Friday, October 31, 2008

New Year of Artscape in Pittsfield

Artscape is a public outdoor art exhibition that spans the entire downtown Pittsfield area. The exhibition has been ongoing for a number of years, with exciting new additions in each new year. Artscape includes sculptures, banners, and street signs that energize and add whimsy and beauty to our city.


Many of the art pieces are up in Pittsfield already, although there are few last installations scheduled for next week. While walking downtown, visitors and the community are bound to notice the new art popping up on our streets. On the Common, a very unique piece by local artist Peter Barrett has been installed, titled Homenaje a Carlos Zook. It is designed to be wheelchair-accessible, and there is an area of the sculpture for people of all capabilities to actually move through the piece and experience art in a new way. Peter Barrett is a local artist from Great Barrington whose work has recently been at Chesterwood. On North Street, another very interesting piece has been installed titled A Story of Solitude (pictured below, right) by Massachusetts native Lydia Musco. It is located between St. Joseph’s Church and Dottie’s Coffee Lounge and is sure to be the conversation piece of the neighborhood. Another sculpture that won’t be missed is Inflatable Solid (pictured below, left)by Mike Hansel. It is located in Park Square, right in the middle of the rotary, and is sure to delight motorists and pedestrians alike as they move through the traffic. For traffic heading down West Street from the rotary, everyone will be excited to see Valentine Two (pictured above) by returning Artscape artist Carole Eisner. It is located on West Street at the KB Toys Headquarters. Visitors to the Berkshire Museum will see local artist Binney Meigs’ sculpture, titled Crouching Hermes. Binney Meigs is an accomplished sculptor from Sheffield, MA.

























Next week, six more artists will install their work in Pittsfield. Local artist, John Elling, will be installing a solar-powered tree sculpture titled Garden Temple at the Athenaeum. This sculpture will emit dots of light at night, generated from solar energy. Judith Peck’s sculpture Reclining Woman Black will be installed on the roof of the Ad-Lib building. Returning artist Anthony Krauss, whose pyramid-inspired work has been seen in Artscape for many years, will install a new piece titled Reflections. Cecilia Lueza will install a gorgeous, vibrant banner titled Migration (pictured below)on North Street. Drew Goerlitz will install a sculpture, titled Macresco, in Persip Park, which is sure to be welcoming to visitors arriving at the Intermodal Center. Local artist, Ven Voisey, from North Adams, will be installing Caged Songbirds made up of birdcages that emit birdsong in Morse code on North Street. Ven Voisey also has work in the current show at the Ferrin Gallery, and his work has been seen all over the Berkshires over the past summer as a part of the Down Street Art project in North Adams.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Cultural Pittsfield This Week: Oct 31-Nov 6, 2008


This week in Pittsfield you'll find dancing Dracula and his blushing brides at the Colonial Theatre, rowdy female comedians in a benefit for the Berskhire Carousel Project, Halloween parties, a Day of the Dead Altar making workshop, and much more...click here for the full lineup!