Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Teens Take Over Pittsfield: New High School Photography Classes at Pittsfield Contemporary


Teens Take Over Pittsfield


What: Teens Take Over Pittsfield: Free! Photography, Graphic Design, Screen-printing, Arts therapy, and Youth Development Classes.

Where: Pittsfield Contemporary Art Gallery 305 North Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201

When: Monday nights (not on December 27th) 6-7:30 PM 8-week class January 3rd-February 21st, 2011.

Pittsfield Contemporary recently joined forces with the Pittsfield Youth Commission, Project Re-connect, and independent art therapist Marney Schorr to launch a new project where local artists, an art therapist, and a social service youth worker, and the youth commission are coming together to provide free after-school arts programming focused on photography, graphic design, website design, screen-printing, arts therapy, and youth development. 

During this holiday season, it is my hope that we can reach out specifically to our teenagers and encourage them to use artistic expression as a coping skill for many of life's challenges. As such, we are pleased to collaborate with Pittsfield Contemporary Art Gallery in presenting a new 'art as therapy' group for teens in the downtown Pittsfield area. We are in the process of growing the group, but have already begun to produce some mosaic pieces from the collages we made at our last session.  Please join us for our next meeting before the class starts on Monday night!  Teens can come and sign up or just come and socialize in a positive, creative environment aimed at valuing their role in our society.

This New Year make a resolution to create pottery - Jim Horsford will show you how!

What:

We are very excited to welcome back Jim Horsford to offer FREE Pottery classes to Pittsfield high school students and only $195 for adults, includes all materials. No experience is necessary.


When:

Classes begin on Wednesday January 12th and Thursday January 13th from 2:45pm-4:45pm for high school students, and 6:30-8:30PM for adults. Classes last 6 weeks, so will end Wednesday February 16th and Thursday February 17th, 2011.

Cost:

FREE for Pittsfield High School Students
$195 for adults, includes all materials

Where:

28 Renne Avenue, Pittsfield, MA 01201



Course Description:

The course is 12 hours of instruction on the potter’s wheel. No experience is needed. Beginners are welcome.


1. First class:
Students wedge two pieces of clay and step by step we throw two small pots: a mug and a bowl.


2. Second class:
We continue throwing and make three more pots.


3. Third class:
Now that we have five pots that have been kept moist in plastic and we trim the bottoms of the pieces.


4. Fourth Week:
Its back to throwing, and we make three larger pots.


5. Week five:
Work from week four is trimmed, handles are made for mugs and pitchers, clay can be added to the exterior of work or textures can be carved into the surface of work.


6. Week six:
Each student will have six to eight pots that they will glaze.
About a week after glazing, students from all classes will return for a pick-up celebration.



For more information check out his website.
To sign-up for classes call Jim at 413-243-3261 or email him at: shorsford@roadrunner.com

Check out some of his students' work below:


Friday, December 10, 2010

Bad Art Night with Kellie Meisl!

 Consider this your NEW YEAR resolution! No experience necessary!
Have you wanted to express your inner artist for years but have never had the courage to do it? Are you constantly saying, I am not creative, or, I can't do art? Well then this class is for you. Come and join Kellie Meisl of DreamArt and partake in this creativity provoking endeavor as we open ourselves up to our lighter side. A plethora of inspiring reclaimed, found and collected materials awaits you. We will paint, collage, build and whatever else suits your fancy. Just wear something comfy and bring a friend if you are so inclined.                                                                      
When:  Tuesdays, beginning January 18, 2011 through March 29, 2011
Where: The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, Pittsfield, MA
Call:     413-329-4021 to register
Time:   6:30-8
Cost:    Preregister for all 11 and pay $100 ($9 a class)
               Drop in each week and pay $11
               Come with a friend any time and you each pay $8 for the class
Feel free to bring fun, found objects you have at home to use or share.
                
Kellie Meisl is an artist with a BS in teaching, who uses her dreams as a springboard for her artwork. In 2009, she published a book Dream Stories: Recovering the Inner Mystic with Connie Caldes. She writes articles for Dream Network Magazine and the My Story Lives blogspot.  She is an annual contributor of art for two local charities, The Pittsfield Garden Tour and Think Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Art Exhibit. Both raise funds to contribute to art programs on the local level, including for those with cancer in the community. She has shown her work at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts and the Pittsfield Colonial Theater.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Stop, Shop, & Stroll - Downtown Pittsfield

Downtown Pittsfield has something for everyone this holiday season. Join us Saturday, December 11th from 12-5pm for Stop, Shop, & Stroll. You will find great holiday deals, refreshments, and some special appearances from Santa, Mrs. Claus, & the Taconic High Chorus all while showing your support to Pittsfield's local retailers & restaurants.
Here is a full list of activities and deals from North to South on December11th
(Be sure to check back often as we will continue to update this list)
Visit the event on Facebook
Carr Hardware – 537 North St - Carrs makes gift giving easy with great gift ideas. See the full sales flyer at http://www.carrhardware.com/flyer4.htm

Dottie’s Coffee Shop - 444 North St - Offering 10% off all gift certificate purchases- one day only.


West Side Clock Shop 449 North St - The West Side Clock Shop will have fantastic savings on in stock grandfather clocks and musical wall clocks!

Museum Facsimiles - 431 North St - Fresh homemade baked cookies, hot mulled cider and 10% off of anything from our well stocked clearance room. Everything in there is way below our already wholesale prices.

Emporium - 441 North St. – Shop on Dec. 11 and get a 10% off coupon for your next visit. Bring a receipt from another North St. Shop and get 20% off your purchase that day.

Fern Leslie Studio -249 North Street - Everything in the studio - gift items as well as framed art will be 10% off

Taconic High School Chorus Carols 1:00 - 1:30pm in the lobby of 141 North St.

Berkshire Carousel - 170 North St. - Open house 11 AM - 4 PM. Demonstrations of carving and painting of the carousel figures. Bring your children/grandchildren and cameras between 1:30PM - 3:30PM for photos with Santa and some of the beautiful ponies.

Pateez Boutique – 141 North St. – Come get a sneak peak before the grand opening - Light refreshments & 10% Coupons for those that stop by.

Bisque, Beads, & Beyond – 141 North St. – Refreshments & special deals. Stop by between 3-6 for a Li’l Elves workshop with Mrs. Claus.

Taconic High School Chorus Carols 12:30 - 1pm in the lobby of Crawford Square - 137 North St.

Pittsfield Bra & Girl - 137 North St. - 15% off pajamas, robes, & massage candles

Baba Louie's – 34 Depot St.- Open all day on December 11th. Serving Hot chocolate and donuts for a dollar in the newly renovated alley between Baba Louise's and the Central Block Building. Folks stopping by will get a 25% off coupon for lunch between 12 and 5.

Chapters Book Store – 78 North St - Storytime @ 10:30am geared for ages 3-5 but all ages welcomed (must be accompanied by an adult). Before the story is the famed silly song and after, a fun craft! All who attend story time will be given 10% off of their purchase (excludes gift cards, magazines, and art) + $5 table with tons of fun goodies, great for stocking stuffers or grab bag gifts + All Melissa and Doug children's toys we are marking 10% off! Special discount coupons will be given out with your purchase for a discount off your next shopping trip in!

Taconic High School Chorus Carols 12:00 - 12:30pm in the Central Block lobby of 75 North St.

Connections and Aim & Shoot Photography – 75 North St. Central Block – 20% off purchases that day + Make a purchase at Connections on December 11th and get Karma Cash worth 10% off to be used in January also, Offering 20% off purchases


The Pittsfield Colonials Office - 2 South St -Open 10-3. Purchase a Box Seat at the Holiday Price of $375 (Reg $399) and receive a hat, a pair of tickets to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and a Sweatshirt. Hall of Fame tickets are first come first serves but the rest is available until Christmas. We have plenty of merchandise and gift certificates also available at our store on

The Berkshire Museum - 39 South St. - Holiday Family Day at Berkshire Museum, with free admission for members, 50% off admission for everyone else, and a full day of performances and special events. Including the ever-popular gingerbread cookie decorating!


Sponsored by Downtown Inc & The Office of Cultural Development

Monday, November 29, 2010

Celebrating Pittsfield Call for Photographs!


SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MONDAY DECEMBER 13, 2010!

The City of Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development announces an open call for submissions for the second annual Berkshire City juried photography show opening in January 2011. This year's theme is Celebrating Pittsfield in coordination with the yearlong celebration of Pittsfield's 250th birthday.

We're looking for photographs from both amateur and professional photographers that celebrate Pittsfield's people, places, neighborhoods, special events, institutions & businesses, and beautiful outdoor spaces. Surprise us! The only requirement is that all photos be taken within the city limits of Pitstfield, Massachusetts.

Berkshire City: Celebrating Pittsfield opens Friday, January 14, and the deadline for submitting photos for consideration is Monday, December 13: so you only have two weeks to find your best & favorite photos to submit, or to go take some new ones!

Click here for the entry form and click here for the full instructions. If you have further questions, please email Max at mmoyborgen@pittsfieldch.com.  We look forward to seeing your work!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Plaid Friday: Participating Businesses



Support your community this holiday season by visiting local shops, cafes & restaurants! Turn Black Friday into Plaid Friday by weaing plaid and shopping local. Visit these great local businesses today!

In Downtown Pittsfield
-The Pittsfield Colonials Shop: Kid's raffle
-The Garden: 10%-50% off everything in the store!
-Ferrin Gallery: annual small works shop+ print sale+ great art for everyone
-Museum Facsimiles Outlet Store: gorgeous locally made gift cards & picture frames plus pick up a 20% off coupon for your Festival of Trees visit at the Berkshire Museum!
-RJ Stohr Fine Jewelry & Diamonds: 50% off EVERYTHING in the shop Friday & Saturday!
-Carr Hardware has great sales today!
-Chapters Book Store
   Super Secret Snowman Sale
   Pick a snowman and save!!
   Between 12PM and 2PM on Black Friday, stop in to Chapters while doing your Downtown holiday shopping. Discounts up to 50%!!!
   Incredible $5 Table
   Lots of goodies will be marked to only $5 bucks, for a limited time only. Perfect for grab bag gifts, secret Santa, and of course, stocking stuffers!! (ooh, maybe even some audio books will show up on there.....)
   Melissa and Doug Floor Puzzles
   Buy 1 Get 1 50% off
   This Friday, Saturday and Sunday only!!
-Dottie’s Coffee Lounge
   Free coffee with gift purchases: coffee mug towers, varied assortments of 12 oz coffee from Barrington Coffee, loose leaf organic tea jars, tea filters, Chemex coffeemakers (two sized) and filters, Single serving tea pots, Dinner Party gift certificates, Coffee Tasting Gift Certificates, Dottie's Gift Certificates
-Emporium
-Vicki Baird Connections
   20% off entire store!
   They will also have Bola Maya key chains.
   In ancient Maya, there was a tradition of exchange that was believed to bring peace between the tribes. It was practiced with exchanging desired commodities and semi-precious stones like Jade and Obsidian.
   Based on this concept and using an object that symbolizes peace amongst the tribes, Connections decided to continue with this tradition by creating the BOLA MAYA. To obtain the BOLA MAYA is to help Mayan communities who manufacture them and also to share a little love and a little happiness in this occasionally difficult world.
Retail for 5 dollars. All proceeds go back to the communities and artisans who make the Bola Maya products.



Plaid Friday comes to Pittsfield: Supporting local & indie businesses!

Instead of standing in line for hours in the cold, waiting for those mega-superstores to open up, don your best plaid outfit, and stroll along North Street and enjoy Pittsfield’s locally owned shops, cafes and restaurants in downtown Pittsfield this Friday, November 26. It’s the civilized thing to do! Instead of rushing around, snatching bargain deals and fighting angry mobs – slow down and savor all the great things in our community, and the rich variety of locally owned stores and restaurants that contribute so much to the flavor and spirit of our region. Don’t get mad, get plaid!




The name Plaid Friday celebrates the diversity and creativity of independent businesses. Plaid Friday is the fun and enjoyable alternative to the big box store “Black Friday,” and is designed promote both local and independently owned businesses during the holidays. By wearing plaid on Friday, you’ll be showing your commitment to buy local and supporting your community. Every time you buy a gift in a locally owned business, you’re giving back to the local economy. And many downtown businesses are offering specials during Plaid Friday.

We encourage people to shop local and independent, and wear visible plaid (in any form!) to proclaim their love of the creativity and diversity of independent businesses in our community.




Plaid Friday originated in Oakland, California, and is designed to promote local and independently owned businesses during the holidays. One of the long term goals of Plaid Friday is to become a resource to make it easier for shoppers to find local businesses in every city across the nation. This year Pittsfield and Somerville in Massachusetts and other cities are joining the Plaid Friday movement, and even the Boston Globe has put in a good word for it!

And if you don’t yet own anything plaid, pick up a great plaid shirt at The Garden, plaid reading glasses at the Emporium, or wear your plaid pajamas!  It’s the fun and creative alternative to big businesses’ “Black Friday” – and it’s coming to downtown Pittsfield!


Thursday, November 18, 2010

Late Night Third Thursday!

It sure looks like Downtown Pittsfield's getting in the groove of our Late Night Third Thursdays! We stopped inside the Marketplace Cafe and the New Berry Place for a sneak peek of what they've got in store for tonight. Take a look!

The New Berry Place has these delish Harry Potter cupcakes

While inside the Marketplace Cafe, they've got a whole menu dedicated to Harry Potter's magical world!
Harry's ready to flatten Voldemort...
And even Voldemort & friends couldn't resist a little sweety goodness before the big battle!
Also on tap for tonight - Pittsfield Bra & Girl's special Love Potion Concoction, a Sloppy Harry Potter Burrito at Hot Harry's, and great desserts and appetizers inside Brulees!

Late Night Third Thursdays starts tonight at 8:30 and runs until the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1



Monday, November 15, 2010

Late Night 3rd Thursdays: Harry Potter Premiere & the Beacon's First Birthday!

We're bringing back Third Thursdays for one more month! Come out next Thursday, November 18, for the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1. But come a little early, and join in on the Beacon's Birthday festivities! The mayor will be on hand to wish the Beacon a happy birthday with a delicious cake, there will be fun trivia games and creative costume contests, and if you've ever wanted to see what a muggle Quidditch game looks like -- you're in for a treat! The first block of North Street will be closed from 7:30-midnight; the festivities start at 8:30. And don't forget to buy your tickets now (in person or at thebeaconcinema.com) before they sell out!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

You Are Invited to Help Celebrate Pittsfield's 250th Birthday in 2011

Pittsfield 250, the umbrella organization planning a year-long celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the City of Pittsfield in 2011, is inviting you to attend their public meeting, to offer insight and input on its plans for Pittsfield’s 250th birthday.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of The Berkshire Athenaeum. The event is open to the entire community. Attendees are invited to bring their thoughts about initiatives to celebrate the City’s history, present day and future in a meaningful way.

Currently, there are three city-wide events on tap for 2011:
  • A two-day birthday party on April 29 and 30 with visiting dignitaries and local honorees
  • A reunion weekend July 1-4 complete with tours of the City, neighborhood and other reunion activities, as well as a free patriotic performance for the community. The Welcome Back Weekend will culminate with the Pittsfield Fourth of July Parade featuring the theme “Celebrating Pittsfield Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”
  • An alumni Welcome Home weekend coinciding with Thanksgiving and high school reunions. The weekend will include two performances at The Colonial Theatre featuring local artists and artists who began their careers in Pittsfield.

Additionally, the Pittsfield 250 Committee is accepting volunteers to assist with the implementation of events and activities.
For more information, contact the Pittsfield 250 Committee at info@pittsfield250.org


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

In case you missed it - some Hip-Hop Block Party Highlights

Josh McHugh aka B-Boy Butta of Fresh Trix Crew and event organizer 

Problemaddicts performing

 Graffiti spray cans

 Graffiti spray cans zoomed in

Massive Graphics Graffiti Artist in action

B-boy Andres Ramirez of Fresh Trix Crew

B-boy Andres Ramirez of Fresh Trix Crew

B-boy Andres Ramirez of Fresh Trix Crew

B-boy Andres Ramirez of Fresh Trix Crew

MC Motiv8, event organizer, with DJ QuikMonee

Youth dancing

Fresh Trix Crew

Fresh Trix Crew

Josh McHugh of Fresh Trix Crew

Youth Performing

Tone Bones, event organizer, of Massive Graphics

B-Boy Andres Ramirez Fresh Trix Crew

B-Boy Andres Ramirez Fresh Trix Crew

B-Boy Andres Ramirez Fresh Trix Crew

Little girl dancing to DJ QuikMonee's beats


Fresh Trix Crew Performing


Youth and Josh McHugh of Fresh Trix Crew
Like what you see? 

Check out Massive Graphics and come out to our classes:

Josh McHugh's Hip-Hop and B-Boy Dance Class on Wednesdays at the Lichtenstein Center from 4-5PM.
and Mackenzie Buckley's Hip-Hop and Popping Dance Classes on Tuesdays and Fridays at the Lichtenstein Center from 4-5PM.

Call our office for more information (413) 499-9348.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

New Figurative Work by Jeanet Ingalls and Anki King

Two Woman Art Show Explores the Female Figure
Naked Opens at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts


What:

Come join us for a two person art show exhibition opening exploring female figure art.  The show, entitled Naked, features a Berkshire County artist Jeanet Ingalls, paired with a Norwegian artist, Anki King, who currently resides in Brooklyn. The artists, both female, are united by their use of figurative work to evoke a variety of emotions.

Where:
At the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in downtown Pittsfield, located at 28 Renne Avenue.

When:
The public is invited to the opening reception to be held Saturday, November 13 from 5pm to 7pm.

Anki King Biography:
Anki King grew up in a small village in Norway. After completing her arts education in Oslo, Norway, she moved to New York City in 1994 where she studied at The Art Students League until 1998. She describes her paintings as using the human form as a vehicle of evoking subtle emotions as a tool of education to one’s own psyche. In New York, King has built a strong career as a painter and exhibits frequently both in Europe and in the USA. Her work is included in many private and public collections and she has exhibited at the Katonah Museum of Art, NY, Las Cruces Museum of Art, NM and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Tokyo. She recently won the 2010 London International Creative Competition.

Anki King explains her creative process: “When I start a painting, I don’t have a goal—I don’t set out to make something pretty. The paintings tell me what to do and what they need, including the palette, which is always limited. You have to hunt for the colors. I suppose they’re more precious that way, just like everything else in the painting that is revealed only after some time and effort.”

Jeanet Ingalls Biography:
Until Jeanet Ingalls was seven, adopted by missionaries and brought to Lenox Massachusetts, she spent her days running through the streets, carrying cement blocks and diving for coins in the canals of Cagyan de Oro City, Mindanao, Philippines. Later, while studying art at Parsons School of Design, the impressions and memories of her childhood bled into her paintings, contextualized by her inquiry into the place of women in the human condition; the objectification of women through their sexuality; and motherhood. In her work, Jeanet is trying to find the strength and structure in the human body ravaged by life.

Her work has appeared at the Lauren Clark Gallery in Housatonic, Massachusetts, The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in Pittsfield, and the F Collective in Hudson, New York. She was the costume designer and producer of the feature length film, “Dressed like a Hitman” and is currently working on a feature film titled “Between Sea and Sky” based on her early childhood in the Philippines.

The paintings are raw, catching the figures in moments of stillness and unconscious and unembarrassed self revelation. Inherent in the paintings are all the emotions, psychology and states of being read into the word itself: Naked. Jeanet Ingalls notes, “In my portraits and figures, my subjects are contorted by the hardships and struggles and the sheer biomorphic effort to transform pain into discovery of self. “

The Venue:
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts is a community arts center located at 28 Renne Avenue in downtown Pittsfield, the largest city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The Center host art shows, classes, workshops, performances, meetings, events, and rehearsals, and features an art gallery with changing exhibits, a pottery studio with classes, a darkroom, nine working artist studios, and a community room. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 5pm, and admission is free. For more information, please call 413.499.9348, email mmoyborgen@pittsfieldch.com or visit http://www.culturalpittsfield.com/.

Naked is scheduled to run from November 13th until January 8th, 2011. Please note that the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts will v be closed for the holidays December 22, 2010-January 1, 2011. For more information about Anki King and her work, please visit her website: http://www.ankiking.com/. For more information about Jeanet Ingalls and her work, please visit her website: http://www.jinsix.com/.


GALLERY HOURS: Wednesdays – Saturdays 12 PM to 5 PM Free admission

Gallery is closed December 22, 2010-January 1, 2011

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Check out the Classes at the Lichtenstein Center For the Arts!


Interested in learning how to dance?
Then come and check out Mackenzie Buckley's Hip-Hop Dance class at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts!

Here are the rest of our classes and meetings, check them out!
If you're interested in scheduling your own, then please contact Max Moy-Borgen.

Last Chance to Sign-Up for Jim Horsford's Pottery Class


If you'd like to make things like this, then hurry up and enroll in Jim Horsford's Pottery Class.  Only available to High School Students in Pittsfield schools.

ONLY THREE SPOTS LEFT!

6 week class starts

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

2:45 PM - 4:45 PM

Wednesday's class is already full!

For more information please contact Jim Horsford at shorsford@roadrunner.com, or check out his website: or our Cultural Pittsfield Blog's previous article.

Halloween Extravaganza!

What's there to do in Pittsfield for Halloween for those of you a little too old to go trick-or-treating? Watch the video and find out!

Call for Artists: Pittsfield Parade

CALL FOR ARTISTS: Pittsfield Parade 2011

The Pittsfield 4th of July Parade Committee is looking for a local artist to create the annual parade poster.

The theme for 2011 is “Pittsfield - 250 Years, Past, Present & Future”

Please send Pittsfield Parade a sketch of your idea for the 2011 poster by November 1st 2010. Email it to them at pittsfieldparade@aol.com
The artist will be notified by December 1st 2010.

Finished poster must be in acrylics on 18” by 24” jessoed masonite, and must be submitted by March 1st, 2011.

There is a $500 award, and the poster becomes the property of the Pittsfield Parade Committee to use as a fundraiser.

Questions -- call 447-7763.

Call for Artists: Berkshire Carousel

CALL FOR ARTISTS: Berkshire Carousel

The Berkshire Carousel Art Committee (BCAC) would like to invite you to participate in an exciting local art project, the Berkshire Carousel. This volunteer project is the creation of the first wooden hand carved carousel in New England in almost 100 years. Over 130 volunteers have been involved in the carving and painting of carousel figures, fund raising and designing this wonderful work of art. Please see pictures on our website at http://www.berkshirecarousel.com/

BCAC would specifically like you to consider submitting a painting to actually be on the carousel itself in one of the rounding boards (outer panels) or center panels surrounding the operating mechanism. The art will depict the culture, beauty and/or history of the Berkshires.

Applications should be completed and submitted by November 22, 2010. Reviews and selections by BCAC will be completed in 2010 and artists will be asked to complete paintings by June 1, 2011.

Click here to read the guidelines for the rounding board and panels for Berkshire Carousel.


Please feel free to contact the director, Maria Caccaviello at 413-499-0342 if you have any questions.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

October 21 Third Thursday!

For the last Third Thursday of 2010, we're combining Halloween and the annual CityJazz Fest for an October double whammy.
There will be Halloween costume contests for both kids and adults -- kids costumes will be judged at Chapters Book Store at 6; the adult costume contest will take place at the Crowne Plaza at 7pm. Downtown Inc has organized trick-or-treating at several downtown businesses and a pumpkin painting at the corner of North Street and Maplewood Avenue. There will also be LED hula-hooping, new art exhibits including a 3D art show, a poetry slam -- plus tons of great jazz jamming all along North Street! We're packing this one full of surprises so come out and jazz up the streets!

Click here to download your own copy of the 3rd. Thursday performance schedule!




Check out Berkshire Bateria performing at the Lichtenstein Center For the Arts on 3rd Thursday.


Check out more footage of the Berkshire Bateria performing at the
Lichtenstein Center For the Arts on 3rd Thursday.


Berkshire Anime


If you like good food, good company and are interested in Japanese Anime or Manga -- come out to the Berkshire Anime Club meeting Saturday, October 23, from 2pm - 5pm @ the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts!

The Berkshire Anime & Manga Club is a Western Massachusetts group dedicated to locating, studying, reading and watching Japanese comics and animation. It's a fairly new club (formed in March of 2010) and they're recruiting! If you live in the Berkshire County area (or even if you don't) and you're an anime or manga fan, we invite you to join up and meet other like-minded fans.

Berkshire Anime's goals are to connect people who know what anime and manga are about, or want to learn more. The club was started to...
• Bring people together who are anime and manga fans
• Provide a place to screen anime on a bigger (and better) screen than a television or computer monitor
• Plan outside events, like convention trips, manga trades, etc.
• Expose members to the literature, language, and art of another culture. (Japanese)
• Discuss the technology and techniques of animation and film-making.

To find out more about Berkshire Anime -- go to http://www.berkshireanime.org/ or http://www.meetup.com/BerkshireAnime/

Friday, October 8, 2010

Our Super Fellow on TV!



Watch as Pittsfield city councilor John Krol interviews our newest Americorps Mass Fellow, Max Moy-Borgen!

CityJazz Festival

The 6th annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival gets under way with our annual jazz crawl this weekend, Oct. 8-10. "Jazz About Town" features regionally based musicians appearing in 10 venues from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, coffee shops to barber shops, plus bars and restaurants. 

And, on Wednesday, Oct. 13, the remarkable pianist Warren Byrd appears with the Brazilian Jazz Trio in a free concert at the Berkshire Athenaeum, 7pm. The festival spans nearly two weeks, with headline weekend Oct. 15-16, and concluding with Third Thursday, our jazz-themed block party on Oct. 21.

OUT in the Berkshires



OUT in the Berkshires Gallery Exhibit
October 8 - November 6
Lichtenstein Center for the Arts
28 Renne Avenue

An exhibit featuring artists from the LGBT community, this exhibit kicks off a weekend full of LGBT-friendly events.


Artists featured in the Out in the Berkshires art show include abstract painter & printmaker Joe Goodwin, trans artists Autumn Doyle and justin adkins, mixed media artists Timothy Kushi and Donald Clark, photographers Susan Mikula, Bella Vendetta, the late Vaal London-Kane and Kit Restivo, sculptor Joseph Wheaton, painter Jaysin Eli, fiber artist Nathan Hanford, cartoonist Howard Cruse & more.