Thanks to a unique collaboration of local creative institutions, Berkshire County artists from all disciplines and backgrounds can now participate in shaping the economic future of the region.
This month, the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center in North Adams, Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts unveiled a survey that they hope will shed some light on the needs of working artists.
"What we’re collaborating on is a project where we really look at what artists need to succeed professionally," said Megan Whilden, the director of Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development. "We want to chart the landscape for what artists need."
Defined as people who derive 10 percent or more of their total income from their art, working artists are an integral part of the Berkshires’ growing creative economy. In understanding the financial situation, housing preferences and professional development needs of local artists, the partners expect to better encourage the artists community, mostly in the economic sector.
"A number of us in the arts community have been talking about how to deliver more support to our local artists to help them develop their business skills, meet their housing needs, and invest for their long-term growth," says Blair Benjamin, director of Real Estate and Community Development at MASS MoCA in a statement.
"The surveys are a thoughtful approach to ensuring Berkshire County’s thriving economy," said Whilden, who estimated at least 1,000 artists live in the region. "You can’t help someone unless you know what they need."
The survey, which has already received approximately 150 responses, follows the formation of two 25-person focus groups, held in both North Adams and Pittsfield.
"We invited artists to meet with us and we talked through how they saw the housing market in the Berkshires, for example, and then we asked them what they would like to see," said Whilden.
Supported by a Massachusetts Cultural Council planning grant, the survey project will help the arts institutions find additional resources to benefit artists, who Whilden called "the underpinning of the creative economy."
"Artists are a critical part of what makes the Berkshires a relatively thriving creative economy and it’s not always clear what they need to improve their businesses," said Benjamin.
The collected data will be used to design programs and apply for grants. Some possible program, according to Benjamin, include business training, a micro loan program and other artists’ resources.
"Artists have unique challenges as solo enterprises," said Benjamin. "These initiatives will give us solid data that can help us persuade funders to support new strategies aimed at improving the livelihoods of Berkshire County artists."
The survey will also give the partners an idea of how many artists actually live in Berkshire County.
All practicing artists in Berkshire County are invited to participate in the anonymous survey by visiting www.culturalpittsfield.com or www.berkshireartstart.org. The survey can be completed online in 10 minutes or less.
Artists can also contact Benjamin at 664-4481 x8104 to request a hard copy of the survey. Surveys must be submitted by September 15 to be included in the official results.
Jen Thomas may be reached via email at jthomas@iberkshires.com or at (413) 663-3384, ext. 23.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Berkshire County musicians generally subsist under a system that is oppressive (this is generally true in most areas of the USA, but Berkshire County has an increasingly heavy concentratio of well-monied people. When one considers the hours that it takes to practice and prepare, schlepp the equipment into the car and then into the club, play 3-4 hours, and the schlepp out of the club and into the car, get home late (and up late the following day), schlepp out of the car and back into the residence, one is talking about an 18 to 24 hour time period. $50 to $100 for this period of time is not a living wage. Ironically, Patrons swoon over the music making, blabber off all kinds of compliments and "thank you your music has made my day" type comments...and yet the waiters and waitresses in the club/restaurant are making far more money than the musicians. This is an age old syndrome, the general gist being that musicians love what they do so a living wage in concrete monetary form is not neccessary; musicians are hungry to play and can be easly bargained down; and the unspoken perception that somehow The God of Muse takes care of musicians in ways that civilians do not need to be concerned with. Situations like this are especially disturbing in South County where money reigns and the populace is generally beyond affluent. What would life be without music? Pretty Darn Dull. The next time you see a musician puring their heart out on some tight club stage remember that the US GOV does not supply any form of artistic support, and a simple tithing will go a long way toward improving the lives of those who bring the music, and improving the Karma of those who are dripping in money and choose to contribute. While I am speaking of musicians, this syndrome exists also with dancers and actors too. It is wrong, so I encourage all who may read this to contemplate and perhaps revise their thinking around performance artists, do what they can to help those who are on the bottom of the class system to live a little better.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Students at Capeless Elementary School celebrated the season of giving by giving back to organizations that they feel inspired them.
On Monday night, 28 fourth-grade students showed off the projects they did to raise funds for an organization of their choice. They had been given $5 each to start a small business by teachers Jeanna Newton and Lidia White.
Newton created the initiative a dozen years ago after her son did one while in fifth grade at Craneville Elementary School, with teacher Teresa Bills.
"And since it was so powerful to me, I asked her if I could steal the idea, and she said yes. And so the following year, I began, and I've been able to do it every year, except for those two years (during the pandemic)," she said. "And it started off as just sort of a feel-good project, but it has quickly tied into so many of the morals and values that we teach at school anyhow, especially our Portrait of a Graduate program."
Students used the venture capital to sell cookies, run raffles, make jewelry, and more. They chose to donate to charities and organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Berkshire Humane Society and Toys for Tots.
"Teaching them that because they have so much and they're so blessed, recognizing that not everybody in the community has as much, maybe not even in the world," said Newton. "Some of our organizations were close to home. Others were bigger hospitals, and most of our organizations had to do with helping the sick or the elderly, soldiers, people in need."
Once they have finished and presented their projects, the students write an essay on what they did and how it makes them feel.
"So the essay was about the project, what they decided to do, how they raised more money," Newton said. "And now that the project is over, this week, we're writing about how they feel about themselves and we've heard everything from I feel good about myself to this has changed me."
Sandra Kisselbrock raised $470 for St. Jude's by selling homemade cookies.
"It made me feel amazing and happy to help children during the holiday season," she said.
Gavin Burke chose to donate to the Soldier On Food Pantry. He shoveled snow to earn money to buy the food.
"Because they helped. They used to fight for our country and used to help protect us from other countries invading our land and stuff," he said.
Desiree Brignoni-Lay chose to donate to Toys for Tots and bought toys with the $123 she raised.
Luke Tekin raised $225 for the Berkshire Humane Society by selling raffle tickets for a basket of instant hot chocolate and homemade ricotta cookies because he wanted to help the animals.
"Because animals over, like I'm pretty sure, over 1,000 animals are abandoned each year, he said. "So I really want that to go down and people to adopt them."
The Wildcats marched 84 yards in a drive that consumed 11 minutes, 17 seconds of the third quarter for a critical touchdown in a 48-36 win over Boston’s Cathedral High in the quarter-finals of the Division 8 Tournament. click for more
Evelyn Julieano and Leanne Maschino each put down seven kills, and the Lenox volleyball team came out strong in advancing past Whitinsville Christian in three sets in the Division 5 State Tournament quarter-finals on Friday.
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Kofi Roberts and Everett Bayliss remained tied for the team lead with 14 goals apiece, and Lucas Burrow notched his second goal as Mount Greylock (11-6-1) won for the fourth time in five games and earned its third shutout victory in the Western Mass tournament. click for more
GG Nicastro scored in the 37th minute to break a 1-1 tie, and the Mount Greylock girls soccer team Wednesday went on to a 2-1 win over Monson in the Western Massachusetts Class C Championship Game at Berkshire Community College.
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Primary setter Grace Julieano had 22 assists – 10 of them to her sister Evelyn and eight to Sara Isby in Saturday's three-set win over Mount Greylock. click for more
Darius Taliaferro and Cameron Coon each scored a goal on Friday to lead the Mount Everett boys soccer team to a 2-1 win over Gateway Regional. click for more
