Email us at hello@experiencemica.org

Live Ticketed Events

 Single-event tickets are now available.
Dance, theatre, spoken word, music, multimedia, poetry, artist conversations.

Click on any of the descriptions to learn more and buy tickets to those shows.

Featuring poetry by Maggie "Sasha" Russell-Ciardi, Jasmine Errico, Mary Foulk, KC Trommer and music by Sasha K.A and Courtney Castaneda of FIZZI May 4, 2024 | 7:00 PM | Location: Anchor House of Artists Verses and Vibes Poetry and Music with visual art exhibition Part of #MICAfest2024

Anchor House of Artists
May 4th, 7:00 pm
Verses & Vibes: Poetry Night

Jasmine Errico, Mary Warren Foulk, Maggie “Sasha” Russell-Ciardi, KC Trommer.

Thank you for a wonderful evening launch of  MICAfest 2024, 80 m/other artists strong.

Read more about it by clicking anywhere in this box.

M/otherhood in Motion: Dance and Theatre Dance, performance, and a staged reading with our visual art exhibition May 11, 2024 | 7:00 PM | Location: Northampton Center for the Arts Haile Eshe Cole, Kelly Silliman, Jessica Roseman, and Laura Sánchez. Featuring visual art at the Split Level Gallery at 33 Hawley. Part of #MICAfest2024 Top left and clockwise: Haile Eshe Cole, Laura Sánchez, Kelly Silliman, and Jessica Roseman, Art pictured by Esther S White.

Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley
M/otherhood in Motion: Dance and Theatre
May 11th, 7:00 pm
Dance and performance

Haile Eshe Cole, Jessica Roseman, Laura Sánchez, Kelly Silliman.

Read more…

Lark Jazz Trio at MICAfest 2022 photo by Heather Matys Image of Toni Rose from artist video. Image of panel of “Aftermath” installation by Catherine Lecomte-Lecce Join us for a Mother’s Day bash with poetry, jazz, arts, community, food, and drink. May 12, 2024 | 4:00-7:00 PM | Location: 33 Hawley Street, Lobby Mother's Day MICA Artist Bash VENUE CHANGE! Part of #MICAfest2024 Featured artists Poetry by Jen Jabaily-Blackburn, Toni Rose, Roxanne Nieman, A.H.Weatherman with music by Lark Jazz Trio

MICA Mother’s Day Art Bash

Postponed!

We’ll provide an update soon.

Jen Jabaily-Blackburn, Roxanne Nieman, Toni Rose, A.H. Weatherman with The Lark Jazz Trio with Lynn Luvell.

Read more…

Vanessa Adel, Dorise Heller, Jackie Humphreys, Nancy Carolyn Kwant, Rythea Lee, Jessica Simon, Liz Reed, Arya Samuelson, and Karolina Zapal.<br /> May 17, 2024 | 7:00 PM |<br /> Location: Anchor House of Artists<br /> Mom-ologues<br /> Unfiltered<br /> Story, poetry and music jam<br /> with visual art exhibition<br /> Part of #MICAfest2024<br /> Images courtesy of Jessica Simon (Instagram), Rythea Lee, film image by Terre Parker, and art weaving by Samantha Wilde.

Anchor House of Artists
May 17th, 7:00 pm
The Mom-ologues: Unfiltered Stories, Poems & Music Jam

Vanessa Adel, Dorise Heller, Jackie Humphreys, Nancy Carolyn Kwant, Rythea Lee, Liz Reed, Arya Samuelson, Jessica Genia Simon, and Karolina Zapal.

Read more…

Perfect Imperfections Behind the Facade An Evening at the Theatre May 23, 2024 | 7:00 PM | Location: Northampton Center for the Arts My Mother Had Two Faces: Reflections on Beauty, Aging, and Acceptance. A One-woman Show by Karin Trachtenberg and An Evening with Phineas A Staged Reading by Lyza Fennell Featuring visual art at the Split Level Gallery at 33 Hawley Part of #MICAfest2024 My Mother Had Two Faces by Karin Trachtenberg poster, image of Lyza Fennell, and featured sculpture by Ellen Wetmore. Images courtesy of the artists.

Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley
Perfect Imperfections Behind the Facade: an Evening at the Theatre
May 23rd, 7:00 pm

My Mother Had Two Faces: Reflections on Beauty, Aging, and Acceptance.

A one-woman show by Karin Trachtenberg continues its acclaimed theatrical journey from LA to Edinburgh.

With a staged reading by MICA founder Lyza Fennell.

Read more…

A promotional poster for MICAfest 2024, featuring a collage of colorful artwork, a group of five happy friends, and event details like date, time, and venue on a dark background.

Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley

MICAfest: The M/otherlode Closing Celebration
May 31st, 7:00  pm

Celebrate the festival and all the artists at a unique closing celebration. We’ll have poetry and conversations. The evening will end with musical guest Christa Joy and the Honeybees.

Read more…

Workshop

Photograph, decorative purposes only.

Mindful Creativity for M/Others and Allies By Laura Dickstein Thompson, Ed.D.

May 18th, 10 am – 12 pm, virtual.

A 2-hour meditation and art workshop for m/others and alliesAll levels

 Join Breathing Space for a virtual 2-hour meditation and art workshop designed for m/others and allies to rejuvenate your self-care and compassion.  Led by Laura Dickstein Thompson, Ed.D., an artist, Kripalu meditation teacher, Kundalini yogi, and founder of breathingspace.art.

Class size is limited to 20 participants.

Learn more and sign up for it here.

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This program is being held in honor of the MICAfest Art for Change: The M/others’ View. Thompson has a three part painting in the month-long exhibition in Northampton. This program is also being offered as part of ArtsWeek Berkshires.

Visual Art Exhibition

A Painting of "A Mother's Tears" by Lisa Andrews.

Visual artists exhibiting at NEVAmuseum at Anchor House of Artists

Lisa Andrews | Laura Dickstein Thompson | Jasmine Errico | Paulina Fuenzalida-Guzman | Reshma Gorde | Ruby Henry | Juli Kirk | Amy Kotel | Tony(a) Lemos | Gena Mavuli | Laura Moorehead | Amy Nolan | Elizabeth Menges | Terre Parker | Ellen Shattuck Pierce | Mollie Thonneson | Mary Warren Foulk | Ellen Wetmore | Sam Wilde |

Image: Lisa Andrews, A Mother’s Tears, 24” x 36”, Acrylic on Canvas.

Elena Allee “They Felt They Had Been There Before.” 48” x 48”, Oil paint and alkyd resin on canvas. 2022<br />

Visual artists exhibiting at BOMBYX Center for Arts and Equity

Elena Allee | Christina Balch | Lyza Fennell | S.T. Gately | Robin Griffith | Barbara Hageman Sarvis | Sarah Marquesen | Matthew Mattingly | Ellen Pollock | Alyona Skripka | Michelle Vigeant  

Image: Elena Allee, They Felt They Had Been There Before. 48” x 48”, Oil paint and alkyd resin on canvas. 2022. 

Painting by Cynthia Zeman, Woman on Couch, 52x58, Oil.

Visual artists exhibiting at Northampton Center for the Arts

Myrrh Brooks | Nancy Bulma Fields | Mayté Castillo | Jill Danenberg | Helen Ellis | Laura Green | Jane Hesser | Lyn Horan| Jane Keddy | Catherine LeComte-Lecce | Lynn Lovell | Isabelle Marantz/IzzyLightScapes | Nilou Moochhala | Emily Mulder | April Powell | Eva Pushkova | Carla E. Reyes | Amber Scoon | Jamie Tara | Ellen Wetmore | Esther S. White | Cynthia Zeman |                

Image: Painting by Cynthia Zeman, Woman on Couch, 52×58, Oil.

Visual Art Receptions

A Painting of "A Mother's Tears" by Lisa Andrews.

Artist Reception at NEVAmuseum at Anchor House of Artists

May 10th, 2024, 5:00-8:00 pm

Join us for a vibrant evening of art and performance by Stefani Weber, celebrating the creativity of MICA artists exhibiting at Anchor House of Artists. meet and celebrate the artists, and discover diverse and captivating works.

Read more…

Ceramic vase in earth tones. "Motherhood" by Gena Muvali.

Visual artists exhibiting at NEVAmuseum at Anchor House of Artists

Lisa Andrews | Laura Dickstein Thompson | Jasmine Errico | Paulina Fuenzalida-Guzman | Reshma Gorde | Ruby Henry | Juli Kirk | Amy Kotel | Tony(a) Lemos | Gena Mavuli | Laura Moorehead | Amy Nolan | Elizabeth Menges | Terre Parker | Amber Scoon | Ellen Shattuck Pierce | Mollie Thonneson | Mary Warren Foulk | Ellen Wetmore | Sam Wilde |

Image: Motherhood, Gena Muvaldi, 11″ x 5″, Stoneware, local wood-ash glaze.

A Painting of "A Mother's Tears" by Lisa Andrews.

Artist Reception at Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley

May 10th, 2024, 5:00-8:00 pm

Join us for a vibrant evening of art and performance by Elena Ciampa and Friends, celebrating the creativity of MICA artists exhibiting at Northampton Center for the Arts. Meet and celebrate the artists and discover diverse and captivating works.

Painting by Cynthia Zeman, Woman on Couch, 52x58, Oil.

Visual artists exhibiting at Northampton Center for the Arts

Myrrh Brooks | Nancy Bulma Fields | Mayté Castillo | Jill Danenberg | Helen Ellis | Laura Green | Jane Hesser | Lyn Horan| Jane Keddy | Catherine LeComte-Lecce | Lynn Lovell | Isabelle Marantz/IzzyLightScapes | Nilou Moochhala | Emily Mulder | April Powell | Eva Pushkova | Carla E. Reyes | Jamie Tara | Ellen Wetmore | Esther S. White | Cynthia Zeman |                

Image: Painting by Lyn Horan, The Watchers and the Weepers, 35”w x 47″h – watercolor and ink on paper.

A Painting of "A Mother's Tears" by Lisa Andrews.

Artist Reception at BOMBYX Center for Arts and Equity

May 25th, 2024, 2:00-4:00 pm

Immerse yourself in a vibrant celebration of artistic talent! Join us at the BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity for the MICA Unveiled art reception with our featured artists. Mingle with fellow art enthusiasts, indulge in delicious crudite and wine, and experience MICA artists’ captivating works.

process painting of a fetus growing inside a woman's womb. Sunshine and clouds. By Ellen Pollock.

Visual artists exhibiting at BOMBYX Center for Arts and Equity

Elena Allee | Christina Balch | Lyza Fennell | S.T. Gately | Robin Griffith | Barbara Hageman Sarvis |  Sarah Marquesen | Matthew Mattingly | Ellen Pollock | | Alyona Skripka | Michelle Vigeant |

Image: Ellen Pollock, Untitled. 36” x 36,
tempura on paper.

Tickets Now Available

Thank you for buying tickets in advance!

This festival is a truly unique celebration. If you know of anywhere else doing a month-long festival supporting, spotlighting, and bringing into the conversation 80 m/other artists, please let us know! Seriously.

M/others Institute for Collaboration and Art (MICA) is a mother-led, Western Massachusetts organization strictly dedicated to supporting m/other artists. Your contributions as a paying ticket member are a ticket to saying, yes, I support artist m/others. As a small organization, we appreciate the support of people like you. We thank you for making a tax-deductible donation to MICA to support m/other artists.

For ticketing support, please email us at hello@experiencemica.org.

Stay tuned.

To stay informed and learn more, sign up for our mailing list, subscribe to this calendar, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

Carla E Reyes

Carla E Reyes

by | Jun 30, 2023 | Featured Artist

Carla E. Reyes

Brooklyn, NY

carlaereyes.com

Carla E. Reyes is an artist based in New York City who uses mixed media to create textured pieces that explore the interaction between the natural and man-made worlds. Her work includes semi-abstract depictions of both urban and natural scenes and themes of motherhood and women’s issues. Reyes has exhibited her art at galleries such as Raandesk Gallery of Art, The Art Snack Registry, Grand Central Art, Beeswax Arts, and Leche Vitrines Art Alliance in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She has been featured in various publications and media, including The New York Times, The New York Daily News, BBC World News, The Queens Chronicle, and more. She currently works from her studio at Brooklyn Art Studios in Greenpoint.

Work

Featured Work

Potty Party mixed media

Potty Party

Carla E. Reyes, 2023; acrylic and mixed media on panel.

Showing Up painting of viewpoint of mom looking down at her lower body with paint spattered apron, jeans, and black shoes, standing on a wooden floor

Showing Up

Carla E. Reyes, 2021; acrylic and mixed media on panel.

Shower Bath Multitask painting

Shower/Bath (multi-task)

Carla E. Reyes, 2022; acrylic and mixed media on panel.

Scale Fail painting

Scale Fail

Carla E. Reyes, 2022; acrylic and mixed media on panel.

Laundry Every Day painting

Laundry (every) Day

Carla E. Reyes, 2023; acrylic and mixed media on panel.

Happy Hour NapTime painting

Happy Hour / Nap-Time

Carla E. Reyes, 2022; acrylic and mixed media on panel.

Artist-Mother Series by Carla E. Reyes

Having experienced another year in a semi-isolated pandemic situation, the need for self-care, alone time, and personal reflection grew deeper for the artist. Being a mother of two young children faced with the challenges and rigor of working, motherhood, domestic responsibilities, an overwhelming “mental load” in an ongoing pandemic with limited support, while also pursuing artistic goals; drove a yearning to insert herself into her own artistic world in subtle ways. Feelings of overwhelm, identity loss, and a need for escape, begin to push into the nature scenes. Her own shadow began to cast itself into the scenes asking to be seen, to gain space in her own world. Her feet step or run into the picture plane, inviting the viewer to see through her eyes; revealing glimpses into the experience of no longer existing as an individual, with the exception of fleeting, stolen moments in time. These works explore rare and fugitive moments of independence, as well as boundary blurring attachments with people, places, and things dependent on the care and attention of the mother. There is a sense of humor, bittersweetness, absurdity, and irony in the chosen scenes, coupled with a hidden longing and loss of self often unexpressed by many mothers due to social pressures and expectations surrounding motherhood. Physically, the work still incorporates relief texture and a strong emphasis on surfaces, as well as a growing interest in pattern and materials often associated with domesticity, craft, the “feminine,” and children; such as textiles/fabrics, brightly colored plastics, bubbly, fuzzy, and plush objects. For this series she consistently works on small wood panels for the intimacy and fine detail that can be appreciated with close contact and attentiveness at this scale, and the rigid surface provides a strong support for the textural treatments and sculptural elements applied.

Esther S White

Esther S White

by | Jun 29, 2023 | Featured Artist

Esther S. White

Northampton, MA

estherswhite.net

Esther S White is an artist, mother, curator, educator, self-publishing evangelist, and unschooler. Her passion for creative expression has led her to explore various mediums, including functional pottery, artists’ books, textiles, and prints. Esther’s work is characterized by her experimental approach to materials and deep exploration of personal history. Beyond her artistic endeavors, Esther co-founded the Northampton Print & Book Fair, an event that celebrates self-publishing and encourages community engagement in the arts. Her dedication to promoting independent voices in the creative world is fundamental to her practice. Esther’s work has been exhibited in galleries across the country and internationally, and her pieces are featured in the special collections of numerous prestigious institutions. She received her BA in Studio Art and Art History from Barnard College.

Work

Featured Work

Learning to Walk #3 quilt image.
I left the Dishes in the Sink quilt image

Esther S White, Learning to Walk #3, 2016; quilt: cotton, fiber-reactive dye; monoprinted, hand-dyed, machine-stitched, and quilted. 42”x40”.

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Esther S White, I Left the Dishes in the Sink, 2016; cotton, fiber-reactive dye, ink, copy toner; monoprinted, screenprinted, hand dyed, marbled, photocopied, machine stitched and quilted. 51”x41”.

Eva Pushkova

Eva Pushkova

by | Jun 29, 2023 | Featured Artist

Eva Pushkova

Northampton, MA

pushkova.com

Eva Pushkova is a maker of things. She has learned through play and experimentation, from numerous teachers, as well as at FIT and MassArt. She currently works in ceramics, glass, fiber, metal, and found objects. A web developer since 1994, Eva enjoys working at the intersection of design, storytelling, and technology. Her current work explores the friction and synergy between the highly technological and the handmade.

Work

Featured Work

TikTok Dopamine Tufted wool yarn rug.
Repetitive Stress Injuries Tufted wool yarn rug
Influencer Influenza Tufted wool yarn rug

Eva Pushkova, TikTok Dopamine, 2023; tufted wool yarn.

Eva Pushkova, Repetitive Stress Injuries, 2023; tufted wool yarn.

Eva Pushkova, Influencer Influenza, 2023; tufted wool yarn.

Artist Statement by Eva Pushkova

The subjects of the rugs in this show reflect some of the many challenges and questions that all of us, particularly parents, engage with as digital society rapidly evolves all around us.
I’ve observed that many of us who work in technology seek something physical and messy and tactile to balance it out. Parents seek this balance for our children, trying to make sure they engage in other, more physical and tactile activities, to counterbalance “screen time”. The last few decades have seen an enormous renewal of interest in handmade arts, paralleling the explosive growth of digital society, as all of us try to find more balance.
There’s something about the space where the two meet – the friction and synergy between technology and the handmade – that is fascinating to me.
These rugs were made in that space. The rugs are based on designs created in collaboration with Midjourney AI by fine-tuning hundreds of language prompts. These AI-inspired rugs were then created by hand using a tufting gun and reclaimed and thrifted wool. The technology-rooted subject matter heightens the contrast with the ancient and tactile art of rugmaking.
In this moment of conversation and controversy about Artificial Intelligence, this project seeks to blur the lines further — giving these “imaginary” images a physical reality, and creating a partnership between AI and the hand, eye and tools of a human artist.