Dr. Ira S. Lapidus is in his 10th year on the board of the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and his fifth as president. And his patients know that the walls of his waiting room and dental offices are lined with interesting and attractive artwork.
    Now Lapidus, newly appointed to the Massachusetts Cultural Council by Gov. Paul Cellucci, said he wants to “raise public awareness about how important the arts are to New England.
    “I’d like to increase awareness about the Cultural Council and about the things it does besides making grants to artists and for cultural programs,†said Lapidus, who is the only member from North Berkshire.
    “I view my primary function as visibility, letting North Berkshire residents know that someone represents them at the state level, and that they can call on me,†Lapidus said in an interview last week.
    Nancy Fitzpatrick of Stockbridge has been a member since 1997. Her mother, Jane Fitzpatrick, was a member of the board of the Mass. Council for the Arts and Humanities for most of the 1980s.
    The council’s budget of $17.3 million is climbing back, after a low of $3.5 million in 1992. The high was $27.1 million in 1988.
    Lapidus cites a report, released in May, by the New England Council, showing that the “creative industry†represents 3.5 percent of the jobs in the New England region, employing 247,387, with an annual payroll of $4.3 billion. That report indicated that the arts and culture are growing faster than most areas of the New England economy.
    According to Jerry Berger, MCC communications director, of those 247,000 jobs, 116,299 are in Massachusetts, and that number happens to represent 3.5 percent of the state’s, as well as the region’s, jobs.
    “I love the arts, and that’s one of the reasons I’m delighted to be on the Mass. Cultural Council,†said Lapidus, “but we also must recognize the cultural impact of the arts on Berkshire County in particular.â€
    “We have a lot of artists — painters, sculptors, writers, theater people — who live in the area,†he said. “And cultural groups are increasingly working together. The success of one is success for all. If the Williamstown Theatre Festival does well, the Barrington Stage and Shakespeare & Company will do well. The better one does, the better for everyone.â€
    For Fiscal Year 2000, Berger said, the council made 32 of its 529 grants to Berkshire County arts organizations, which received $480,000. That number does not include grants to artists and special programs. Numbers for Fiscal Year 2001 will be released in a couple of weeks, he said.
    Lapidus said the not-for-profit cultural industry in Massachusetts has a $1.44 billion impact from its spending, and a $1 billion impact from audience spending — and it stimulates tourism, the state’s third largest industry.
    “Massachusetts’ cultural institutions have a greater impact than the Red Sox, Bruins and Patriots all together,†he said.
    “Culture has a huge economic impact on Berkshire County by attracting tourists,†he said.
    Lapidus remembers his first trip to the theater. “I grew up outside New York City. My parents took me to see Mrs. McThing, and afterwards they took me backstage to meet Helen Hayes. I had no idea who this person was.â€
    That was just the start. He and his sister and cousins often took bus rides into the city to attend the theater.
    “I have always been very interested in theater,†he said.
    And through his involvement with the WTF, Lapidus has become friends with actors Christopher Reeve, Blythe Danner — and her daughter Gwyneth Paltrow — and Maria Tucci. “I get to stand in the back with the director and watch the performance, so I got to appreciate live theater, because it’s always different,†he said. And he follows the careers of actors who started at WTF.
    Recently, he said, The New York Times carried a review of a play, whose five major actors have been associated with the festival.
    “That shows the impact WTF has on the theater world,†he said. “Actors love coming here. Michael Ritchie makes them feel protected, and feel that they can stretch artistically. People in our community open up their homes to them. The festival actors patronize local restaurants. And local people are respectful of actors.â€
    Gwyneth Paltrow, a magnet for media attention, was here in the summer of 1999, playing Rosalind in Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
    Lapidus views his work on the Mass. Cultural Council much as he does his 12 years on the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee.
    “The better the education, the better the culture, the more we attract people to live here. The people who work for dot-coms, the Williams College faculty — people want to live here because it’s a very unusual place, a beautiful rural area with theater and the arts.â€
    Lapidus has long loved theater, but from the vantage point of the audience. This summer, he did a cameo role in the theater’s cabaret and, he recalled, “I got a pie in the face.â€
    He and his wife Frances, associate director of admissions at Williams College, live on Hill Province Road. They have three sons, a lawyer, a writer for televisions and film, and one law student, all living in Los Angeles.
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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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