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February 2006
  Articles on this page: • 2006: Pittsfield Comes Alive
2006: Pittsfield Comes Alive By Megan Whilden, Director, Office of Cultural Development, City of Pittsfield Last week I ate a late lunch of tamales at Pancho's, a great little Mexican restaurant that opened last year on North Street in Pittsfield. The owner, Jesus, told me about his plans to expand the restaurant into the space next door, and told me he was thinking about holding an outdoor Cinco de Mayo celebration next to his restaurant in May. Afterwards I stopped in at one of my favorite new stores, also on North Street, called Twin Hearts Handworks, to say hello to the proprietor, Cara Petricca-Carnevale. Twin Hearts features a wonderful array of handcrafted gifts and art objects, as well as classes and materials to make your own, from embellished handbags to hand felted hats, necklaces and much more. Her associate, Eileen Reilly, told me that Cara had just rented the empty storefront next door, more than twice as big as her current space, and would be moving in there within a month or two. This lunchtime stroll epitomized for me the expanding interrelationship between cultural and economic development in Pittsfield. As new businesses continue to open and grow in downtown and elsewhere in the city, new jobs are created, new opportunities to participate in the arts are made available, and our quality of life attracts visitors, new residents, and new businesses. We are fortunate to have a business community here that understands that relationship and that is farsighted enough to generously support local arts initiatives. 2005 was a banner year for the arts in Pittsfield, with the addition of a Tony-winning theater group, a major concert that drew 10,000 people to the downtown, and the continued restoration of The Colonial Theatre and much more. The arts in Pittsfield are flowering, and you can expect to see even more happening in 2006. Below are some highlights of 2005: Barrington Stage Company establishes permanent home in Pittsfield The Tony Award-winning Barrington Stage Company announced its purchase of downtown Pittsfield's historic Berkshire Music Hall and adjoining octagon house to serve as a permanent home for the company, which received rave reviews from the New York Times and elsewhere for its stellar 2005 season, which included performances of the musical Hair in its new theatre. Historic renovation of The Colonial Theatre begins Already nearby real estate is being marketed as within walking distance to the Colonial, as well as other arts attractions. After a fifty-year dormancy, the exquisite 800+ seat Colonial Theatre, called "one of the greatest acoustical houses in the entire world," will reopen this summer. Wahconah Park hosts Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson, receives historic designation Wahconah Park hosted two of America's greatest musical icons, as ten thousand fans flooded into downtown Pittsfield on a gorgeous June evening to attend the concert and proved that the city could host a major event without a hitch. Also in 2005, Wahconah Park earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, which will help facilitate plans to revamp the ballpark and make it an even greater draw and community resource in the coming years. Reverend Samuel Harrison documentary released and $250,000 grant received In January of 2005, Pittsfield was the site of a world premiere of a new documentary about one of our city's leading citizens of the 19th century, the Reverend Samuel Harrison. In July, Congressman Olver announced a $250,000 federal matching grant for restoration of his longtime house into an African American museum and history center. New Executive Directors bring new energy and vision to Hancock Shaker Village and Berkshire Museum Pittsfield's oldest and largest cultural institutions hired visionary new leaders in 2005. Stuart Chase of the Berkshire Museum and Ellen Spear of Hancock Shaker Village have brought great energy, expertise, enthusiasm and ideas to their organizations and to the city as a whole. Over 150 artists show their work on downtown sidewalks Over six summer weekends in downtown Pittsfield, Art Show Street Galleries, a collaborative effort between local businesses, the city, and local organizations brought over 150 juried artists to North and South Streets. The outdoor art shows attracted thousands of people to downtown Pittsfield and featured painters, sculptors, photographers and more from Berkshire County to Texas, New York City, Maine, Connecticut, and more. Downtown Arts District zoning overlay established An innovative Downtown Arts District zoning overlay was spearheaded by Pittsfield's Community Development Director, Deanna Ruffer, and approved by the Pittsfield City Council in 2005. It has already resulted in a new artist live/work loft space project, an upper story downtown living project, and the relocation of renowned weaver Sam Kasten, whose customers include Bill Gates, Ralph Lauren, and museums and corporations across the country, to downtown Pittsfield. First ever Pittsfield CityJazz Festival held The Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, the city's first ever, was a smashing success. The Festival attracted full, enthusiastic houses for both headline shows and local jazz musicians were featured at over a dozen local cafes, bars, and restaurants downtown. Watch for this year’s City Jazz Festival on the weekend of October 13-15, 2006. Boston Globe includes Berkshire Opera Company among best performances of 2005 Known for its bold, engaging and innovative productions of operatic masterpieces, as well as lesser-known works, the Berkshire Opera Company's 2005 Pittsfield production of "L’Elisir d’Amore" was singled out by the Boston Globe as one of the best opera productions of the year. Lichtenstein Center of Arts hosts variety of creative initiatives Lichtenstein Center of Arts hosts variety of creative initiatives Pittsfield's Town Players brought their stagecraft back downtown with a series of three critically acclaimed plays at the Lichtenstein Center. Two travelling film festivals, poetry readings, musical performances, and classes in tap and tango dancing, tai chi, children’s art, ceramics were offered at the municipally-owned arts center. Night Shift, a weekend warehouse art show, draws over a thousand visitors "Group W," a group of local artists who create together, organized an amazing weekend art show in their warehouse home at East Coast Refinishing on Industrial Drive that garnered widespread attention. Entitled "Night Shift," it featured sculpture, murals, photography, paintings and more. “Night Shift” was a great example of out-of-the-box creativity both in the arts and in its presentation. Great concerts come to Pittsfield As well as the groundbreaking Bob Dylan/Willie Nelson show at Wahconah Park, Pittsfield hosted a number of other great performances, including the Boys of the Lough, Shawn Colvin, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the World Saxophone Quartet and Toots and the Maytals. As well as all of the above initiatives moving forward in 2006, there's even more to look forward to this year, including: The Art of the Game hits a home run for Pittsfield Pittsfield's ongoing relationship with baseball, stretching back to 1791, will be celebrated over the next two years with an innovative public arts initiative, the Art of the Game, that will bring a variety of colorfully painted art and sculpture to the streets of downtown Pittsfield and beyond. Storefront Artist Project's Pittsfield-New Orleans Artist Exchange In 2005 the Storefront Artist Project established a permanent home and storefront studio, where a wide variety of artists will be in residence. They are leading an artist exchange program that will bring New Orleans artists, dancers, chefs, musicians and more to Pittsfield during the month of August. Watch for a Mardi Gras party to raise funds for the program this month on February 25. Celebrate the Gilded Age in Pittsfield This summer, the Berkshire Historical Society mounts an ambitious exhibit celebrating the Gilded Age in Pittsfield. Housed at the Society's headquarters at Arrowhead, the historic home of Herman Melville, the show will highlight Pittsfield’s key role in the history of the Gilded Age in the Berkshires. The rebirth of Pittsfield's Ethnic Fair Plans are underway to bring back Pittsfield's celebrated Ethnic Fair, an international festival that celebrates the many different cultures and nations that make up our city. Look for food, craft, dance and music of many nations, from the Irish, Italian, Israeli and Polish to Brazilian, Lebanese, Mexican, and Ghanian, on the streets of downtown Pittsfield on Sunday, August 27th. And as always, summertime in Pittsfield will be filled with a variety of other festivals, including the Celebrate Pittsfield Street Festival, the Gatherin’, the Greek Festival, the Family Fiesta de Pittsfield, the Gathering of the Roots Festival and more. All of this is happening in Pittsfield because of the enthusiasm, support and hard work of members of the community, whether they are business people, volunteers, artists, municipal employees, civic organizations, or cultural groups. It is a group effort enriched by every contribution, and one that we can all contribute to, feel proud of, and enjoy. The arts bring joy into the lives of our community, new businesses and new residents with much to give new visitors and new opportunities for our children. From a business perspective, they bring more life onto the streets, and more customers to your door, whether you are a restaurateur, a banker, a shopkeeper, or a hair stylist. Cultural development enriches the lives of all of us, in all senses of the word. With everyone's help, 2006 will be a banner year for the arts in Pittsfield.  RETURN TO TOP |
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