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Cultural Pittsfield This Week: Jan. 19-25

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January 19 - January 25, 2018
SAT Body, Mind & Health Expo at The Crowne Plaza
The Body, Mind & Health Expo is a FREE event that will feature information and demonstrations to improve your health and well-being. There will be food and drink samples, professional fitness trainers, blood pressure testing, various workshops and much more! The first 500 attendees will receive an exclusive tote bag, notepad and water bottle. 2-5 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1 West Street.

 
MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

 
Whitney Center for the Arts presents Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, with book and lyrics by Bill Russell and music by Janet Hood. This raucous and heartfelt celebration of the lives of those lost to AIDS will be told through free-verse monologues and an energetic blues and rock score. 7:30 p.m. $25.
Plus... 
FRI Bobby Sweet at South Congregational Church | FRI Stranger Queens Drag Show at The A | FRI Blue Light Trio at Rainbow | FRI Garson & Sullivan at PortSmitt's | SAT Balderdash Wine Tasting at Framework |
SAT Critical Mass at Bousquet | SAT Latin Night & Bachata Lesson at Berkshire Salsa | SAT Ballroom Dancing to Benefit Berkshire Humane at The Boys & Girls Club | SAT Legal Tender at The A | MON Jazz Night at Mission | WED Gruppo Mondo at Rainbow | WED PL Mack at Methuselah

 
FAMILY FRIENDLY

 
Artists Carrie Wright and Stephan Lanphear will teach teens ages 12 and older to create their own magazines and draw flash tattoos at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts. Classes will be held Tuesdays from Jan. 23 to Feb. 3., from 3-5:30 p.m.
Plus... 
FRI WeeMuse: Adventures at Berkshire Museum FRI CFCE Baby & Me at Berkshire Museum SAT Open House at Berkshire Music School SAT Chow Time at Berkshire Museum SAT FREE Public Ice Skating at Boys & Girls Club SAT Sensory-friendly Screening of Pooh's Heffalump Movie at Berkshire Museum SAT Pop-up Play Day at Berkshire Museum MON Tiny Tots Story Time at Berkshire Athenaeum | TUE WeeMuse: Littlest Learners at Berkshire Museum | WED WeeMuse: Paren/Child STEM at Berkshire Museum | WED BNF Play Group at Berkshire Children & Families THU Preschool Play & Learn at Berkshire Athenaeum

 
GET CREATIVE



Paint "Kissing Cardinals" on a 16"x20" canvas at The Dirty Brush, located at 141 North Street. The $35 fee includes all supplies and individualized instruction. 6-8 p.m. Please reserve your seat by calling (413) 442-9300.
Plus...
SAT SuperDuo Bracelet Class at Yummy Treasures SUN Paint "Dreamy Pine Forest" at Berkshire Paint & Sip THU Open Studio at Berkshire Paint & Sip

 
WELLNESS


Join Ron Tritto at Berkshire Yoga Dance & Fitness for a 4-week Ballroom for Beginners I class, Fridays from 7-8 p.m. from Jan. 19 to Feb. 9. Approach the dance floor with confidence after learning to foxtrot and waltz. No experience necessary. $55 per person.
 
Plus...
FRI-THU Various Classes at Berkshire Family YMCA FRI-THU Various Classes at Berkshire Yoga Dance & Fitness FRI-THU Various Classes at Radiance Yoga | WED Lemme Run Training Program begins at Berkshire Running Center 

 
COMMUNITY

Feast on Puerto Rican food, hear a reading by author Jana Laiz, join a sing-along of old and new protest songs with Sarah Lee Guthrie & The Hoping Machine, and dance to the samba rhythms of Berkshire Bateria. Plus enter to win some amazing raffle prizes! Suggested donation $20 (dinner included for the first 50 attendees). All proceeds go directly to a nonprofit in Puerto Rico. Whitney Center for the Arts, 6:30-9 p.m. 
Plus...
SAT March into Action Resource Fair at The Colonial SAT FREE Public Ice Skating at Boys & Girls Club SUN Domingo Brunch w/Ryan Leddick Trio at Dottie's | MON The Process of Aging at Knesset Israel | MON Berkshire Trans Group at Berkshire Athenaeum | TUE Toastmasters Meeting | THU $10 Night Owl Special at Bousquet

 
LEARN


The Very Interesting Lecture Series at the Berkshire Athenaeum kicks off with "The Constitution and the Presidency" with local author and Berkshire Community College professor James Arpante. FREE. 1 p.m.
Plus...
FRI Science Conversations w/OLLI at Berkshire Museum | FRI Transforming Depression with Art at NuArts | SAT March into Action Resource Fair at The Colonial | TUE Learn to Meditate at New Moon Gifts | THU Cellblock Visions Part 2 at Knesset Israel | THU Winter Wellness Essential Oil Experience at Springside Rehabilitation

 
FILM

FRI-MON Loving Vincent at The Little Cinema 

This feature-length painted animation - the first film of its kind - explores the life and unusual death of Vincent Van Gogh via depictions of his artworks. Directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman.
 
 
 
ONGOING
See What's New at The Beacon

What's Showing at The Licht
Pittsfield's city-owned community arts center, the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, features nine working artist studios, a ceramics studio, a community room and an art gallery with changing exhibitions, classes, performances and more! 

28 Renne Ave.   Gallery Hours: Wed-Sat 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
 
Out of the Studio features the artists of the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts: Mario Calouri, Rick Casucci, Peg Dotchin, Julio Granda, Jim Horsford, Sean McCusker and Michael Rousseau. The exhibit will run through Jan. 27.

 
PARKING 

 

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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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