Melissa Canavan joins Berkshire Immigrant Center as its Executive Director
Pittsfield— The Board and staff of the Berkshire Immigrant Center (BIC) are thrilled to welcome Melissa Canavan as their new Executive Director.
“I’m incredibly excited for this opportunity and I look forward to shepherding BIC through its next phase in serving the immigrant community in the Berkshires,” said Canavan.
Growing up in southern California as the child of immigrants from Mexico, she has firsthand experience of the challenges faced by newcomers to the US. She pursued her love of dance as an undergraduate at California State University, Long Beach and first came to the Berkshires in 2015 to intern at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket. After staying on to work at the Pillow, Canavan earned her Masters of Science in Arts Administration from Boston University. Since 2020 she has worked at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, most recently as the Advancement Manager and manager of the Spanish-language Community Advisory Network (SCAN), which has broadened the diversity of the theater’s cultural offerings and audiences.
Canavan supports the immigrant community as an active volunteer with Latinas413, a group committed to empowering and helping develop the growth of Latina women in Berkshire County. She has maintained her connections to her love of dance as founder and artistic director of her own project-based dance company, the Melissa Martinez Project.
Canavan replaces Michelle Lopez, who left after helming the Center for more than three years to move to her hometown in upstate New York. BIC Board Member Dariana Castro, who chaired the Search Committee, said; “We sought out to find someone with deep commitment to the immigrant community, who is also a masterful storyteller.” The Committee aimed to find a dynamic leader who could skillfully advocate on behalf of the immigrant community, and who also has the strategic mindset to drive the growth and development of the Center. Noted Castro, “We could not be more pleased that we found all that, and so much more, in Melissa Canavan.”
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MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board announces the hiring of Bryana Malloy
Pittsfield— MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board is pleased to announce the recent hire of Bryana Malloy as the Manager of Industry Relations with MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board.
As the Manager of Industry Relations, Bryana will continue MassHire’s work by engaging employers throughout Berkshire County to define their workforce needs and assist with recruitment and retention strategies. She will be coordinating relevant training grants to bring more skilled-workers into the workforce and develop a pipeline of future workers, expanding the career ladders within the manufacturing, hospitality, and healthcare sectors. Bryana will also be leading the Business Market Maker initiative for Berkshire County, connecting hundreds of companies to employment resources.
Since her return back to the Berkshires, Bryana has been working with Lever, Inc. as their Workforce Programs/Grants manager. Her area of focus has been overseeing Lever’s Workforce Programs (Berkshire Internship Preparation Program and Berkshire Interns) and acting in a supportive role to overall operations. Bryana has also been coaching McCann Tech’s Cross Country team. Bryana is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.S. in Sustainable Food and Farming and certificate in Civic Engagement and Public Service.
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BFAIR Promotes Leanne Martin to Assistant Director of Day Habilitation
North Adams— BFAIR promotes Leanne Martin to Assistant Director of Day Habilitation.
Leanne began working for BFAIR in 2014 as a Direct Care Professional at the agencies Day Habilitation program located in North Adams. In 2020, Leanne was promoted to Case Manager for the Community Based Day Services (CBDS) program and later to the Day Habilitation program in the same role.
In her new role, Leanne is responsible for the everyday operation of the Day Habilitation program which is designed to support members and their unique needs to increase independence, socialization, and participate as active and fully integrated members of their community.
According to Kayla Brown-Wood, Director of Day Services, “we are eager for Leanne to use her existing experience with the department to further develop programming and services offered for the individuals we support. I am excited to see Leanne flourish in her new position and look forward to working more closely with her”.
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LaundryLand invites the public to the ‘Grand Opening’
Great Barrington— On Saturday, May 20th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., LaundryLand, on 11 School Street, invites the public to its Grand Opening.
“It has been hard work, but things are finally coming together and I am so glad to bring this essential service to our community once again,” said Paula Kohler, owner of the new laundromat.
Attendees of the Grand Opening will receive a special offer, the “Double Your Money Sale”. During this sale, when customers purchase $20 worth of machine use in the self-service side of the laundromat, they receive an additional $20 worth. Purchase $50, receive $100! (Minimums and maximums apply.)
LaundryLand will be open for self-service from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. LaundryLand offers several top-of-the-line new washers, as well as several large capacity washers. The laundromat will also begin to accept fluff and fold clients as soon as possible. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/laundrylandgb and www.instagram.com/laundrylandgb.
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Hancock Shaker Village Awarded NEH Challenge Grant of $750,000
Hancock— The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded Hancock Shaker Village an Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant for $750,000. This is one of the five largest grants in the 2023 NEH funding cycle, which encompassed 258 recipients. The funding, and matching monies, will support the renovation of the Visitor Center/Center for Shaker Studies, providing a year-round footprint for the Village and a research hub for scholars.
With a dual goal of improving the visitor experience and protecting the Village’s world-class collection, the project will reimagine the existing building, introducing permanent collection galleries, a textile and works on paper gallery, open and vault storage, a library, new lobby, and multi-purpose spaces. It will include significant accessibility and visitor amenity improvements as well as the upgrade of all mechanical systems.
With over 33,000 objects, Hancock Shaker Village is defined by its collection. The building will introduce the history of Hancock through its objects, imparting Shaker narratives, highlighting works of artistic importance and cultural complexity, and foregrounding the hard-working community who crafted and used them. This collection-driven experience will inform the visitor’s journey prior to entering the grounds where they will be immersed in the physical context, the twenty historic buildings comprising the Village, where many of the objects functioned and were made.
Hancock Shaker Village Board Chair Bob Plotz said, “We thank NEH for this grant and look forward to fulfilling plans that will enable Hancock Shaker Village to better serve its communities”.
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Berkshire Artist Residency Program announces Kelly Potter and Noah Beauregard as 2023 Artists
Stockbridge— Berkshire Art Center, formerly IS183 Art School, is pleased to announce our two resident artists, Kelly Potter and Noah Beauregard, for the Berkshire Artist Residency 2023. The Red Lion Inn, in their sixth year hosting a resident artist, will be welcoming Noah Beauregard. Chesterwood, the home, studio, and gardens of America’s foremost 20th C. sculptor Daniel Chester French, located in Stockbridge, will be hosting Kelly Potter, their third resident artist.
Kelly Potter is a painter and a ceramic sculptor based in the Berkshires, MA. She received her Undergraduate BFA degree in Studio Arts at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she was awarded the Chancellor’s Talent Award, George M. Wardlaw Scholarship, and Second Place Juried Junior Senior Show Award. Her visual art is based on preliminary studies of plant and animal activity within semi-natural locations in the Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley. Using oil painting and wall mounted ceramic relief sculpture, she investigates a dynamic between the tamed and the untamed. Learn more about Kelly Potter online.
Noah Beauregard is a painter working out of Berkshire County, MA. Drawn to painting and design and as a child, Beauregard’s art focuses on abstracting common images through form and color. Beauregard pushes recognizable scenes into a bright, bizarre world of saturated color and mythic design. The human form and unworldly plants are common motifs in his work. Learn more about Noah Beauregard online.
Since 2012, Berkshire Art Center has coordinated Artist Residencies that pair local visual artists with cultural institutions and historic landmarks across the Berkshires. The heart of the Berkshire Artist Residency is to give local visual artists the opportunity to create new work inspired by their home county. The extended length and flexible hours of the program give artists, who might not have the luxury to attend residencies that pull them away from home for long periods of time, the ability to further their career and create work in a way that compliments their current practice. Berkshire Art Center recognizes the important outlet and invaluable opportunity an artist residency provides. Our tailored program gives visual artists exclusive access to world class cultural facilities and historic landmarks to develop new work that intertwines with the fabric of our county. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Stockbridge Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
The Summer 2023 program will begin at both locations on May 29th and run through September 4th. The two artists will receive access to the buildings and grounds of their site and support for the development, creation, and exhibition of their work. During the summer, both artists are invited to teach classes through Berkshire Art Center and will deliver an Artist Talk to share their experiences, inspiration, and process during their residency. Each residency closes with a reception and exhibition of the artist’s work.
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Greylock ABC Fund expands mission and offers new grant program
Williamstown— The Greylock ABC Fund launched earlier this month with a renewed mission to support the educational development of students in grades pre-K through 12. The Fund, established in partnership with Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF), maintains its long-standing focus on educational attainment for students of color while extending opportunities to students of low socio-economic status, and program support for multicultural and academic programs that benefit students of all demographic groups. The Fund offers two distinct opportunities. The first is a grant open to schools and nonprofits, and the second is a scholarship for individual students to attend local private schools.
Greylock ABC Fund offers grants of up to $7,500 in support of multicultural education or academic preparation for students of color and/or low-socio-economic status in pre-kindergarten and K-12 schools. Funding is open to nonprofit organizations and school districts serving residents of Pittsfield and Northern Berkshire County that meet the eligibility guidelines. The grant application is open now through May 29th.
The Greylock ABC Fund Scholarship is open to students of color and/or students with financial need to support the education-related costs to attend a residential high school in Berkshire County and their readiness to pursue college or another post-secondary education institution. Scholars may apply for up to $5000 for any education-related need. The scholarship application is open now through May 29th.
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WMHT Joins Public Media Organizations in Statewide Initiative to Assist Older Adults Experiencing Social Isolation
Albany— WMHT Public Media, a multichannel public communications organization serving Eastern New York and Western New England, today announced its participation in a statewide initiative designed to address social isolation among older adults. “Aging Together in New York”, a collaboration between all nine PBS Member Stations across the state and the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA), will feature a premiere week of programming from Monday, May 15 to Sunday, May 21 to launch the ongoing effort.
“Aging Together in New York” will draw attention to the value of older adults in our communities and provide resources to help seniors build resilience and combat social isolation. Together with public broadcasters throughout New York, WMHT will reach older adults on broadcast television and radio, online, and at in-person events with new documentaries, short films, and other engaging content.
“There is a need to support the mental health and overall wellbeing of older adults across New York,” said Anthony V. Hayes, President and CEO of WMHT Public Media. “While loneliness presents a significant threat to the health of our communities, there are resources that can help. Through this unique initiative, WMHT, our public media partners, and NYSOFA will provide older adults and their loved ones with stories that reflect the lived experience across New York state, and share examples of connection that benefit us all.”
WMHT will air and stream several programs as part of the Aging Together in New York initiative, including “Young At Heart 40th Anniversary Special “ on Thursday, May 18th at 7:30 p.m. and on Friday, May 19th at 5 p.m.
Fifteen years ago, PBS stations aired a wildly popular documentary about a chorus composed entirely of singers and musicians over the age of 70. This new one-hour concert, filmed last November, revisits the chorus for its 40th Anniversary Special, “New York Now”. It will be aired on Friday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m.
WMHT will create a ten-part series of short videos highlighting the lived experience of older adults, and sharing ideas and resources for reducing isolation and strengthening community. Additional content will be shared online at wmht.org/agingtogether.
Public media organizations will continue to examine the issue and share critical resources to address social isolation and loneliness as the effort continues until the end of the year.
New York State Office for the Aging Director Greg Olsen said, “NYSOFA is pleased to work with PBS stations across New York State to help shine a light on the often-hidden problem of social isolation. The health effects of social isolation are equivalent to smoking almost a pack of cigarettes daily, and the added stress of feeling alone increases heart disease and even earlier onset of dementia. I look forward to joining PBS in the conversation about these important solutions.”
