image description — Visitors to the virtual exhibit will feel as if they are touring the museum’s galleries thanks to a cutting-edge technique that combines a three-dimensional digital model with crisp, colorful images of the artists' work and user-friendly navigation.

Berkshire Museum's 'Art of the Hills' Will Open On Time, Online

11:01AM / Thursday, June 04, 2020Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Despite COVID-19 restrictions, Berkshire Museum’s featured summer exhibit, "Art of the Hills: Narrative," will open on its previously scheduled date, Saturday, June 6, with one major modification: Instead of hanging on the plaster walls of the community museum’s galleries each selected work will be displayed on the simulated walls of an immersive, high-resolution 3D rendering.

Visitors to the virtual exhibit will feel as if they are touring the museum’s galleries thanks to a cutting-edge technique that combines a three-dimensional digital model with crisp, colorful images of the artists' work and user-friendly navigation.

The online exhibit will kick off at 5:30 p.m. on June 6 with a virtual tour of the show presented by jurors Amy Myers and Seung Lee followed by a live Q&A. The community is encouraged to register online to reserve their space at the free online event.

After the virtual opening event has concluded, the innovative digital exhibition will be added to the website so that visitors may "walk" or "fly" through the galleries using their web browser or virtual reality headset as they examine each artwork in high definition at their own pace as part of the museum's popular Berkshire Museum@Home online programming. Additional "Art of the Hills: Narrative" events and digital content will be added to the site throughout the run of the virtual show as they are announced.

"We are committed to carrying on our mission, fulfilling our promise to the many talented artists in the show, and above all else: keeping or community and staff safe," said Jeff Rodgers, executive director of the Berkshire Museum. "Bringing this exhibition online does just that. I’m thrilled that we are able to share the work of Berkshire artists with the public now and look forward to opening."

The new exhibit is the second installment of "Art of the Hills," a juried exhibition that celebrates the rich, creative culture of our region by highlighting the works of emerging and established artists that live or work within a 60-mile radius of Berkshire Museum’s location in downtown Pittsfield. The first "Art of the Hills" exhibition debuted at the Berkshire Museum in 2018.

"Art of the Hills: Narrative" features 78 works by 64 artists thoughtfully curated from a collection of more than 530 submitted works. Jurors Seung Lee and Amy Myers embraced the "narrative" theme in similar but unique ways: Lee sought pieces that "tell the viewer a story by using features such as character, scenes, time, technique, and purpose," with an emphasis on skillful interpretation of a perceived concept; while Myers reviewed the works from the standpoint of time and wonder, selecting pieces that left her with "a question or curiosity" rather than a conclusion.

"Art of the Hills: Narrative" is expected to open in Berkshire Museum’s physical galleries with a community celebration on Oct. 10. Guests at the October 10 event will have the opportunity to meet the artists and enjoy their work up-close and in-person.

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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