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Artists in residence Jesse Tobin McCauley, left, Huck Elling, art intern Sophie Possick, city Cultural Director Jennifer Glockner and Pittsfield Downtown's Rebecca Brien celebrate a triptych of murals created by Pittsfield High students.
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'Flying and Flourishing' adorns former window arches in Burbank Place.
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Downtown Pittsfield 'Flying and Flourishing' With New Mural

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Burbank Place now has two murals bringing it to life through a public art partnership.

On Friday, the Pittsfield Let It Shine! Public Art Partnership debuted "Flying and Flourishing" in the corridor. Just steps from a tile mural debuted last year, this colorful work showcases the synergy of flowers and insects.

Pittsfield High School students worked with artist in residence Huck Elling and public art intern Sophie Possick twice a week over the winter to create the three-part mural hanging in former window arches.

"This is a really awesome opportunity for students at PHS not only to get to make art and experience the whole process beginning to end, but they also get to contribute to their community," Elling said.

"… I also hope that our business owners are feeling the effects of this work, that a little bit of paint, flowers, and bugs can really brighten up this part of our neighborhood."

The student artists, who could not attend the ribbon cutting because of other engagements, continuously chose Burbank Place as a location because they had heard it described as "dreary" and graffiti-filled.

"As a group, we talked about what themes we might like to see in this mural, and the students really connected with the themes of flowers and bugs, so we took that as our starting point," Elling explained.

Possick, a first-year art student at Williams College, hopes to major in her three big loves: studio art, psychology, and English. She found the students' drive to better their community very inspiring.


"I really love working with students and kids and combining my loves of art and psychology. I know the impact that art has had on me firsthand, for just being an outlet and a way to connect with the people around me," Possick said.

"I love nothing more than to share that joy and that experience with other students, and this was a wonderful place to do that, and the students were just really great."

The mural was created with a Sharpie and paint before being mounted on the brick wall.  The
Let It Shine! mentoring program will continue its efforts with the Pittsfield Public Schools to adorn downtown Pittsfield with art this year.

Let It Shine! aims to make art accessible to everyone, foster confidence in Pittsfield, and strengthen connections between residents and their downtown. The Let It Shine! Public Art Partnership is a collective of Pittsfield-based community members, including Downtown Pittsfield Inc./Downtown Pittsfield Cultural Association (fiscal agent), the city of Pittsfield's Office of Cultural Development, Elling and fellow artist in residence Jesse Tobin McCauley, and Mill Town Foundation.

They are dedicated to organizing public art initiatives and revitalizing North Street, supported by MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative (TDI). TDI is a program designed to stimulate economic growth in Gateway Cities by focusing on key districts.

The program's four major sponsors are Mill Town Foundation, Lee Bank, Feigenbaum Foundation, TDI Local funding from MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative, and the Pittsfield Cultural Council.  

NBT Bank, Rich Altman, and Adam Hersch of Cavalier Central Block LLC were thanked for their support in this project.


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Companion Corner: Loki at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a sweet and playful dog at the Berkshire Humane Society waiting for his new family.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Loki is a little less than a year old and is a terrier/pit mix who has been at the shelter for about a month.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Loki. 

"He is very friendly, very social. He loves every single human. He's good with other dogs. He's just a lovely, lovely puppy who has a few things that he could still work on. He is young and learning."

Loki was brought in because his former home didn't have enough time for him and wanted him to be able to have a family who could give him the attention he deserves.

"He was brought in just because they didn't have time to continue working with a puppy," she said. "So nothing, nothing too serious, really, just he needs someone who can give him a lot of time, because he really does need that time, that attention as he grows and matures and works on this training."

He is still young so he has a bit to learn and has been hard at work learning new things including potty training and playing with other dogs.

"He can get a little bit mouthy, so sometimes, when he gets excited with his toys, he mouths on your hands a little bit. So that's something that we're working on showing him just more appropriate uses of his mouth when he's tugging," Olivieri  said. "Also, he can be a little bit reactive when he is out on walks and he can see other dogs, he tends to want to bark, and it's all just out of excitement and wanting to go see the other dog. So these are a couple things that we are working on with him here at the shelter, and he's been doing really, really well." 

Loki loves to play and go outside and will need a family who will want to take him on lots of walks. He can do well with a dog his size with introduction but should not go to a home with cats. They also say children 10 and older because Loki can be a little jumpy.

"He is very active, and he loves to go on hikes and walks and a lot of playtime. So someone who can devote a lot of that time to him, because he just wants to adventure," she said. "He wants to do everything. And also he could work on some training. Someone who would also devote some time to doing some training classes and really working with him on some reactivity and some mouthiness."

Loki is a great friend to play with other dogs and also loves to tug on stuffed animals and play fetch. While you may have to train him, he loves to learn and will be a great student and snuggle buddy.

"He loves to play with other dogs. He's a very social boy. He adapts his play style really well to other dogs. He loves to go for walks. He loves to play tug. He loves his stuffies here. He likes to play fetch. He loves to learn. He really likes to train. He really likes to be with you. He gives really good eye contact, good engagement. He loves learning new things. And more than just learning, he loves doing it with people. He just likes spending time with people. He also really likes to cuddle. Once his daily exercise needs are met. He's like a really good snuggle buddy."

Loki loves to meet anyone and everyone and is excited for his new family.

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