MCLA Receives Grant from National Endowment for the Arts

03:52PM / Thursday, May 13, 2021Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — MCLA's Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC) has been approved for a $20,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support the MCLA Institute for the Dismantling of Racism.

This project will educate and support staff members of historically White art institutions in creating and implementing an anti-racist agenda within the arts, one person at a time. BCRC's project is among the more than 1,100 projects across America, totaling nearly $27 million, that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding.

"As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations such as the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center reengage fully with partners and audiences," said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. "Although the arts have sustained many during the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure."

Upon receiving the grant, BCRC Executive Director Erica Wall said, "We are thrilled to have received this NEA grant. It validates and advances our work and our commitment to dismantling racism within and through the arts."

Next summer, four people from the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) art community will be invited to stay in residence at MCLA to develop and lead sessions on the history of racial inequality and representation within the arts community and how to dismantle it.

Each year's program will be themed around a specific topic that centers how to break down systemic racism within and through the arts. Utilizing work from educators, artists, and DEI professionals, the workshops will be facilitated by the Institute's resident cohort. A call for applications will go out to historically White art institutions inviting their staff members to participate, learn, and practice how to model and promote anti-racist behavior in their daily and professional lives.

The Institute will culminate in an exhibition of work by the selected resident artists at MCLA's Gallery 51, and a public presentation of the work by the Institute's cohort and its attendees will be shared with the Berkshire County community, and be archived and made accessible to the community at large.

For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

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NAHA Board Accepts Director's Resignation, Unlocks Tenants Association Office

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
03:33PM / Friday, October 16, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Housing Authority Board of Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Hohn and restored access to the Tenants Association office.

The board held a special meeting Thursday to vote to accept Hohn's resignation and determined that there are currently no plans to replace her.

"We didn't make any final determinations in terms of the executive session so we will schedule another meeting at another time," Chairwoman Leigh Uqdah said after returning from more than an hour session. "Day-to-day operations will continue to be managed as normal by staff."

Per their bylaws, board member Marie Harpin will continue to handle finances, and Uqdah will manage contracts.

Hohn stepped down on Oct. 8 after 24 years leading the agency. Her resignation followed rising tension between her and the NAHA Tenants Association, culminating in the scheduling of a formal grievance hearing between both parties.

The boiling point was the locking of the association's office this summer. Tenants alleged the lockout was retaliation for posting a video on social media depicting improperly functioning door alarms. Hohn claimed the office was locked for tenant safety and to stop the spread of misinformation.

Tenants Association President Corey Fortin asked if Hohn's security access had been removed. Uqdah confirmed her credentials were revoked the day she resigned, meaning she can no longer monitor security cameras remotely.

Jennifer Barbeau, a former city councilor who was liaison to the Housing Authority, asked when the board met to discuss Hohn's severance package. Uqdah stated that Hohn did not have one.

The board also accepted the resignation of Commissioner Richard Lavigne, though they will vote officially on the matter at their next meeting.

The open portion of the meeting was brief, with nearly an hour and a half spent in executive session. Before entering executive session, the board opened the floor to tenants.

"The tenants requested an opportunity to talk to the board," said Uqdah. "It has been quite a while, but we have decided to honor that."

Fortin, who posted the original video to social media, was the first to speak. He was clear in his request: unlock the office door.

"Let's cut straight to the chase tonight. The former resigned Director Jennifer Hohn ordered the office locked," he alleged. "She is gone. The lockout is a direct violation, and the board has a duty to end that tonight."

He cited federal and state laws that mandate the tenants association be provided with office space, including computer and network access.

"We are here with a direct administrative demand. We demand that the board vote tonight to unlock the doors," he said. "Do not let a resigned director's illegal action remain the board's ongoing liability. Open our door tonight, and let us get back to work."

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