Paradise City Arts Festival returns to Northampton for 28th year

‘Every year, there is usually a central theme to the festival. According to Post, this year’s theme is called “The Wild Blue Yonder,” which features art with all kinds of blue, including sapphires, lapis lazuli, as well as James Kitchen’s life-size “Steampunk Spaceship.” According to Post, Kitchen is a local artist from Chesterfield who describes himself as an “architectural engineer.”

“He uses all sorts of objects to create these incredible sculptures,” said Post.

According to the Paradise City website, all of the metal in the sculpture comes from local farms, antique stores, auctions and other objects. “I feel part historian and part archeologist, creating new life,” he said, in a statement. “My hope is that a sense of awe and wonder will happen when kids peer into this 12-foot-high spaceship.”’
- Ryan Feyre, The Reminder 10/6/2022

Steampunk Spaceship sculpture a highlight of 28th annual Paradise City Arts Festival

‘A Steampunk Spaceship is scheduled to land at the Three County Fairgrounds. The sculpture, the latest project of artist James Kitchen, makes its debut at the Paradise City Arts Festival, Oct. 8-10, as part of special exhibit "The Wild Blue Yonder."

Created to inspire young imaginations, the spaceship features an enormous red steering wheel surrounded by countless interlocking gears, gages from the 1800’s, bolted port holes and an eerie echo from the metal walls of the geodesic designed walls. All of the metal in this sculpture comes from local farms, antique stores, auctions, and occasionally a neighbor who leaves a pile of interesting objects in his driveway.’ - The Berkshire Eagle 9/30/22

Finalist for the collectors recognition award

‘Congratulations to the Winners and Finalists of Paradise City’s Collectors Recognition Awards! Thousands of you, our patrons, participated in this competition. Voters recognized artists and makers for their achievements in each media category – Art and Sculpture; Furniture and Home Furnishings; Fashion and Jewelry. The votes were remarkably close, and we thank everyone for their participation.’- Paradise City Arts September 2021

‘New Public Art Sculpture Installed’

 ‘A sculpture fashioned from more than 400 adjustable wrenches sits in front of the MassMutual Center on Main Street. Local artist James Kitchen, who has been making art from scrap metal for almost 20 years, said this work celebrates one of Springfield’s “firsts” – the invention of the wrench.

" This is also a metaphor for the city about how we are all connected," said Kitchen.’ -Paul Tuthill, WAMC 10/2/2017

‘Art Maker: James Kitchen, sculptor’

‘For years, James Kitchen has been turning antique farm machinery, old tools and other pieces of scrap iron and steel into imaginative — and massive — sculptures, wowing audiences at art festivals and other settings, including downtown Northampton and Springfield. He’s got a new one ready to install in Springfield, where the pipe wrench was invented, that’s been made with hundreds of pipe wrenches, resulting in a pattern he calls “very surreal.”’
-Steve Pfarrer, Daily Hampshire Gazette 2/16/2017

‘Radio host Belmonte camps for Cancer Connection’

‘Sparks flew as James Kitchen, the artist behind the sculpture, welded Belmonte inside the steel structure along with an old stop sign and a random assortment of rusty objects.

The stunt was part of a fundraiser for Florence nonprofit Cancer Connection, which provides integrated therapies and support to people with cancer and their families.’ -Stephanie McFeeters, Daily Hampshire Gazette 3/8/2016

‘First Prize for Best in Show and first parking ticket’

‘Sculptor receives First Prize Best in Show for Outdoor Art at the Paradise City Arts Fair in Northampton and first parking ticket.

Claiming he gets 14 miles after each winding, Chesterfield sculptor James Kitchen sits in his newly created Monopod called the Velociturn. Next to the vehicle is a winding station that Kitchen hopes to promulgate. He wants them to become ubiquitous soon in Western Massachusetts. His hope is to stop and rewind the Velociturn as he travels around the surrounding hills and towns. 

Linda Post is seen handing the artist the Best in Show award. Afterward Kitchen admitted to being as wound up as the Velociturn. 

A Northampton Police Officer is seen giving Kitchen his first parking ticket with his creation...”I thought I might get out of the ticket because the officer didn’t know what to put down for the make and model...but he wrote “Contraption” and $40.00 fine.” 

The Velociturn just traveled to 1550 Main in Springfield where it can now be seen on display in the building’s lobby. 

“Maybe I can get someone in Springfield to start the first Velociturn dealership in Massachusetts,” quipped Kitchen.’

‘Art People: James Kitchen | sculptor of found metal’

‘Standing before one of his found-metal sculptures in the gallery of the office building at 1550 Main St. in Springfield, James Kitchen says, “This one is autobiographical”: The marriage of disparate rusty metal objects is immediately recognizable as a jester.

Thirty-two of Kitchen’s pieces are also sprinkled throughout downtown Springfield, which earned him a public-art citation from Sen. Elizabeth Warren. And his fanciful transportation contraption, the 8-foot-tall “Velociturn,” is on view in the “Steampunk Springfield” exhibit at the Museum of Springfield History. Closer to home, his minimalist 20-foot sculpture “Days End” slumps toward the sidewalk from the lawn of the old courthouse in Northampton.’ - Bonnie Wells, Daily Hampshire Gazette 6/11/14

Artist James Kitchen's 'Stumbling Blocks' voted 'Best in Show' at Paradise City Arts Festival

‘Area artist James Kitchen, whose mammoth metal sculpture, “Day’s End,” was voted “Best in Show” at last year’s Memorial Day weekend Paradise City Arts Festival, captured the award again this year for his 20-foot-tall sculpture, “Stumbling Blocks.”

Isn't it strange, that princes and kings, 
and clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
and common-folk like you and me, 
are builders for eternity?
To each is given a bag of tools,
a shapeless mass and a Book of Rules;
and each must make 'ere time has flown,
a stumbling block or a stepping stone.’

-Anne-Gerard Flynn, MassLive 5/30/2014

‘Larger than life sculpture in downtown Northampton’

‘Chesterfield sculptor James Kitchen’s Day’s End art installation arrived on the lawn of the Hampshire County Courthouse at the corner of Main and King streets Wednesday afternoon. It will reside there for about six months.

“My hope is that people will think a moment when they view it,” Kitchen writes about the piece. “Is life all work with no balance in it for art, music, or time to ruminate and reflect without the media or others thinking for us?”’
-Daily Hampshire Gazette 12/31/13

CORNERED: SCULPTOR JAMES KITCHEN

‘At least half of my time is spent driving around looking for inventory. It gets harder and harder to find neat old metal as mountains of metal are shipped to China every day. My favorite place to go is an old farm where a farmer lived through the Great Depression — that guy never threw anything away. “You might need that someday,” they would all say. It is like St. Peter just opened up the heavenly gates as there will be an old 38 Studebaker sticking out of the ground or tractor parts and plows — the excitement peaks when you get home and go through all the iron. It is like finding a jigsaw puzzle without the picture — the important thing to remember is that when your wife sees all the stuff say, “It’s not junk, its inventory.”’ -Brian Goslow, Artscope Magazine 9/25/2013

‘Chesterfield sculptor James Kitchen opens new exhibit’

‘James Kitchen’ “Universal Connections” will be on view at Western New England University through May 18. Most of the exhibit’s pieces will be in the art gallery in the St. Germain Campus Center, which is free and open to the public Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be an opening reception for the exhibit at the gallery this Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. Kitchen will also give a talk about his work on April 25 at 7 p.m. in room 100 in Sleith Hall at the university.’ -Steve Pfarrer, The Daily Hampshire Gazette 4/11/13

‘James Kitchen: Sculpting the Past’

‘Kitchen is thoughtful about the role of public art, and says part of the unique challenge it offers him as an artist is that he’s not on hand to explain anything. The art also inevitably has to speak to a broad range of viewers. Though he’s usually not there to explain, he is sometimes there in a different capacity: “People don’t usually know who I am, so I can stand and listen and get feedback.”

Kitchen is the kind of artist who leaks ideas and connections all the time, and he envisions himself as a man whose work serves more than one function, including recycling and preservation of history. He is, in a very real sense, reconfiguring pieces of the past. In Springfield, he hopes to further the sense of history by making it a very local affair. In his newest works for downtown (including the World Trade Center beam and a metal whirlwind commemorating the tornado that ripped through the South End), he plans to incorporate Springfield material. He points out that Springfield is home to many inventions, including the monkey wrench. Viewers can therefore expect to see, among other things, a wrench in the works.•’ -James Heflin, Valley Advocate 2/4/2013

‘James Kitchen's 35-foot-tall bird sculpture erected in downtown Springfield’

‘With its head pointed up and its wings gracefully at its sides, the 600 pound bird sculpture erected in downtown Springfield Sunday was an impressive sight.

"I can't stop smiling," said James Kitchen, the creator of the sculpture and the featured artist in The James Kitchen Public Art Initiative, which displays local art at various locations across the city.’ -Elizabeth Roman, The Republican 8/19/2012

‘Local Sculptor Gets Citation from Senator Elizabeth Warren’

‘Chesterfield sculptor James Kitchen received a special citation from Senator Elizabeth Warren today at 1550 Main for his large scale effort to provide public art in downtown Springfield. The promotion of recycling and local Western Massachusetts history has resulted in a positive economic impact for the city and a cultural wellspring of positive media for Springfield. 
A walking tour map, created by the Springfield BID, encourages visitors to walk around downtown and discover the rich history, architecture, museums, and public art in and around Main Street. Numerous restaurant owners and local business owners have enthused about the subsequent positive media and positive comments from their customers, employees, and local residents. 
Kitchen has installed 100 sculptures in downtown Springfield with the help of Evan Plotkin, the Springfield BID, and MassDevelopment. Western New England University recently purchased a large piece titled, Einstein’s Onion, that is on permanent display in the center of its campus. The sculpture reflects the University’s goal of connecting the various fields of study with students and the community. 
Kitchen will have new large pieces at the Springfield Museum in March as part of an exciting Steampunk exhibit, and a large Buck Rogers style cannon made from recycled objects will be on display at the Armory next month. 
I really love the people and energy I find in Springfield, enthused Kitchen. Springfield has a great Mayor and a lot of inspiring individuals in both business and the arts. The Springfield Central Cultural District designation that was just announced will help focus even more energy into the arts downtown and It should be exciting to watch as more projects develop.’

‘Paradise City Arts Festival kicks off in Northampton’

‘Chesterfield sculptor James Kitchen uses bits of Western Massachusetts – and New England – history to make his pieces. He pointed to a bird made of recycled scrap metal. Its beak came from a 150-year-old barn hinge. He also took apart an old pitchfork to create another birdlike creature. Kitchen said he spends a lot of time looking for old materials that he can incorporate into his designs.

A 35-foot bird sculpture – on display outside at the festival – will soon make its home at the corner of State and Main streets in downtown Springfield, he said. Kitchen said he appreciates the ways items used to be made, and the craftsmanship that went into simple objects, such as wheels.’ -Lori Stabile, Mass Live & The Republican, 5/26/2012

‘Public Art Initiative Features Recycled Metal’

‘Metal sculptures will be put  on display throughout downtown Springfield this month in the latest effort to use public art to attract more people to the city’s downtown.  WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.
The sculptures are the work of Hilltowns artist James Kitchen, who takes discarded metal, such as wheel rims, machine gears, farm implements, tools and other scrap metal and turns it into art, which he describes as thoughtful and whimsical.’ -Paul Tuthill, WAMC 5/11/2012

‘MassDevelopment celebrates completion of renovation of former courthouse at 1550 Main St.’

‘MassDevelopment, a state finance and development agency that owns the former federal courthouse building at 1550 Main St., announced the completion of major renovations last week.

Local and state officials also praised newly installed sculptures in the first and second floor lobbies by artist James M. Kitchen, of Chesterfield. Plans are in place for more Kitchen pieces to be installed outdoors and in other areas of downtown. All the pieces are for sale.’ -Peter Goonan, The Republican 4/9/2012

‘The Rust Of The Story’

‘As he talked with BusinessWest about his work, Kitchen summoned a phrase he’s used often with the media over the years.“It’s like doing a jigsaw puzzle without a box … you have to listen to the parts and pieces, and they often come together in ways you wouldn’t necessarily think at the beginning,” he said of his sculptures. “You take this cold, lifeless metal, and you animate it and give it a personality.”
Kitchen’s work falls into the genre known as ‘found art,’ or works created from objects, sometimes modified in one way or another, that are not normally considered art. In his case, what’s found are discarded metal parts, tools, and utensils, usually rusted out, the condition he favors due to the reddish/brown color.He’s discovered such items at auctions and in basements, attics, barns, junkyards, and other locales. “I’m on a first-name basis with the people who work in recycling facilities,” he explained, adding that he always has a large pile of this inventory at his studio.’ - George O’Brien, Businesswest.com 3/13/2012

‘Sculpting Springfield's future: art as a way to bring people to downtown’

‘One afternoon last week, a man got up from his chair outside the downtown Springfield offices of the Internal Revenue Service, tucked his accordion-style file folder under his arm and walked a few feet to a large assemblage of rusted metal arranged on the wall, all tools and hardware arranged in a rough starburst pattern. Once there he looked, he sighed, then he stood up a little bit more straight and returned to his seat. A new initiative to bring life and business to downtown Springfield through art was working. 
"I just love to see the look on people's faces," said artist James M. Kitchen. "Springfield is great. It has great energy. I just love the verticality of the structures, the architecture. But people don't look around. No one sees what is around them. I want to draw people's attention to what is around them."‘ - Jim Kinney, The Republican 1/22/2012

‘Fire Department Holds Unique Fundraising Event’

“Last year, Chesterfield awarding winning artist James Kitchen approached the Chesterfield Volunteer Firefighters Association with a unique idea: He would create a lawn sculpture that could be raffled off. Ticket sales would last one year, with the winning ticket being drawn during the town’s 4th of July celebration” - MA Call/Volunteer Firefighters Association, 2010