Oct. 4, 2022 | Ryan Feyre rfeyre@thereminder.com

Sculptor James Kitchen’s latest project is the Steampunk Spaceship, which will debut at Paradise City Northampton’s “The Wild Blue Yonder” exhibit this fall. It contains an enormous red steering wheel surrounded by countless interlocking gears, gauges from the 1800s, bolted port holes and an eerie echo from the metal walls of the geodesic designed walls. Photo Credit: Paradise City Arts Festival

NORTHAMPTON – The 28th annual Paradise City Arts Festival is returning to the Three County Fairgrounds from Oct. 8 to 10 for an expansive showcase of arts features, regional food and live music.

Two hundred and twenty “competitively-juried” artists will exhibit original works in ceramics, painting, decorative fiber, art glass, furniture, jewelry, metal, mixed media, photography, large-scale sculpture, wearable art and woodworking.

The art on display is spread out across three exhibition buildings connected by covered walkways, as well as outdoors along the Sculpture Promenade, and under the festival dining tent.

“Every year is a little bit different because there’s always a shuffling of the artist because every show is juried separately every year,” said Linda Post, the founding director of Paradise City. “The artists apply, and we go through all through all of the applications … and we make decisions about who is expected for this year’s show. And that happens fresh every year.”

Under this concept, Paradise City always tries to incorporate new artists as well as those who have been accepted in the past. “You can expect to see some new faces, but you’ll also see some familiar faces,” Post told Reminder Publishing.

Artists come from all over the New England area including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and central, eastern and Western Massachusetts.

In Western Massachusetts specifically, there are four new artists exhibiting work including Holyoke visionary painter Howard Hastle, Sunderland narrative painter and illustrator Michelle Vigeant, Ware landscape painter Dana Volungis and Leverett’s Karen Iglehart, whose work includes oil paintings on canvas and paper.

Aside from the artists, the weekend show will also feature the Festival Dining Tent, which plans to capture Northampton’s vibrant food scene with American locavore burgers and fries, exotic curries, savory soups, fresh-picked salads, sandwiches and homemade desserts.

Additionally, there will also be a craft cocktail bar in the dining tent, which will include signature cocktails, beer and wine.

Every year, there is usually a central theme to the festival. According to Post, this year’s theme is called “The Wild Blue Yonder,” which features art with all kinds of blue, including sapphires, lapis lazuli, as well as James Kitchen’s life-size “Steampunk Spaceship.” According to Post, Kitchen is a local artist from Chesterfield who describes himself as an “architectural engineer.”

“He uses all sorts of objects to create these incredible sculptures,” said Post.

According to the Paradise City website, all of the metal in the sculpture comes from local farms, antique stores, auctions and other objects. “I feel part historian and part archeologist, creating new life,” he said, in a statement. “My hope is that a sense of awe and wonder will happen when kids peer into this 12-foot-high spaceship.”

Visitors will also have a chance to experience different music each day, including The O’Tones on Oct. 8, The Green Street Trio on Oct. 9 and Roger Salloom on Oct. 10.

Aside from those festivities, the festival’s patented silent auction will once again return at Building 3, where 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Northampton Association.

People can visit the Paradise City website at https://festivals.paradisecityarts.com/shows/northampton-october-show to learn more about the even and what to expect, and to buy tickets.