Shelley Cardoos

This Sunday, local artist and all-around local art enthusiast, Shelley Cardoos, will host an Open Studio at her studio on Sawyer St. from noon to 3PM. Shelley is no stranger to the New Bedford Art Community and is very active in many local organizations including:

• Member of the New Bedford Cultural Council which gives grant money for local events.

• Vendor Coordinator for Craft-O-Rama, a local craft fair.

• Member of the Contemporaries of NBAM which organizes interactive at bases events at the New Bedford Art Museum.

• Soapbox Social, a new group that organizes storytelling events.

• Coordinator of New Bedford Open Studios, an event for artists to open up their studios to the public.

Just recently, Shelley added one more jewel to the crown, which she commented on in a recent conversation we had.

“I got asked to be on the AHA! Steering Committee this past year which I was thrilled about. I have been involved with AHA! as both an artist and musician for many years and I think it is such an important organization for downtown New Bedford for the community to see what is going on with the arts and culture of the city. Besides being on the Steering Committee, I’m hoping to become more involved with Programming for AHA.”

Shelley and I both are big supporters of the recent resurgence in the downtown area, so I asked her about that as well.

“I started UMASS in 1998 and was in my junior year in 2001 when the Star Store campus opened downtown. It was an exciting building to be in but not much going on at all downtown. By not much I really mean nothing. Right now the amount of amazing and affordable restaurants, places to play and see live music, shops and art galleries makes me so glad that I stuck around. The creative people and the supportive business owners that are open to letting art events take place are what make the downtown important to me. It’s been great seeing this town blossom and keep growing.”

I wondered when she first got started with Art and what her major influences were that gor her where she is today.

“I started being obsessed with drawing and painting very young. I was placed in an advanced art class in my early years at elementary school, made art in my spare time throughout my teen years and studied sculpture in college. In the past few years I’ve focused more on making music and organizing art based events but I still get strong urges to draw and paint. I’m mostly influenced by my good friends Dug McCormick, Jason Amaral and Joel Monty who make some of the best art as well as the best music.”

Youmay ask how she does all this as well as hold down a full-time position, but all of us who know her are not surprised!

Her studio will be open June 5 from Noon-3PM at 419 Sawyer Street #2 in New Bedford. The entrance is on the left of the building and the studio is on the second floor.

Artists Benares Angeley and Audrey Jerome will also have works for sale. They are moving to new studios so there will be plenty of art supplies, craft materials, furniture, fabric, patterns and frames for sale as well!