Teen Sculpture Garden at Natural Bridge State Park

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The public is invited to a special event at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 8, at Natural Bridge State Park to celebrate the opening of the Guardian Sculpture Garden.

This striking permanent installation, made up of nine cast concrete sculptures created by local teen artists, is the result of nearly four years of planning, collaboration, and hard work. The celebration will honor the project's artists and its many helpers and partners along the way.

The free event will include refreshments, live music, and the opportunity to meet the Guardians' young artists: Erica Varieur, Christopher Winslow, Jeffrey Filiault, Emily Jaramillo, Sean Carollo, Jordan Pagan, Erin Gerrity, and Anne Hyer.

"This project is exciting because it brings together three of our area's most valuable resources: art, nature, and young people," said Erica Schmitz, who organized the project as part of the UNITY youth program at the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition. "We hope that locals and visitors of all ages will enjoy the sculpture park. We also hope that this project will inspire more public works of art in our community."

The Guardian Project was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The project owes its completion to the generosity of the Department of Environmental Management, Delftree Corp., Grady and Jennings Concrete, Dean Grimes, and H.L. Chesbro Co., the faith and commitment of Deanna Todd at Natural Bridge State Park, and the dedication of professional artists Ron Hyde and Bill Botzow.

For more information, please contact Erica Schmitz at 413-663-7588.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.