The B Fall Art & Design issue 2024

Life in the Berkshires | Fall 2024

The

DESIGN Issue Come on in!

New neighbor Robert Hartwell’s bright and beautiful renovation

MUSEUM SECRETS Festivals, farms, and one

EPIC CORN MAZE!

AT HOME WITH

GREGORY CREWDSON GALLERIES

for your fall art crawl

HISTORIC HILLSDALE NY k i t c h e n w a re s | cooking classes

hgshomechef.com | @hgshomechef | 518-325-7000

cookandlarder.com | @cookandlarder | 518-325-0220

roejanbrewing.com @roejanbrewingco 518-303-8080

WHERE THE HUDSON VALLEY MEETS THE BERKSHIRES

INTERIORS - HOME DECOR - FINE ART

tinyheartsfarm.com | @tinyheartsfarm | 914-236-0760

hillsdalegeneralstore.com @hillsdalegeneralstore 518-325-3310

irwinfelddesign.com | @irwinfelddesign1 | 917-699-6024

from the publisher THE RENOWNED ILLUSTRATOR NORMAN ROCKWELL

once said, “I couldn’t ask for better models than my neighbors... I couldn’t do it without them.” How fitting that sentiment is when we look at the artists and creators who live among us here in the Berkshires.

Take Stockbridge resident John Hart, for instance.

Back in 1971, he was working at the Red Lion Inn The Lounge, Digital pigment print, image size 34.5 x 46 in. © Gregory Crewdson when Rockwell himself asked him to appear in “The Collector,” an illustration for The Franklin Mint. It’s also no surprise that Red Lion Inn owners Senator John H. Fitzpatrick, Jane Fitzpatrick, and their daughter Ann posed for “Carolers”—a true family affair.

The exhibition “Gregory Fast forward to today, and you might find yourself admiring the work of BerkshireCrewdson: Retrospective” was at the Albertina based photographer Gregory Crewdson in a museum. His meticulously crafted Museum in Vienna, Austria, images often feature locals. Ever wonder if that’s Jennifer Trainer Thompson in earlier this year and will be touring Europe for the “Woman at Sink,” or Natalie Johnsonius Neubert (then pregnant) in “The Telephone next five years. Over 150 of Booth”? And yes, that’s Hilary Deely in “Seated Woman on Bed.” Crewdson’s pictures from the 1980s to the present In September 2021, I had the honor of being cast in Crewdson’s piece “The are now in the Albertina’s Lounge,” part of his “Eveningside” series, thanks to Gregory and his partner, Juliane permanent collection.

Hiam. Crewdson is known for selecting decaying yet familiar Berkshire settings— places we pass by daily on the way to postcard-perfect views. Many have said that his works evoke the mood of Edward Hopper’s paintings, and the cinematic feel of directors like David Lynch, Steven Spielberg, and Alfred Hitchcock.

The day we shot “The Lounge” on Fenn Street in Pittsfield, near King Kone, the atmosphere felt more like a Hollywood set. Massive lights lit up the street, and the team—grips, gaffers, catering—was all in place. And there was Crewdson, high on a crane with his camera, bringing calm to the chaos. I was dressed as a waitress, with coffee grounds rubbed into my uniform and a well-worn dish rag in hand. In that moment, finding a sense of quiet desperation wasn’t hard at all.

In this Fall issue of The B, we celebrate artists and designers who also happen to be our neighbors. It’s our turn to shine a light on them and their spaces, including Gregory Crewdson and Juliane Hiam. We want to thank all our readers and supporters. We’re also excited to share that The B is now sold in local Big Y supermarkets and distributed throughout Berkshire, Columbia, and Litchfield counties by Berkshire Brochure, owned by none other than John Hart—the same John Hart who posed for Rockwell’s “The Collector” all those years ago.

Enjoy the issue!

MICHELLE THORPE PETRICCA mpetricca@berkshireeagle.com

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THE B • Fall 2024

On Warren Street in Hudson, New York—see some of our favorite stops on page 89.

A M Y: S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N ; R O B E R T: J U L I E H A M M I L L

Robert walked me through the gallery wall along his staircase—it highlights the history of the house and his own family.

delighted to share some of them in the pages that follow. I have some backstory for you, too.

We photographed the home of Gregory Crewdson and his partner, Juliane Hiam, a circa-1860 church that they’ve renovated, uncovering its beauty while bringing in a modernity that suits the way we live today.

Crewdson’s haunting, poetic photographs are in some of the finest museums around the world and he is often described as one of today’s most important artists. And yet, Gregory and Juliane could not have been more kind, warm, and welcoming as they opened their home to us—and so, to you. What’s more, their roots in the Berkshires run deep and true, and they spoke movingly about how the setting inspires the work that they do.

Another feature, “Spinning the Hy’s Life,” invites you into a brand-new restaurant in South Egremont, Hy’s Fried. It’s been a scene since day one, and the owner, Jack Luber, wants people to feel as if they’ve found a place that’s theirs. Jack came to the area recently from—well, let’s just say it’s a beach community a couple of hours east of Manhattan. He also grew up coming to the Berkshires and the slower pace, room to breathe, and down-to-earth vibe beckoned him back.

And then there’s Robert Hartwell, a former Broadway dancer and star of “Breaking New Ground,” on MAX, who hadn’t even heard of Great Barrington before falling in love with a house he found online. It was actually more than a house—it was a massive undertaking, one that so many others had passed by because they were afraid of the work. Indeed, it was, as you’ll read, an absolutely grueling process. Robert saved a piece of history and is filling it with joy and love.

My point? The Berkshires doesn’t just attract world-class talent, but also people who enrich the community with their creativity, positivity, and authenticity. It’s not like this everywhere—but then, you probably knew that already.

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Fall 2024

Features

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54

Home Is Where the Hart Is Robert Hartwell’s Great Barrington renovation is full of meaning.

63

The Church of Crewdson Gregory Crewdson and Juliane Hiam reimagine their retreat.

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What’s Old Is New

HIRED HAND & HY’S FRIED: LINDA CAMPOS; CHAIR: KEVI N WEST; ROBERT H ARTW ELL: ABI GAIL FENTON; CREWDSON: B ILL WRIGHT

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Think Early American Furniture is out of style? Think again.

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Design Stars Tips, trends, and more from our local pros.

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Spinning the Hy’s Life

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This restaurant in South Egremont has good vibes—and fried chicken.

Plus!

Fall Art Crawl See page 105

The Big Buy: Real Estate Right Now See page 110

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Design Destination: Warren Street Can’t miss stops on a stroll through Hudson.

In every issue: The Local Life 15 | Voices & Views 39 | Field Guide 101 | Last Look 112 On the cover: Robert Hartwell, photographed by Abigail Fenton | Hair: Simone Henderson for Hair Art 2 Go; Makeup: Lani Mackie of SoNu Bridal and Beauty Fall 2024 • THE B

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VOL. 2, ISSUE 4 Fall 2024 PUBLISHER

EDITOR IN CHIEF

mpetricca@berkshireeagle.com

aconway@berkshireeagle.com

Michelle Thorpe Petricca DESIGN DIRECTOR

Julie Hammill

julie@hammilldesign.com COPY EDITORS

Amy Krzanik Sarah Rutledge CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS

Jane Larkworthy Pops Peterson

Amy Conway

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

William Li

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ben Garver Gillian Jones-Heck Stephanie Zollshan

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Lily Goldberg

i Home i Lifestyle i Objets d’Art i at The Red Lion Inn @theshop.aroundthecorner

413.298.1623

The B is a publication of New England Newspapers Inc. PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Fredric D. Rutberg | frutberg@berkshireeagle.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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Robert Jette | rjette@shoppersguideinc.com

For subscription issues, call 800-245-0254

contributors: The B's Saints & Eccentrics

ABIGAIL FENTON (“Home Is Where the Hart Is”), a Savannah College of Art and Design alumna, is an international photographer rooted in the Berkshires. Specializing in lifestyle and wedding photography, she expertly captures the essence of human experience. Abigail finds inspiration through travel, design, fashion, and the in-between moments of life. In her personal work, Abigail primarily works with film photography. abigailfenton.com ANN VOLKWEIN (“Spinning the Hy’s Life”) is a bestselling cookbook author and recipe developer based in Stockbridge. She is author of “The Arthur Avenue Cookbook” and “Chinatown New York.” Her most recent collaborations include “Tasting History” with Max Miller, “My Mexican Mesa” with Jenny Martinez, and the upcoming “Salt Hank” with Henry LaPorte.

LINDA CAMPOS (“Spinning the Hy’s Life”) is a Boston and Berkshires based food and lifestyle photographer. Her work has been featured

by The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Boston Magazine, and Edible Boston. When not behind the camera, you will often find her tending the dahlias and veggies in her West Stockbridge garden or cruising the GB Farmers Market. lindarcampos.com KEVIN WEST (“What’s Old is New”) is a gardener, photographer, and cookbook author living in Monterey. His next book, which is a guide to growing and cooking backyard vegetables, will be published by Knopf next spring.

CHRISTOPHER MARCISZ (“Monumental Moments”) is a writer who has lived (mostly) in the Berkshires for the past 20 years. As a staff writer for The Eagle he covered North County, and now writes about the arts here and abroad, appearing in Popula, Hyperallergic, the Boston Globe, Newsweek, and Russian Life magazine.

He is passionate about traveling, cooking, and pickup ice hockey.

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JANE LARKWORTHY (“Pet Project”) was a beauty editor for decades and is currently a brand consultant, she also curates beauty and wellness at Scout House in Great Barrington and lives with her husband in New Marlborough.

POPS PETERSON (“It Takes Two”) is the owner of SEVEN salon.spa in Stockbridge. With artworks featured at the Norman Rockwell Museum, Henry Ford Museum, and numerous other museums and galleries, Pops has become one of the leading artistic voices of New England.

BILL WRIGHT (“The Church of Crewdson”) is currently a resident of Richmond, Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife and three children. He divides his time between personal art projects and commissioned work.

His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the country.

ROBIN CATALANO (“Connecticut is Calling”) is a travel journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, National Geographic, Smithsonian, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, and more. She is a New England native and lives in the upper Hudson Valley.

LILY GOLDBERG (contributing editor) is a writer and music-maker from New York City.

A graduate of Williams College, she’s worked at MASS MoCA, The Clark, and The Berkshire Eagle. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Times-Union, No Depression, PAPER, The Brooklyn Rail, and more.

ROBBI HARTT (“Fall Art Crawl”) taught English and directed the writing center at Greens Farms Academy (Westport, Conn.) for 20 years, and now lives in Mill River, where she and her husband created a respite for families dealing with pediatric cancer. She writes regularly for local publications.

LARA TUPPER is the award-winning author of three books. She is founder of Swift Ink Stories, which offers writing workshops and private manuscript development. laratupper.com

P H OTO S : C O U R T E SY O F T H E C O N T R I B U TO R S

NEIL TURITZ (“Home Is Where the Hart Is”) moved to the Berkshires from New York City, along with his wife. They have since welcomed a son. Turitz is a screenwriter, author, filmmaker, journalist, and creator of “6 Word Reviews.” @6wordreviews

BEYOND THE UNEXPECTED

THE 2025 MAZDA CX-5

Pittsfield Lenox Rd, Lenox, MA. (413) 499-3311 Www.berkshiremazda.com

The

Local Life Exploring Our Towns for the Best of the Berkshires

Hired Hand Signs Jess Marsh brings artistry and craftsmanship to towns across Western Massachusetts with her hand-painted signs. To learn more, turn the page.

P H OTO : L I N D A C A M P O S

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the local life: Makers Jess Marsh in her 1969 Ford F100, Fern. Marsh was recently named Manufacturer of the Year in her region, an award bestowed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Signs of the Times Jess Marsh has taught herself old-fashioned techniques for making pieces that are meant to last.

By Lara Tupper • Photographs by Linda Campos

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Ten years ago, Jess Marsh moved to her husband’s 10th-generation family farm in Franklin County’s Sunderland. Called Warner Farm, it was founded in 1718, and Marsh managed the CSA program and farmers market stand. “There were no real signs or logo. My father-in-law spray painted a sign: CORN, with an arrow. I was horrified. I knew I could do better.” They gave her “a crusty old paintbrush” and some house paint and she went to work.

Marsh, who would go on to launch Hired Hand Signs, has always been “obsessive about making things look good.” Though she studied art history and photography, it wasn’t until she fell into sign painting that she found her medium.

Sign painting is a craft and trade, she realized. She taught herself by reading extensively and discovering artisans online. She was working in social media and communications when COVID hit, and was forced to work from home. “It was a nonsensical time to make the leap, with all the shuttered storefronts.” But she quit her job and began to paint full time. One of her first storefronts involved an intricate gold leaf design, done with almost no experience with the material (it looked beautiful, and she now offers hand-hammered gold leaf from the last manufacturer based in the U.S.).

On the Farm Each fall, Marsh turns her care and attention to Warner Farm’s corn maze, which she’s designed since 2015. “Mike’s Maze” (an homage to her father-in-law, Mike Wissemann) has been a tradition at Warner since 2000. Marsh’s design predecessor, Will Sillin, came up with the idea. He trained her how to translate designs from a piece of paper to an eightacre corn field.

Her first design was “Alice in Sunderland” (re: Wonderland), which went viral on Reddit and was featured in National Geographic Magazine. She caught the attention of Yahoo News (“Best Corn Maze in the U.S.”) and Wired Magazine (“Most Elaborate Corn Maze in America”). In 2017, she created a “postcard from Earth” maze to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Voyager space mission. NASA then invited her to the National Air and Space Museum.

MAZE: MIKE’S MAZE

“I’ve joked that the key to my success is naïveté. But it’s equally tempered by perfectionism. I care that my clients are really happy. People often tell me, ‘Oh, I love your style.’ But I can adapt my style to whatever my client needs to shine,” said Marsh.

She drives a 1969 Ford F100 called Fern; her work range is anywhere Fern can go.

Marsh especially loves the drive to the Berkshires; some of her favorite projects have been in Great Barrington. For Hart, a textile and craft shop on Railroad Street, she designed a three-dimensional button (two feet in diameter), complete with needle and thread. She designed a popping bottle in the window for Dare Bottleshop and Provisions (now located in Lenox) and she’s excited about an upcoming project for Rubiner’s Cheesemongers on Main Street.

She has added her touch to storefronts

Marsh enlists her husband, David Wissemann, to build themed games and amusements. They felt “Join the Circus” was apt for 2024, an election year. Plus, she loves carnival artwork. mikesmaze.com Fridays–Sundays through November 3

Fall 2024 • THE B

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the local life: Makers

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Some of Hired Hand’s handiwork, including gold leaf and a giant button for crafts store Hart, in Great Barrington.

in Hudson, New York, and in Northampton, where she provided new signage for Iron Horse Music Hall, referencing original show posters from the 1970s.

Marsh had to leave Fern behind to film two episodes of the Magnolia Network show “Motel Rescue,” for which she designed motel signage—one on Sanibel Island, Florida, and the other in Saluda, North Carolina. The host of the show, Lindsey Kurowski, is originally from the Berkshires and felt Marsh would be a great fit. “I love classic motels and midcentury design,” said Marsh.

Closer to home, she often works with new business owners. “The feedback loop

is endlessly positive,” she said. “They’re pouring their resources and creativity into their stores.” When designing from scratch, she starts with a site visit to consider the local architecture, traffic and pedestrian patterns, and which lettering will be legible.

This holistic approach honors a business’ place in the greater community.

Most of the signage you see today is mass produced and not made to last, and Marsh thinks of this while painting. “My signs are meant to be heirlooms. You can see the human touch.” B hiredhandsigns.com

P H OTO S : J E S S M A R S H

Arts, Culture, News & Must-Do’s

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SECRETS OF THE MUSEUMS The Berkshires is spoiled with world-class arts institutions—it’s not easy to take it all in. We asked six museums for a secret sight that most people miss, as well as tips for making the most of a visit.

MASS MoCA North Adams | massmoca.org

Hidden Treasure: There are 100 specialedition coins in corners of the museum— part of a 2012 installation by Canadian artist Micah Lexier that remains. See how many you can find. (One you won’t see: in the employee bathroom!)

Visitor’s Tip: The vast campus—with 300,000 square feet of gallery space over four floors—can be tricky to navigate. If in doubt about which way to go (or how to exit), head to floor two—every building connects on the second floor through the Sol LeWitt exhibition.

The Clark Art Institute Williamstown | clarkart.edu

Hidden Treasure: With so much to see, visitors often miss the American decorative arts collection. Two galleries feature early American paintings, furniture, and the Burrows collection of American silver.

There’s even a tea service that once belonged to Empress Josephine, Napoleon’s first wife!

Visitor’s Tip: Want to see drawings by Edgar Degas or James McNeill Whistler up close?

Visitors can make a free appointment to visit the Clark’s Manton Study Center for Works on Paper for a private viewing of any of the thousands of prints, drawings, photographs, and etchings in the collection.

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Norman Rockwell Museum Stockbridge | nrm.org

Hidden Treasure: Norman Rockwell occasionally included himself in his paintings.

You can find him in the background of the crowd of townspeople in “Freedom of Speech” (1943)—he’s the figure on the left closest to the corner of the blackboard.

Visitor’s Tip: While the museum is open year-round, Rockwell’s studio closes for the season on November 10, so book your studio tour soon to see where he created many of his most famous works.

N O R M A N R O C K W E L L , F R E E D O M O F S P E E C H , 1 9 4 3 . I L LU S T R AT I O N F O R T H E S AT U R D AY E V E N I N G P O S T, F E B R U A RY 2 0, 1 9 4 3 . N O R M A N R O C K W E L L M U S E U M C O L L E C T I O N . © 1 9 4 3 S E P S : L I C E N S E D BY C U R T I S L I C E N S I N G , I N . A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D.

the local life: Insider Info

Berkshire Museum

The Mount

Pittsfield | berkshiremuseum.org

Lenox | edithwharton.org

Hidden Treasure: A massive painting on the second floor of the Berkshire Museum was once shot and slashed! The circa-17th century portrait of James Stuart, Duke of Lenox and Richmond, was brought to America from London, where it is believed that the piece had miraculously survived a siege by Oliver Cromwell’s forces. When it was restored in the early 1920s, the conservator made note that the painting had been damaged by bullet holes in the face of the Duke, as well as several sword slashes.

Hidden Treasure: The pet cemetery at The Mount is tucked back on a wooded knoll above the formal French flower garden.

Edith Wharton would have been able to look out her bedroom window and think of her dearly departed dogs, including a beloved terrier named Jules, whose headstone inscription reads “OUR FRIEND.”

Visitor’s Tip: In a new monthly series, you can relive the golden age of Saturday morning cartoons (Scooby-Doo, anyone?) and learn about related objects in the museum. November 2 and December 7, 10:00 AM.

Williams College Museum of Art Williamstown | artmuseum.williams.edu

Hidden Treasure: During the Civil War, Sarah Fisher Ames volunteered as a nurse in Washington, D.C., which is how she came to know—and sculpt—Lincoln. There were even rumors that they were more than friends! She did at least five busts of him in the 1860s, one of which is in the U.S. Senate collection—and another is in WCMA.

C E M E TA RY: T H E M O U N T; A M E S : W I L L I A M S C O L L E G E M U S E U M O F A R T

Visitor’s Tip: In the spirit of academic office hours, the museum is offering their own office hours—if you’re curious about the new WCMA building, set to open in 2027, drop in between 2 and 3 p.m. on October 23 or November 20. See renderings for the new building, chat casually with the building committee, and enjoy light refreshments.

Visitor’s Tip: NightWood, The Mount’s sound and light experience, starts November 22.

—Lily Goldberg

the local life: Around Town

Small Town Charm

fluffalpaca.com

319 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA

Rockwell, Revisited Hot news from the historic firehouse in Stockbridge—a collaboration between The Red Lion Inn and the Norman Rockwell Museum has resulted in a thematic place to stay.

Décor at “The Norman Rockwell Firehouse” includes vintage furnishings, such as rotary phones and typewriters, as well as signed Rockwell prints. Guests can book the suite, which includes a primary bedroom, jacuzzi tub, full kitchen, and balcony on the second floor (rollaway beds are available if you want to bring the kids). This immersive, interactive experience also includes art stations with supplies and access to dining at The Red Lion Inn, which is featuring curated dishes inspired

by Rockwell’s paintings.

–Sarah Rutledge redlioninn.com

P H OTO : T R I C I A M C C O R M A C K ; I L LU S T R AT I O N : C O U R T E SY O F N O R M A N R O C K W E L L M U S E U M

hrow tim ozy t ea c s t It ’

THE ART OF

DESIGN MORRISON'S HOME IMPROVEMENT LENOX, MA 01240  MORRISONSHOMEIMPROVEMENT.COM

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the local life: Around Town

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DONUTS: STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN

There’s a new donut in town—if you smell fresh baked goods wafting up Lenox’s Church Street, chances are you’re close to Shire Donuts, from husband-and-wife owners Jeff and Heather King, who have another location in Dalton. Unlike the familiar vanillabased cake donuts sold by most donut purveyors, Shire uses a more complex spice base, resulting in a subtly flavored and pillowy dough that you can top with peanut butter cups, cereal flakes, and more. Customize your toppings with a clipboard-based order form, or choose one of their signature flavor combinations: The Samoa— with caramel icing, toasted coconut, and chocolate drizzle—is worthy of its Girl Scout Cookie namesake. Get there early, before they sell out—or order in advance. And yes, they’re doing cider donuts for fall. —Lily Goldberg shiredonuts.com

the local life: Seasonal Bounty

Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival

Whitney’s Farm Market Pumpkin Fest

Boos and Beyond

Hawthorne Valley Harvest Festival

Here are more than a dozen events to make your autumn awesome— consider this your seasonal to-do list.

FESTIVALS “Art of the Hills” at Berkshire Museum

Woodlife Oktoberfest

Pittsfield | October 5–January 5 berkshiremuseum.org The biannual celebration of artmaking in the Berkshires and surrounding areas will kick off with an opening reception and awards ceremony on October 4, the night before the exhibition’s official opening day.

New Lebanon, NY | October 12 woodlifefarmmarket.com Celebrate with live music by Jack Waldheim, German-themed food by Chef Peter and Woodlife Kitchen, seasonal beverages, and fun games.

Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival Stockbridge | October 11–12 berkshirebotanical.org Now in its 90th year, Berkshire Botanical Garden’s annual festival transforms the 24acre property into a family-friendly celebration of all things fall. This year’s event will include food trucks, a beer garden, 80+ craft vendors, hay rides, and more.

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Connecticut Garlic and Harvest Festival Bethlehem, CT | October 12–13 garlicfestct.com Celebrate all things garlic at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds. Learn how to grow and cook garlic, and enjoy pizzas, sliders, deep-fried garlic, and even garlic ice cream. Bring the kids for fun with rides and games.

Ghent, NY | October 13 hawthornevalley.org Celebrate 100 years of biodynamic agriculture with The Hawthorne Valley Association. Visit the Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School open house and enjoy live music, phenomenal food, puppet shows, and more.

Ramble Weekend Adams | October 13–14 exploreadams.com/ramblefest This year’s RambleFest party on Sunday— with live music, food trucks, local brews, and vendors galore—is a prelude to Monday’s Ramble (a hike up Mt. Greylock, the tallest mountain in the state). Adding to this year’s excitement is the long-awaited grand opening of the Greylock Glen Outdoor Recreation Center, debuting Friday, October 11, at 11 a.m.

FilmColumbia Chatham, NY | October 18–27 crandelltheatre.org/filmcolumbia Over 10 busy days, FilmColumbia screens the very best upcoming American and international films at the historic Crandell Theatre.

FilmColumbia’s special events are legendary, most notably Saturday night’s Saturday Sneak Preview film, which is only revealed to the audience moments before screening!

B E R K S H I R E B OTA N I C A L G A R D E N : F E L I X C A R R O L L ; W H I T N E Y ’ S FA R M : G I L L I A N J O N E S - H E C K

Falling for Fall

Ramble Weekend

The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show

R A M B L E : G I L L I A N J O N E S - H E C K ; N A U M K E A G : D AV I D E D G E C O M B ; T H E M O U N T: C O U R T E SY O F T H E M O U N T

Wandering Dance Festival

Ioka Valley Farm

Pittsfield | November 17–23 milltownfoundation.org/ wandering-dance-festival This week-long community dance festival is a vibrant celebration of movement, rhythm, and culture, culminating in a showcase performance at The Colonial Theatre on November 23.

Hancock | September 21–October 27 iokavalleyfarm.com In operation since 1936, Ioka Valley Farm closes out the harvest season with open weekends full of kid-friendly activities. With a farmthemed playground, pumpkin picking, and a kid-size corn maze, this is the perfect spot to spend a fall day—especially given their wide selection of baked goods, maple products, apples, and beef available to purchase.

FARMS Samascott’s Garden Market & Corn Maze Kinderhook, NY | Open Daily in October samascott.com With seven acres of tricky trails to navigate, it’s easy to get lost in Samascott’s famous corn maze—in a fun way, of course. The maze is redesigned, carefully planted, and mowed accordingly each year. Solving it comes with an additional prize: a free soft-serve ice cream.

Whitney’s Farm Market Pumpkin Fest Cheshire | Through October 26 whitneysfarm.com Whitney’s is well known for its wide selection of live plants and fresh produce. When autumn comes around, however, pumpkins take center stage. Each October, Whitney’s hosts its famous Pumpkin Fest, featuring a haunted corn maze, bouncy house, hay rides, a petting zoo, and, of course, hundreds of pumpkins for picking.

FRIGHTS Ghost Tours at The Mount Lenox | Now–October 31 edithwharton.org The Mount offers a darker (literally and figuratively) view of the mansion and grounds of Edith Wharton’s famous home. Guides lead guests through the property after sundown, with strange stories, mysterious sounds, and other unsettling phenomena along the way.

While children under 12 are permitted, familyfriendly tours also occur earlier in the evening.

13 Nights at Jiminy Peak Hancock | September 27–October 31 13nightsatjiminy.com The terror on the mountain returns with, you guessed it, 13 nights of spooky tours and nighttime Mountain Coaster rides. Head over to the on-site tavern before or after your scare for dinner and drinks, plus live music on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show Stockbridge | September 27–October 27 Wednesdays–Sundays thetrustees.org/place/naumkeag Naumkeag’s wildly popular Halloween extravaganza is always a hot ticket, so make your reservations soon. The show features more than 1,500 carved and illuminated pumpkins alongside festive fall flora. Enjoy snacks and warm apple cider before or after your jaunt for the full autumn experience.

BOOsquet Halloween Bash Pittsfield | October 26 bousquetmountain.com With the theme Fire and Ice, this party will offer a chilling yet sizzling Halloween experience that will include live music, a themed costume contest, a photo booth, snacks, and “glacial surprises.”

Dia de los Muertos at MASS MoCA North Adams | November 1 massmoca.org The museum honors the annual Mexican Day of the Dead with a chance for community members to add to an altar with their own ofrenda of departed loved ones, along with artmaking, Mexican food, children’s storytime, and more.

Fall 2024 • THE B

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Transport The People

WEDDING, SPECIAL CELEBRATIONS AND CORPORATE TRANSPORTATION Style | Comfort | Safety

Wine and Dine

celebrating the flavors of fall

Shop our locally owned Family of Businesses: BELLA FLORA MAZZEO’S MEAT & SEAFOOD THE CHEF’S SHOP Located along Route 7 Pittsfield & Great Barrington

Exquisite Taste The just-opened tasting room for Neverstill Wines—with offerings from the Seneca Lake vineyard of the same name—has both style and substance. Led by a team of women, the winery is committed to sustainability, community, and promoting the cool climate viticulture of the Finger Lakes region, which rivals that of Northern California and Europe.

Four wines are available for tasting: three from the Neverstill inaugural vintage and a rotating selection from one of their partner N.Y. wineries.

Founder Christy Counts was drawn to Hudson because of its art, antiques, and culinary scene, and she wanted the tasting room to be as special as the town itself. To help create the perfect spot to relax and unwind, she enlisted Hudson-based designer-consultant Amy Ilias, former EVP of Art & Design at ABC Carpet & Home, the famed furnishings store in New York.

Neverstill’s interior is both bright and cozy, with sunny yellow abstract art and comfy chairs for fireside chatting. You can also sample locally sourced artisanal charcuterie to enjoy while you sip. Reservations recommended.

Neverstill Wines 739 Warren St., Hudson, New York neverstillwines.com

P H OTO S : M AT T H E W J O H N S O N

800-639-9605 | 413-443-7111 ttplimos.com

The right windows can give you a whole new outlook.

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Three Tall Persian Women

by Awni Abdi-Bahri

Directed by Dalia Ashurina

Foliage Fanatics

THROUGH OCTOBER 13

Show of the Season

Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre

Tickets Available at 413.637.3353

SHAKESPEARE.ORG

The Berkshires is a world-renowned destination for leaf-peeping—and here are four lofty ways to see the show.

By Train All aboard! The Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum offers hour-long fall foliage train rides departing from Adams. Travel back in time on their restored midcentury modern railcars, and get a view of mountain passes inaccessible to cars. berkshiretrains.org

By Car If you’re up for a long and winding drive, you’ll be

richly rewarded when you roll up to the summit of Mount Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts. Grab a bite at Bascom Lodge, and check out panoramic views of the valley below (keep in mind that the access road closes in midOctober). For another gorgeous view (with a lot less tourists!), try Olivia’s Overlook in Stockbridge. bascomlodge.net

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By Chairlift Up, up, and away! Before the start of ski season, Catamount Mountain Resort in Hillsdale, New York offers scenic chairlift rides to the mountain’s summit every weekend. Striking views of the Berkshire Mountains and the Taconic range await you—and on a clear day, rumor has it you might even see the Catskills. catamountski.com

By Sky Did someone say hot air balloon rides? You heard that right—Worthington Ballooning, a family-run business out of Worthington, has offered scenic sojourns during foliage season for more than 15 years. Rides tend to book up months in advance—so start thinking about next year. To inquire, call 413-238-5514.

P H OTO : LO O K M E M O R I A L PA R K

Left to Right: Awni Abdi-Bahri, Afsheen Misaghi, Lanna Joffrey, and Niousha Noor, Three Tall Persian Women, 2024. Photo by Maggie Hall.

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Located in Pittsfield, MA, Silver Solutions MedSpa combines the aesthetic lens of professionally trained artists, with cutting-edge advances in aesthetic medicine and data-driven skincare. Here, Nina Silver, RN, BFA, owner of Silver Solutions MedSpa stands beside VISIA Skin Analysis Device art, creativity, innovation and intention that is clearly grounded range of additional nonsurgical procedures, in fostering the holistic wellbeing of patients, such as bio regenerative treatments all comes together in the form of personalized inclusive to: Platelet Rich Plasma/Fibrin, nonsurgical skin care for all skin types and Sculptra, Microneedling, and Radiesse needs. Silver Solutions is not only home to which all encourage your body to make its highly qualified practitioners, but is equipped own collagen. with the latest and safest technology, which If you’re unsure whether you would be a includes but is not limited to a GPS-guided good candidate for certain procedures, or if laser that automatically adjusts to treat sun you are inspired to explore what treatments damage, red spots and veins. would be best suited to your goals and Silver Solutions MedSpa specializes in needs, you can count on Silver and her team medical aesthetics and rejuvenation such to provide clear and informed guidance as cosmetic injectables (Botox, Dysport, throughout the entire process. Patient Jeuveau, and a wide array of dermal fillers), education through open, honest, and attuned medical grade hydrafacials, and an extensive

conversation is at the heart of what makes Silver Solutions MedSpa unique in the medical aesthetics field. To them, it’s more than a transaction, it’s an art aimed at elevating self-care and self-concept with safety, attunement and patient education at its core.

“We always want to fully educate our patients before moving forward with any treatments. We discuss patient goals and priorities, and make sure that patients are not only excellent candidates for the treatments they are seeking, but are also comfortable throughout the entire pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment care process,” says Silver.

A “natural look” can mean a lot of things to individual patients, each with varying skin types, medical and anatomical considerations, and needs.

Silver is most proud and excited that her treatments can help a diverse range of patients and skin types.

“Our greatest desire is to offer care that meets the dynamic needs of all of those who enter our office. We are thrilled to be able to serve the diverse and expanding population of the Berkshires and surrounding areas, and are committed to improving equity in access to informed medical aesthetic care, and to celebrating the diversity present within our community,” Says Silver.

To book a consultation with Silver, call 413-441-8453 or email office@silversolutionsmedspa.com.

For more information, visit silversolutionsmedspa.com.

Fall 2024 • THE B

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the local life: Seasonal Bounty Happy Harvest

Pumpkins Aplenty Have you picked your pumpkins yet?

Here are some tips from our local pros on making the most of them when you get them home.

Carving Tips from the Masters

Front and Center(piece) A vignette of pumpkins and gourds in different sizes and colors makes a striking and simple display that will last all fall. But if you want to up your tablescape game for Turkey Day, borrow this idea from Township Four Floristry and Home in The Red Lion Inn (or take their hands-on class, which is offered every year on the Tuesday before the holiday). Co-owner Jed Thompson shared these tips.

Preserve your pumpkin Pumpkins work well as vases as they’re watertight (but once you cut into them, they’ll only look their best for a few days). Thompson recommends adding flower food and a drop of hydrogen peroxide to the water to preserve freshness.

Play with scale Guests should be able to see over a centerpiece, so make sure your pumpkin isn’t too big for the table. A collection of mini pumpkins and gourds arranged around the “vase” can make a smaller centerpiece feel fuller.

Feature fall florals Classic autumnal flowers will be most fitting—think New England asters, dahlias, and chrysanthemums.

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Start small If you’re cutting from a stencil, carving the larger pieces of your design first increases the likelihood that your pumpkin might break.

Shelve the Sharpie Instead of using a permanent marker to draw your design, try a dry erase marker—if you have to change course, it’s easier to wipe off.

Turn it over Cutting through the bottom of the pumpkin makes it safer and easier to light a jack-o’-lantern—you can simply set the pumpkin down on top of your light source instead of reaching inside.

Bust out the batteries Small batterypowered drills and saws speed up the process, making them useful additions to the carving tool kit.

C E N T E R P I E C E : S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N ; C A R V I N G : D AV I D E D G E C O M B

Each fall, Naumkeag—the Trustees’ Gilded Age “cottage” with glorious grounds—hosts The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show, a month-long celebration showcasing thousands (!) of artistically carved pumpkins and gourds on the sprawling property. So who better to give some jack-o’-lantern carving tips?

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The trees in the orchard at Windy Hill Farm in Great Barrington.

Homegrown Harvests

Banking with YOUR BUSINESS BANKING PARTNER

Can you imagine fall in New England without apple picking?

Last season, Berkshire farmers and fruit lovers had to do just that. In the early morning of May 18, 2023, just as apple trees were exploding into bloom, a surprise frost sent temperatures plummeting. The freakish chill killed off blossoms, devastating orchards throughout the county. “We did not have an apple,” says Judy Mareb, the owner of Windy Hill Farm, a Great Barrington-based orchard.

But when spring came and went this year without incident, farmers breathed a sigh of relief—apple picking, a staple of fall fun, has been back in full force. “We have a bumper crop, probably the biggest crop we’ve ever had,” says Mareb. Windy Hill will be offering PYO apples into October—and even if you don’t get to the orchards yourself, farm stands and farmers’ markets across the area will be overflowing with fruit. Here are some favorites to look out for. —LIly Goldberg

O R C H A R D : S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N ; A P P L E S : S H U T T E R S TO C K

LEEBANK.COM

A Crunchy Comeback

Advancing health and wellness for everyone in our community. berkshirehealthsystems.org

FUN FACT: Macs account for more than half of the total New England apple harvest of about 3.5 million bushels

McIntosh

Small, tart, aromatic Great for: Eating out of hand and cooking

Mutsu

A sharp, juicy cousin of the Golden Delicious Great for: Juicing, snacking, and baking—holds it shaped well when cooked

Honeycrisp

Juicy, crunchy, and sweet Great for: Salads and slices

Macoun

Medium-sized with hints of strawberry and spice Great for: Crunching as is —many consider Macoun to be the best tasting apple

Northern Spy

Tart and sweet, harder and crunchier than most Great for: Pies (There’s even a saying—”spies are for the pies”!)

BERKSHIRE

&

WORKFORCE BOARD

WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS GROUP

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR

2023

2023

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR

2023

Lisa Vollmer Photography

the local life: style

Local Authors

Renovation Inspiration Rehabbing old homes isn’t for everyone, but not everyone is a Novogratz.

In their brand-new book “The Novogratz Chronicles: Lessons Learned from Twenty-Five Years of Buying and Renovating Houses,” husband and wife design duo Cortney and Robert Novogratz tell the stories behind their fabulous flips—including the tale of how they made a second home for themselves in Great Barrington: “We ended up falling in love.”

Besides the Berkshires, nine other swoon-worthy real-estate projects feature in this new book, taking readers on a journey from Chelsea townhouses to Hollywood bungalows (and even to Brazil!). Whether you’re ready to pick up the power tools or content to renovate vicariously, this book might inspire you to think beyond the expected and seize the possibilities of any space.

Curt Hanson, Autumn Backwater, oil on panel, 20” x 36”

71 Spring Street, Williamstown, MA 01267 413.884.6926 | www.greylockgallery.com

INSPIRED SPACES

pittsfield, ma | www.paulrich.com

LIFE CARE & YOU AT KIMBALL FARMS You deserve a Life Care community with a reputation for stimulating social experiences, exceptional service, strong staffing and a welcoming, comfortable environment. No matter what your care needs are, the best will be available. Kimball Farms offers all this and more: • Financial security and longterm predictability • Estate preservation • Quality care no matter what your health care needs are

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To learn more, see more and meet people who do more, please call 413-613-0070 or visit www.kimballfarmsandtheberkshires.com

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235 Walker Street, Lenox, MA • 413-881-6321

2013

GOLD

Voices & Views These Stories Can Only Come from the Berkshires

P H OTO : S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N

W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project Great Barrington A life-size version of artist Richard Blake’s sculpture of W.E.B. Du Bois is in the works.

See page 49 for more.

Fall 2024 • THE B

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voices & views: Expert Advice

Cultivating a Collection Living with art you love is a pleasure everyone deserves.

Art consultant William Li has tips for demystifying the buying process and finding the pieces that are just right for you.

By William Li • Photographs by Stephanie Zollshan Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just starting to follow the art scene in the Berkshires, William Li has advice for you. After decades of leading brands for Condé Nast and Ralph Lauren, he started a business called Armature Projects, which aims to make the art-buying process easy, turnkey, and fun. (Oh, he’s also a Columbia County resident and a contributing editor to The B.) Li works with collectors, architects, and designers in curating art from a diverse group of emerging and midcareer artists, many of them based in the area. We asked him to share some of his wisdom.

What makes the Berkshires a boon for collectors?

So many amazing artists live in the area and are inspired by their surroundings—a lot of them paint landscapes.

I can usually help clients find that right piece locally. It helps that the galleries in our area are the furthest thing from intimidating.

How should someone get started? It’s a lot of discovery at the beginning. Are you looking for a painting? A sculpture? Ceramics? Art is so paralyzing to many people, so my goal is to get them comfortable with liking what they like. I encourage my clients to go to galleries and check out exhibits—they change every month or so—and start training their eye. You don’t have to buy something—just

STUDIO VISIT One of the artists Li works with is Dai Ban, an abstract sculptor with a studio in Great Barrington, and he told us what drew him to Ban’s work. “Dai’s sculptures are incredibly elegant. And when you look at them, you can’t tell what they were made of. Often they look like stone or metal. But what he does is apply Venetian plaster to foam board and create these really worked-up patinas. They have a lush vibrancy to them, but they’re also super lightweight. He has started working in porcelain and cement as well. Dai is Japanese, and there is this incredible sense of simplicity to the work, but like all things that are Japanese and simple, they’re not simple at all.” daibanstudio.com Artist Dai Ban and William Li

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Designer shopping for Men and Women in the Berkshires

A closer look at some of Ban’s work

go in and look around. Our area is also so rich with museums.

There’s The Clark and MASS MoCA, of course. A little farther afield are wonderful museums at Bard College in Annandaleon-Hudson and at Smith College in Northampton.

I encourage people to take notes and make mood boards. If you look at something and you’re like, “Wow, I really respond to that,” or it makes you feel happy or moves you, you’re on the right course. It doesn’t have to be this intense, fully thought-out historical academic relationship with a piece. There are two types of collectors: people who buy spontaneously and people who really shape collections. Both approaches are good. I wish I had been more intentional about my collecting, but on the other hand, I live in a home filled with everything I love.

What’s the biggest challenge when buying art? People can get caught up in doubt, wondering, is this piece right for me?

Who’s the artist? Is it going to increase in value? None of that really matters. When most people start to buy art, they tend to choose pieces that are very personal. When they ask if a piece is worth buying, my answer is, “Do you love it?” It’s not unlike spending money on jewelry, furniture, a car, or travel—art should bring you joy. You don’t need to overthink it.

What about budget? Once you sort out what you’re interested in, the next step is to define your budget so you can plan accordingly. Galleries here tend to be super transparent about pricing. They’re not trying to play games, so that makes it more comfortable. If a price isn’t on the wall, it’s on a price list at the reception desk.

There is something at every price point. You can get a beautiful drawing for not a lot of money, for example, and young or emerging artists usually have inexpensive works for sale. It’s all about knowing yourself.

To learn more and see a complete list of the artists Li works with, visit armatureprojects.com.

50 Church St. Lenox, MA 413.637.2680 Autumn Cashmere Robert Graham Rails • Liverpool Nicoby • Vince

voices & views: History Lesson

Stockbridge-Munsee Burial Ground Memorial

Shays’ Rebellion Marker

Monumental Moments

By Christopher Marcisz “There is nothing in the world more invisible than a monument,” declared Austrian writer Robert Musil, in 1927, to describe how often statues and memorials blend into their landscape. Over time it can be hard to remember what we are supposed to remember in the first place, let alone who put these things up and why. But, with a little attention, the stories emerge—of passions and conflicts, fortunes won and lost, abuses and injustices too often swept into the background.

Here are a few Berkshire-region monuments hiding in plain sight, on our busiest streets and state highways, as well as dotting our fields, forests, and parks.

Some are whimsical, others solemn and serious. Some are of only local curiosity, while others are the manifestation of ideas that have echoed around the world.

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The Stockbridge-Munsee Burial Ground Memorial Stockbridge, on the south side of Main Street just west of Church Street

This heavily weathered stone and pillar, on a hill overlooking a golf course, marks “the ancient burial place of the Stockbridge Indians, 1734, the friends of our fathers.” It also marks the end of an experiment in which Mohicans who converted to Christianity could live together with English settlers; it didn’t last long. The natives were systematically removed from their land, and forced to move further and further west until they reached their present home in Wisconsin. The monument marks the last piece of land they owned in town, which, in 1809, they handed off to Dr. Oliver Partridge for $10 and the condition that the land remain undisturbed to respect their ancestors.

M U N S E E : S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N ; S H AY ’ S : G I L L I A N J O N E S - H E C K

Our region is rich in history that’s captured in statues, memorials, and markers. Don’t just drive or walk by—pause and learn from them.

Here’s a look at nine to get you started.

The Cheese Press Monument

The Last Battle of Shays’ Rebellion Marker Sheffield, on Sheffield-Egremont Road just west of Rebellion Road

CHEESE PRESS & FREEMAN: GILLIAN JONES-HECK

The settlers who arrived in western Massachusetts lived a hard life, mostly subsistence farming as they increasingly chafed under the rules and restrictions of more affluent easterners, especially in the earliest years of independence when the burden of debts and economic downturns pushed many past their breaking points.

It culminated in Daniel Shays’ rebellion in 1786, which included a failed attempt to capture the federal armory in Springfield.

Most of the rebels went home, though some gathered just over the border in New Lebanon and, together with “border ruffians,” returned for some looting of merchant shops and homes in the Berkshires in February 1787. They were met on their way back by a coalition of local militias on this spot, where about 30 people were injured and 4 killed in an exchange of gunfire. A simple stone pillar put up in 1904 by the superintendent of a local quarry

Elizabeth Freeman Statue

marks the spot where the uprising finally petered out. It is right next to where the Appalachian Trail passes by.

The Cheese Press Monument Cheshire, on the corner of Church and School Streets, near the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail

The Berkshires was a remarkably contrary place in the early Republic. The original settlers of Cheshire were Baptists from Rhode Island, not the descendants of the Puritans. Elder John Leland, a pastor who had spent time in Virginia and got to know Thomas Jefferson while advocating for freedom of religion, organized all the farmers of Cheshire to contribute milk from their herds for a giant cheese to celebrate Jefferson’s electoral victory over Massachusetts’ own John Adams. The “Big Cheese” —a 1,235-pound wheel—was delivered to the White House on January 1, 1802. This cast-concrete statue of the press used to make it dates to 1940—and there’s a more recent replica of the enormous fromage itself next to the rail trail.

Elizabeth Freeman Statue Sheffield, on Main Street (Route 7) next to the First Congregational Church

The most recent addition to the Berkshires collective memory, unveiled in 2022, is a lifelike depiction of a young Elizabeth Freeman or “Mumbet,” who was born enslaved and sued to win her freedom, setting the legal precedent for the end of slavery in Massachusetts. In one hand she holds a copy of the legal ruling, in the other a coal shovel that her enslavers had used to beat her, and the scar on her arm that she refused to cover up. Freeman’s story often focuses on her long life working as a free person in the Berkshires, but while the statue captures her strength and humanity, it also centers a grim reality: Slavery with all its inhumanity and cruelty was a fact of life in the Berkshires.

The Haystack Monument Williamstown, on the Williams College campus, on Mission Park Drive just off Park Street

The monument marks the spot where, in 1806, five students took shelter from a thunderstorm under a haystack—actually a Fall 2024 • THE B

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voices & views: History Lesson

kind of hay drying rack. Their conversation led to the creation of the overseas mission movement, with its Biblical admonition that “The Field is the World.” The monument, with its globe atop a pillar and bas relief of the famous haystack, appeared in 1867, and became a beacon of faith and service for many believers. But for others it became a lightning rod for the imperialist and white supremacist message underpinning the project, how missionaries often came with economic exploitation and contempt for local traditions and customs. It has been the target of frequent vandalism in recent years, and a plaque notes the conflicted and ongoing nature of the conversation that began that long ago summer.

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument Hillsdale, on Route 23, at Anthony Street

John K. Cullin was an immigrant from northern Ireland whose family had moved to this village in upstate New York and volunteered for the Union Army during the Civil War. He came home in 1864 and

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The Soldiers and Sailors Monument

lived a quiet life, mostly as a clerk at a dry goods store, saving every penny he could through the years. On his death, in 1915, he bequeathed $10,000—nearly $300,000 in 2024 dollars—to build this monument to the troops like him “who defended our country and flag.” It was designed by Edwin E. Codman for the Gorham Manufacturing Company of Rhode Island, which was doing a booming business in Civil War monuments, both Union and Confederate. The 13-foothigh statue atop its 15-foot granite base was restored in 2000.

The Newsboy Statue Great Barrington, off Maple Avenue (Route 23), on Newsboy Monument Lane at Silver Street

By the late 1800s a different kind of economy had emerged in the Berkshires: the cottages of wealthy New Yorkers who came up from the city on the new rail lines and created a social world. Among them was Col. William Lee Brown, the owner and publisher of the New York Daily News, who had a summer estate at Locustwood on Maple

The Newsboy Statue

Avenue. The audience for his newspaper (unrelated to the current Daily News) were Irish Catholic workers in New York.

Editorially, it ferociously supported the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine, and as a mass medium it was very cheap.

In 1895, Brown paid homage to the humble newspaper seller who built his fortune on the streets of the big city one penny at a time. The statue of the newsboy strides above a fountain featuring a lion’s head and a devil, and it has survived a lot through the years—including a tornado that whipped up the road on Memorial Day, 1995. In recent years it was restored by, among others, the New England Association of Circulation Executives.

The William McKinley Statue Adams, on Park Street (Route 8) at the Adams Free Library

For most ordinary Americans, the sweeping protective tariffs that then-congressman William McKinley pushed through Congress in 1890 were a disaster that

H AYS TA C K : S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N ; S O L D I E R S & N E W S B OY: G I L L I A N J O N E S - H E C K

The Haystack Monument

M C K I N L E Y & B E C K L E Y: G I L L I A N J O N E S - H E C K

The William McKinley Statue

Beckley Furnace

raised prices on essential goods, sparked trade wars overseas, and were unpopular enough to probably cost the Republican Party the next two elections. But for the Plunkett family of Adams, they were a godsend for their nascent cotton works.

They made a fortune, and the politician who enabled them became a close friend.

McKinley visited Adams once as governor of Ohio and twice as President, staying at the family’s Park Street home. The statue was commissioned two years after his assassination by an anarchist in 1901, and was designed by Augustus Lukeman, a student of Daniel Chester French. It features the man orating, and scenes from his life including driving a wagon in the Civil War, his inauguration, and, of course, him speaking out for his tariff. The quote notes “our interest is in concord not conflict,” but lest there be any doubt, a more subtle message is around back, of an American flag covering fasces—the classic symbol of state power and order.

Beckley Furnace East Canaan, CT, on Lower Road, just south of Route 44

Large-scale mining doesn’t immediately leap to mind when thinking about the Berkshire economy, but for much of the 19th century our area was an important source of iron ore mining and smelting, thanks to the availability of ore and of forests for charcoal to fire the furnaces that made everything from pots and pans to canons and ship anchors. The Beckley Furnace is the preserved core of a blast furnace that ran from 1847. It generated huge amounts of heat to melt ore and separate iron from slag, which was piled in giant heaps across the Blackberry River.

The river powered turbines that pumped air into the fire. The furnace ran until 1919 and was one of the last of its type still in operation, as demand for iron was well surpassed by steel.

voices & views: On a Lark

Pet Project Your dog may fill up your camera roll—or have an Instagram account all their own— but a painting might happen to capture their essence best, as our writer discovered.

By Jane Larkworthy

hat. Most were impressed, if not slightly We lost our standard poodle, Remy, this hurt by the competition. summer. Like every dog owner I know, One evening, at a friend’s house, I came we loved her more than we could imagine upon a charcoal sketch that our neighbor, and, fine, we treated her like our third the painter Shawn Fields, had done of his child. We brought her everywhere with wife, Kenzie. It was a stunning sketch of us, permissible or not (thank you, Jacob’s whimsy, where Kenzie’s hair seemed to Pillow gala), and filled the house with sprout above her head into the heavens, more leashes, coats, and squeaky toys than her profile seemingly unaware of the one dog could ever need. activity taking place above.

When Remy was about four, I decided I was blown away. I’d never thought to pull a Wegman, dressed her in a jacket about having Remy’s portrait done before and hat and photographed her. The whole (maybe because I already had dozens of process took less than two minutes; I them filling up my iPhone), nor did the would gently repeat “Stay…” until I got idea of cloning or taxidermy interest the shot, then plied her with her favorite freeze-dried chicken treats once I did. It probably wasn’t her favorite way to spend two minutes, but she did aim to please. Dogs have a way of innately knowing this. This grew into a vast portfolio including nearly every jacket, hat and pair of sunglasses I owned. (And thus began @myhigherstandard, her Instagram feed.)

With her intense amber eyes that bore into your soul, she cut quite the figure, dressed in an epaulet-adorned cape and tophat, or a crocheted poncho and Carly Simon-type floppy hat. I’ll admit I experienced a certain smugness when someone showed me pics of their lab or Yorkie or Havanese dressed in a doggie raincoat complete with hood. I’d then whip out my phone and tap the shot of Remy, in profile, looking ever the dignified sea captain in a Jil Sander winter jacket and shipman’s wool The artist hangs the painting of Remy.

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us, as magical as we believed she was. But Shawn’s sketch prompted me to enquire whether he’d ever do one of Remy. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen a pet in Shawn’s work, but if he was strictly a people painter, maybe I could let him in on the fact that Remy kind of was a person to us.

No matter. Shawn agreed, and I gave him a photo of our poodle in that sea captain outfit. He and Kenzie came by to inspect the empty wall in our kitchen that had been begging for some legit work of art. Two weeks later, Kenzie texted me a photo of Shawn with the painting he had finished and was ready to install in our home.

“Wait!” I texted back. “We haven’t even seen his sketch yet!”

But this artist knew he’d captured her, and, boy, did he ever. Shawn’s use of negative space, which created her jacket and outlined her cap, was masterful in its simplicity. And her expression only lacked a pipe hanging from her mouth (even I put my limitations on what I would or wouldn’t allow my child to do). Moreover, the expression on most people’s faces when they enter our kitchen and look up to see a giant standard poodle presiding over the room is, well, priceless. Now more than ever. B Shawn Fields is a representational painter who works in MIll River. Many of his paintings are narrative in style, depicting children at play. You can find his original work and prints of his work at Bon Dimanche in Great Barrington. For more information, visit shawnfields.com or @ifiwere_apainter.

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voices & views: Pops’ Corner

It Takes Two When a gallerist and an emerging artist became friends, it was rewarding to them both.

By Pops Peterson • Photographs by Stephanie Zollshan

“I’m just one of dozens of local artists who have gained exposure, self-esteem, and income because of Lauren’s entrepreneurship in our community.”

One of the most anticipated cultural events of 2025 is the unveiling of the memorial statue of W.E.B. Du Bois on the steps of Great Barrington’s Mason Public Library, following years of development by the W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project. I was honored and delighted to be invited to the Berkshire Botanical Garden to view maquettes of the three design finalists’ entries. Lauren Clark, a dear friend, was leading the Sculpture Selection Jury, and she wanted my input as a well-known Berkshire artist.

I may never have become “well-known” without Lauren, who invited me to have my first solo exhibition in her gallery, Lauren Clark Fine Art. Her kind offer shocked me back in 2014, when I brought one of my first canvases into her small Housatonic gallery. I had just begun to delve into digital imaging, not knowing if anyone would even consider it art, and I would have been thrilled for her to mount even one picture for sale. But Lauren loved my colorful portraits and she wanted my

show up the very next month. This had to wait, I explained, because at that time I’d only ever made seven pictures!

A client of my own SEVEN salon.spa, Lauren and I had become friends when she introduced me to her 12-year-old daughter, who had just won the Berkshire Idol juvenile singing contest. I had been booked to do my club act, “Star Catcher,” at Rumpy’s, a beloved dive bar in the basement of what’s now The Whitlock in Lenox, and I thought it would be really cool to sing some duets with her. Lauren was so supportive and the duets, “I Got You, Babe” and “My Humps,” brought the house down.

Timing is everything, and in the six months since Lauren had invited me to have a solo exhibition, she had moved from the little space in Housatonic to a sprawling gallery on Railroad Street in Great Barrington, a space I had to fill!

This is how I learned one reason artworks cost so much: As the artist, I not only put my time and creativity into the work, but also had to pay for all the canvases to be printed and stretched. Furthermore, each one needed to be framed—by Lauren’s framing department, at the special artists’ rate, of course. Oh yes, and the gallery commission would be the standard 50% of the gross, not the net! If I didn’t have some sales, I’d be out thousands. Luckily

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SEPTEMBER 26–OCTOBER 27 at The Unicorn Theatre The Larry Vaber Stage

written by

Conor McPherson directed by Eric Hill

movement by Isadora Wolfe

NOVEMBER 22 • 7:30PM at The Colonial Theatre

A 55TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT CELEBRATION WITH

WHO ARE YOU & FRIENDS

DECEMBER 5–22

at The Unicorn Theatre The Larry Vaber Stage

by Charles Dickens adapted by Eric Hill

directed by David Adkins and Isadora Wolfe

DECEMBER 15 • 2PM at The Colonial Theatre

EIGHT WORLD CLASS STUNT DOGS IN A HILARIOUS HOLIDAY SHOW

DECEMBER 21 • 7:30PM

voices & views: Pops’ Corner that wasn’t the case. My show, “New Frontiers in Pop Art,” put me on the map. And I owe it all to Lauren.

I’m just one of dozens of local artists who have gained exposure, self-esteem, and income because of Lauren’s entrepreneurship in our community. Raised in Yonkers by a mom who worked for the unemployment office and a corporate dad who moonlighted as a jazz guitarist, Lauren credits the alternative high school she attended in New York, in her senior year, as the turning point in her life.

While studying art at Elizabeth Seton College, she took a part-time job at an antique print gallery, where she learned matting and framing.

She found success selling objects made with her marbled paper designs to specialty shops in New York City and to book publishers.

Clark, at her gallery Lauren Clark Fine Art, She moved here in 1989, knowing in Great Barrington. nobody, and worked alone in her home studio until she joined forces with homes. She has mastered the curator’s art.

Robin Schmitt in 1993 at Robin’s Tokonoma Her gallery is smaller than a museum, but Gallery. Lauren became the sole proprietor the art is world-class and a joy to behold. in 2006, gave it her name, and is now at When the W.E.B. Du Bois statue is 684 Main Street (in the same building as Bizalion’s Fine Foods). She recently expanded installed next year, it will be thanks to the vision and hard work of Lauren and other into the space next door, with Childs + dedicated neighbors behind the W.E.B. Clark Gallery, a collaboration with Mary Du Bois Sculpture Project who recognize Childs featuring fine art glass, sculpture, and the importance of our famous native son’s painting. Lauren has become a valued force legacy—and the impact of public art. B in our cultural community, nurturing talents and bringing beautiful modern works to our

at The Colonial Theatre

This maquette, or model, gives a sneak peek of what artist Richard Blake’s W.E.B. Du Bois sculpture will look like. The final, life-size work in bronze is intended for a new bench in front of the Mason Library in Great Barrington.

(413) 997-4444 BerkshireTheatreGroup.org 111 South Street • Pittsfield, MA 6 East Street • Stockbridge, MA

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Fall

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KITCHEN DREAMS Hartwell is on “a journey of learning” when it comes to cooking—if any space could inspire him, it’s this one. Glam lighting, wallpaper in a largescale botanical, and classic cabinetry are a surprising mix for a kitchen—one that works.

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When former Broadway performer Robert Hartwell moved to Great Barrington, he brought his talents, style, and joy— and learned about his past while planning his future.

Home IS WHERE T HE

HART IS B Y

N E I L

T U R I T Z

•

P H O T O G R A P H S

B Y

A B I G A I L

F E N T O N

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t is one thing to appreciate beauty, but it is another entirely to surround yourself with it.

There is something to be said for those who can accomplish this—even here in the Berkshires, where we are immersed in the natural world.

PURPLE REIGN Named for his late aunt, whose passing inspired him to search for a house, Paulette’s Parlor is a vision in purple. “There would be none of this without her,” said Hartwell. A custom painting from Glori B. Art depicts generations of strong women in Robert’s family.

There is definitely something to be said for Robert Hartwell. When the former Broadway dancer-actor and current entrepreneur bought the 200-year-old house on the Hill in Great Barrington on Juneteenth 2020, it was a desiccated husk that had sat unoccupied for a decade. There was mold, rot, and a veritable river coming through the basement from the hill above. It took two years to rebuild the interior—a frustrating, chaotic, somewhat devastating process captured by Hartwell’s reality TV show, “Breaking New Ground,” currently streaming on MAX (and coming soon to OWN and HGTV).

Over the course of the show’s six episodes, Hartwell walks viewers through the strenuous renovations, his exasperation on display, while weaving his own heritage into the narrative. The house spoke to him when he saw it online, partly because Black servants had lived there. For someone who is descended from slaves, that story is immensely powerful.

Apply enough stress to coal and it becomes a diamond. Similarly, the house on Castle Street has become its own jewel, one befitting a man whose life is dedicated to the pursuit of beauty. “From the garments you wear to the colors in your home, what you surround yourself with will speak to your mind,” Hartwell said. “It’s a level of care that I have with protecting my future by being fully alive in my present.”

The house’s interior reflects his passion in its confluence of colors and styles. “Everything had to *

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STEP BY STEP Framed photos and documents cover the wall leading to the second floor. “I saw other homes that had their family history on a wall, and I just always dreamed of it. There are census documents and maps of where our family was enslaved in Virginia. I want a person to walk up the steps and realize it’s all a journey, and at the top of the stairs is a picture of me, coming to the home. It’s an ascension.”

be about the feeling of joy,” he said. Thinking of the various items and objects he has amassed, he laughed and said, “It makes for fun storytelling as well. Someone sees something and says, ‘Oh, I love this piece,’ and it’s like, ‘That’s a $10 thing I found at the flea market. But it is sitting on that gorgeous custom crafted table.’”

Hartwell fell deeply in love with the creative process while working with New York–based interior designer Courtney McLeod. “The design was the therapeutic part,” he explained. As local contractor John O’Brien found more problems with the house and the projected budget became a fiction beset with increasing numbers, Hartwell found solace in the details.

He also became a collector of art, specializing in Black artists. Two Megan Lewis pieces came to him from a collector friend in Los Angeles, and numerous other works dot the walls and provide even more brightness to the space, belying the house’s dark history.

“Seeing these columns felt familiar and took me back to

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the homes I would see when I was a kid growing up in [Raleigh, N.C.], not knowing my family’s American story began just one state over in Virginia,” he said. “There were nearly 450,000 enslaved Black people in Virginia when my current home in Great Barrington was being built in 1820.”

Historian Kendra Field, who edited a biography of the Berkshires’ own W.E.B. Du Bois, worked with Hartwell and appeared on the show to help him learn about the house’s history, and his own.

“It’s part of what Robert was grappling with,” she explained from her office at Tufts University.

“Precisely, the relationship between slavery and this place. It’s not as direct a line as it would be in Virginia; it’s maybe a generation removed. However, the house he purchased was owned by a family that was integral to the textile industry that was based on Southern slave-produced cotton.”

The more Hartwell learned about his own family, however, the more of a connection he felt to his new house. “I felt less alone,” he said. “Like [ancestors] were with me and guiding and protecting me.”

One of the show’s most emotional sequences involved the destruction of the house’s rear staircase, which the servants had to use. The decision to remove it was one of the first Hartwell made.

“I knew I didn’t want to see them, and didn’t want to experience them in my home,” he said. “One of the most cathartic days for me was taking a sledgehammer to those steps. That felt good.” *

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A STUDY IN GREENS Hartwell dedicated the study to his history-loving father. “He’s obsessed with our family story. And that’s the work I do— storytelling, whether it’s helping a young person express themselves through their art or helping an entrepreneur find a story that’s going to link them to their next goal.”

Hartwell runs the Broadway Collective, a training program for the next generation of performers, as well as Strength on Stages, a masterclass and storytelling workshop for entrepreneurs who want to “get audacious” with their brand and their mission.

With the help of Massachusetts architect Alan Mayer, it also allowed for the creation of a dance studio as well as an enormous kitchen—a luxury for a man who doesn’t cook.

Now that he’s a full-time Berkshires resident, Hartwell is joining the community. Aside from using his dance studio for events like charity dinners, the dancer has been to Jacob’s Pillow, as well as Tanglewood, The Clark, and MASS MoCA. He hikes Monument Mountain at least twice a week, visits the small businesses on Railroad Street, paddleboards on the local lakes, and is a regular at the Great Barrington Farmers Market.

“What I love about the community here, especially the queer community, is that unlike New York City, where there’s so much to do all the time, here you have to be so intentional,” he said. “I love that because when I moved here, I was really seeking a ‘less is more’ vibe.”

After enduring a Berkshires winter and almost missing the summer entirely because of his show, he’s already excited for next year. “Because I was traveling to promote ‘Breaking New Ground’ in June and July, I didn’t get the Berkshires summer I so badly wanted,” he said. “I’m looking forward to 2025.” B

CREDITS: HAIR: SIMONE HENDERSON FOR HAIR ART 2 GO MAKEUP: LANI MACKIE OF SONU BRIDAL AND BEAUTY

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STRIKE A POSE The breathtaking space— Darius’ Dance Studio—is named for Hartwell’s late friend Darius Barnes. It’s not just for dance; Hartwell also uses it for events and entertaining—and will be hosting his own Thanksgiving dinner here, to be catered by local chef Xavier Jones.

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WEDNESDAY–SUNDAY NOW THROUGH OCTOBER 27 Stockbridge, Massachusetts

PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED. For tickets, visit: thetrustees.org/naumkeag

THE CHURCH OF CREWDSON

BY A M Y C O N WAY • P H OTO G R A P H S BY B I L L W R I G H T

Renowned photographer Gregory Crewdson and his partner, Juliane Hiam, have deep roots in the Berkshires.

Welcome to the sanctuary they call home.

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PAST MEETS PRESENT The bold lines and boxy shape of the modern addition inside the church stand in contrast to its arched windows and decorative woodwork. The new kitchen and casual living space are through the bookcase; the stairs lead up to the bedroom, which is behind the transom windows.

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arkness and light, beauty and sadness, reality and fiction— I’m always trying to find an opposition,” says Gregory Crewdson of the large-scale cinematic photographs he is famous for. The home outside of Great Barrington he shares with Juliane Hiam, his partner in life and collaborator in work, also happens to have two very different sides that come together in a beguiling whole.

Within the circa-1860 building that was built as a Methodist church, there’s a space they call the sanctuary, with a soaring ceiling, modernist wall of books, and feeling of serenity that nods to its ecclesiastical roots—a fitting and showstopping setting for this creative couple. And then there’s their private living space, tucked behind pocket doors, where they spend much of their time. It’s human-scale, practical, and cozy, ideal for cooking, which Crewdson enjoys, and watching movies together.

The notion of home is a central theme for him. “It is one of my favorite words,” he said.

“Almost every picture, in one way or another, is about the idea of home.” Crewdson is from Park Slope, Brooklyn, but spent a lot of time at his family’s cabin in Becket while growing up, and those ties drew him back to the area.

Hiam has also always had a profound connection to the Berkshires, personally and creatively. She is from Becket herself, and worked in Los Angeles as a writer/ director before returning after her daughter was born. Once back home, she wrote stage plays, focused on historical figures that lived and worked in the Berkshires, for Shakespeare & Company and Ventfort Hall.

While still living in New York himself, Crewdson would stage his famously elaborate photo shoots—akin to a movie shoot, with a crew of dozens—in the Berkshires. A connection led Hiam to casting work on one of Crewdson’s Berkshires productions, with others following. *

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Crewdson came to the Berkshires full time around 2010, after a hard divorce, when he moved into the old church (their property includes the building next door, once a firehouse and now his studio). The living space was bare bones. “It was almost like he was camping out here in the beginning,” said Hiam. “Very minimal.”

During that difficult time, Crewdson wasn’t making pictures. “He wasn’t able to work,” said Hiam. “It was as though he was trying to reconnect with something.” They slowly became good friends (as did their children; Crewdson has two and Hiam has four, all now in their late teens to mid 20s), and during the winter months, Crewdson and Hiam would cross-country ski together. One day, just as their friendship was on the verge of becoming something more, they were out on a trail

when Crewdson had what Hiam describes as a “sense memory” of skiing with his brother in the same spot when they were young. It was the spark he needed to begin creating again.

The trail was called Cathedral of the Pines. “That’s where the title came from,” said Crewdson, referring to the 2013–2014 series of hauntingly beautiful photographs that is said to be his most personal work.

Hiam appears as a model in some scenes and nature serves as a symbol of renewal.

Crewdson followed those works with “An Eclipse of Moths” (2018–2019), staged in Pittsfield. With their downed streetlights and abandoned cars, the images are a commentary on postindustrial New England towns. “Eveningside” (2021–2022), the final series in what was conceived

From “Cathedral of the Pines”: The Haircut, 2013-2014, digital pigment print, image size 37x50 in. © Gregory Crewdson

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Above, from “An Eclipse of Moths”: Redemption Center, 2018-2019, digital pigment print, image size 50x88.9 in. © Gregory Crewdson; Right: The prints on the wall in the studio are from “Eveningside.”

as a trilogy, was also photographed in the area: In showing people, many in working uniforms, through shop windows, in mirrors, or standing, motionless, on the street of what could be Anytown, USA, Crewdson creates a tension between interior and exterior worlds.

Two of the members of the “Eveningside” crew were production designer Jesika Farkas and set builder Mike Bedard—she’s also an interior designer, living in Kingston, New York, and he’s a contractor based in Pittsfield.

(They are also a couple and “we wouldn’t be the first romance that came out of their shoots,” said Farkas.) They became the design-build team that would help Crewdson and Hiam reimagine the church as a more functional and beautiful place to live.

Earlier renovations had obscured original architectural details, like the immense windows; there were “weird geometries” and an oak colonial staircase running through the middle of the space, said Farkas. It was a big project, to be done in phases, they decided.

On a practical level, one of the challenges of living in a vast church is heating and cooling the space. “It’s not only difficult, it’s wasteful,” said Crewdson. Enclosing the kitchen space, where they spend a lot of *

AN ARTIST’S PROCESS Crewdson describes his life as an ongoing cycle of three stages—he’s in preproduction, production, or postproduction. Right now, it’s preproduction. All his photographs begin with location, which means exploring the area he already knows so well. As he drives around the Berkshires, “I go over and over again to places that I’ve been a million times, just looking for that intersection or an interior that feels like it’s part of my world,” he said. “It’s kind of opaque and openended, but there’s a beautiful leisure to that.” The process can take months. Once found, the locations inspire ideas for possible scenarios. “That’s where Juliane comes in,” said Crewdson, who is Director of Graduate Studies in Photography at Yale, where he has taught for some 25-plus years.

Hiam writes a description for each planned picture—essentially a one-page screenplay—that is shared with Crewdson’s crew (including longtime director of photography, Richard Sands, and camera operator, Daniel Karp) so they have a shared understanding of the stories they’re telling. When production begins, they may close down streets, bring in prop cars and other unwieldy equipment, light things on fire, or create faux floods (all done with permission, in collaboration with the towns). It’s like a film set, but “has a very different feel,” said Crewdson, because “we’re all there just to get one moment. If everything goes right, there’s a beautiful moment where it all comes together.”

Postproduction happens in his studio, the old firehouse right next to the church they live in. “We’re very self-sufficient here,” said Crewdson. “We don’t use labs.” The scouting he’s doing this fall may result in a shoot next spring.

For updates and information on Crewdson’s work, visit gregorycrewdson. substack.com

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time, was top priority. They added pocket doors so they can control the temperature separately. The renovation transformed the cramped original kitchen into a generous pantry—“a real workhorse,” said Farkas. A roomier space for cooking and relaxing was created with lots of windows, simple maple cabinets, open shelving, and soapstone countertops. A comfy sectional and big television make the room inviting.

The next phase included the stunningly simple bedroom above the kitchen. What was a dark, concave space is now bright and serene. There are windows behind the bed and glass transoms trimmed in black wood enclosing the space; they make the room quiet and hold the heat while disappearing visually and allowing a view of the church’s soaring ceiling and gorgeous wooden trusses. For the sanctuary, they all puzzled over different design options, eventually settling on floating a new staircase along the side of a dramatic bookcase, centered in

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ROOM FOR REST They took the bedroom down to the studs in the renovation, adding new windows behind the bed, shiplap overhead, and exposing some brick in the process. The space is simple and serene.

IN DEEP Hiam drew this map for Crewdson showing the distance and time of every swim he did on Becket’s Upper Goose Pond in 2022. “Swimming is my other sense of home,” he said. Almost every day in the summer and early fall, he swims the length of the pond; it takes more than an hour. “It’s not practical in any way,” he said.

“I have to get up early, drive there, and then it’s a 20-minute walk in— it’s a secluded lake. But for me, it’s an incredibly meaningful ritual.”

the church. “Everything became about symmetry and understated beauty,” said Farkas. “The church shines with this very simple box inside it that’s modern and clean.” For the decor, Annie Selke, founder of the Annie Selke Companies, consulted, bringing in rugs and other accents and combining them with pieces the couple already had as well as some new purchases.

The space now functions beautifully—but the team isn’t done.

There are plans to revamp the choir loft and main entry and add a new powder room and a second story to the studio, for additional bedrooms to easier accommodate the rest of the family. A church and firehouse, after all, weren’t built to be lived in this way. But Crewdson thinks it’s no coincidence that a church is where they found their home. “We like to feel peaceful,” he said, “and uncluttered.” And what’s more, although they would call themselves spiritual rather than religious, “there is a religious element to the work,” said Crewdson. “It’s about searching for meaning.” B GOOD MORNINGS Each day begins with Crewdson making a soft-boiled egg for Hiam, to be enjoyed with coffee (in their favorite cups, mannerist.com).

Special thanks: Flower arrangements (and Juliane’s gray blouse), townshipfour.com; Styling, Annie Selke Companies; Hair and makeup, sonyaheimann.com

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What’s

OLD is NEW Early American furniture is ready for a comeback— which means you should get it while the getting’s good.

At A.THERIEN, a gallery in Cairo, New York, the clean lines of a 1780s workman’s bed speak across time to a 1954 Tonneau chair by Pierre Guariche.

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PH OTO BY STEP HEN ELLWOOD

By Kevin West

H

andcrafted in New England by independent master artisans! Made with sustainably harvested hardwoods and zero-VOC finishes!

Available in a range of classic styles for timeless interiors!

Sturdy enough for kids, dogs, and weekend visitors! Best of all, for a limited time only, all prices have been slashed!

Is it a new eco-collection beloved by design junkies? Nope.

It’s early American furniture, an underappreciated category of good old-fashioned antiques, the stuff of weekend jaunts to cluttered roadside shops and country auctions. Crafted in New England between roughly 1700 and 1820, early furniture has what money can’t buy: integrity and authentic American heritage. At best, American antiques show an admirable unity of form and function; they are honest in material and design. Burnished by centuries of gentle use, the simple lines appeal to an eye—like mine—trained on Hans Wegner and Jean Prouvé. And because early American furniture is deeply out of fashion for no good reason other than the vagaries of taste, it represents great value for savvy and self-confident buyers.

“I’m an avid collector,” said Clare de Boer, chef-owner of Stissing House in Pine Plains, New York. “I’m well and truly obsessed.” De Boer bought at auction to furnish her restaurant in a restored 18th-century tavern and took home choice examples of favorite early American forms, such as camelback sofas, Windsor chairs, “austere” Federal sideboards, and supremely simple Shaker one-drawer *

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claw-foot tea tables. So-called formal furniture—the high-style, high-polish trappings of rich colonial governors, merchants, and planters—was considered by connoisseurs equal to the best Old World craftsmanship and symbolic of patriotic pride in American ingenuity.

In 1989, Texas billionaire Robert Bass dropped $12.1 million (over $30 million in today’s dollars) for a 1760 mahogany deskbookcase by cabinetmaker John Goddard of Newport, Rhode Island.

Then tastes changed. The antiquesloving style of design mavens such as Albert Hadley and Mark Hampton was pushed aside by modernism in its many expressions: midcentury everything, Scandi-Japanese mindful minimalism, ersatz Axel Vervoordt eclectic organic brutalism, and, for those of more recherché taste, the immaculate restraint of Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand.

Prices for Americana collapsed, not just at the top of the market, but all the way down. They have yet to recover, meaning there’s never been a better time to buy—although dealers tell me that a new generation of collectors in their 40s and even younger have started to dip in. A few years back, at the bottom of the market, I saw a nice set of eight restored Chippendale ribbon-back dining chairs knocked down at Stair Galleries in Hudson, New York, for $1,500; they had sold in the 1990s for $15,000. It’s routine at auctions to see early American furniture go for one-quarter to one-third its price 20 years ago.

But value is not the prime reason I collect New England furniture—for me, it’s all about the look. With bold forms and patinated surfaces, early antiques have great appeal in a room, especially

The maker of this late 18th-century New England country Chippendale chair simplified the ornate original form and added his vernacular signature with a heart-pierced splat.

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when showcased in silhouette. To see how design pros handle early American material, refer to the Hudson Valley hotel Inness, where style guru Taavo Somer hauled in 18th-century gateleg dining tables, tripod tavern tables, and ladderback chairs. In New York City, beloved restaurateurs Rita Sodi and Jody Williams decorated The Commerce Inn as a paean to 19th-century American taste. And the trending upstate real estate company This Old Hudson, known for its signature home styling and the drop-dead listing photos on its website, punctuates its country-perfect décor with Chippendale chairs and Queen Anne chests.

For the most discerning new take on old furniture, I drive over to A.THERIEN gallery in Cairo, New York. In a gorgeous light-filled barn, owner Stephen Ellwood arranges powerful, almost abstract tableaux to create inspiring juxtapositions—and draw out surprising connections—between centuries.

“The backbone of what I do is American vernacular and modernism,” explained Ellwood, who has the eye of an art director and the soul of a scholar. “The clientele here is design-focused. Their entry point may have been Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand, and George Nakashima, but I’ve seen them embrace humble vernacular design. It’s a zeitgeist.”

Ellwood’s curatorial project is to refute a misconception that modernity began with Arts and Crafts or with Bauhaus or at 1900 or at some other fixed date.

In his view, experiments with rationally attenuated forms began long ago in forgotten furniture shops in rural America.

He pulled up a picture on his phone to show me a low-slung bed from the 1780s made by an anonymous rural genius who refined the commonplace form into a daringly elegant object. “Vernacular furniture embodies the essence of the creator,” he told me. “Each piece is as distinctive as a fingerprint or snowflake.”

A quick overview of the field: the oldest surviving American tables, chairs, and chests were made before 1700, during the so-called Pilgrim century, and have the oaken look of Jacobean England. For the *

PH OTO: KEVI N WEST

stands (akin to modern end tables). At Stissing House, she created a full-immersion historical experience to “transport you to another time,” she said, but at home de Boer avoids colonial cosplay by contrasting early furniture with contemporary pieces. None of the old stuff is off-limits to her three young boys, either.

“The thing about antiques,” she confided, “is how incredibly well made they are.”

De Boer and her husband, entrepreneur Luke Sherwin, loved early American style so much they even launched a furniture company, Roseland, inspired by its craftsmanship and solid-wood construction.

In previous generations, collectors and auctioneers went batty for “Americana,” to use the fusty name for our nation’s homegrown furniture and decorative arts. Jackie Kennedy installed elegant Federal antiques in the White House with help from decorator Sister Parish.

The market peaked sometime between Ronald Reagan’s inauguration and Y2K. Back then, decorators and trophy hunters bid up bonnet-top highboys and

At Battle Brown in Hudson, New York, antiques dealer Warren Battle loves unexpected combinations, such as this early 19th-century painted tavern table topped with contemporary studio pottery by Paula Greif and, on the wall, a 1940s mold for cowboy-hat-shaped copper ashtrays.

PHOTO: K EV IN WEST

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next 120 years, furniture makers continued to glance back across the Atlantic for design cues. Styles shifted across a century. First came William and Mary (a courtly baroque look with boldly turned legs), followed by Queen Anne (thin curvaceous or “cabriole” leg), Chippendale (a more “masculine” straight leg or the fancy ball-and-claw foot), and elegant Federal, the last of which is sometimes subdivided into square-legged Hepplewhite style and round-legged Sheraton. Each style originated in England and reached America via status-conscious cities such as Newport, Philadelphia, New

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York, and Boston, where clientele sought the grandeur of furniture made from expensive imported mahogany.

As styles slowly made their way up the Connecticut River Valley, the Hudson Valley, and into the New England hinterlands, furniture became plainer and more functional along the way. Country artisans selected maple, cherry, walnut, and wideplank pine from local forests. To a collector, country furniture expresses the maker’s unique eye and handiwork. A set of late 18thcentury New England dining chairs I have derives from Thomas Chippendale’s ornate

1754 originals, but only as distant echoes, as if they were made by a village craftsman who had heard rumors of London fashion but had never seen it firsthand.

The elegant forms of Federal furniture were further refined by Shaker craftsmen who pared away ornament to express their spiritual ideals. In time, Shaker style directly influenced Hans Wegner and other postwar Danish designers, drawing a straight line, as it were, from New England craftsmanship of 200 years ago to midcentury modernism.

Pro tip for your next antiquing trip: age-darked “original surfaces” are valued by collectors, meaning refinished pieces that reveal the wood’s original vibrancy can be had on the cheap. Painted furniture is usually monochrome, and the deeply saturated colors of traditional milk paint— robin’s egg, mustard, copper green, and oxblood—take on a soulful patina with time.

When decorating with early American antiques, the key to avoiding housemuseum vibes is to mix and match across centuries. No single period has a monopoly on great design. “You can put a Federal sideboard next to a Windsor chair next to a rustic cabinet to create so much excitement and tension just within American styles,” said de Boer. But that’s just the start.

“I love putting an abstract expressionist painting next to a painted cupboard,” said Warren Battle, who sells 19th-century painted furniture, lighting from the 1940s, modern studio pottery by Paula Greif, abstract paintings, and whatever else catches his eye at Battle Brown on Warren Street in Hudson, New York. “It’s unexpected but very pleasing.”

Battle offers newbie collectors the most sensible advice: Trust your eye, buy what you love, and let each piece be its true historic self.

“It’s 200 years old and living its life,” said Battle, pointing to a delightfully ageworn table in his shop. “Let the patina speak. If you want something perfect, go to Pottery Barn.” B

PH OTO: KEVI N WEST

Beyond a signed sixboard blanket chest is a late 18th-century ladder-back chair and, in the background, a modern Windsor chair.

Fine & Decorative Art Auctions

Accepting Quality Consignments

Tiffany Studios

“Laburnum” Table Lamp American, Circa 1905 30” high, 22” diameter info@fontainesauction.com

413-448-8922

www.FontainesAuction.com

1485 W Housatonic St Pittsfield MA 01201

Financial Navigation

H

ow you plan today can impact your tomorrow. It helps having advisors working in your best interests, one who can navigate through the complexities and nuances that at times, can be overwhelming for most of us.

Together we’ll craft a plan designed to meet your goals.

We’d like to hear your story, and that starts with a conversation.

To learn more, please contact Matt Freitag, CFP® VP-Financial Advisor at 413-243-4331.

Matthew R. Freitag, CFP® Portfolio Management ▪ Financial Planning ▪ Trust & Banking Services*

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October Mountain Financial Advisors is a name under which St. Germain Investment Management operates. *Banking & trust administration services provided by Lee Bank.

FESTIVAL OF TREES NOV 23 – JAN 5

BERKSHIRE MUSEUM

PITTSFIELD, MA

BERKSHIREMUSEUM.ORG

The B’s

Design Stars We asked top designers to share their inspirations, trend forecasts, and tips on transforming Berkshires homes into relaxing retreats.

“Take risks when they feel exciting, your home does not and should not look like a home store catalog.”

P HOTO: TAMARA FLANAGAN P HOTOGRAP HY

Carly Jane Design Great Barrington | carlyjanedesign.com

Approach: As a Berkshire local, born and raised, the Berkshires have formed and inspired my ideals. We have trademarked our style as New England Fresh, which is a combination of timeless design with modern sensibilities and laid back elegance.

Secret Source: Jean Paul Upholstery Studio (@jpupholsterystudio) has been custom making our headboards—it’s an amazing way to make bedrooms totally bespoke!

Color Crush: You can’t go wrong with rust.

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Germain Interiors Great Barrington | germaininteriors.com

“We focus on fewer pieces that have more presence and personality.”

Approach: We lean into modern, with clean lines and uncluttered spaces.

Designing millwork and unique furniture pieces really adds a layer of customization to a new home as well.

Color Crush: We are really loving warm palettes that include buttery hues contrasted by rich grounding colors.

TIP: Peel and stick wallpaper: it’s amazing and rental friendly!

Irwin Feld Design “Incorporating the natural beauty that surrounds us is essential.”

Approach: I use a lot of midcentury modern pieces in my design, but in a way that is contemporary and not nostalgic. I like my work to appear “unstaged” rather than a place you can’t live in.

Secret Source: My wife, Marcy Feld (marcyfeld.com), is a fine art photographer, and I have incorporated many of her nature inspired pieces into my work. My good friend John Mahoney of Nippon West (nipponwest.com) just created a collection of extraordinary pillows for the studio from vintage Japanese kimonos.

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GERMAIN: ELENA LETTERON; I RWI N F ELD: C OURTESY OF I RWI N F ELD D ES IGN

Hillsdale, NY | irwinfelddesign.com

Hammertown

“Our goal is to help people build interiors that are an expression of their unique personal style and serve their needs.”

Great Barrington, Pine Plains, NY, Rhinebeck, NY | hammertown.com Approach: Hammertown’s design signature is all about finding that perfect mix of styles and eras to help our clients create spaces that endure. Mixing in vintage elements helps tell a story and is a way to create an eclectic moment in even the most sparse, contemporary space.

TIP: A piece that delivers a gorgeous silhouette and provides a functional purpose is always a win win.

HAMMERTOWN: C OURTESY OF H AMMERTOWN; PAUL RI CH : C OURTESY OF PAU L RI CH & SONS

Paul Rich & Sons Tip: Define the space’s purpose and daily use to come up with a layout that promotes comfort and flow.

Pittsfield | paulrich.com

“Working and living in the Berkshires is a privilege we cherish every day.”

Approach: Our selection includes thousands of fabrics and finishes. We encourage clients and designers to visit and explore all we have to offer. From sourcing products to final touches, we provide everything you need to complete any project.

Color Crush: We are seeing the rise of rich, saturated colors—greens, browns, and other deep tones— paired with bold patterns in fabrics and wallpaper.

Trendspotting: Looking ahead to 2025, the trend continues to move toward sustainable, organic materials and designs that exude warmth and comfort.

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bramble!

Great Barrington | thebramble.us

“We build functional playful spaces that adapt to real-life needs.”

Approach: The people and families we meet along the journey inspire us. You can learn a lot from where people are moving or the previous renovations done to an older Berkshire home. The backstory serves as the inspiration.

Secret Source: Marveled Designs (marveleddesigns.com) for custom concrete designs.

TIP:

Casa Marcelo Salisbury, CT | casamarcelo.co

“My goal is to capture my clients’ essence.”

Approach: I tend towards understated elements with a touch of bohemian and midcentury modern—plus a love for wallpaper and color. I like homes that are well-designed but don’t scream “designer.”

What is “Berkshires Style”? With families, interiors need to feel lived-in and not too precious—a style that aligns perfectly with the relaxed yet refined aesthetic of the area.

Secret Source: Shandell’s marbled goods (shandells. com) are always a fun piece to add to a project!

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B RAMBLE:LI SA VOLLMER; CASA MARCELO: NIC K GLI MENAK IS ; BI ANCO & W INGATE: COURTESY OF THE DESIGNERS

Create a realistic budget and time frame for your project.

Jennifer Bianco Design for Scout House

TIP:

Great Barrington | jenniferbiancodesign.com | scout-house.com

“My style is about blending antiques and modern pieces of furniture to create cozy, warm, and inviting spaces.”

Approach: I bring warmth and soul to a space through my use of antique carpet, cowhides, sheepskins, and texture.

A great window treatment can make a space feel more inviting.

Wingate Ltd. Great Barrington | wingateltd.com Approach: We endeavor to create settings that are welcoming, beautiful, and elevating.

What is “Berkshires style”?

It is open ended and only to be defined by the lifestyle needs and desires of our clients. I am inspired by the air, lack of congestion, and natural beauty.

Color Crush: Soothing and soft natural earth tones.

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C. Herrington Home + Design Hillsdale, NY | cherringtonhome.com Approach: My personal style is expansive, adaptive, and timeless chic. I have a deep appreciation for many different aesthetics and generally when I enter a space, it speaks to me.

Trendspotting: I think a trend that you will see in 2025 is a dedicated space for wellness—an in-home yoga or pilates studio, a meditation or cold plunge room, or perhaps a spa-like bathroom.

Secret Source: ReStore (berkshirerestore.org).

I love a good recycled treasure!

Jess Cooney Interiors Great Barrington | jesscooney.com

Approach: We combine rustic and reclaimed elements that create a deep comfort while combining clean modern touches and unexpected moments in a home.

Color Crush: Don’t be afraid of the color black.

It elevates a space like nothing else.

Trendspotting: Browns are back in a big way.

I am currently loving a soft pink with a brown and also loving gold tones.

Secret Source: Have to shout out FINCH hudson (finchhudson.com) for all of their vintage chairs.

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C. H ERRI NGTON: STUDI O ROUTE 7 JESS C OONEY: K ELLY MARS HALL

“We are known for making sense of homes.”

Barb Hassan, CCIM 413-822-4742

Celebrating 25 Years Serving the Berkshires

Residential • Commercial • Sales & Leasing Susan Davis 413-447-7300

KinzerDenault,ABR,PSA 413-347-0770

Advanced Education and Experience in all areas of Real Estate Sales and Leasing Office 413-447-7300 barb@barbhassanrealty.com www.barbhassanrealty.com

Come for the fried chicken, stay for the DJ and dancing— this brand-new spot in South Egremont brings a little nightlife and a vintage vibe to the Berkshires scene.

H

ead west toward New York on 23, and as you climb and catch the bend near Catamount, lights from a low-slung building entice you to drop down the rabbit hole and enter Hy’s Fried.

Owner Jack Luber said his inspiration from day one for Hy’s was a combination of “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Shining,” and the bar in “The Deerhunter.”

Shuffle that deck and you’re playing on a game board with black and white and jolts of lipstick red, from the seating to the shine-slicked tiles in the bathrooms. There’s a painting of a rooster above the mantel—it seems to be saying “Eat Me, Alice,” as the concise menu revolves around the bird.

The establishment came with a solid sense of place. Once upon a

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time, from the ’40s to when it closed in the ’80s, it was known and loved as the Old Egg, a bar that showcased bluegrass, blues, and folk music.

Luber’s approach was to preserve but scrub well. The brilliance lies in the edit. He removed, cleaned, and returned the wood paneling; refinished the ceiling beams; and kept the old sign in its swirling script across the long wall of the dining area. The red and black vinyl tiles are original or old-sourced and the host station is a rolling tool chest they slapped a logo on.

Much like how Luber creates the vision for the homes he builds—he owns a firm called Shell & Core in Amagansett, New York—Hy’s design was fully conceived in his head, long before a Red Stripe was chilled. “It was good to get it out from *

Your DJ for the night: owner Jack Luber

By Ann Volkwein Photographs by Linda Campos

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between my ears and onto the canvas. It took 14 months to build. We all have our strong points in our vocation; I have a 3D printer in my head.”

The atmosphere walks a line, with a bird theme and a roadhouse feel, that somehow never falls into camp or kitsch. And yeah, there’s a chicken sculpture or six in here, but he hasn’t just filled the room with tchotchkes; each one is special. The topic of chicken runs deep for Luber. “Hy is our namesake. He was my grandfather’s prize cock and he died the year I was born, in ’64. We just figured we’d roll with it. People will come in and ask me if I am Hy… I’ll pause and say ‘usually.’”

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And from 1989 to 2002, Luber ran a club called Frankie Jackson’s Soul Kitchen in New York. “We gave away free spicy fried chicken wings all night. And my cousins own all the Dallas BBQs in the city and all the boroughs. So, food is there in the family, but chicken especially, weirdly enough.”

He and his wife, Leilani Bishop, a well-known model for more than 30 years, came to the area after finding themselves a bit stir-crazy during COVID. The Berkshires had been a part of Luber’s life from the time he was a child visiting his family’s place in Pine Plains, NY. Longtime family friend Steven Picheny in Great Barrington became his

Around 8:30 on weekends, table and chairs are cleared away to make room for dancing.

business partner in Hy’s. Once Picheny and Luber had found the building, with Bishop’s blessing (as running a restaurant is a lifestyle decision) Luber dove back into hospitality.

You can find him there most nights and he sometimes spins on Saturdays, with Bishop helping out when needed and their son Cassius pitching in when he’s in town. Luber’s also got his back of the house dialed in with head chef James Brinson in the kitchen and the whole operation helmed by local industry vet, manager Alex Glen.

“Alex is the best operator in the upper Hudson Valley. He lives and dies and breathes food and beverage and I am

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blessed to have him,” Luber said.

Luber stresses that he wanted to create a venue that would fill a need for the area.

“I looked around and I saw a lot of pizza spots, I saw places to get burgers and sandwiches, and fine dining. If there’s a lack, then manifest that.” Luber settled on

fried chicken, and it works. “Our purveyor says we’re selling as much whole chicken as supermarkets in the southwest Berkshires,” he marveled. “That’s crazy and and it’s only going to grow.”

As for the DJ booth, it’s “all vinyl, all the time,” said Luber. “We’re trying to program Friday through Sunday, and Saturdays will always be a dance night with me or someone playing genres like classic disco and garage, heavy funk and soul and then eclectic stuff.

Fridays we’re going to be pushing a reggae

Hy’s Fried 264 Hillsdale Rd., Rte. 23, South Egremont | hysfried.com

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dancehall vibe. I just want to try to create a vibe where people are comfortable, and they can pop in on a weekend and dance. I want people to sweat and let loose in here.”

His philosophy is to let the crowd define the business. People are encouraged to take their time at the tables. This fall, Luber welcomes you to stop by for “a fireplace and some kumbaya.” He wants people to feel as if they’ve found a place that’s theirs. “That’s the goal. That’s the end game.” B

ABOUT THAT FRIED CHICKEN A close friend of Luber’s, “Top Chef” alum Sam Talbot, generously developed the baseline recipes for the purposefully limited menu, then let the Hy’s team fly.

“Sam’s a fried chicken murderer. Birds are afraid of him,” proclaimed Luber.

The chicken brines for seven hours and is dredged in rice flour and tapioca to clinch the crisp (and make it gluten-free).

You have the option to order it tossed in a homemade hot honey sambal. The chicken sandwich is a next-level monster: sambal-tossed chicken served on a large King’s Hawaiian roll, with slaw and pickles.

The potato salad is served warm with a barbecue flavor. A vegan option, the cauliflower, has garlic chili crisps, hot oil, mint, and cilantro.

DESIGN DESTINATION: WARREN STREET Hudson’s main drag is a shopping mecca, and it just keeps getting better. Here are a few of our favorite stops for stylish finds.

Photographs by Stephanie Zollshan

Finch 427 Warren St. | finchhudson.com Fall 2024 • THE B

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Luxe Optique

602 Warren St., luxeoptique.com A carefully curated collection of fine eyewear from the elevated brands you know—and those you’ll want to get to know.

Red Chair on Warren

606 Warren St. redchair-antiques.com The antique housewares that owner Jocie Sinauer finds on her shopping trips to France, Sweden, and Belgium will look right at home in your Berkshires farmhouse.

Les Indiennes

444 Warren St. lesindiennes.com For more than 20 years, Les Indiennes has been block-printing cotton fabrics in India for interiors with a bit of boho charm.

Jamestown

548 Warren St. @jamestown_hudson Fashion industry pros Thomas Mendenhall and James Scully are enjoying their second acts as shopkeepers of a chic boutique that has attracted a devoted following in its first six months.

Sutter Antiques

556 Warren St. sutterantiques.com At this good old-fashioned antiques store, you never know what you’re going to find. The objects span styles and decades beautifully.

Rebus

337 Warren Street shoprebus.com Thoughtfully crafted clothes and accessories for the 10 and under set—because why shouldn’t kids have good design, too?

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Finch

427 Warren St. finchhudson.com Some vintage, some modern, all timeless.

Furniture, accents, and even attire—the edit here is, quite simple, exceptional.

Hudson Clothier

443 Warren St. hudsonclothier.com Hardworking clothes made in the U.S., with Hudson Valley style.

They can go from a walk in the woods to a stroll down Warren Street to any restaurant in town.

Artsee

529 Warren St. artseehudson.com The unexpected combination—art exhibits and avantgarde eyewear— somehow makes perfect sense in the shop-gallery created by owner Julio Santiago.

The Hudson Whaler Hotel 542 Warren St. hudsonwhaler.com The nautical style of this hotel, with 16 suites, nods to the history of Hudson as a significant whaling town.

The Wick Hotel

41 Cross Street thewickhotel.com Off Warren Street close to the train station, this 55room boutique hotel is in a repurposed 1860s candle factory.

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happenings: The Scene

Berkshire Museum: Behind the Veil Gala June 15 | Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield

Right: Julie Wosk, Jesse Kowalski Below: Kimberley Bush Tomio, John Thoman Below center: Betsey Selkowitz, Paul Gluck

Above: Marcia Feuer, Peter Gordon, Wendy Gordon Left: A.J. Enchill, Grace Enchill

BERKSHIRE MUSEUM: KELLY DAMMS; THE MOUNT: EDWARD ACK ER

The Mount Summer Gala July 7 | The Mount, Lenox

Above: Jane Iredale and Robert Montgomery Above right: Susan Wissler, Executive Director of The Mount, with Bob Ouimette, Board Member Right: Barbara Cooperman, Board Chair, with Sheila Parekh-Blum, Board Vice-Chair

Above: Delight Dodyk, Trustee Emeriti; Nynke Dorhout, Librarian; and Donna Garner

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happenings: The Scene

BSO Summer Celebration July 12 | Tanglewood, Lenox

Below: Yo-Yo Ma, Lloyd and Gene Dahmen, BSO Assistant Concertmaster Elita Kang, former Board Chair Susan Paine Right: Karen McDonald and BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon Above center: New BSO Concertmaster Nathan Cole and wife Akiko Tarumoto Above right: Kim Taylor and Board Chair Barbara Hostetter Left: Kim and James Taylor Below: Gala Co-Chair Lina Plantilla, BSO Board Chair Barbara Hostetter, BSO CEO Chad Smith

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Fête des Fleurs Left: Mariah Baca, Mark Buffoni, Andrea Harkins, and Barbara Leonhardt Buffoni Below: Russ Faerber and BBG Board of Trustees members Jenna O’Brien and Adegboyega Adefope

Above left: Nazanin Roudiani and artist Peter D. Gerakaris Above right: Eileen Rominger and Liz Ann Doherty Left: Stephen Borboroglu and Daniel Vincent Right: Chairman of the BBG Board of Trustees Matt Larkin, and Co-Executive Directors Mike Beck and Thaddeus Thompson

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BS O: HI LARY SC OTT; BERKSH IRE BOTANICAL GARDEN: COURTESY OF BERKSH IRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

July 27 | Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge

Visit bigy.com com or scan here to view all of our farmer spotlights.

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Is planning your WEDDING OR EVENT causing you stress?

Are you looking for the PERFECT GIFT for yourself or someone else?

happenings: The Scene

Volunteers in Medicine’s 20th Birthday Party July 25 | Cottage Farm of the Berkshires, Pittsfield

Left: ViM’s amazing staff: (Back Row) Alejandra Nozyce, Pat Levine, Janell Hostetler, Gladys Rave, Vanessa Castillo, Natalia DeRuzzio, Marcela Urrea, Tania Tavera, America Lopez, Shirley NapravnickValero, and Lilia Baker; (Front Row) Mauricio Romero, Robert Olsen, and Edgardo Hernandez

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Right: Cynthia Rice & Patricia Hubbard, ViM Board Member and 2024 Gala Producer

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Above left: Carl and Stephanie Bradford and Bronly and Sarah Boyd Above right: Joe McNay, Yo-Yo Ma, Paula McNay Left: Ellen and Stephen Boyd and Brian Cruey

VI M: KENZI E FI ELDS ; NAUMKEAG: DAV ID EDGECOMB

ALL PROPANE IS THE SAME

Your support will keep us there.

BerkshireEagle.com/donate

Photograph by Heinz Weissenstein, Whitestone Photograph, courtesy BSO Archives

We were there.

Leonard Bernstein conducts the BSO at Tanglewood in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, ‘Resurrection’, July 5, 1970

JEFFREY GIBSON:

POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’RE DIFFERENT On view November 3 Preview celebration, Jeffrey Gibson in conversation with Albert McLeod, and concert by Anohni Nov. 2

Courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio. Photo: Thomas Roeschlein

Centuries of Design on View Everyday

964 Main Street (Rt7), Great Barrington, MA Open 7 days/week, 10-5 413-644-8848 theberkshiregalleries.com

theberkshiregalleries

The Best of Times: A BSC 30th Anniversary Celebration July 29 | The Stationery Factory, Dalton

Above: Ava Garlington, Peter Garlington, Nina Garlington, David Glodt, and Gala Honoree Marita Glodt Left: Diane Provenz, Arthur Provenz, and BSC Board Member/ Associate Artist Debra Jo Rupp

Above left: Michelle Joyner, Robert Egan, Elizabeth Aspenlieder, Artistic Director Alan Paul, Shakespeare & Co. Artistic Director Allyn Burrows, Tamara Hickey Above: Former Pittsfield Mayor James Ruberto and Founding Artistic Director Julianne Boyd Left: Barrington Stage Sponsor Martin Schwartz, Artistic Director Alan Paul and BSC Board Member/ Playwright Mark St. Germain

Hancock Shaker Village: Summer in the Berkshires August 3 | Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield

Left: Edith Thurber, guest, Liz Costley, Tom Costley Below left: Edmund Parnes, Robin Lazrow, Liz Parnes Below: Models Tristeny Morgan and Charlotte Holubar

BS C: JULIA KAPLAN; HANC OCK SHAKER: MARC FREEMAN

Above: Margie Fite, Bridget Rigas, Xtina Parks, Brenda Fitzgerald, Natural Nargi Right: Oksana Mykhaylyk and Samuel Hills

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field guide: Northwest Connecticut

Connecticut Is Calling

By Robin Catalano

PHOTO: COURTESY OF TH E C ONNECTIC UT OF FI CE OF TOURI SM

The northwest corner of Connecticut is so close to home, it might not come to mind as a getaway. But this region of the state, where the Litchfield Hills merge with the Appalachian Mountains and the Housatonic River winds through varied landscapes, is a fabulous day trip or weekend escape. You’ll find beguiling towns with plenty to explore, from natural beauty to shopping to art.

Use these recommendations as your guide, and don’t forget to leave time for serendipitous exploration along the way.

Bantam River, White Memorial Conservation Center, Litchfield

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Day 1: Waterfalls, Forests, and Murals Start a day in Falls Village—appropriately named for its Great Falls, the second-largest waterfall in the state. Experienced hikers will appreciate the Falls Village–to–West Cornwall segment of the Appalachian Trail (entrance on Water Street; look for the parking lot after the hydroelectric plant). The entire 18.2-mile out-and-back path includes some challenging inclines. Or you can enjoy a taste of the AT experience on the shorter3-mile segment that loops over the Housatonic River. Hikers often stop in at the Mountainside Cafe (mountainside.com/cafe) for a bite.

Planning to get in on the “coolcation” trend? Make your way into Norfolk, the “icebox of Connecticut.” The state’s all-time coldest temperature, a balmy -26°F, was recorded here in 1943, and the town is always cooler than those around it. Belly up to the counter at homey Berkshire Country Store (berkshirecountry.com), which serves mouthwatering stacked-and-grilled delights.

The arts inclined should drive 15 minutes into Winstead, to the American Mural Project (americanmuralproject.org). At 120 feet long and 5 stories high, it’s the world’s largest indoor collaborative mural, depicting workers from all walks of life. Have dinner at Little Red Barn Brewers (lrbbrewers.com). Alongside more than a dozen on-tap craft ales, IPAs, and sours, they serve satisfying pub favorites like burgers, flatbreads, and wings.

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As evening descends, grab a seat at Norfolk’s Infinity Music Hall (infinityhall.com), a lime-hued, late-1800s saloon and opera house turned concert venue. The stage comes alive on weekends with musical acts like the legendary Patty Griffin and Grammy nominee Brandy Clark.

Day 2: Wine, Dine, and Design Pick up breakfast at the newly renovated Cornwall Market (cornwallmarket.com) in Cornwall. The shop stocks pantry and specialty items, plus grab-and-go burritos, sandwiches, and pastries like muffins, croissants, and cardamom buns.

Explore via ebike rental from Covered Bridge Electric Bike (coveredbridgeebike.com; ages 16 and up only). Use their curated maps to route yourself through delightful villages, farmland, and Housatonic River trails. Ask for directions to Thorncrest Farm & Milk House Chocolates (milkhousechocolates.net) in Goshen, a dairy and confectionary that sells 122 varieties of cow-to-bar artisanal sweets.

Or point your wheels over the Cornwall Bridge, which spans 172 feet across the rushing Housatonic River and is one of the few remaining covered bridges in Connecticut, and head into Sharon.

In the historic district along Main Street, artist-run Standard Space (standardspace.net) spotlights thought-provoking contemporary

GREAT FALLS & B RIDGE: SHUTTERSTOCK; AMERICAN MURAL P ROJECT: @AMERICANMURALPROJECT

field guide: Northwest Connecticut

Opposite page: Great Falls, Cornwall Covered Bridge, American Mural Project; This page: Little-ish, Kent Collection train cottage, Arethusa al tavolo.

LITTLE-ISH: @LITTLEIS HCT; K ENT & ARETHUSA: C OU RTESY OF THE CONNECTI CUT OFF IC E OF TOURIS M

art that spans several media. A quarter-mile away, across from the circa-1880 Clock Tower, visit the Sharon Historical Society & Museum (sharonhist.org), which has galleries that interpret early New England life as well as modern takes on arts and crafts.

Sit down for lunch at When Pigs Fly South (whenpigsflysouth. com) on West Main Street. The restaurant honors the barbecue traditions and soul food of the South, with meats cured with proprietary rubs and smoked over a combination of cherry, hickory, and apple woods.

Go shopping in Litchfield, where the main drag, Bantam Road (Route 202), is packed with historic architecture and retail therapy. Among the many standouts, family-run CP Farmhouse (cpfarmhouse.com) stocks an array of Amish-made furniture, farmhouse décor, and gifts. Milton Market (miltonmarketct.com), in sweet Cobble Court, is a home, garden, and apothecary shop with a mix of vintage-inspired products for everyday living. Next door at Little-ish (little-ish.com) find a design-minded collection of toys, clothing, and accessories for babies and kids.

Or kick back and savor a sip at Spring Hill Vineyards (springhillvineyards.com), about 10 miles southwest in New Preston. Sited on an 18th-century farm on the banks of the Shepaug River, the property’s unique microclimate produces distinctive Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay, and their specialty, Marquette, a

Pinot Noir varietal. The on-premise Art Silo is a jaw-dropping piece of architecture with a copper-hued spiral metal staircase that leads to an intimate gathering space at the top.

Finish the day deliciously with dinner at Bantam’s Arethusa al tavolo (arethusaaltavolo.com), right next door to Arethusa Farm, where the dairy is always worth a stop for ice cream.

Where to Stay The new Kent Collection (kentcollection.com) includes three cozy boutique properties in renovated historic buildings, all within a quarter-mile of one another in Kent. The Litchfield Inn (litchfieldinnct.com), on 10 acres in the Berkshire foothills, recently underwent a complete renovation and emerged with a new design— including 12 themed rooms—that fuse colonial roots with modern amenities. For a wellness getaway, book a room at the Mayflower Inn & Spa (aubergeresorts.com/mayflower) in Washington, the town that inspired the setting of popular TV series “Gilmore Girls.” Book traditional bodywork, skin-care services, and alternative therapies like acupuncture and reiki at the spa.

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field guide: Galleries

Spotlight:

ROAM: A Xtina Parks Gallery 16 Water St., Williamstown roamgallery.photo

Fall Art Crawl

P HOTO:C OU RTESY OF ROAM: A XTINA PARKS GALLERY

What makes Berkshire art galleries so special? Our free-to-the-public exhibition spaces are welcoming for anyone who wants to explore and expand their art horizons (if you’ve been to Manhattan galleries, you know this isn’t always the case). But don’t let the friendly accessibility diminish your expectations— our area has long been known for its vibrant community of talented creatives. And post-COVID, when hundreds of artists moved to the region from New York and Boston, the area became an even bigger destination. What follows is a list of galleries to explore on your fall crawl. —Robbi Hartt

“This gallery is about freedom and the need to help spread messages,” said owner Xtina Parks. Travel to Africa in 2010 brought both her career and artistic vision into focus.

It was seeing a herd of African elephants roaming free in their environment that served as a call to action to keep animals living in their natural setting. “I became an African wildlife photographer, painter, filmmaker, and conservationist,” she said. Parks used her iconic photos to tell their stories in her book and film “ROAM” (representing 13 years of work).

She opened her first gallery in 2018, housed in the MASS MoCA complex in North Adams, and moved to Williamstown in 2023. Her focus as a gallery owner now includes humanitarian as well as conservation work. Representing African artists and artisans was “an organic process” that developed over time for Parks, living in Botswana and selling the works here in the northeast. “Many of the African artists were selling their work on the street when I first encountered them and now have established businesses with seven or eight employees as a result of our orders,” she said.

ROAM is now a place to find one-of-a-kind gifts and support emerging artists. The three synergistic branches (ROAM, Xtina Studios, and Xtina Photography) all fit together into something that Parks hopes can make a difference. —R.H.

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field guide: Galleries

AsiaBarong Gallery Great Barrington asiabarong.com Bernay Fine Art Great Barrington bernayfineart.com Gallery SGD Great Barrington sgdphoto.com Lauren Clark Fine Art Great Barrington laurenclarkfineart.com Lisa Vollmer Photography Great Barrington lisavollmer.com Hado-Mark Gallery Lenox hadomarkgallery.com Hoadley Gallery Lenox hoadleygallery.com

Spotlight:

Bernay Fine Art

296 Main St., Great Barrington bernayfineart.com “My brother Lou and I grew up in the Berkshires surrounded by art and artists. Our mom was a potter, and our dad and stepmom are painters. Being around our parents’ artist friends growing up, we developed a deep love and appreciation for artists and their work,” Paula Bernay said. The sibling co-owners founded their first gallery in Chicago in 2008 and opened their Berkshire gallery in March 2019.

The gallery prides itself on its personal relationships with clients. “This journey for the client should be exhilarating and rewarding, not intimidating and stressful.

Our philosophy is that people should buy art that they like and it should be a fun process,” Bernay said.

Boasting an eclectic mix of art, Bernay Fine Art’s niche is larger works in various media, both figurative and abstract; oil and acrylic paintings; mixed media works in Venetian plaster, ink, and paint; and large hand-painted wood pieces. Their sixth annual “Lines and Colors” show (on exhibit through October 20) will feature the work of Diane Ayott, John Franklin, Jenny Kemp, Ellie Kreischer, and Nancy Simonds, many of whom live and work in the Berkshires and upstate New York. —R.H.

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Sohn Fine Art Lenox sohnfineart.com The Wit Gallery Lenox thewitgallery.com Future Lab(s) Gallery North Adams futurelabsgallery.com Gallery 51 North Adams @gallery_51 Gallery North North Adams @gallerynorthadams Gary Lichtenstein Editions North Adams gleditions.com LAPINcontemporary North Adams lapincuriosities.com Lemma Arts North Adams lemma-arts.com

Clock Tower Artists Pittsfield clocktowerartists.com Lichtenstein Center for the Arts Pittsfield lovepittsfield.com Art on Main Gallery West Stockbridge @art_on_main_gallery TurnPark Art Space West Stockbridge turnpark.com Greylock Gallery Williamstown greylockgallery.com ROAM Gallery Williamstown roamgallery.photo

COLUMBIA COUNTY Art Omi Newmark Gallery Ghent artomi.org LABspace Hillsdale @labspace_art 510 Warren Street Gallery Hudson 510warrenstreetgallery.com Caldwell Gallery Hudson caldwellgallery.com The Campus Claverack thecampusupstate.com Carrie Haddad Gallery Hudson carriehaddadgallery.com Circle 46 Gallery Hudson 46greenstreetstudios.com D’arcy/Simpson Art Works Hudson darcysimpsonartworks.com

PH OTO: BERNAY FI NE ART

BERKSHIRE COUNTY

Spotlight:

The Campus 341 NY-217, Hudson (Claverack), NY thecampusupstate.com The art world has long recognized the creative community of upstate New York artists. When The Campus opened its doors on June 29, the trail of cars looked like an evacuation in progress, with more than 3,000 visitors in one day! And it’s been attracting steady foot traffic ever since (you have until October 27 to experience the first exhibition).

Six New York galleries—Bortolami, James Cohan, kaufmann repetto, Anton Kern, Andrew Kreps, and kurimanzutto— came together to collaborate on the project, turning the abandoned 78,000-square-foot former K-12 Ockawamick School into an inspiring shared space. The nostalgic setting, midcentury architecture, and natural lighting—together with the institutional classroom elements—invite artists to engage with the space and each other.

The inaugural exhibition, organized by Timo Kappeller, brings together works by over 80 contemporary artists alongside a special presentation titled “Double Down,” featuring works from seven NXTHVN Cohort 05 Studio Fellows with important visions: Adrian Armstrong, Alexandria Couch, Eric Hart Jr., Fidelis Joseph, Jamaal Peterman, Eugene Mackie, and Alex Puz. The works explore a broad spectrum of subjects, including the realities of climate change, responses to the former school’s architecture, and the juxtaposition between creating art as a student and as a graduate. In addition to the 40 classrooms, each curated with groupings that invite diverse voices to be in dialogue, there is an outdoor sculptural installation. All of the art is available for purchase, and 10% of proceeds go toward building a selfsufficient future for The Campus. —R.H.

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Spotlight:

Carrie Haddad Gallery 622 Warren St., Hudson, NY carriehaddadgallery.com This 3,000-square-foot, two-floor pharmacy turned gallery represents emerging and mid-career artists (including painters, sculptors, mixed media artists, and photographers) of the Hudson Valley and beyond. It was founded by San Francisco native Carrie Haddad, who was drawn to Hudson soon after moving to New York City, struck by both the architecture and the empty main street. “It was a bit of a gamble,” she admitted, but, encouraged by her artist friend Howard Crouch, she opened the gallery in 1991.

Early shows featured artists Cynthia Atwood, Jean Campbell, Howard Crouch, Ann Getsinger, and photographer David Halliday. Two years later, Haddad called owners of empty buildings to use their space and launched the first Community Day and Art Walk, planting the seeds for more galleries to pop up in Hudson. “The artists came here—that’s what saved this town,” she said.

The gallery is known for the “affable, experimental style of its exhibitions,” as well as for the legacy Haddad established (and current co-directors Linden Schiff and Lena Petersen are carrying on) of featuring highly respected artists who live and work in the community.

“While we did a lot of group shows in the past, over the last six years we’ve focused on visual themes and building the exhibition around those,” Petersen explained.

The fall exhibition, opening October 11, features photo realist Frank De Pietro and artists Louise Laplante, Vincent Pomilio, Olan Quattro, and Ralph Velt.

Have questions while you take in the art? Ask away. “We love engaging with visitors,” Petersen said. —R.H.

P HOTO: STEPH ANIE ZOLLS HAN

Support of BFAIR promotes independence, creates accessibility, and enhances program resources for the over 400 program participants and residents throughout Berkshire, Hampshire, and Hampden counties.

field guide: Galleries Davis Orton Gallery Hudson davisortongallery.com Front Room Gallery Hudson frontroomles.com Lightforms Art Center Hudson lightformsartcenter.com Limner Gallery Hudson limnergallery.com Pamela Salisbury Gallery Hudson pamelasalisburygallery.com Peter Jung Fine Art Hudson peterjungfineart.com Susan Eley Fine Art Hudson susaneleyfineart.com Turley Gallery Hudson turley.gallery Jack Shainman Gallery Kinderhook jackshainman.com/the_school September Gallery Kinderhook septembergallery.com Spencertown Academy Spencertown spencertownacademy.org/ gallery

LITCHFIELD COUNTY Furnace Art on Paper Archive Falls Village furnace-artonpaper archive.com Carol Corey Fine Art Kent carolcoreyfineart.com Kenise Barnes Fine Art Kent kbfa.com Morrison Gallery Kent morrisongallery.com Alofft Gallery Lakeville alofft.com Argazzi Art, Lakeville argazziart.com Tremaine Art Gallery at Hotchkiss School Lakeville hotchkiss.org/arts Standard Space Sharon standardspace.net Eckert Fine Art Washington Depot janeeckertfineart.com Souterrain Gallery West Cornwall souterraingallery.net

Spotlight:

The School: Jack Shainman Gallery 25 Broad St., Kinderhook, NY jackshainman.com For over four decades, Jack Shainman Gallery has been introducing, promoting, and developing young and midcareer artists who have gone on to gain worldwide acclaim. A Williamstown native with prestigious galleries in New York City (Soho, Chelsea, Tribeca), Shainman had always loved Kinderhook and dreamed of “having a big space for storing, collecting, and living with art.” About 10 years ago, when he and partner Carlos Vega saw a “For Sale” sign in front of the old Martin Van Buren High School (a 1929 Federal revival building with colonial Dutch details), they made an offer on the spot and hired the late Spanish architect Antonio Torrecillas to transform it into one of the most iconic galleries in the country.

The School’s inaugural exhibition in 2014 of sculptor/performance artist Nick Cave’s work established Shainman’s curatorial vision and raised Kinderhook’s profile in the art world. The 30,000-square-foot gallery with five-acre lawn and sculpture garden is unique among Berkshire and Hudson Valley art galleries both for its structure and its mission to present ambitious, expansive exhibitions that illuminate the work of artists within and outside of Jack Shainman Gallery’s program. Shainman, long a champion of addressing the lack of representation of artists of color, represents artists from Africa, India, Cuba, Italy, Iraq, and Israel, focusing on “global issues seen through personal lives.”

The current exhibition, “LIE DOGGO” (a phrase meaning “to wait in hiding”), features works by Nina Chanel Abney and explores “when to observe from the shadows and when best to act.”

Addressing the chaotic pace of contemporary culture, race, celebrity, religion, politics, sex, and art history, this monumental exhibition “spans her creative practice, uniting a new series of paintings with collages, site-specific murals, an immersive digital art installation, and the debut of a new body of large-scale sculpture.” “LIE DOGGO” is up through November 16, and The School is open Saturdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. —R.H.

PHOTO: C OUTESY OF JAC K SHAINMAN GALLERY

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field guide: House Hunters

“This is all so new, we don’t even have a mattress, just two pieces of foam to sleep on. But it’s a really exciting time for us, we get a chance to plan our dreams.”

BECKET This Berkshires oasis is set amidst 250 acres of wide open meadow and pristine woodland. With breathtaking views, this just-completed, light-filled 4-bedroom contemporary home has a nearly 1-acre swimming pond, tennis, miles of trails for hiking and skiing, and massive barn offering a multiplicity of opportunities. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. $2,392,000. birchpropertiesne.com

The Big Buy: Real Estate Right Now

By Laura Vogel Thinking of making a move, literally? There’s good news in the area for both buyers and sellers. According to the Berkshire Market Watch Report, the number of residential homes sold is up by 5.3% compared with the same time last year. And on the buyers’ side, decreasing interest rates make mortgages more affordable.

“Election years are tricky; people generally want to wait and watch. However, there’s an incredible amount of interest right now,” said Jason Karadus, owner and principal broker of Corcoran Country Living, serving Columbia County and other nearby areas.

“We are busy,” agreed Rebecca Gold Cellana of Burnham Gold in Williamstown. “New people are always coming to Williamstown,” she said. Footwear designer Janelle Nga and

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her family were new people not long ago: They bought a 1938 colonial and are now weekenders. “There are always interesting and engaging events, lots of culture, and new restaurants to try,” she said. “Williamstown gives kids a safe environment and freedom that they don’t have in the city.”

After researching the area, Sam Bricker moved from Colorado with his wife, Jessica, and their young son—buying a 200-year-old house sight unseen. He’s now the owner of Bash Bish Bicycles in Copake. Living and working in Columbia County has been better than the family could have hoped.

“When I first took over the bike shop,” said Bricker, “people welcomed us with open arms and brought us food and gifts. It’s a wonderful community.”

It is still a seller’s market, said Gold Cellana, but the market isn’t as intensely competitive as it has been. People who are looking tend to find something without battling multiple bids like in years past. Gold Cellana says the houses that sell most quickly are in the $500,000 to $800,000 range.

Rachel Louchen, from Berkshire Property Agents in Great Barrington, finds ”weekenders usually want everything totally done, move-in ready. Full-timers are more willing to do work to make the house that they want. But right now everyone—full-time and weekenders—wants a first-floor primary suite so they can age into the house.”

In the words of one new homeowner:

“This is all so new, we don’t even have a mattress—just two pieces of foam to sleep on. But it’s a really exciting time. We get a chance to plan our dreams.”

Nick Haramis, editor-at-large at T: The New York Times Style Magazine.

He and his partner, artist Misha Kahn, just closed on a property in Claverack.

Colour Theory is an immersive installation of new work

by Pallavi Sen, an interdisciplinary artist and Williams College Assistant Professor of Art

September 20–December 22

Painting workshop & artist talk Oct. 25 | Curatorial tour Oct. 26 Open Tu-Sun 10-5 Main St., Williamstown artmuseum.williams.edu

Great Barrington A beautiful home that holds the integrity of an 1810-era house with comfort and efficiency for today’s modern living. Main floor living area is open to the kitchen and dining.

There are French doors to the back trellised deck toward the Williams River, which acts as the southern boundary of the property.

Sited on just under an acre with a tucked-in patio adjacent to the well-stocked and swimmable river. 3,204 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. $925,000. berkshirepropertyagents.com

Williamstown The Berkshire Hideaway is a spectacular 2014-built Lindal Cedar Home that epitomizes elegance, energy efficiency, and tranquility. Nestled in a picturesque 3.2 acre setting, this post and beam masterpiece offers unparalleled vistas, with cathedral ceilings and expansive windows that frame the stunning surroundings from every angle. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, $1,100,000 burnhamgold.com

It’s the people, places and past that make the Berkshires beautiful.

Discover it all with a subscription to The B! berkshireeagle.com/theb 800-245-0254 SCAN TO SUBSCRIBE

last look: From the Archives

Braking for Beauty

P H OTO : W I L L I A M TA G U E

We found this 1955 snapshot of sightseers on Summit Road in The Eagle’s archives. Berkshire vistas have been inspiring awe for decades—and now that the road to Greylock is paved, it’s even easier to go motoring in the mountains in search of a view. The fall foliage doesn’t come across in black-and-white photographs, but we’ll use our autumnal imagination to envision the colors of years past.

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The simple decision of where you bank impacts the community where you live. Keeping your dollars local drives businesses, innovation, jobs and improves your overall quality of life.

Start making a difference today by banking with Berkshire. Stop into any of our local financial centers or go to BerkshireBank.com

Get Started. Open a Berkshire Bank account today. Scan the QR code or visit open.berkshirebank.com

Banking products are provided by Berkshire Bank: Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. Berkshire Bank is a Massachusetts chartered bank. 5/24

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