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Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Jane Chu, inside the Longfellow studio with co-founders Tessa Kelly and Chris Parkinson during a recent site visit to Pittsfield.

'The Mastheads' Inaugural Writers' Residency Launches in July

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Mastheads Writers' Residency Program is set to launch its inaugural monthlong residency on July 3 with a launch party at Hotel on North.

Five writers from around the country will converge on the city, each paired with a private studio for a month-long residency, complemented by city-wide public programming and events.
 
The brainchild of husband and wife architecture team Chris Parkinson and Tessa Kelly, The Mastheads project recognizes Pittsfield's legacy of writers of the American Renaissance, including Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Between the years of 1840 and 1860, these authors all produced work in and about Pittsfield.

The Mastheads seek to preserve this history of writing about place through the production of new content and knowledge.
 
"We really want to get the community engaged in this project by using these historic authors to provide a platform for new voices to engage with the contemporary city through the written word," Kelly said.
 
The writers-in-residence for this year are Mariam Rahmani, Justin Boening, Maria Pinto, Greg Allendorf and John Babbott. Click here to learn more about the residents.
 
The writing studios, which will be dispersed across the city at five new sites each summer, then de-installed for the remainder of the year, promote this dual condition-individual introspection from a specific vantage point and connection to a large-scale urban network.  The locations for the inaugural year of the project are Melville and Hawthorne at Arrowhead; Holmes and Longfellow at Canoe Meadows and Thoreau at Springside Park.



The writing studios are work spaces only. Housing for the residents is provided in Pittsfield, with transportation available for those who need it. The studios are open-air and rustic in their amenities. They include electricity and are each located within 300 feet walking distance from a host institution where restrooms are available.
 
 "This project showcases the vision and artistry of our creative community and also creates a bridge to Pittsfield's illustrious literary past," Mayor Linda M Tyer said.  "We are, indeed, a city where the arts has a dedicated space to flourish and thrive."
 
"The Mastheads" title comes from Moby Dick, written in Pittsfield, in which crew members aboard the Pequod take shifts climbing up high into the masthead, looking out for whales. From that new vantage point, they see the world around them from a different perspective, elevated far off the ship's deck.
 
The project is supported in part by an Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Other sponsors of the project include The Fitzpatrick Trust, The Feigenbaum Foundation, The Berkshire Bank Foundation, Housatonic Heritage, Mass Development, Mass Humanities, The Walmart Foundation and several private donors.   
 
A launch party and reading will be held at 6:30 p.m. July 3 at the Hotel on North. The complete scheduled can be found here.


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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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