Now, music and art lovers no longer have to leave Greenfield to catch the latest concert or exhibit.
The recently renovated Arts Block, formerly Clark’s Sporting Goods store, has opened to the public with live music three nights a week, a 550-person restaurant called The Arts Block Café, a full bar, art galleries, and work spaces for painters and sculptors. With gleaming floors and double-paned picture windows, the interior is as new and exciting as what goes on inside.
The basement and first floor serve as restaurants and locations for music venues. The second floor contains offices and classrooms for performing arts instruction and yoga, and the top two floors house artist work spaces and galleries. The small multi-media center has already attracted a host of local talents, including painter Aldo G. Pizzi, actor Jody Scalise, and musicians Leah Randazzo, Geoff Vidal, Cold Duck Complex, and Alecia Chakour.
The musical aspect of The Arts Block is its most active and ambitious. Simon, an Arts Block soundman, said, “It’s going to be a grab-bag of artists performing here. We’ve had a jazz group and a Europop singer. It was fun; it turned into a rave in here.” That’s right, raves do not only happen on campus.
Simon added that The Arts Block’s goal is to “promote local musicians from the bottom up and build a more community-based music scene… We’re really trying to bring music back to the people.”
The space attracts musicians and music-lovers. Simon said, “We live and breathe music.”
Local resident David C. added that the Arts Block is “a fantastic restaurant, with excellent food, great service, and reasonable prices,” and that “Greenfield is a much funkier place to go to dinner now that it’s open.”
Rebecca Caplice, president of Greenfield Savings Bank, provided her take on the complex: “It’s a real focal point for all the social activity in the region,” she said. “You can probably find some kind of entertainment any night of the week.”
The Arts Block is located at 289 Main Street in Greenfield. In short, it is a perfect place for artists, musicians, and anyone who wants to enjoy a night of art, music, and food.