Berkshire County Historical Screens "H. Knox...On The Knox Trail."

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society and Bidwell House Museum will co-host a screening with filmmaker Jonathan Barkan.

In 1973, emerging professional photographer and media producer Jonathan Barkan was contracted by the Massachusetts Bicentennial Commission. His assignment - create a multi-projector traveling slide show to inspire a statewide reenactment and tell the story of Revolutionary War hero Henry Knox and his plan to retrieve and haul cannons from Fort Ticonderoga, New York, to Boston- stated a press release.

This historic event linked the entire Commonwealth from west to east and led directly to the first major military victory of the War for Independence - Evacuation Day.  The original media program has been modernized for twenty-first-century audiences as a state-of-the-art video. It is enlivened by additional imagery and retains a re-creation with period cannon, draft horses, and oxen that was filmed at the Jug End Resort in South Egremont. 

Colombian Artist Celebrates Immigrant Stories in New Pittsfield Mural

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
06:49AM / Saturday, October 24, 2026

Artist Laura Barrios explains the  inspiration of the mural, of immigrants building new lives in the Berkshires.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The walls along the Intermodal Center's train platform are a little more colorful following the unveiling of Let It Shine's third mural at that location, transforming a space once surrounded by bare concrete into a vibrant display of public art.

 

The unveiling on Thursday, marks the close of Let It Shine's 2026 outdoor public art season and the third year of its emerging artist program, said Mill Town Foundation Program Director Andy Wrba. 

 

Let It Shine's Emerging Artists Mentorship program was established in 2024 to support aspiring artists in the community by providing guidance, hands-on experiences, and opportunities to create large-scale public art.

 

"This mural, along with all the murals, as part of this emerging artist program, and even more broadly, all the murals that you see downtown throughout Pittsfield shows that we care about the cultural scene and we care about the creative people that live and work in our city," Wrba said.

 

The new mural, painted by Colombian artist Laura Barrios, celebrates immigrants who have built lives and found a sense of home in Berkshire County.

 

Barrios has been working on the piece for the last two months alongside mentor artist, Jesse Tobin McCauley. 

 

"It's a homage to the immigrants who work and make a home in the Berkshires … this is a very personal experience too because I am an immigrant," Barrios said in her speech.