As the Winter Solstice approaches, the towns of Westerly and Pawcatuck will light the way for holiday revelers during the 26^th Holiday Stroll and Luminaria on Wednesday, December 6 from 5-8 PM.  As evening falls, walkways, windows, shops, restaurants and, of course, galleries will be aglow with holiday cheer.  During this event, we invite the public to celebrate the opening reception of our December Holiday Show, “Starry Lights.”  Enjoy an assortment of festive libations and browse the gallery for the perfect gift while the Jazz Gallery Quartet adds to the festivity of the evening with the sounds of seasonal favorites.

    In the gallery’s west wing, visitors will find The Gallery Shop filled with all manner of small, affordable, one-of-a-kind handmade decorative objects, small paintings, framed and unframed prints, books, journals, and cards specially curated for the season. Give the gift of art to yourself or a loved one!

     This holiday season ACGOW’s artists members will fill the Gallery at 14 Railroad Avenue with original paintings, monoprints, drawings, jewelry, pottery, fiber, wood art, mixed media works and sculpture. In this season of gift giving, visitors are also invited to take a stroll through the Gallery Shop that has expanded this December to include the entire West Wing Gallery.  ACGOW artists have packed the shop with hand-crafted treasures, making it easy and affordable to share the gift of art.  Shopping locally is a way to give meaningful gifts and support local artists and entrepreneurs.

     In December, ACGOW will continue its tradition of encouraging life-long artistic expression by collecting art supplies for the Jonnycake Center.  Visitors are invited to bring donations to our Gallery. To stimulate the creative muse in a budding artist of any age, the Jonnycake Center suggests donations of ready-to-use kits such as watercolor or acrylic paint with brushes and paper, or colored pencils and a pad. The deadline for donations is December 17. All donations are greatly appreciated.

     We also invite you to give the gift of art by bringing a donation of new art supplies which will be delivered to the Jonnycake Center in time for their holiday giving program. Suggested art supplies include art packets for children of all ages so that young artists will have everything they need to create. Examples: watercolor set or acrylics with brush & paper, crayons, markers with pad, or simply a box of colored pencils or crayons or a sketch pad.

    The Jonnycake Center of Westerly is a non-profit organization that provides food, clothing, educational and financial assistance to those in need in the Westerly-Chariho area. Their mission is to provide a continuum of services in cooperation with other agencies in the area to assist people through crisis situations and to work with each individual to find a path out of dependence toward self-sufficiency. For more information, please visit www.jonnycake.org.