Learning Math through Art

Click here to read a recent story about IS183 Art School's innovative collaboration with Morningside Community School in Pittsfield to teach kids math through art after school...and last year Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival held their annual residency at Pittsfield's Conte Community School helping students there to learn math through dance! Studies show that involving more than just the brain in education can increase comprehension and retention, so we applaud these initiatives!

Art & Housing: It's all connected

The Boston Globe has featured Pittsfield on the front page of its real estate section twice in recent months, both times touting its affordability and its creative rennaissance. Click here to read about why it's a great city to invest in or live in, from its great location in the Berkshires with easy access to NYC to the outdoor amenities, funky old architecture, and burgeoning artist community congregating at hubs like Dottie's Coffee Lounge, pictured above from the Globe article.

Click here to read the Globe's feature about affordable housing for artists in Pittsfield and environs and a groundbreaking new program that's being developed here in the Berkshires to help support low income artists.

And click here to read about a grant recently received for the innovative and upcoming New Amsterdam housing complex, inspired by old world row houses and Hundertwasser, planned for downtown Pittsfield, to feature affordable rental units and...shops and a gallery!

Brooklyn comes to Pittsfield!

Dottie's Coffee Lounge is downtown Pittsfield's newest mecca for great coffee, locally sourced and yummy lunches and breakfasts, and a great open mike night on Thursdays (so I hear). This weekend they are importing young and restless talent from down south -- Brooklyn -- Friday and Saturday nights, January 11 & 12. Friday it's Ching Song Snog and the Wowz (both pictured here) and Saturday it's the wistful, mournful and captivating Drew Victor, and The Afternoon. No cover, donations requested for these fine musicians, and it's BYOB with a $5 corkage fee.

Ferrin Gallery heads south...to Palm Beach, baby!

Pittsfield's Ferrin Gallery is taking their artists' work on the road this week to the Palm Beach 3 Art Fair including two of Pittsfield's finest, painter Maggie Mailer (above) and photographer David Ricci (below). For more previews of their work and others, click here.

Pittsfield's Corey Zink

Last night I had the pleasure of hearing the country band County Line with the young Corey Zink on lead vocals. He sounds as old as the hills in the old-time country tradition, like Lefty Frizzell, George Jones, and Randy Travis. Plus he's in a traditional bluegrass band called Acoustic Blue (pictured left, that's Corey on the right), with two CDs to their name. Keep an eye out for this young talent!

Click here to visit Acoustic Blue online, and mark your calendars for Saturday, February 2, for the next appearance of County Line at the Masonic Temple in Pittsfield!

Pittsfield's Halloween Parade 2007

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the black valley time travel project

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archival footage of California's The Black Valley in one of their legendary performances. Featuring Dorothy Truth and Menlo Macfarlane.

Ants!!

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Interactive video...

Third Thursday Bumblebees

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Douglass Truth's videos projected from Spice - onto House of India for October's Third Thursday.

Photos from the September 2007 3rd.Thursdays event in downtown Pittsfield

Pittsfield's Creative Companies sighted in Cali

On vacation in lovely Monterey California this week, I wandered in to Never on Sundays, voted the best gift shop in Monterey County this year. What did I find but the fabulous products of not one but two Pittsfield businesses: the outrageous yet deliciously scented Blue Q line of soaps (see left), lotions, lip balm and much more. Plus the gorgeous and colorful jammies, rugs and other goodies from Pine Cone Hill and sister company Dash & Albert.

Pittsfield 3rd Thursday

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Don't miss the video above! Last month we threw a preview party in anticipation of our new monthly event series, 3rd.Thursdays in downtown Pittsfield. Local artist and filmmaker Doug Truth filmed the event and crafted this short video to capture the flava!

You'll hear and see the Berkshire Bateria drumming up a storm; Maria Bermudez dancing with fire; and a sneak preview of Barrington Stage Company's stunning new production of West Side Story (and those fellows had only been rehearsing for two days at this point!) Spice Restaurant was the host for the event.

Get ready for the first 3rd.Thursday next week on Thursday, June 21, when the Berkshire Bateria returns to Pittsfield's outside stage, this time in front of the Berkshire Museum at 39 South Street. A second stage in front of St. Joseph's Church at 414 North Street will feature community dance performances and free outdoor karaoke, plus lots more in between! 5-8pm and beyond in downtown Pittsfield! Click here for more details as they are posted.

Ferrin Gallery opening in Pittsfield

Donald Clark and Leslie Ferrin are bringing their gorgeous gallery to Pittsfield, opening next week for a sneak preview reception on downtown Pittsfield's first 3rd.Thursday celebration. The Ferrin Gallery is one of the country's (or maybe the world's) top ceramic arts galleries and also carries great two dimensional work. Best of all they are great fun to work with and have jumped right in to community event planning and supporting our fabulous not-profit cultural organizations like the Berkshire Museum, Barrington Stage Company, and Storefront Artist Project, as well as being a key sponsor of 3rd.Thursdays (more soon on that).

Welcome to the Cultural Pittsfield blog!

T0morrow, Thursday, June 14, come on downtown and meet Brooklyn artist Dan Levenson who will be installing his site-specific installation, "Pittsfield Crossroads" on the facade of the YMCA building at 292 North Street. Here's a mockup of the piece, which marries computer age imagery with the ancient symbolism of crossroads -- in this case the seemingly prosaic confluence of Routes 7, 9 and 20 in downtown Pittsfield.

Dan's piece is part of Artscape's annual public art exhibition in downtown Pittsfield.