Williams Professor, Sculptor Receives Chesterwood Award

Amy Podmore is artist-in-residence at Chesterwood through June 30.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Chesterwood, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has named Amy Podmore as the recipient of its annual Lillian Heller Curator's Award.

Podmore, asculptor and Williams College professor of art, is artist-in-residence at Chesterwood through June 30; open studio hours with the artist will be held on June 27, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. A reception with Podmore will be held at Chesterwood's Morris Center on Sunday, June 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.

"Working at Chesterwood has been a real gift. Daniel Chester French made an exquisite studio in this beautiful setting, very conducive to creative work," said Podmore. "It has been wonderful to be able to immerse myself in the studio with fewer of the normal daily interruptions. I have been using the month to make new pieces and to experiment. I’m working on several sculptures and have begun a relief painting, which was triggered by the find of an oddly small and colorful vest."

While at Chesterwood, Podmore is also filming a sculptural/dance/video project with director Dave Simmons (who directed the documentary film "Cherry Cottage" about a historic house in Stockbridge), three dancers: Berkshire Pulse’s Ruth Bruno and Susan Quinn, as well as Charlie Reetz, and Nick Zammuto, of Zammuto Sound, who is creating the soundtrack music.

The award was created through an endowment by the family of Lillian Heller to memorialize her love and commitment to the arts.

Podmore's work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally, including Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood. Her work has been exhibited at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Bell Gallery (Brown University), Mass MoCA, Williams College Museum of Art, The Islip Art Museum, Allston Skirt Gallery, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Art Space, San Antonio Art Institute, Albany Airport Gallery, the Wassaic Project, Sculpture by the Sea (Australia), Massachusetts College of Art, Institute for Contemporary Art, Rose Art Museum (Brandeis University), and the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center among others. She is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Massachusetts Cultural Council Artists Grant Program.

Chesterwood, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is the summer home, studio and gardens of Daniel Chester French (1850-1931). French is best known for his sculptures of the Minute Man (1871-75) and the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln (1911-12) for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

New Camp Is Safe Place for Children Suffering Loss to Addiction

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:26AM / Saturday, December 27, 2025

Last year's Happy Campers courtesy of Max Tabakin.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A new camp is offering a safe place for children who have lost a parent or guardian to addiction. 

 

Director Gayle Saks founded the nonprofit "Camp Happy Place" last year. The first camp was held in June with 14 children.

 

Saks is a licensed drug and alcohol counselor who works at the Brien Center. One of her final projects when studying was how to involve youth, and a camp came to mind. Camp had been her "happy place" growing up, and it became her dream to open her own.

 

"I keep a bucket list in my wallet, and it's right on here on this list, and I cross off things that I've accomplished," she said. "But it is the one thing on here that I knew I had to do."

 

The overnight co-ed camp is held at a summer camp in Winsted, Conn., where Saks spent her summers as a child. It is four nights and five days and completely free. Transportation is included as are many of the items needed for camping. The camp takes up to 30 children.

 

"I really don't think there's any place that exists specifically for this population. I think it's important to know, we've said this, but that it is not a therapeutic camp," Saks said.

 

She said the focus is on fun for the children, though they are able to talk to any of the volunteer and trained staff. The staff all have experience in social work, addiction and counseling, and working with children.