Where it all began

Most artists host shows of their work in galleries, but one potter, a native of Hatfield, will soon host one at a different venue: her childhood home.

Potter Amy Clark, who currently works in Maine but started her pottery career in a tobacco barn at her childhood home, will return to 77 Depot Rd. in Hatfield for the Ocean Fire Pottery Holiday Show on Saturday, Nov. 30, and Sunday, Dec. 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

The event will feature “a huge selection of one-of-a-kind pottery fresh out of the kiln,” according to a press release, and wine from Black Birch Vineyard, which is up the road from the studio.

Admission to the show and on-site parking are free.

For more information about Clark’s work, visit oceanfirepottery.com.

Less is more

In the group show “Variations in Monochrome: Limiting the Palette” at A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton, 12 local and regional artists showcase work produced in black and white or in an otherwise limited color palette. The show includes work in photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, and mixed media.

As the press release puts it: “Monochromatic work seems to encourage a closer kind of looking, an acute attention to nuance and difference.”

The show closes this Saturday, Dec. 1. It’s open from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday.

Northampton Artisan Fair

60 local (and local-ish) artisans will sell their work at the Northampton Artisan Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 33 Hawley.

Musicians Carrie Ferguson, Kim Chin-Gibbons, and Lily Sexton will provide live music. There will also be refreshments and coffee.

Participating artists include Rag Hill Farm, Holler + Howl, Atelier Erotides Silva, and Hawksong Weaving. Check out https://www.nohoarts.org/northampton-artisan-fair for the full list.

The show will also feature the return of the Art Card Sale, where guests can buy cards featuring participating artists’ work.

“Welcome Yule” is back

Yule be glad to know that “Welcome Yule: A Midwinter Celebration” will return for its 40th year at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m.

The show, according to a press release, “highlights the quiet beauty of winter and the joy of a slower season in our mythical Yule Village. As the story unfolds, our group gathers to celebrate the abundance of the harvest.” Expect singing, dancing, storytelling, and mumming, a type of masked sword dancing. Attendees will also have the chance to touch the Yule Log for good luck as it passes through the audience.

Tickets are $15 for adults (ages 17 to 64), $12 for seniors (ages 65+), $12 for children (ages 5 to 16), and free for kids under 5. They can be purchased online via linktr.ee/welcomeyule, at the door, or at World Eye Bookshop in Greenfield.

Learn to ‘Beetlejig’

The Irish band Socks in the Frying Pan will bring their U.S. Christmas tour to the Iron Horse in Northampton on Sunday, Dec. 8, from 7 to 9 p.m.

The group will be playing songs from their new album “Waiting for Inspiration,” which came out on Friday, Nov. 15. It includes 11 new tracks, including one inspired by “Beetlejuice,” called “Beetlejig! Beetlejig! Beetlejig!”

Accordionist/keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Shane Hayes said in a press release, “I think this is my favorite album yet. We’ve infused all the energy, explosiveness, and drive that our audience has come to expect from our live shows into original tracks that we are very proud of. As we celebrate a decade together as a band, we dedicate this album to our friends and fans that have stuck with us along the way - this one’s for you and we can’t wait to share it on the road this December!”

Tickets start at $24, including fees, and are available via ironhorse.org.

Audition for a folk opera about Jonathan Edwards

Preacher Jonathan Edwards was best known for his fire-and-brimstone “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” sermon, first delivered to his congregation in Northampton in 1741 as part of the First Great Awakening religious revival. Now, local composer and playwright Jeff Olmsted is looking for performers to be in a staged reading (that is, performers at music stands) of his show “The Surprizing Work of God,” which explores the complicated and contradictory beliefs Edwards espoused.

Olmstead will be holding auditions for his show on Saturday, Dec. 1, from 1 to 4 p.m. by appointment only; email him at surprizingwork@gmail.com to schedule a time.

The main roles are Jonathan Edwards (tenor); his wife, Sarah Edwards (soprano); and the narrator, Leah (alto), an enslaved woman. The show will also include chorus members to play members of the congregation.

The music, according to the casting call, is “tuneful, not difficult.”

The show will be performed on Saturday, Jan. 25, and Sunday, Jan. 26, at Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity in Florence.

Learn more and listen to a song from the show at bombyx.live/events/the-surprizing-work-of-god.

Back Porch Festival announces 2025 headliners

The roots music festival Back Porch Festival, which will return to downtown Northampton from Friday, March 7, through Sunday, March 9, recently announced its 2025 headliners.

Friday’s headlining act will be a tribute to Neil Young. Saturday’s headliner will be The Back Porch Spectacular, which will feature the groups The Travelin’ McCourys, Sam Grisman Project, and East Nash Grass. Sunday’s headliner will be Lucinda Williams.

All headline shows will be at the Academy of Music. General admission tickets for each concert are on sale now for $32.99-$69.99, depending on the show; VIP tickets for the whole weekend are available for $250, not including fees.

The next round of lineup announcements will be on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

For more info, visit backporchfest.com.