Pittsfield First Fridays Artswalk Features Exhibits, Studios

10:45AM / Sunday, October 02, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A dozen art shows and exhibits will be on display during the First Fridays Artswalk on Friday, Oct. 7 from 5 to 8 , with most art on open for viewing all month long.

The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, and the Berkshire Art Association will present RE*Fresh, a Juried Biennial Show, for the month of Oct.. The exhibit will be on view Oct. 7 through Nov. 26, and there will be an opening reception for the public during the First Fridays Artswalk on Oct. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m.

RE*Fresh speaks of the challenges, inspirations, and new possibilities presented to all of us over the past two years. These issues are expressed and explored by 33 artists from the Northeast United States. In this juried show, 44 works, including paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, and graphic design are represented, offering wide ranging interpretations of the theme.

Berkshire County artists included in RE*Fresh are Carolyn Abrams, Karen Bognar-Khan, Marguerite Bride, Joan Burkhard, Kasha Cooper, Kit Curry, Margaret Dotchin, Patricia Frik, Adrian Holmes, Marion Grant, Sarah Horne, Karen Kane, Ronald Maitland, John Mancia, Mark Mellinger, Alan Papscun, Ivor Parry, Barbara Patton, Janet Pumphrey, Ilene Richards, William Riley, Stacey Silkey Schultze, Ilene Spiewak, Kyle Strack, Scott Taylor, Jay Tobin, Jesse Tobin McCauley, Diane Wespiser, and Terri Wise.

Artists from the greater Northeast region include Evelyn Addante, Carrie Crane, Lydia Kinney, Julie Eisen-Lester, Joan Lengel, Kristina McComb, Janell O’Rourke, and Meg Rogers Eldredge.

RE*Fresh opens on Friday, Oct. 7, and there will be an awards reception on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. Gallery hours during the 6 weeks of the show are by appointment. Admission is free. To view this show virtually or in person after Oct. 8, call 413-499-9348 to schedule an appointment.

Hotel on North, 297 North Street, will feature Puzzle Pieces by J J Tobin for the Oct. Artswalk. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Friday, Oct. 7, 5 to 8 p.m., and the show will be on view through Nov. 30.

Tobin’s paintings have been influenced by Asian art, in particular calligraphy and folding screen painting. Puzzle pieces are used as an abstract design element or a kind of calligraphy. The work on display dates from 2018 to 2022, and features acrylic, collage, and polyurethane on canvas or wood.

Join Berkshire Art Center (BAC) at their new Pittsfield location at 141 North Street for creative family fun! Each month, BAC will offer Free Family Drop-Ins on the First Friday (5:30 to 7:30 p.m.) and Third Saturday (10 am to 12 p.m.) of every month. There will be a rotating set of projects for families to participate in at their own pace, with the guidance and support of a Faculty Artist, during this ART-tastic drop-in event. Free Family Drop-Ins are open to the public and all children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration is required.

For the month of Oct., TKG Real Estate, 137 North Street, will present Looking at Favorite Places Through Different Eyes. In this show, plein air artists from The Guild of Berkshire Artists have painted Berkshire landmarks in new and different ways. These artists see different perspectives, colors, and images: a novel view of familiar sights.

Presenting artists are Emily Bunnell, Kinney Freylinghuysen, Joan Gluck, Jenny Hensell, Caroline Medina, Walt Pasko, Susan Sabino, Sharon Stanfield, and Joan Stark.

There will be a reception as part of First Fridays Artswalk on Friday, Oct. 7, 5 to 8 p.m. The work will be up during the month of Oct. and can be viewed when TKG Real Estate is open.

The Marketplace Cafe, 53 North Street, will present Fine Art Photographer and Digital Artist, Nicole March, for the month of Oct.. There will be a reception with the artist on Friday, Oct. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m., and the work will be on view throughout the month.

Nicole March is an emerging artist born and raised in the Berkshires. "Creation begins with shooting pictures, often nature-related on a macro level, emphasizing fine details easily overlooked," says March. "I then digitally adjust components of the image including hues and slayers… and the unconventional result is paired with an equally unique medium, metallic printing."

The Artists at the historic Clock Tower will host an open studios event on Friday, Oct. 7, 5 to 8 p.m., on the third floor of the Clock Tower at 75 South Church Street. Five established, visual artists are settling into their new studio spaces and have been joyfully working on new projects. Stop in to share their art and provide insight into their creative processes.

The artists hosting open studios at the Clock Tower during the First Fridays Artswalk are Marion Grant, Caroline Kelley, Mark Mellinger, Ilene Richard, and Sally Tiska-Rice. For more information, visit https://clocktowerartists.gator.site.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue, will present PHOTOGRAPHIC VIEWS by W Katherine Hoak for the month of Oct.. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Friday, Oct. 7, 5 to 8 p.m., as part of First Fridays Artswalk, and the art will be on display through Oct. 23.

"The photographs being presented in this show indicate what I have always been drawn to, a love of animals, wildlife, and the beauty of nature," says Katherine. "My longing to see wild-life spurred my husband and I to go where we could see it. Wanting to hold on to those experiences led me to a deep involvement with photography."

Lee Bank, 75 North Street, will present paintings by Sally Tiska Rice for the month of Oct.. This will be a window display on view throughout the month. Select paintings will also be on view inside the bank during normal bank hours.

Sally uses spontaneity to compose artwork. She focuses on blending and layering to achieve depth and dimension. She also experiments with light and color to create a piece that will be enjoyed. Sally employs many different techniques into her paintings, using acrylic, watercolor, pastels, and oils. She also creates many beautiful commission pieces for customers internationally.

There will be drop-in art activities at ReDefine, 5 Melville Street, during the First Fridays Artswalk on Oct. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. Their Endless Possibilities Pop Up Market will have a variety of artists and vendors, and there will be free community paint and creativity activities available.

Other participating venues are The Funky Phoenix (441 North Street), Mission Gastropub (438 North Street), The Beacon Cinema (57 North Street), and Soma’s Aromas (81 East Street).

Download the Downtown Pittsfield app in the App Store or on Google Play to follow a virtual walking tour of art on your cell phone.

For more information on First Fridays Artswalk, visit firstfridaysartswalk.com or call 413-443-6501.

Tags: First Friday, Pittsfield Artswalk,

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Lanesborough Board Looks to Pontoosuc Island Safety and Cleanup

By Breanna Steele05:50AM / Thursday, October 01, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Friends of Pontoosuc cleaned up the two islands on the lake and shared concerns of what they saw.

Kevin McGinnis, Friends board member, spoke to the Select Board last week about how the cleanup went and erosion the group discovered.

"We particularly wanted to go out and take a peek at the islands and it was seven bags of garbage and a lot of refuse from geese that we actually removed from both islands," he said. "The Keeler Island, particularly in Lanesborough, that had a Sheetrock bucket full of nails that we actually removed from there, too, and that was from probably multiple years of pallet burning out there."

McGinnis added that there is significant erosion on the east side of the islands, facing the deepest part of the channel.

He said Lee Popovich, who knows horticulture, suggested plantings along the edges to hold the soil and filter runoff that may help with the E. coli outbreaks on the lake.

"These are things that we can discuss on trying to keep those islands in enjoyable shape, and for people to be able to enjoy," McGinnis said, by reducing risks such as geese deposits, and plantings that can help filter some of the debris.

"We can't control how hard our rain comes, but we can mitigate some of that filtering processes to keep bacteria count lower. Because if you notice, pretty much the E. coli breakouts that we do have are right after heavy rain."

He wants to help keep the islands safe and healthy. He introduced the cleanup group, saying the cleanup was enjoyable and those who volunteered help make a difference.

"Look forward to in the future bringing more information back, and with a lot of moving parts to talk about mitigating erosion and certain things," McGinnis said. "But it's something that we all need to be kind of aware of, and this body of water is so enjoyable, and we definitely want to try to keep it as healthy as possible, and keep control or keep an eye on certain things."

Select Board member Jason Breault asked about what the insurance is for the islands to which Town Administrator Gina Dario responded that the island is a public park, so it's covered the same way as other town land, like Glaston Park. There's no added liability.

Breault then asked from a patrol aspect what that means.

"Obviously, if we have an underage drinking party, we have no mechanism to address it, or if there's a medical emergency on that area, we would have to get a boat from Pittsfield, so obviously we have some sort of a delay there," Police Chief Rob Derksen said. "That's the only concern, I guess, is it's a park that we can't patrol and we can't regulate on a regular basis,"

Breault wondered if they could get funding for a boat down the line but Derksen said it would be difficult with his small force.

"That's pulling the thread on a sweater because then I have to have certified boat officers and, I mean, so that's training that's time away and then I would have to be able to actually put them on the boat, which again as you've heard me say a million times, most of the time I have one officer on duty so I can't split them in half and put half on a boat, half in a car, so it would be a challenge."

He added that the lake is patrolled by the state Environmental Police but with recent funding challenges, it's not that much.

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