Pittsfield - Sometimes the work of one artist overflows what a single exhibition space can hold. In the case of celebrated 76-year-old artist Julio Granda, a thirty-five year resident of the Berkshires, former professor and head of the Fine Arts Department of Berkshire Community College, and mentor to dozens of other artists in the region, two gallery spaces are partnering in an innovative show highlighting work from just one decade of this prolific artist’s work.
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts gallery and the Storefront Artist Project Mainspace will both be featuring work by Julio Granda from 1980-1990, an active and vibrant period of his career where his paintings and drawings explored the expressive qualities of the line. Berkshire Eagle’s art critic Charles Bonenti wrote of Granda’s work in 1983: "we come away from Granda's work with a sense of having touched some cosmic or spiritual principle. We have been led to confront…the complexity and ambiguity that can exist in linear, spatial and color relationships..."
An opening reception for the artist will be held in both exhibition spaces on Friday, August 3. The opening at the Lichtenstein Center gallery, located at 28 Renne Avenue , is from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by the reception at the Storefront Artist Project Mainspace, located around the corner at 124 Fenn Street , from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Both shows are open from August 1 to September 15, 2007. The opening receptions are sponsored in part by The Kinderhook Group and Sabor Restaurant: Contemporary Latin American Cuisine.
Granda, a prolific artist whose career spans over several decades, is a true poet of line and space. Reminiscent of Lorca's poetry, his works take us into a different universe that denies concrete space. Seemingly simplistic, the juxtaposition of shapes and colors in his paintings and drawings is never pure abstraction but rather an animating force that gives his work dynamism and vitality.
Julio Granda has been living in the Berkshires for the past 35 years after moving here from New York City. He received his Master’s of Fine Arts at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and also studied at School of Visual Arts and the Cooper Union School of Art in New York City. He served both as Fine Arts faculty and as Chairman of the Fine Arts Department with the Berkshire Community College. Recent exhibitions include Simon's Rock College of Bard in Great Barrington, Tokonoma Gallery in Housatonic and Ute Stebich Gallery in Lenox.
Gallery hours at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, where Granda’s paintings will be shown, are Wednesday through Saturday, 12 noon to 5 p.m.
Public hours at the Storefront Artist Project Mainspace, where Granda’s drawings are highlighted, are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
For more information on the Julio Grand exhibition, visit www.culturalpittsfield.com or contact the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts at 413.499.9348 or the Storefront Artist Project at 413.442.7201 and www.storefrontartist.org.
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Wonderful show! Would like to be in touch with Julio and make a purchase.
Wini b
Berkshire Towns Can Tap State Seasonal Communities Resources
BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey announced that 18 additional municipalities across Massachusetts have been designated as Seasonal Communities, opening up new tools, support and grant funding to help them manage seasonal housing pressures.
Created as part of the historic Affordable Homes Act signed into law by Governor Healey in 2024, the Seasonal Communities designation was designed to recognize Massachusetts communities that experience substantial variation in seasonal employment and to create distinctive tools to address their unique housing needs. The law also established the Seasonal Communities Advisory Council (SCAC).
All municipalities in the counties of Dukes and Nantucket;
All municipalities with over 35 percent seasonal housing units in Barnstable County; and
All municipalities with more than 40 percent seasonal housing units in Berkshire County.
To identify additional communities, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC) reviewed available data, specifically focusing on cities and towns with high levels of short-term rentals and a high share of second- or vacation homes.
In Berkshire County, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, New Marlborough, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, West Stockbridge and Williamstown have been designated.
"Our seasonal communities are a vital part of Massachusetts' cultural and economic fabric, but they're also home to essential workers, families, seniors, and longtime residents who deserve a place to live year-round," said Governor Healey. "That's why we're committed to supporting these communities with innovative solutions like the Seasonal Communities designation to meet their unique needs, and I'm thrilled that we're offering this opportunity to 18 additional communities across the state. Everyone who calls these places home should be able to live, work and grow here, no matter the season."
As with the statutorily identified communities, acceptance of the designation for municipalities is voluntary and requires a local legislative vote. HLC will open an application for newly eligible communities that haven't accepted the Seasonal Communities designation to request consideration.
The Affordable Homes Act created several new tools for communities who accept the Seasonal Communities designation to be able to:
Acquire deed restrictions to create or preserve year-round housing
Develop housing with a preference for municipal workers, so that our public safety personnel, teachers, public works and town hall workers have a place to live
Establish a Year-Round Housing Trust Fund to create and preserve affordable and attainable housing for year-round residents
Create year-round housing for artists
Allow seasonal communities to develop a comprehensive housing needs assessment
Permit tiny homes to be built and used as year-round housing
Permit year-round, attainable residential development on undersized lots
Increase the property tax exemption for homes that are the owners' primary residence
Disrepaired houses at 154 Francis Ave. and 224 Fourth St. will be demolished as part of the city's yearly efforts to address condemned properties. click for more
Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 100 Northumberland Road.
click for more
The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. click for more
