Aviary Group Art Show takes flight at the Lichtenstein Center for the Art

09:45AM / Wednesday, June 06, 2007Print Story | Email Story

Dream From Childhood, by R. Elliott Katz, oil and ink on paper.

Invitational Art Show Features Wide Range of Work Incorporating Avian Imagery Mediators between the physical and spiritual dimensions, omens of both happiness and doom, birds have served as potent symbols for thousands of years. Aviary, an invitational group show opening June 8 at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, features new work incorporating bird imagery by contemporary artists from the United States and Canada. An opening reception for the show will be held on Friday, June 8, from 5pm to 7pm and the exhibit will be open through Sunday, July 22. The artwork on display from eighteen artists encompasses a wide variety of artistic expression. Artists from across the country and Canada will be showing work. Artist Reza Antoszewska, who maintains a studio in downtown Pittsfield, works in the traditional Turkish paper marbling process known as Ebru. Often called Marbling in the West, this ancient contemplative art form originating in the Far East. Suminagashi, the Japanese version is still practiced in modern day Japan. Ebru made itâ€™s way across the Silk Road to Turkey, where it evolved into a fine art print making, still practiced in modern day and is often associated with Sufis and Mystics. The word Ebru, means clouds in Turkish. Vermont artist R. Elliot Katz, who is also an exhibiting sculptor in the annual Artscape outdoor art exhibition in downtown Pittsfield, contributes a mixed media painting, along with sibling artist Sara S. Katzâ€™s series of bird paintings, also from Vermont. Nicole Peskin, an active member of Storefront Artist Project, contributes a welded sculpture made from steel and glass. Monika Pizzichemi, who also maintains a studio in downtown Pittsfield, incorporates the very eggshells, out of which birds emerge, into her often playful sculptural work. Expect contemporary installations from artists such as printmaker and sculptor Annette Gaspers. Annette's work is made out of stringed pieces of handmade paper and encompass many different forms. Multidisciplinary artist Winter Reiser also includes an installation titled Migration, which has been exhibited across the country and incorporated into dance performances. Both Annette and Winter are traveling from Athens, Ohio to install their pieces. Bernard Reâ€™s abstract acrylic paintings provide the opportunity for the viewerâ€™s eye to discern pattern in seeming chaos. Multimedia Berkshire artist Huckleberry DelSignore contributes photographic work, while Pittsfield artist Melanie Mowinski incorporates her keen interest in environmental artwork. The show also features a highly detailed painting by renowned Berkshire artist Morgan Bulkeley. Canadian illustrator Rosemary Mosco is the founder of Birds for Bulbs, a web-based project where she draws birds for anyone who replaces their traditional incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Visitors to the gallery will be able to sign up for bird illustrations in exchange for this simple but essential step in reducing energy use. Evolved from dinosaurs, the avian phylum has blossomed into nine to ten thousand known species throughout the world. Aviary is a celebration of all aspects of our feathered friends, with work reflecting many bird related conceptions from nests, feathers, eggs and much more. The exhibition includes pieces made from materials and methods such as handmade paper, Turkish Ebru printmaking, sculpture, photography, paintings, installations, glass and collage. The annual Pittsfield Garden Tour show and sale of artist and community decorated birdhouses will also be on display and for auction from July 11-July 16 during Aviaryâ€™s run. Other related programming in conjunction with the Aviary show will take place on Pittsfieldâ€™s first Third Thursday. Third Thursday is a night out for families and individuals to enjoy restaurants, businesses, galleries, open studios, live performances and scheduled happenings throughout downtown Pittsfield. These monthly celebrations will be held every third Thursday of the month, from June until October, 5-7pm. The Lichtenstein Center will be offering the general public to participate in Aviary by decorating a free paper bird to be in display at the Lichtenstein throughout the duration of the show. Individuals and families will have an opportunity to contribute a piece to the Aviary show for free on Pittsfieldâ€™s opening night of Third Thursday programming. Make your own free contribution to the Aviary show by decorating and designing various bird images, which will then be publicly displayed in the windows of the Lichtenstein Center, on 28 Renne Ave. The Lichtenstein Center will provide a table on North Street with different artistic supplies for children and adults to decorate a paper bird to add to the Aviary show. These hand decorated paper birds will be placed inside the Lichtenstein for the duration of the Aviary show. This event will take place for free, on Thursday, June 21, from 5-8pm. The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts is a municipally run community arts center in downtown Pittsfield. The Center features a gallery with rotating art exhibits, a ceramics studio, art and dance classes, poetry readings, nine working artists studios and much more. It is located at 28 Renne Ave, off of Fenn St, and situated between North and First St. Any inquiries about Aviary or the Lichtenstein can be directed to Kristen Luttinen at 499-9348 or kluttinen@pittsfieldch.com. Aviary features the work of artists Monika Pizzichemi, Morgan Bulkeley, Julie Dummermuth, Melanie Mowinski, Ven Voisey, Huckleberry Del Signore, Bernard Re, Winter Reiser, Paul Chojnowski, Annette Gaspers, Reza Antoszewska, Cara Romano, Rosemary Mosco, Wayne Duffy, Sara Katz, Nicole Peskin, R. Elliott Katz, and Vaal London Kane.

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Pittsfield Cannabis Cultivator Plans Dispensary

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:57PM / Friday, December 26, 2025

PITTSFIELD. Mass. — A cannabis cultivator and manufacturer has opted to sell its products on site in Downing Parkway.

The Zoning Board of Appeals this month approved a special permit for J-B.A.M. Inc. to operate a dispensary out of its existing grow facility. There will only be changes to the interior of 71 Downing Parkway, as there will be less than 500 square feet of retail space in the 20,000-square-foot building.

"My only concern would be the impact, and really would be traffic, which I don't think is excessive, the odor, if there was one, but that doesn't seem to be an issue, and I think it's a good location for a marijuana facility," board member Thomas Goggins said.

The company's indoor cultivation site plan was approved in 2019, an amendment to add manufacturing and processing in 2021, and on the prior day, a new site plan to add a retail dispensary was approved by the Community Development Board.

J-B.A.M. cannabis products are available in local dispensaries.

The interior of the facility will be divided to accommodate an enclosed check-in area, front entrance, retail lobby, secure storage room, offices, and two bathrooms. There are 27 parking spaces for the facility, which is sufficient for the use.

No medical or recreational cannabis uses are permitted within 500 feet of a school or daycare, a setback that is met, and the space is within an industrial park at the end of a cul-de-sac.

"The applicant desires the restructuring of the business to be more competitive in the industry with the ability to grow and sell their own cannabis products so they have more financial stability," Chair Albert Ingegni III, read from the application.

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