Berkshire Museum Opens 'Art of the Hills'

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Museum presents Art of the Hills 2024, a juried exhibition featuring regional artists working in all mediums and styles
 
Berkshire Museum celebrates the fourth installment of its bi-annual exhibition Art of the Hills. Opening oct. 5 through Jan. 5, this exhibit offers a look into Berkshire-area working artists through various mediums, expressions, and styles. 
 
An opening reception, free to the public, will be held at the museum on Oct. 5 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM. 
 
Art of the Hills first debuted at Berkshire Museum as a bi-annual exhibit in 2018 and continues to celebrate the artistic and creative culture of the region through both emerging and established artists working or living within 60 miles of the museum's location in downtown Pittsfield. Over the years this locally focused exhibit has featured the works of well-known artists Julia Dixon, Ralph Frisina, Patricia Hogan, Dan Mead, and Sally Eagle.
 
Works included in Art of the Hills 2024 were selected by jurors Jesse Kowalski and Kentaro Tomio. The exhibit will feature 41 works by 33 artists drawn from over 1,200 submitted works. Kowalski joined the Berkshire Museum as Chief Curator in 2023 after serving as Curator of Exhibitions at the Norman Rockwell Museum, and Director of Exhibitions at the Andy Warhol Museum. Tomio is a retired museum curator who has organized over one hundred exhibitions drawn from collections ranging from old masters, Asian, American, and Mexican folk art, to works by contemporary artists.
 
"The overwhelming response from over 460 regional artists to the Berkshire Museum's call for art speaks to the vibrancy of the Berkshire County artist community, and reinforces the museum's commitment to showcasing these local artists," said William Dore, Exhibitions Manager at the Berkshire Museum. "We are excited to welcome these talented artists 'home' - many have found inspiration in our galleries - to share their latest works in Art of the Hills 2024."
 
Art of the Hills 2024 includes works by the following artists:
 
Adrian Holmes
Antony Zito
Ashley Hyatt
Bart Elsbach
Brian Batista
David Reichard
Deborah Bayly
Deborah H. Carter
Elano Dallmeyer
Elizabeth Buttler
Gabe Kolodner
Gay Malin
James George Windram
Jane Bloodgood-Abrams
Jay Swift
Jeff A. Menges
Jennifer Maher Coleman
Jeremiah Bickford
John Tenney
Jonathan Nix
Marla Greenfield
Mary Claire Hogan
Katarina Spitzer
Michell Rathay
Patricia Weise
Ron Warren
Ronald Piazza
Ruth Sanderson
Skip Marsh
Stephen Earp
Susan W. Bues
Thaddeus B. Kubis
William Bracken
 

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Wahconah Students Join Statewide 'SOS' Call for Rural School Funding

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

DALTON, Mass. — Students at Wahconah Regional High School are urging the state to fully fund Rural School Aid that supports essential services that shape their future.
 
Rural districts across the state participated in Rural and Declining Enrollment Schools Week of Action to insist Beacon Hill fully fund rural aid at $60 million. 
 
Schools across Massachusetts sent their pleas for aid to lawmakers through letter-writing campaigns, sign-making, and coordinated gatherings where students and educators formed the letters "SOS."

Wahconah students did something different — they created an educational video detailing the need for increased funding for rural schools with the school's music teacher Brian Rabuse, who edited the video, Assistant Superintendent Aaron Robb said. 

The advocacy efforts move the issue from spreadsheets to show the human cost of a funding formula previously described as "remarkably wrong." 
 
During an interview with iBerkshires, students expressed how districts without rural aid would have to make reductions in world language programing, mental health support, extracurricular opportunities, and other areas they find essential. 
 
"Our students deserve the same quality of education as any child in Massachusetts, regardless of their ZIP code," Superintendent Mike Henault said in a press release.
 
"The week of action is an opportunity for our communities to come together and make it clear to Beacon Hill that the status quo is no longer acceptable." 
 
Rural schools attempt to create the same quality education as urban and suburban areas while balancing high fixed costs of transportation and operations of geographically large, low-population districts.
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