Page 30 - BusinessWest July 7, 2021

Hannah Rechtschaffen, director of placemaking for the Mill District and manager of Hannah’s Local Art Gallery.
Women in Business
Crafting Connections
Hannah’s Local Art Gallery Brings Creative Energy to the Mill District
When Hannah Rechtschaffen set about to open an art gallery in Amherst’s Mill District, she didn’t envision a static space; instead, her goal was to develop a vibrant, eclectic, multi-media gallery that not only focused on local artists, but forged connections between them and the public through workshops, classes, events, and even the everyday conversations that bring to life the stories and history behind each artist and each piece. A couple weeks after the gallery’s opening, she’s optimistic those creative collisions are already happening.
BAy Joseph Bednar
nika Lopes’ roots in Amherst go back six generations, so the town is special to her. But as a milliner — an artist who designs and creates hats — she has made her name in galleries and boutiques in much larger cities, especially New York.
Now, as the highlighted artist for the recent grand opening of Han- nah’s Local Art Gallery in Amherst’s Mill District, she feels like she’s come full circle.
“This is the first time I’ve shown in Amherst,” she told BusinessWest. “I never thought I would be showing here, and it’s been wonderful how it’s been received — and it’s a way to give back to the community and encourage artists, especially local artists, that there is a scene and a space for everything.”
The Hannah in the gallery name is Hannah Rechtschaffen, director of placemak- ing at the Mill District, who launched a gallery after Cinda Jones, the ninth-gener- ation owner of the property, asked her to. But Rechtschaffen infused that task with her own vision for an eclectic, multi-media collection of rotating artists (21 are on display now, hailing from 13 different towns,, with some being replaced every quar- ter), but also a space-rental model that continually reinvests in bringing more expo- sure to the artists (more on that in a bit).
“Every three months, some of the artists will turn over, so there will always be something fresh, and there will also be some carryover,” she said. “I want people
30 JULY 7, 2021
EDUCATION
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