Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church receives CPA grant
Great Barrington — Clinton Church Restoration Inc. has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the town of Great Barrington’s Community Preservation Act funds. The recommendation to fund the project was made by the town’s Community Preservation Committee and approved at the May 7 annual town meeting on May 7. The grant will be used for the first phase of restoration work on the former Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church at 9 Elm Court, which the nonprofit group plans to repurpose as a performance venue and cultural center.
The historic church, significant for its association with civil rights leader and native son W.E.B. Du Bois as well as a distinctive example of 19th-century vernacular church architecture, has been vacant for several years and suffers from severe water damage. An historic structure report completed earlier this year by Clark & Green Architects revealed structural damage caused by a leaking roof, and extreme mold and mildew associated with drainage issues in the basement. Treatment recommendations for the first phase of work include constructing of a new wood-shingle roof over the entire structure, improving site and basement drainage, and raising the building approximately 2 feet to make the church’s basement social hall a usable, code-compliant space.
The CPA funds will be combined with a recent $75,000 emergency grant from the Massachusetts Historic Commission and $389,000 from the National Park Service African American Civil Rights Grant Program awarded to Housatonic Heritage for the first phase of work on the project.
–E.E.
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Number Ten prides itself on whiskey offerings, classic cocktails and local sourcing
Great Barrington — After major renovations and re-orientation as a classic steakhouse, Number Ten restaurant has opened at the site of the former Castle Street Cafe. Vern Kennedy purchased the Castle Street Café in 2017 from Michael Ballon, who, as chef-owner, had kept the doors open for 28 years. The restaurant continued to be run as the Castle Street Café for more than a year as Kennedy gleaned a better sense of the community, the market and his own vision for the space.
Number Ten’s theme of “Unwind, Celebrate and Explore” is reflected at its bar and the new collection of American including more than 75 different bourbons, ryes and other American whiskey expressions. The 14-page list of the current offerings includes age statement, mash grain mix and information about tasting notes. On Monday, June 11, Number Ten will hold the first in what will be a series of reservation-only whiskey tastings.
In addition to its whiskey holdings, the bar at Number Ten specializes in classic cocktails. Bar manager David Guenette is especially pleased to currently offer the Sidecar, made with Hine VSOP cognac, fresh-squeezed lemon juice and Cointreau; Scofflaw, a 1930s rye whiskey- and dry vermouth-based drink that uses Number Ten’s house-made grenadine, lemon juice and orange bitters; and Aviation, which first appeared in the early 1920s and is a gin-based sour structure, using maraschino liqueur and crème de violette.
While Number Ten bills itself as a steakhouse, there are small plates and other dinner offerings as well. Part of Number Ten’s “Explore” theme element is local sourcing of produce and meats as well as a “tail-to-snout” approach of using the whole animal, introducing diners to less well-known cuts and preparations of meats. “We are already establishing local sourcing,” noted Kennedy, with part of that effort including the restaurant raising some of its own animals at area farms.”
–E.E.
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Williams College Museum of Art gains new director
Williamstown — Williams College has announced the appointment of Pamela Franks as the Class of 1956 Director of the Williams College Museum of Art. Franks is currently the senior deputy director and Seymour H. Knox Jr. Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Yale University Art Gallery, and previously worked at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.
After earning her Ph.D. in the history of art from the University of Texas at Austin, Franks started her career as a postdoctoral curatorial fellow at YUAG and became its first curator of academic affairs in 2004. Throughout her 14-year career at YUAG, she has played a central role in shaping and carrying out priorities for teaching, exhibitions, public programs, community engagement, technology and collaborations with other academic art museums.
Following the launch of YUAG’s academic program, Franks moved into the role of deputy director and helped lead a major renovation and expansion, overseeing strategic planning, educational programming and exhibitions. She also served as the lead curator for its modern and contemporary art department, fostering a dynamic program of special exhibitions and collection displays, making numerous major acquisitions, and engaging artists in the museum.
Franks was made acting director of YUAG in 2016 and then moved into her current position as senior deputy director, chairing the gallery’s senior management team. At Yale, Franks significantly increased the number of college courses that incorporated the gallery’s collection into their syllabi, as well as the range of opportunities for students to learn about museum practices. She also produced a steady stream of scholarly publications, presentations and lectures.
Franks will begin her appointment in mid-September.
–E.E.
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Lenox Chamber of Commerce welcomes new executive director
Lenox — The Lenox Chamber of Commerce has announced the hiring of Shaun Kelleher as its new executive director.
Kelleher grew up in the Berkshires and is excited to be back in the area after spending nearly a decade in New York City. He attended Berkshire Community College and Syracuse University. In New York City, he cultivated a career in marketing. As senior director of marketing for creative staffing and recruiting company 24 Seven, Kelleher led a team of designers, marketers, copywriters and strategists to grow and promote the brand. Most recently, Kelleher was an account manager at BRIGADE marketing and design agency in Hadley, where he worked with clients as SVEDKA Vodka, BIC, Black Box Premium Wines, World Hotels and Audience Rewards. He sits on the board of the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts as the membership chair and, in his spare time, he enjoys traveling, theater, swimming, skiing and interior design.
LCC has also announced that its marketing director, Jamie Trie, will be stepping down from her full-time position to develop her own social media marketing and graphics firm, Berkshire Media Marketing. She will continue working with the chamber as a consultant for its social media and weekly member newsletters, and to help with various projects and events.
–E.E.
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Salisbury Bank to hold Community Day
Lakeville, Conn. — Salisbury Bank will hold a free Community Day Saturday, June 2, from 9 a.m. to noon at its Lakeville location. Each participant may bring up to four boxes of paper (no binders) for shredding by Legal Shred personnel. All shredded paper will be recycled.
Participants are asked to consider contributing a donation of nonperishable food items including canned goods, cereal, macaroni and cheese, cake mix, peanut butter, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and tomato sauce. Household necessities such as paper towels, diapers, shampoo and soap are also appreciated. The donated items will be distributed among local food pantries.
For more information, call Salisbury Bank at (860) 435-9801.
–E.E.
