CATA to Host Annual Art Show on July 13

PITTSFIELD, MA—Community Access to the Arts (CATA) will host a free celebration for I Am a Part of Art, CATA’s Annual Art Show, on Wednesday, July 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts.

Attendees will see paintings, drawings, and sculptures created by local artists with disabilities and have an opportunity to meet the artists in person. Refreshments will be provided and masks are highly recommended.

“Our Annual Art Show celebration is a fun and inclusive event for art lovers of all ages,” says Margaret Keller, CATA Executive Director. “Teens and adults with disabilities from across our community have created stunning artwork for this exhibit, sharing their perspectives and artistic voices. We hope you will come to enjoy their work—and meet the artists in person! All works are available for sale, and every sale provides a commission to the individual artists. You are sure to find a piece to fall in love with!”

CATA’s Annual Art Show, I Am a Part of Art, takes place in partnership with the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA, and the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in Pittsfield, MA. Each work is professionally matted, framed, and available for sale, with proceeds benefiting CATA programs as well as individual artists.

This annual exhibition is the culmination of hundreds of visual arts workshops that CATA holds throughout the year for teens, adults, and elders with disabilities across Berkshire County, Massachusetts and Columbia County, New York. The curated exhibit features a wide range of styles, including abstract and representational paintings, drawings, collage, sculpture, and printmaking.

I Am a Part of Art is sponsored by Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation, October Mountain Financial Advisors, Berkshire Magazine, Frames on Wheels, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and other generous supporters.

CATA’s exhibit at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts runs from July 1-July 28, 2022. The gallery, located at 28 Renne Avenue in Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District, is open Wednesday through Friday from 11-3 and by appointment. Admission is free.

are requested at CATAarts.org/IAPOA2022.

Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. 

 

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

 

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

 

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature." 

 

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures. 

 

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis. 

 

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.