Special Exhibit
Each season our Special Exhibit spotlights a selection of our exhibiting artists + makers. Find these works in our Guide or in person, along with many more exceptional pieces, in Building 2 of the Paradise City Arts Festival Northampton over Memorial Day weekend.
Feathers & Fur
Artists have long been inspired by the animal kingdom, using its forms and textures as a gateway to explore materiality, emotion, and depth. Whether through the soft warmth of fur, the layering of feathers, or the mesmerizing patterns of scales and skin, these natural elements offer a tactile richness that enhances artistic expression. This exhibition celebrates the way artists harness these organic textures to shape their creative narratives.
Animal textures are often used to attract interest, to convey quality, and create a tactile invitation to the public. It encourages the viewer to connect with an object– to come close and touch, when possible, and to engage on a more personal level. Our artists explore the contrast between soft and bold, or wild and refined through a variety of mediums. A hand-painted silk scarf might echo the stripes of a tiger, a ceramic glaze could resemble the speckled pattern of an owl’s feathers, and a photograph may capture the fleeting beauty of an animal in motion.
This exhibit is a celebration of nature’s influence on art. By leaning into the textures of the natural world, artists create a tactile experience that invites viewers to not only see but to feel—whether literally or through an emotional connection.
“Animals come from nature. They were not designed. All my inspiration comes from nature, whether it’s an animal or the layout of bark or of a leaf. Sometimes my patterns are very bold, and you can barely see where they come from, but all the textures and all the prints come out of nature.”
– Diane von Furstenberg
Photography by Karen Barnicle Garro. Featured Artists: Abbie Chambers, Maura Cronin, Jonathan Simons, Linda Jacques, Barbara Boutot, Karin Alisa Houben, Frann Addison, Sheila Fernekes, Jerry Bennett, Alan Bennett, Roger DiTarando, Wendy Ellertson, Warren Vienneau, Maya Machin. Find them in the Exhibitor List.
