North Adams' Eclipse Mill Opening Studios For Weekend

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Eclipse Mill artists will open their doors to the public this weekend.

The Eclipse Mill artist lofts will host their annual open studio weekend where the public can see firsthand how the artists live and create

Resident artist Debi Pendell said there are 40 units in the old mill, and more than 25 artists spanning from potters to painters will have their doors open.

"Although we have work in the hallway we don’t invite the public in to our homes," Pendell said. "Once a year we welcome people into our work space, which actually happen to be for all of us our homes as well."

Pendell said normally the studios are not open to the public and people don’t have the option to actually discuss the art with those who made it.

"I exhibit my work in a gallery, but I am not there all the time," she said. "Here I can hear the response people have to my art, I can answer question and find out what they are thinking, and meet the community. There is definitely a back and forth."

Pendell said the event gives people a chance to expose themselves to art even if they are unfamiliar with it.

I think sometimes people are shy about art and feel like they don’t know enough or they are unfamiliar so they feel a little intimidated,” she said. “I would encourage people to come; we are all very friendly and open and we love to talk and introduce people to art.”

She said people can buy the art, but the open studios are more focused on showing people what the artists do.

"It gives people a chance to meet artists who do tend to be invisible in the world and view a wide variety of art in a no pressure situation,” she said. " It gives people the chance to be curious about art, the artist, and the building."

She said the event has changed every year since its inception in 2006, and this year there is a new interactive map that can be found on the open studios website.

The Eclipse Mill is on 243 Union St. and the galleries are open Saturday, Oct. 18, from 10 to 6 and Sunday, Oct. 19, from 10 to 4.

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.