Beginning in mid-May, 46 locally-based artists will inhabit the walls, floor and ceiling of Ivan Stojakovic’s Mixed Media Space gallery located in his expansive Groundart Studios building in North Adams, Massachusetts.
The exhibition seeks to serve specifically as a survey of the ever-growing artist population in North Adams, documenting the interchangeable, perpetual process of absorbing the influence from the larger institutions such as MASS MoCA while building self-sustainability and giving weight to the broader local artists’ community.
Through the upcoming “Art Now in North Adams” exhibition, the curators, Anna Salmeron and Sanja Stojakovic, will create an additional vortex of exposure, building upon the already existing and flowering gallery energy present in the small and compact city. As North Adams is enjoying a revisioning with local businesses walking hand in hand with the galleries and artists’ studios, it is quickly becoming a broader attraction and destination, drawing the attention of visitors who are flocking to the established museums, as well as residents looking to enjoy the local rhythm.
Originally from Belgrade, Ivan and Sanja Stojakovic resettled in New York City years ago; both retain a European sensibility mixed with a sophistication acquired in New York. Combining these attributes with the gritty petri dish of North Adams and the opportunity that arises from the ability to form a microcosm from the ground up, what was once a vision has been manifested into reality.