Applications open for revamped North Adams Project
NORTH ADAMS — Assets for Artists and the North Adams Artist Impact Coalition have teamed up to design a broader, more robust North Adams Project that will assist a small cohort of artists who live or have studio space in North Adams, and who are looking to deepen their roots and/or become better engaged and active within the city.
Selected artists will receive:
- A grant of $1,000–$4,000
- A local “community liaison” who’ll help them make the connections they’ll need to fulfill their vision for the next stage of their creative career in North Adams
- Access to AIC members’ extensive network of knowledge, community connections, and affiliations
- Professional development in the form of priority access to Assets for Artists’ financial and business workshops, and one-on-one coaching
- Access to a tight-knit group of fellow cohort members from across the North Adams arts scene
Artists and creative entrepreneurs of all disciplines and at all career stages are welcome to apply. The Project defines “artist” broadly to include music, dance, writing, film, craft, design, visual art, performance art, jewelry, folk art, curation, and more. Eligible artists must either have a home address or studio address in North Adams. A studio address can include access to shared studio space, such as at Beaver Mill or Common Folk. Both artists who just moved to town and those who have lived here for decades are invited to apply. Application deadline: June 14, 2021.
—A.K.
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Learn about the American Mural Project with Director Amy Wynn
FALLS VILLAGE — On Wednesday, May 12 at 7 p.m., the David M. Hunt Library will present a free Zoom event with Amy Wynn, executive director of the American Mural Project (AMP). She will share the story of AMP through slides, video, and a question and answer period. The Project, founded by Artistic Director Ellen Griesedieck in 2001, began as a way to pay tribute to the American worker. AMP is also the name of the museum, housed in two historic mill buildings in the former factory town of Winsted, in which the mural and other exhibits will reside.
The American Mural Project Museum will open to the public in 2022. Even before officially opening, AMP has been engaging visitors during its mural installation process for tours, events, and education programs. The mural itself is a work in progress that measures 120 feet x 48 feet. Ninety-five percent of this 3-dimensional mural has been created and 70 percent has been installed permanently. In addition to the larger-than-life-sized depictions of various workers, the mural and related exhibits will feature art that has been created by more than 15,000 students through collaboration with leaders whose organizations have inspired change on a national scale: Habitat for Humanity (President Jimmy Carter), White Earth Land Recovery Project (Winona LaDuke), Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild (Bill Strickland), Hope Meadows Project (Brenda Eheart).
To register for this event, visit the Library website or call 860-824-7424.
—A.K.
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BCC student selected for Commonwealth’s ‘29 Who Shine’ program
PITTSFIELD — Danielle Harriott, a nursing student at Berkshire Community College (BCC) and a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) on the surgical floor at Berkshire Medical Center (BMC), has been selected as BCC’s honoree for the Commonwealth’s 29 Who Shine program. She will be honored at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 13 by Governor Charlie Baker and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education during a YouTube livestream event.
Launched by the Commonwealth in 2011, 29 Who Shine recognizes 29 outstanding public college and university graduates each year. Honorees must show exceptional promise as a future leader and have a strong record of academic achievement and civic engagement.
Harriott was “shocked and surprised” to win the award, but Amanda Davis, an adjunct nursing faculty member at BCC who mentors her, said it was an easy choice to nominate Harriott. “Danielle is a great student who has a wonderful way of communicating with her patients. I know she’ll be a great nurse,” Davis said.
Harriott decided to go back to school in 2010, with three children under the age of three — a daughter and twin boys — at home. She took pre-requisite classes at Capital Community College in Hartford, Connecticut and was accepted into the BCC nursing program, where she completed three semesters before deciding to work full-time as a CNA. After moving to Massachusetts, Harriott began working at Laurel Lake nursing home (now Lee HealthCare) and at BMC. There, colleagues encouraged her to continue her education. She credits BCC’s small class size and personalized instruction for giving her the foundation of self-confidence necessary in her career.
Now nearly eight months into a 10-month Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program at BCC, Harriott plans to apply to the college’s bridge program (transitioning from an LPN to an Associate Degree in Nursing).
—A.K.
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General Dynamics launches virtual high school STEM competition
PITTSFIELD — The General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) Pittsfield site is launching a virtual high school science, technology, engineering & math (STEM) competition to take place Thursday, May 13 from 5–7 p.m. All high school age students in the Berkshires and surrounding areas are encouraged to participate.
Participating students will use Tinkercad, a free online engineering tool, to work through and solve hardware- and software-related puzzles. Students can solve the puzzles any time between now and May 13. On May 13, students will provide a 10-minute presentation of their solutions to the judges. To access full competition details, visit the competition website. To sign up, email STEM.Pittsfield@gd-ms.com.
“General Dynamics Mission Systems is committed to advancing STEM education and inspiring the next generation of students to continue pushing the bounds of innovation,” said Carlo Zaffanella, vice president and general manager at GDMS. “That’s why we have had volunteers work with Berkshires-based high schools to run a STEM competition as part of their annual curriculum for more than a decade. This year, like many other aspects of our lives, the competition has been reimagined and is purely virtual. A major benefit of this approach is that we can open the competition to a much wider group of students.”
—A.K.
