Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire Announces Awards

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire jointly announce the award of 112 grants totaling $101,343, for cultural programs in 11 Northern Berkshire municipalities.

Grants were awarded to programs in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, Lanesborough, Monroe, New Ashford, Savoy, Williamstown and North Adams. 

The Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences, and humanities every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.

Representative John Barrett III shared his support for the program.

"I am pleased that the Legislature continues to appropriate funding for the Mass Cultural Council, making these local grants possible and ensuring that communities like ours can benefit directly from this investment," he said.

Awards were based on local council guidelines to prioritize funding events and projects which have a public benefit for our mostly rural towns, are broadly accessible for locals, and encourage activity that involves collaboration and grows community. They also support local artists and creative economy partners in enriching their work and their opportunities in the region.

Awards ranged from $140 to $2630. A 10 percent slice of the diverse projects which will be receiving funding in the Northern Berkshires includes:

1. In Lanesborough, the 'Impactful Messages Mural' collaboration between artist Kristen Tool and art teacher David Solak will provide Lanesborough's 6th grade class an opportunity to develop their creativity and share positive messages for their fellow students and larger community.

2. The Berkshire Fife & Drum Corps, which rehearses weekly in the Beaver Mill in North Adams, will continue to grow as a specialized musical ensemble with the addition of drumming equipment.

3. A grant will support the post-pilot development of "The Circus Corner, with Mr. Amazing," a new, live-action children's television program conceived and produced by Carlo Pellegrini and Hilary Sweeney, both residents of Florida, MA.

4. Livia Linden, of North Adams, will use funds to develop her artwork for an exhibit, "Fallen/Risen", at the Future Labs Gallery. In her art, she collects tree parts left to nature and re-imagines them through painting, sculpture and carving. 

5. In Adams, the BArT charter school will host teaching artist, choreographer, and artistic director Malia'kekia Nicolini. She will work with theater students to learn dance numbers for the Spring musical performance.

6. Storyteller Hari Kumar will facilitate "Stories for the Common Good: A Community Storytelling Project." This series of 3 linked monthly community storytelling events -- in Adams, North Adams and Williamstown, will feature stories of services or programs that benefit the whole community, such as public works, libraries, or emergency services.

7. Educator Emilee Reynolds will offer Forrest Babies, an immersive nature experience for families with children under 15 months, at Sheep Hill in Williamstown.

8. Megan Piontkowski, from North Adams, will offer "Visible Mending workshops,"open to all who are interested in developing sustainable and creative practices by learning more about mending clothing, and reinventing it while also extending its life.

9. Rita Parisi will present her one-woman show, "Women of '76", at the Harper Senior Center in Williamstown in September 2026. This is an original theatrical program that highlights five women—both Patriot and Loyalist—who witnessed and, in some cases, changed the course of the American Revolution.

10. Amanda Raymond, a licensed mental health therapist and wellness educator, will facilitate the "Roots of Connection: A Community Gardening & Mindfulness Project" at the Cheshire Council on Aging. By connecting art, nature, and wellness, gardening and mindfulness practices will celebrate the universal language of growth.

11. North Adams Clay and River Hill Pottery will offer "Ceramic Explorations of River Ecology", a workshop series in ceramics that uses clay as a lens to increase awareness of the Hoosic River environment—its biology, geology, and local sources of natural clay. 

Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of municipally appointed volunteers. This year, the Council welcomed multiple new members to participate in thorough grant evaluations, discussion and voting in more than 17 meetings. 

• Gerrit Blauvelt (Williamstown)

• Julia Brierley (Monroe) 

• Julie Clayton (Lanesborough) 

• Julia Dixon (North Adams)

• Michael Eagle (Williamstown)

• Vera Farrell (Lanesborough)

• Susan Feathers (Hancock)

• Kristin Graves (Clarksburg)

• Lucy Green (Adams)

• Cecilia Hirsch (New Ashford) Co-Chair

• Art Kaufman (Cheshire)

• Ronan Chris Murphy (New Ashford)

• Sharon Oakes (Monroe)

• Liz Redwing (Clarksburg)

• Nicholas Rigger (North Adams) Co-Chair

• Jerome Socolof (Adams)

• Maureen Riley Moriarty, CCNB Staff Administrator

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