GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Mass Cultural Council has announced $3.57 million in grants for 57 performing arts centers across Massachusetts.
The announcement was made today at The Guthrie Center.
"Performing arts centers serve as cornerstones of our communities, fostering creativity, connection, and economic vitality," said Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council. "These organizations offer access to transformative artistic experiences, and these awards help ensure that they're able to continually and successfully draw and book touring artists for their audiences to see and enjoy."
The grants are part of the Fiscal Year 2025 Gaming Mitigation Fund. This fund was established through the Massachusetts Expanded Gaming Act to help local arts venues compete with larger resort casinos when booking touring shows and artists.
According to the Mass Cultural Council, the grants aim to support these centers, which they consider important to community life.
The grants range from $6,000 to $200,000 and are to be used by the recipient organizations to pay touring show or artist fees. The Mass Cultural Council administers the program with 2 percent of state casino tax revenues. Over the past five years, the program has distributed over $17 million to more than 90 organizations in the state.
Berkshire County grantees include:
Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, $10,500
Freshgrass Public Foundation, Williamstown, $85,400
Guthrie Center, Great Barrington, $6,000
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, $67,800
"At the Guthrie Center, we believe that expression of self through the arts is an integral part of building strong community bonds and that together, we can work towards cultivating a deeper awareness of cultural and human diversity within our communities and the world of which we are all a part," said Annie Guthrie, Executive Director, The Guthrie Center. "We are extremely grateful to Mass Cultural Council for the support they offer to organizations like ours. The resources they provide are crucial to our ability to carry out our mission."
The event at The Guthrie Center featured speakers from two grant recipient organizations, as well as State Senator Paul Mark and Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chair Jordan Maynard.
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Berkshire Art Center Announces Fall 2026 Classes & Workshops
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Berkshire Art Center (BAC) invites artists of all ages and experience levels to participate in lineup of Fall 2026 classes and workshops.
With programs offered at Citizens' Hall in Stockbridge as well as partner locations including Berkshire Music School, WANDER Berkshires, and the Mass Audubon's Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, BAC's fall season celebrates creativity through ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, photography, and more.
Ceramics students will find opportunities to develop their skills this fall. Faculty Artist Paula Shalan returns with Tableware: Creating with Soft Slabs, where students create functional pottery such as mugs, tumblers, and bowls, as well as Cut, Add, and Stretch: Creating with Soft Slabs, which explores more contemporary approaches to handbuilding. Jess Cropper-Alt teaches Timeless & Tactile: Handbuilding Traditions, while Donna Bernstein leads Wheel Throwing for All, an all-levels course featuring demonstrations, individualized instruction, and ample studio time.
For those looking to try clay for the first time, Lorimer Burns offers Try Your Hand at the Pottery Wheel, a welcoming two-hour introduction to wheel throwing. BAC also offers fun, social workshops including Wall Pocket Party, perfect for beginners, friends, couples, and families with children ages 10 and up, and Pottery Night: Beer Stein Social, an evening of creativity and community where participants craft their own handmade ceramic beer stein.
Mixed media and printmaking enthusiasts will find an inspiring variety of offerings throughout the season. Jody King Camarra teaches Color Theory Through Collage, Print Lab: Collagraph, Drypoint & Relief, Working in a Series: Creating Cohesive Collages, Monoprint Magic, and concludes the season with the festive workshop Handmade Holidays: Winter Layers in Gel Plate Printmaking.
Additional printmaking opportunities include Eco-Printing: Basics and Beyond with Mallorey Caron, where students create beautiful botanical prints using real flowers and leaves, Gelatin Plate Printmaking with Johanna Merfeld, an introduction to playful experimentation with layering, texture, stencils, and image transfers, and Image Transfers & Mixed Media, where Diane Firtell shares versatile techniques that can stand alone or enhance existing artwork.
Photographers can celebrate autumn alongside Thad Kubis, whose seasonal workshops include Photography of Daniel Chester French's Studio at Chesterwood in Stockbridge and Photographing Fall Colors in the Berkshires at Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in Pittsfield.
Painters and drawing enthusiasts will discover classes ranging from foundational techniques to expressive exploration. Jill McLean returns with Watercolor Foundations and Watercolor Landscapes at Berkshire Music School, along with shorter, 1-day workshops including Berkshire Polaroids in Watercolor and Handmade Holidays: Watercolor Bookmarks.
Wednesday Nelena Sorokin offers Creative Writing & Abstraction, where students use stream-of-consciousness writing to inspire expressive abstract paintings, along with Painting Basics, Two-Dimensional Composition Workshop, and the popular Abstract Painting: Color, Design and Spirit. Artists looking for a relaxed, supportive studio environment can also enjoy the return of Friday Painting Studio, featuring a new and more accessible tuition rate and experienced facilitators who provide encouragement, feedback, and creative community while participants work on independent projects.
BAC's monthly workshop series at WANDER Berkshires in Pittsfield also continues this fall. Held on the second Saturday of each month, these welcoming two-hour sessions invite participants to sketch, paint, journal, and experiment in a relaxed community setting—no long-term commitment required. The series begins September 12 with Commonplace Visual Journaling led by Kaily Ritz, followed by Mini Nature Assemblage Boxes with Johanna Merfeld on October 10, Indoor Urban Sketching with Jill McLean on November 14, and concludes December 12 with Watercolor Reset for the New Year, led by BAC Executive Director Laura Thompson.
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