PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Museum announced two new exhibitions to be displayed beginning Saturday, Feb. 3.  

 

Planning for the Future – 1979-2024, the third and final installment of the museum's 3-part exhibition series highlighting the history of the museum in celebration of the institution's 120th  anniversary in 2023. The final installation of three exhibitions celebrating the 120th Anniversary of Berkshire Museum, this exhibition will detail the last 45 years of the Museum. Themes include a spotlight on how the 1903 museum has remained relevant from the 1980s to today, the departure of General Electric and the subsequent impact on the economy of Pittsfield and its citizens, the sale of artworks to preserve and maintain the museum, and the museum's plans for the future. The works on view will be highlights from the collection – historic objects, paintings, and contemporary art. 

 

Painted Pages: Illuminated Manuscripts, 13th – 18th Centuries, which includes more than thirty-five works—some with elaborate gold leaf decoration and intricate ornament— from medieval Bibles, Prayer Books, Psalters, Books of Hours, Choir Books, Missals, Breviaries, and Lectionaries drawn from the collection of the Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania, who organized the exhibition. Also featured in the exhibit are examples of the materials— parchment, vellum, gold leaf, and minerals which were ground into pigments and used by artists before the age of printed books to create these extraordinary pages. Painted Pages: Illuminated Manuscripts, 13th – 18th Centuries, is organized by the Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.  

 

"Combining art, science, and history, Painted Pages is an enlightening exhibition that includes several colorful examples of hand-drawn and embellished religious texts from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East." said, Jesse Kowalksi, Berkshire Museum's Chief Curator. 

 

An exhibition opening event for museum members will be held on Friday, February 2, from 5:30 PM to 7 PM. Museum members will have the opportunity to get the first look at both of the new exhibitions and hear remarks by Scott Schweigert, Curator of Art & Civilization at the Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA, at 6 PM. Light refreshments will be served.