Aug. 9 Deadline to Register for ArtWeek Berkshires

BERKSHIRE COUNTY – Artists and cultural organizations from across Berkshire County are invited to register by Aug. 9 for ArtWeek Berkshires 2022, which will go from Sept. 15 to 25. 

This free-to-participate, cross-discipline event now in its second year, is led and organized by the county’s five Cultural Districts: Great Barrington, Lenox, North Adams, Pittsfield, and Williamstown; and 1Berkshire.

"The buzz of the summer has quieted down and fall leaf-peeping is on the horizon," explains Lenox Chamber of Commerce director and Cultural District Co-Chair Jenn Nacht. "But for artists, that sweet spot in early fall is when activity picks up again, whether that’s gallery shows in New York or theater, film, and opera seasons around the world. We want audiences to know the Berkshires cultural season is year-round, too, not just in summer."

The ArtWeek Berkshires steering committee has been collaborating since January with a diverse team of artists, chamber of commerce representatives, and small business owners to make the event as successful as it was in year one.

"ArtWeek Berkshires 2022 is not your everyday art fair or music festival," says 2022 co-chair Cecilia Hirsch, "With nearly 70 artists registered and many more expected by the August 9th deadline, this county-wide event encompasses everything from painting and African dance to theater and pottery, with activities that appeal to kids, families, and adults alike. There will be open studios, demonstrations, and hands-on events. It will truly capture in 10 days why the region has always attracted the world’s great creative minds, including the next Edith Wharton and James Van Der Zee."

Carolyn Cole, Mass Cultural Council’s Cultural Districts and Local Cultural Council Program Officer, said these kinds of initiatives can have an impact.

"I talk regularly about our Cultural Districts in the Berkshires being a best practice model for regional collaboration. The strength of this District partnership is a driving force for initiatives such as ArtWeek, successfully aiming to attract artists, cultural enterprises, and tourism to an area by thoughtfully supporting creative entrepreneurship and fostering local cultural development," she said. 

To learn more about ArtWeek Berkshires 2022 or to register by the August 9th deadline, visit: https://berkshires.org/artweek-berkshires/. 

Striking Out Cancer in Berkshires Holds Sunday Party Before June 27 Games

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
10:53AM / Monday, June 15, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Striking out Cancer in the Berkshires has been bringing smiles for half a decade.

 

This year, it also is bringing Smiley.

 

A day of community baseball and softball games that act as a fund-raiser for the Jimmy Fund is the brainchild of Joe DiCicco, who has expanded the event’s footprint over the years and seen a steady growth in money raised as a result.

 

This year’s games are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on June 27 on Buddy Pellerin Field at Clapp Park.

 

But the festivities begin this Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Sideline Saloon on Fenn Street, where DiCicco invites families to come down, free of charge, to take photos with a Boston Red Sox World Series Trophy and meet Boston mascot Wally the Green Monster and Smiley, the mascot of the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox.

 

“It’s just a little way to give back to the community to start the week,” DiCicco said. “Last year, we had the trophy for the first time, and they want to bring it back, so that’s a good thing. Wally is different, and so is Smiley.”

 

What has not changed is DiCicco’s dedication to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund, inspired by Einar Gustafson, a child who beat cancer with the help of Dr. Sidney Farber in 1948 and shared his story with the world under the name Jimmy to protect his anonymity.