Letter: Letter Writer Has Confidence in Restaurant Architect

To the Editor:

In your article, "Porches Inn Gets OK to Proceed With River Street Demolition, New Restaurant," I was pleased to see that the project will be designed by the firm MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple, a Canadian firm.

I have crossed paths with Brian MacKay-Lyons over a period of more than 40 years. His award-winning work has consistently been of the highest quality and especially responsive to its setting. I have complete confidence that the Porches is doing North Adams a great service.

Sincerely,

Howard Itzkowitz
North Adams, Mass.

Architect (retired), Professor Emeritus, Southern Polytechnic State University

Mass MoCA Teen Invitational Draws Hundreds of Submissions

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:26PM / Monday, April 20, 2026

Mount Greylock Regional art teacher Jane-Ellen DeSomma receives the Pepper/Jackson Award from Gabriel Sacco. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — High school students from around the region are being featured this week at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

 

More than 400 submissions were made to museum's 14th annual Teen Invitational, giving these young artists an chance to shine in media ranging from video to oils to pottery. 

 

The exhibition is on view through Sunday, April 26.

 

"This is my third year working with the participating schools and producing this exhibition," said Gabriel Sacco, the museum's senior manager of public programs, at Thursday's reception. 

 

"I'm always so impressed by the student work. It's the thing that like keeps me really excited about the work that we do, especially at a time like this when you know we need we need young voices to really share out what the future looks like for us now."

 

Participating schools were the Academy at Charlemont, Berkshire Arts & Technology Public Charter School, Buxton School, Darrow High School, Drury High School, Hoosac Valley High School, McCann Technical School, Miss Hall's School, Mount Greylock Regional School, Pine Cobble School, Pittsfield High School, Greater Commonwealth Virtual School and Wahconah Regional High School. 

 

This year, six awards were presented: three honorable mentions in artistic excellence and three Berkshire Eagle bests in show.