Berkshire County, MA, Dec 22, 2011— In the spring of 2011, Rennie & Rose approached Berkshire Creative to be the fifth host of the Berkshire Creative initiative: the Berkshire Creative Challenge. Known as a leader in manufacturing and designing fine tapestry and jacquard goods, Rennie & Rose recognized the Creative Challenge as an opportunity to cultivate and engage local artists, illustrators, and graphic designers for their freelance creative resource team.
A total of 14 local creatives submitted applications to be a part of the Rennie & Rose Challenge and of these eight applicants were invited to participate in the full Creative Challenge. On Nov. 17, 2011, the eight selected participant’s toured Rennie & Rose’s facilities in Adams, to learn more about the company’s unique creative needs and design capabilities.
“Rennie & Rose really pulled out all the stops for the challenge participants”, said Kevin Sprague the Chair of Berkshire Creative. “The participants saw every design aspect for their At Home Collection products and got the real insiders tour of why Rennie& Rose are leaders in their field. It was a great opportunity for all involved.”
Seven participants later submitted designs for review. Kathy Adams of Rural Ethic Studio in Otis and Terry Rosen of Great Barrington, were selected as the Creative Challenge winners. These two women will be freelancers for Rennie & Rose’s creative team, specializing in creating designs for their At Home Collection.
“The entire Creative Challenge has been an amazing experience for us” said Susan Himmel, Marketing Manager of Rennie & Rose. “As a Berkshire County business, we wanted to engage more local artists and designers. The Creative Challenge gave us that opportunity. Kathy Adams and Terry Rosen greatly impressed us with their unique artistic interpretations during this project. We are very excited to welcome them to our freelance design team. In addition to the announced winners, several other designers were identified as potential resources for future freelance projects. This was a very successful endeavor for all of us.”
This marks the completion of the sixth Berkshire Creative Challenge and with all of its resounding success they most certainly have proven that the Berkshires is a place where creativity lives.
About the Creative Challenge
In fall 2009 Berkshire Creative launched a new initiative to connect Berkshire manufacturers and businesses with local designers, engineers and creative workers: the Creative Challenge.
A Creative Challenge is structured as follows: Berkshire Creative partners with a business to define the nature, format and criteria of the Challenge. The community is then invited to submit resumes and information on how their work relates to the host company. From these applications, participants are selected to participate in a site visit of the Creative Challenge host business and then to submit a solution to the Creative Challenge.
Companies interested in hosting a Creative Challenge should contact Lauren Zink, Interim Project Coordinator of Berkshire Creative by phone at 413.822.8324 or email at info@berkshirecreative.org
About Berkshire Creative
Berkshire Creative exists at the intersection of art, innovation, design and creation. The mission of Berkshire Creative is to stimulate new job growth and economic opportunity in the region by sparking innovative collaborations between artists, designers, cultural institutions and businesses. Berkshire Creative serves creative economy businesses throughout Berkshire County – from individual artists and small business owners to larger corporations and cultural institutions.
Visit berkshirecreative.org to learn more about how creativity means business in the Berkshires. Find creative economy jobs, collaboration opportunities, local and state business, economic, and professional development resources all to help you do better business in the Berkshires.
About Rennie & Rose
Rennie & Rose designs and manufactures fine tapestry and jacquard goods, as well as a new line of home accessories with a contemporary flair. The company was founded by the mother and daughter team, Charlotte Rennie and Lisa Rose, in 1989. From a modest start on Charlotte’s dining room table to today, their products feature original designs and the work of several North American artists. Rennie & Rose is rapidly expanding their product range and adding new constructs of fabrics and designs to create a fashionable home décor line that can easily fit into any home setting. Still a family-owned business, led by Lisa and Greg Rose, Rennie & Rose maintains a commitment to fine workmanship and responsible manufacturing. Visit www.rennieandrose.com to learn more about the company and view some of their designs.
Some photos from the site visit:
