Berkshire Farms, Organizations Awarded Food Security Grants

10:40AM / Wednesday, October 22, 2025Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Bounty and Maple Shade Farms were both awarded Food Security Infrastructure Grants (FSIG) to address food insecurity.

The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced over $22 million in grants to support 113 local food producers and food system organizations, in addressing food insecurity in Massachusetts. These funds will help strengthen Massachusetts' food production and distribution sectors, which will allow residents more access to fresh, locally grown and produced food.

In Berkshire County:

Berkshires Bounty, of Great Barrington was awarded $73,083
Maple Shade Farms, of Sheffield was awarded $585,682

The grants are made possible through the Food Security Infrastructure Grant (FSIG) program, a competitive grant program administered by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR). The program is designed to support food security initiatives that provide more equitable access to locally grown, raised, harvested, and caught foods by strengthening the local food supply chain.

"Thanks to this transformative program, we're continuing our work to ensure that food producers and distributors in Massachusetts are equipped to feed our residents with fresh local products," said Governor Maura Healey. "While the Trump Administration is cutting food assistance for millions of people, Massachusetts is stepping up to make sure our communities have affordable, healthy food while also supporting our farmers and local businesses."

Launched in 2020 as a recommendation of the Massachusetts Food Security Task Force, the FSIG program provides grants for capital infrastructure projects that increase access to locally produced food for families and individuals throughout the state who may be facing food insecurity, live in gateway cities or food deserts, or otherwise face unequal access to food. According to the most recent food access report by the Greater Boston Food Bank, 1 in 3 residents faced food insecurity in 2024. The program aims to foster increased collaboration between farmers, fishers, and other local food producers with the goal of maintaining a strong, resilient food system to help mitigate future supply chain issues.

Tags: grants,

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Berkshire Art Center Announces Fall 2026 Classes & Workshops

07:51AM / Saturday, August 29, 2026

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.

For a complete schedule of classes and workshops or to register, visit www.berkshireartcenter.org/classes.

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