Shelsy Rodriguez's works feature endangered animals from Colombia.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The 14th annual 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival officially kicked off Thursday night with an "Off The Streets" art exhibition.
The show features work from 10 artists who have murals in Pittsfield. The 10 artists are Hope Aguilera, Mike Carty, Huck Elling, Diane Firtell, Frances Chloe Jones-Whitman, Pops Peterson, Cara Petricca, Stef Quetti, Shelsy Rodriguez and Jesse Tobin McCauley.
Each artist has a couple of their works on the wall throughout the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts from now until Feb. 28.
Jen Glockner, the city's director of cultural development, said the exhibit is to raise awareness of some of the talented artists who have created the murals.
"It's to raise awareness of the murals in Pittsfield like people come here and they don't realize how many murals there are. There are 31 murals — we counted them in Pittsfield and these are only 10 of the artists involved," she said. "There are many other artists that don't necessarily have Berkshire connections. There's people from outside the region but these people, all of these artists have Berkshire connections."
Artists like Pops Peterson are showcasing two works at the center. He said it's great to be able to showcase with many other artists.
"It’s great to be a part of the artistic community up here," he said. "Artists work alone, you know, so it can be a pretty lonely endeavor but to have a scene where you go and people welcome you and you're a part of something — that is very heartwarming."
Stef Quetti is showcasing four pieces of printmaking, something she is currently taking a class for and is excited to be able to show off her other types of work.
"It's lovely because also it can show versatility of artists if you're doing large murals with different themes and then you kind of sort of showcase other things that are important to you that you like to work on privately," she said.
Shelsy Rodriguez, also known as Stephx, is showcasing four works depicting animals from Colombia to highlight the importance of nature and some endangered species in her native land. She felt honored to be able to show some more of her work in a smaller setting.
"I'm really grateful to be a part of this exhibition because I really did my first mural here in the Berkshires in Pittsfield at the train station," she said. "So I feel grateful and I am fortunate to be here with all of these artists."
The 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival has about 70 different events taking place throughout the month. There will be fireworks, theater, ice sculpting, and more to enjoy.
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Pittsfield 2025 Year in Review
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city continued to grapple with homelessness in 2025 while seeing a glimmer of hope in upcoming supportive housing projects.
Founders James Shulman and his wife, Jackie, offered it to the city through a conveyance and donation of property, which was met with some hesitation before it was withdrawn.
Now, a group of more than 50 volunteers learned everything from running the ride to detailing the horses, and it is run by nonprofit Berkshire Carousel Inc., with the Shulmans supporting operating costs.
Median and Camping Petitions
Conversations about homelessness resumed in Council Chambers when Mayor Peter Marchetti proposed a median standing and public camping ban to curb negative behaviors in the downtown area. Neither of the ordinances reached the finish line, and community members swarmed the public comment podium to urge the city to lead with compassion and housing-first solutions.
"If you look at this as a public safety issue, which I will grant that this is entirely put forward as a public safety issue, there are other issues that might rate higher that need our attention more with limited resources," said former Ward 7 councilor Rhonda Serre.
Protesters and public commenters said the ordinance may be framed as a public safety ordinance, but actually targets poor and vulnerable community members, and that criminalizing activities such as panhandling and protesting infringes on First Amendment rights and freedom of speech.
Some housing solutions came online in 2025 amidst the discourse about housing insecurity in Pittsfield.
The city celebrated nearly 40 new supportive units earlier in December. This includes nine units at "The First" located within the Zion Lutheran Church, and 28 on West Housatonic Street. A ceremony was held in the new Housing Resource Center on First Street, which was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.
These units are permanent supportive housing, a model that combines affordable housing with voluntary social services.
Pittsfield supported the effort with $750,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds and some Community Development Block Grant funds. Hearthway, formerly Berkshire Housing Development Corp., is managing the apartments and currently accepting applications.
After the Wahconah Park Restoration Committee completed its work with a formal recommendation in 2024, news about the park was quiet while the city planned its next move.
The ice rink was originally proposed for Clapp Park, but when the project was put out to bid, the system came back $75,000 higher than the cost estimate, and the cost estimates for temporary utilities were over budget. The city received a total of $200,000 in donations from five local organizations for the effort.
Last year, there was $18 million committed between grant funding and capital borrowing.
The Parks Commission recently accepted a negotiating rights agreement between the city and longtime summer collegiate baseball team, the Pittsfield Suns, that solidifies that the two will work together when the historic ballpark is renovated.
It remains in effect until the end of 2027, or when a license or lease agreement is signed. Terms will be automatically extended to the end of 2028 if it appears the facility won't be complete by then.
William Stanley Business Park
Site 9, the William Stanley Business Park parcel, formerly described to have looked like the face of the moon, was finished in early 2025, and the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority continues to prepare for new tenants.
Mill Town Capital is planning to develop a mixed-use building on the 16.5-acre site, and housing across Woodlawn Avenue on an empty parcel. About 25,000 cubic yards of concrete slabs, foundations, and pavements had to be removed and greened over.
There is also movement at the Berkshire Innovation Center as it begins a 7,000-square-foot expansion to add an Advanced Manufacturing for Advanced Optics Tech Hub and bring a new company, Myrias, to Pittsfield.
Voters chose new City Council members and a largely new School Committee during the municipal election in November. The council will be largely the same, as only two councilors will be new.
Earl Persip III, Peter White, Alisa Costa, and Kathleen Amuso held their seats as councilors at large. There were no races for wards 1, 3, and 4. Patrick Kavey was re-elected to Ward 5 after winning the race against Michael Grady, and Lampiasi was re-elected to Ward 6 after winning the race against Walter Powell.
Nine candidates ran to fill the six-seat committee. Ciara Batory, Sarah Muil, Daniel Elias, Katherine Yon, Heather McNeice, and Carolyn Barry were elected for two-year terms.
Katherine Nagy Moody secured representation of Ward 7 over Anthony Maffuccio, and Cameron Cunningham won the Ward 2 seat over Corey Walker. Both are new to the council.
In October, Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre stepped down to work for the Pittsfield Public Schools.
In 2025, the city remained challenged by the homelessness crisis, though the development of new supportive housing offered a promising outlook. click for more
The ribbon was cut on Thursday Dec. 19, on nearly 40 supportive permanent housing units; nine at The First, located within the Zion Lutheran Church, and 28 on West Housatonic Street. click for more
Disrepaired houses at 154 Francis Ave. and 224 Fourth St. will be demolished as part of the city's yearly efforts to address condemned properties. click for more
Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 100 Northumberland Road.
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