Participate Archive

Call for Letters of Support from the Massachsuetts Broadband Institute

Call for Letters of Support from the Massachsuetts Broadband Institute

As you well know, areas in our community and throughout western Massachusetts are unserved by basic broadband services.  In 2008, the state legislature and Governor Patrick established the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) to take on this challenge and bring broadband access to all unserved citizens, starting in western Massachusetts.  To help achieve this goal, the MBI is in the process of applying for federal infrastructure funding to build an advanced fiber-optic network in the region.  This “middle mile” network will be open to all service providers who want to provide broadband services to unserved citizens.  To be successful, the MBI needs your assistance!

The MBI has asked WesternMA Connect to lead the effort to collect local letters and collaborate with existing broadband committees to assist in the effort.  In order to meet the submission deadline,  WesternMA Connect asks that supporters complete and return letters to them by Wednesday, March 10 in one of three ways:

1) email a word or pdf document with an electronic signature;
2) email a scanned version of a signed letter; or
3) mail the letter by regular mail to:
Sharon Ferry
WesternMA Connect, Inc.
75 South Church Street
Pittsfield, MA  01201
Click here for a sample letter.
PLEASE DO NOT MAIL LETTERS DIRECTLY TO ASSISTANT SECRETARY STRICKLING.


@BerkshireMade: 2010 Membership

@BerkshireMade: 2010 Membership

Berkshire County Artists, Makers, and Crafters! BerkshireMade has announced the following changes to their membership!

BerkshireMade has votes to open membership; no limit on the number of members or number of members in any medium. This means:

  • Any crafter/artist/artisan/maker living in Berkshire County, MA is welcome to apply! You will find the application here.
  • The application process is still juried!

Questions? Interested in learning more?

  • Visit BerkshireMade.org!
  • Feel free to come to one of our monthly member round table meetings.  Current members are available to answer any questions and are always happy to share!
  • Email any questions to info@berkshiremade.org

Call for Submissions

Call for Submissions

Attention makers, actors, performers, artists, and creatives! Check out the following opportunities to get your work seen by the world:

BERKSHIRE INTERNATION FILM FESTIVAL (BIFF): Call for Film Submissions

Deadline: March 1, 2010

UPSTREET: Call for Submissions, Writing

Submission Period: Until March 1, 2010

OUTDOOR SCULPTURE COMPETITION AND EXHIBITION: Call for Submissions

Deadline: March 5, 2010

UNITED STATES MINT: ARTISTIC INFUSION PROGRAM: Call for applications

Deadline: March 8, 2010

CINARS 2010: Call for showcases

Deadline: March 12, 2010

DOWNSTREET ART: Call for Guest Curators

Deadline: March 15, 2010

ODE TO DEGAS EXHIBIT: Call for Art

Deadline: March 15, 2010

2010 VSA ARTS PLAYWRIGHT DISCOVERY: Call for Scripts

Deadline: April 15, 2010

CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE AT CHESTERWOOD 2010: Call for Entries

Deadline: April 16, 2010

FILM INITIATIVE AND COMPETITION: WHAT’S YOUR ISSUE?: Call for Submissions

Deadline: April 18, 2010

FUTURE GENERATION ART PRIZE: Application

Deadline: April 18th, 2010

SODUS ART BANCK: Residency and Workshop Applications

Deadline: One month before session

MANIFEST: Call for Entries

Deadline: Rolling

HILLTOWN FAMILIES: Call for Submissions, Writing and Photography

Deadline: Rolling

INDEARTS: Call for Submissions, Writing

Deadline: Rolling

Do you have an item you would like to share about the creative economy? Suggest a Post to Berkshire Creative!

Internship Opportunities-Updated!

Internship Opportunities-Updated!

The Berkshires are an excellent place to gain experience at a variety of creative economy businesses and organizations. Check out some of these opportunities available now!

Barrington Stage Company Professional Internship Program (PIP)

The Professional Internship Program (PIP) is an intensive summer internship program offered to college age students interested in pursuing careers in theatre. Participants are chosen through a competitive application process to train and gain professional experience in various facets of Professional Equity Theatre. Click here to learn more and apply!

Berkshire Hills Internship Program (B-HIP)

Deadline: April 1, 2010

The Berkshire Hills Internship Program (B-HIP) is a structured summer internship course that helps to integrate theoretical concepts and real-world experience. An intensive twelve-week program, B-HIP combines an internship component with a seminar in arts management, talk backs with the area’s leading arts professionals, and full participation in cultural events throughout Berkshire County. Interns work in a multitude of administrative capacities including development, marketing, public relations and programming – as they gain hands-on experience in the field of arts management. Click here to learn more and apply!

Berkshire Museum: Collections Internship

The Berkshire Museum has a diverse art, history and natural science collection of approximately 25,000 objects. In its efforts to continually improve and update the management of collections, the Museum involves interns with different aspects of collections work, including inventories, cataloguing objects, data entry, object photography and object research. For Fall/Winter 2010, the museum seeks an intern to research and catalog one of the following collections; Asian, Decorative Arts, Minerals, Shells and/or American History. The museum is also embarking on an archive project. The Berkshire Museum intern program works closely with the individual to create an experience that meets both the needs of the museum and intern. This is an unpaid internship. Interns will report directly to the Collections Manager. Click here to learn more and apply!

Berkshire Theatre Festival Summer Training

Deadline: March 29/April 9, 2010

Berkshire Theatre Festival’s mission is to sustain, promote, and produce theatre through performance and education.  Since 1928 BTF has been dedicated to producing theatre that recognizes its venerable past while providing a home for the next generation of the American theatre’s creative artists.  We offer competitive education and training through our summer Acting Apprenticeships, Directing and Design Assistantships and Production and Administrative Internships that lead students toward a professional working career in the arts. Candidates must be at least 18 and enthusiastic about pursuing a career in the theatre profession. Click here to learn more and apply!

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival

Deadlines: Summer Priority Deadline has passed. Regular Deadline is March 1, 2010 after March 1, call 413-243-9919 x17 to inquire if openings are available. Off-season deadline: Rolling

Summer Internships are comprised of real-work projects and responsibilities that develop professional skills and careers. Interns receive staff-led seminars, training and mentoring, on-campus housing, 3 meals a day, $500 stipend, and a $150 travel/sundry expense allowance. College credit, work-study, independent study, and/or cooperative learning programs may be available through your school. Or you may register for college credit at Jacob’s Pillow, through their partnership with the Division of Continuing Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Off-season interns assist in the preparation for Jacob’s Pillow upcoming season. Off-season interns gain a broad perspective on arts administration, the dance field, and dance history while receiving on-the-job training, and experience working alongside professional staff both independently and collaboratively. Onsite housing can be arranged and is shared with other Pillow interns, as well as with artists-in-residence. Full and part-time internships for the fall, winter, and spring can be tailored to meet college credit needs and individual interests. Dates and times are flexible. Click here to learn more and apply!

IS183 Art School of the Berkshires:  Young Artists Program Intern

IS183 is seeking interns with an interest in the visual arts and/or education, combined with interest and enjoyment of children and young teens for their 2010 IS183 Summer Young Artist Program. The program will run from June 28 to August 20, 2010, and candidates may apply for a 2- to 8-week internship commitment. Hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday thru Friday.

Candidates should be pursuing art as a major or supplementary course of study, and able to demonstrate some experience working with children. Interns receive a stipend of $100/week for their work as well as the opportunity to audit one evening or week-end adult class during the summer. In addition, you may be able to receive academic credit from your college or university. IS183 will also provide references for your future employment/academic pursuits upon request, dependent on performance. Click here to learn more and apply!

MASS MoCA Internship Program

Deadline: March 1, 2010

MASS MoCA seeks full-time interns for various departments. Spend summer in the culturally rich, naturally beautiful Berkshires, while gaining invaluable professional experience in the arts. Paid interns are given $100/wk stipend and free housing with a block of the complex. Each applicant may apply to a maximum of 2 departments (Visual Arts, Production, Marketing/Public Relations, Public Education, Graphic Design, Box Office and Development). All internships run from June 2 through September 6.Click here to learn more and apply!

Shakespeare & Company Internships in Carpentry, Props, Paint, Sound, Electrics, Costumes, and Stage Management

Interns sought for an Equity L.O.A. 14 show, 3 stage season at Shakespeare & Company. This opportunity is for individuals early in their career to develop skills and work with theatre professionals. Duties will include show running and/or change-over responsibilities. Season runs from early May through March 2011, although most positions for summer only. Late season and early start contracts may include theatre-in-education support. Housing negotiable. Stipend available.Click here to learn more and apply!

Does your organization or business offer creative economy internship opportunities? Email them to info@berkshirecreative.org!

Do you have an item you would like to share about the creative economy? Suggest a Post to Berkshire Creative!



PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

“Collaborations to Strategic Alliances:  Strategies to Sustain Nonprofits.”

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 2:30 – 5:00 pm

Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, 75 North Street, Suite 360 in Pittsfield, MA

$20 for Berkshire Chamber members; $30 nonmembers

Pre-registration is required. Visit www.berkshirechamber.com to register.

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence and the Nonprofit Business Council of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce are partnering to offer a workshop to provide nonprofit leaders with advice and guidance on management issues. On January 20, Barbara Krasne, of KrasnePlows consulting firm, will give a seminar entitled “Collaborations to Strategic Alliances:  Strategies to Sustain Nonprofits.” Workshop topics will include: alliances—what they can and cannot do; organizational diagnostics; considerations for any strategic alliance; and case examples regarding how to proceed. In the event of inclement weather, a snow date is scheduled for Thursday, January 21, 2010 2:30 – 5:00 pm  Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Get Found in Social Media”

Wednesday, January 27, 9 am to 12:00 pm

Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, 75 North Street, Suite 360 in Pittsfield, MA

Registration fee: $25. Register online at www.clickbasics.com/workshop, email paulc@clickbasics.com, or call 413-637-2459

ClickBasics, an internet marketing and web analytics company, will present the workshop, “Get Found in Social Media.” Geared for a non-technical business audience, the workshop will be presented by Paul Carter, founder of ClickBasics Internet Marketing, Lenox, MA. Participants will learn basic concepts and receive practical guidance helping business owners and internet marketers tie social media to the bottom line. Seating is limited.

Bi-annual Taste of Philanthropy Conference

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA

Click here  to register for the conference!

The Taste of Philanthropy 2010 conference is expected to bring together over 300 nonprofit leaders, consultants and foundations. Morning workshops on all aspects of fundraising –from planned giving/major gifts, to corporate/foundation giving, marketing and stewardship — will be available. In the afternoon, after hearing Sheryl WuDunn’s inspirational talk, we’ll all come together to focus on building our skills for making the all important ASK!

Do you have an item you would like to share about the creative economy? Suggest a Post to Berkshire Creative!


UMass Amherst and Hancock Shaker Village Announce Key Faculty and Curriculum for New Graduate Degree in Historic Preservation and Design

UMass Amherst and Hancock Shaker Village Announce Key Faculty and Curriculum for New Graduate Degree in Historic Preservation and Design

UMass Amherst and Hancock Shaker Village have announced key faculty appointments and curriculum for the new Master of Science in Design with a concentration in historic preservation program that will offer an opportunity for advanced study in traditional building materials, preservation theory, and building systems. Starting in fall 2010, the two-year program will explore 18th, 19th and 20th century architecture, building technology, and conservation methods using Hancock Shaker Village, a National Historic Landmark in the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts, as a primary study site.

The Shaker’s deep-seated commitment to sustainability in building, living, and farming will be investigated and tested for its applicability to modern life. Students will expand their skills in architectural design, historic preservation, construction, restoration, and town planning, as well as their understanding of historic site management while working closely with museum staff, instructors, craftsmen, and preservationists.

Faculty appointments include Program Director Dr. Steven Bedford, an architectural historian at Louis Berger Group and formerly a senior planner at Fitzgerald Halliday, who will teach the history of American buildings . Dr. Max Page, associate professor of architecture and history at UMass Amherst, will teach preservation policy. Preservation carpenter and woodworker Robert Adam, founder of the preservation carpentry program at the North Bennet Street School in Boston and craftsman and historian Don Carpentier, owner of Eastfield Village, will teach traditional trades and craftsmanship. Donald Friedman, a principal of Old Structures Engineering, one of the leading consultancies in structural engineering for historic and old buildings, will teach the history of construction systems, methods, and materials. Michael Devonshire, principal and director of conservation at Jan Hird Pokorny Associates of New York and a preservation architecture professor at Columbia University, will teach building conservation.

Prospective students are invited to attend an open house reception with faculty members on Sunday, January 10 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Hancock Shaker Village (1843 W. Housatonic St., Pittsfield, MA).  Please RSVP to Steven Bedford, program director, at 413.443.0188 ext. 239 or sbedford@hancockshakervillage.org.

The priority registration deadline for the UMass Amherst Hancock Shaker Village program is February 1, 2010. For more information, visit www.umass.edu/preservation.

The Master of Science in Design curriculum will progress as follows:

Fall First Year

American Building-17th-19th Centuries (includes preservation theory)

Building Conservation I

Preservation Policy

Spring First Year

Researching Historic Structures

Traditional Trades and Craftsmanship

Building Conservation II

Fall Second Year

Material Culture/Green Building Techniques and Historic Preservation

Structural and Mechanical Systems

Architectural Materials Testing I

Spring Second Year

Cultural Resource Management

Architectural Materials Testing II

Preservation Design Studio

The program is geared toward working professionals who wish to maintain employment while pursuing an advanced degree. Courses are offered on a schedule that allows students to commute to western Massachusetts for two days of concentrated classes on alternating weeks during the spring and fall semesters.  Classes may be held in Amherst or Pittsfield depending on instructional objectives of various stages of the program. Credits may be transferred to other degree programs with permission and may qualify for AIA continuing education credits.

Evidence of design capacity or knowledge of the building trades is required for admission. While a core group of students will be selected for full matriculation, there will be spaces available for students electing to take individual courses. Credits may be transferable to alternate advanced degree programs as well as AIA Mandatory Continuing Education.

About Hancock Shaker Village

Hancock Shaker Village is one of the most visited cultural venues in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Visited by nearly 70,000 people annually, the Village brings the Shaker story to life, and preserves it for future generations. It is a center for reflection on the values of principled living that the Shakers embraced – equality, community, sustainability, and responsible land stewardship – that still resonate today. For more information, call 800.817.1137 or see www.hancockshakervillage.org.

Calling All Studio Jewelers of Berkshire County and beyond….

Calling All Studio Jewelers of Berkshire County and beyond….

A Message from Local Studio Jeweler, Linda-Kaye-Moses: “Feeling the pinch of studio isolation? I am interested in setting up a gathering of all studio  jewelers in our area”

Purpose: To discuss what we’re up to, where we’d like to be, what our work is like and what we would like it to be like, what our needs are.

What makes one a Studio Jeweler:
Are you working in a studio; are you producing work at any skill level, limited production, one of a kind, production, in any and all media; are you famous, infamous, unknown, emerging; are you interested in talking, gorging, nurturing and being nurtured in our ‘community’?

What this may be…. A Gathering, potluck with lots of talk, food and info sharing-a chance to find ways to establish a continuing and regular dialogue. Omigod….face to face, in the flesh, real people! Those interested please contact Linda with dates/times that work for you at evansol@berkshire.net or (413) 442-6535.

Do you have an item you would like to share about the creative economy? Suggest a Post to Berkshire Creative!


Berkshire County Artist Study: $100 Yearly Honorarium

Berkshire County Artist Study: $100 Yearly Honorarium

Assets for Artists – a project of Berkshire Creative, MASS MoCA, MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center and Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development – is recruiting Berkshire County artists in all disciplines to participate in a research study investigating the economic impact of the Assets for Artists program.

Twenty “low- to moderate-income” artists can receive a $100 per year stipend (for a multi-year study) to share information on their household income and credit history. No surveys or interviews; you just submit copies of your last 2 federal tax returns. It’s no more of a time-waster than that! All information will be kept strictly confidential and used only for research purposes. The study is intended to help the program partners better understand the financial conditions of local artists and evaluate the relative impact of the training and matched savings grants provided through Assets for Artists, now in its second year of operation with an innovative model to promote the financial success of working artists.

Eligibility for the study is based on household income: a one-person household with adjusted gross income of no more than $41,450 (as documented on a federal tax return) will be eligible. Income limits are higher for larger households.

Artists in any discipline who would like to be considered for the research study should contact Blair Benjamin at MASS MoCA (413-664-4481 x8104 or blair@massmoca.org) to discuss the details. Slots for eligible participants are available first-come, first-serve. If you’re not eligible, please help spread the word to other artists who may be eligible.

ASSETS FOR ARTISTS IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE SUPPORT OF:

Assets for Artists Sponsors

It’s time to SPARKLE!

It’s time to SPARKLE!

sparklefinIt’s time to come together again to SPARKLE! with creative economy holiday cheer!

Thursday, December 3, 2009
Seven Hills Inn
40 Plunkett Street, Lenox (map)
6:30PM – 8:30PM
$25 admission ($15 for Friends of Berkshire Creative)

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS!

Berkshire Creative’s Holiday SPARK! Event

Berkshire Creative invites you to come, enjoy delectable eats from Brix and Haven, musical entertainment of Evan Randall and Heather Fisch, and items from some of the Berkshire’s best creative economy businesses in our silent and chance auctions!

Interested in being a SPARKLE! volunteer?
Contact Helena Fruscio at info@berkshirecreative.org or 413.822.8324!

Click here for images from last years SPARKLE!

_____________________________________________________________

Event Sponsored By:

Berkshire Living

spark-dec-09

SPARK the holidays with savings! Use your Greylock VISA card from November 15, 2009 – January 15, 2010 and pay only 4.99% APR until those balances are paid in full. Valid for purchases, cash advances, balance transfers and letter checks.

_____________________________________________________________

Food provided by:

BRIXHAVEN

Click to Learn More About Brix!

Click to Learn More About Haven!

_____________________________________________________________

Live Music Provided by Guitar and accordion stylings from two of the Berkshire’s most irresistable musical gems Evan Randall and Heather Fisch!

heaven
The Musical Collision of Old Timey Tunes and Old World Spirit!

Click here for more information!

_____________________________________________________________

SPECIAL THANKS TO SPARKLE! HOST, SEVEN HILLS INN

7hillsinn

Click here to learn more about the Seven Hills Inn!

___________________________________________________________________________________________

SPECIAL THANKS TO EXCELSIOR PRINTING AND STUDIO TWO FOR THEIR PRINTING AND DESIGN SUPPORT!excelsiorstudiotwoClick to Learn More About Excelsior Printing!

Click to Learn More About Studio Two!

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Add SPARKLE to Your Holiday!

We look forward to spending the holidays with you and our local creatives!

Attend SPARKLE! and automatically Become a Friend of Berkshire Creative!

Calling All Holiday Gift Products and Services Vendors!

Calling All Holiday Gift Products and Services Vendors!

The Colonial Theatre and My Versatile Secretary have collaborated to bring you The Colonial Theatre Holiday Shoppe!

The Colonial Theatre Holiday Shoppe is seeking Berkshire vendors of all types: restaurants, artisans, cultural venues, not for profit organizations promoting events, and health and wellness services.

Contact Mary Vasquez-Slack, The Colonial Theatre Holiday Shoppe Vendor Coordinator, for an application.

Click here for more information or Click here to see a list of Holiday Shoppe dates!

Do you have an item you would like to share about the creative economy? Suggest a Post to Berkshire Creative!