Berkshire Museum's 'MoMUs' to Be Rolled Out Countywide

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Lee Bank Foundation has awarded the Berkshire Museum with a grant of $13,500 in support of the museum's Mobile Museum Unit (MoMU) program. 
 
The investment will fund community testing, roll-out to community sites, and quarterly refreshes and location changes. The bank's support of the MoMU program comes in addition to funding from the Feigenbaum Foundation, which underwrote the construction of the thirty inaugural MoMUs that will roll out to the Berkshire Museum's galleries and locations throughout the Berkshires by 2022.
 
"MoMUs demonstrate our commitment to serve the region by bringing objects and stories outside our walls to make our collections more relevant and accessible – something we have been doing through school and community enrichment for more than ninety years," said Craig Langlois, interim co-executive director, chief experience officer, and architect of the MoMU program. "The innovative design of these units allows our museum team and programming partners to truly let their creativity and imagination shine while honoring the museum's legacy as a leader in community engagement."
 
Mobile Museum Units, or MoMUs, are portable, self-contained units can be displayed inside the museum or delivered to unexpected locations throughout the region to invite community members of all ages to explore new ideas and engage with objects from the museum's collection as part of their daily lives. 
 
Each unit tells a single, interdisciplinary story through colorful, informative graphics on the exterior of the case and a selection of art, science, and history objects within.
 
The first MoMUs were delivered and equipped by the Berkshire Museum earlier this year and new MoMUs are continually being outfitted and rolled out. Several MoMUs are currently on view in the museum's galleries:
 
  • Mammals: Nails or Claws, featuring contrasting mammalian skeletons and facts about animal adaptations.
  • Through a New Lens, exploring the science and cultural history of lenses with a collection of historical objects containing lenses and an opportunity to experience the effect of different lens shapes.
  • Mabel Choate: Collector, showcasing a selection of colorful, antique objects collected by Mabel Choate during her travels around the world.
  • Pollinators, inviting viewers to consider the importance of pollinating insects while viewing a honeycomb and collection of insect specimens.
  • Elephants, filled with Louis Paul Jonas' elephant models from Animals of the World in Miniature and fun elephant facts.
This fall, the Berkshire Museum's education team is collaborating with local educators to develop special MoMUs for their schools and classrooms. Each school-based mobile exhibition will be tailored to fit a class's curriculum, goals, and needs while meeting relevant learning standards the same way the museum adapts its popular educator-led gallery programs for visiting students. 
 
MoMUs that explore life under the sea will be the first to roll out at Allendale Elementary School in Pittsfield and in the Early Childhood Education classroom at Pittsfield's Taconic High School. Soon, units illustrating the story of the region's Mohican Indigenous people will begin to travel to Pittsfield's many elementary schools. 
 
Educators interested in partnering with the museum to create their own MoMU are encouraged to contact Liz Anglin, Education Manager, at eanglin@berkshiremuseum.org.
 
The grant awarded this month by the Lee Bank Foundation will help to fund creation, delivery, and continued updates to Mobile Museum Units at community locations. The first community-based MoMU will be delivered to the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield on Oct. 25.

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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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