Julio Granda Retrospective Spans Two Downtown Pittsfield Galleries

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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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BVNA Nurses Raise Funds for Berkshire Bounty

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Nursing Association members of the Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association raised $650 to help with food insecurity in Berkshire County.
 
The nurses and health-care professionals of BVNA have given back to the community every holiday season for the last three years. The first year, they adopted a large family, raised money, bought, wrapped and delivered the gifts for the family. Last year, they sold raffle tickets and the money raised went to the charitable cause of the winner. 
 
This year, with food insecurity as a rising issue, they chose to give to Berkshire Bounty in Great Barrington.
 
They sold raffle tickets for a drawing to win one of two items: A lottery ticket tree or a gift certificate tree, each worth $100. They will be giving the organization the donation this month.
 
Berkshire Bounty seeks to improve food security in the county through food donations from retailers and local farms; supplemental purchases of healthy foods; distribution to food sites and home deliveries; and collaborating with partners to address emergencies and improve the food system. 
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