Roots Rising meets first tier crowdfunding goal in two days
Stockbridge — Roots Rising, a collaborative project between Berkshire Botanical Garden and Alchemy Initiative, is now on track to launch its summer youth program funded by a crowdfunding campaign that met its first tier goal of $10,000 in just two days. The two nonprofits will launch Roots Rising this summer using food and agriculture to build community and empower Pittsfield teens.
Roots Rising puts teenagers to work on farms, in community kitchens, and in local food pantries, and provides them with educational workshops on essential life skills. Donations from the program’s successful Tier One crowdfunding campaign will fund a summer pilot program providing jobs for teens at a variety of local work sites. The fundraising campaign is now focused on reaching its Tier Two goal of $20,000, which will enable Roots Rising to operate year-round. Mill Town Capital–a private, Berkshire-based investment company–has offered a $5,000 match: once the campaign reaches $15,000 in donations, Mill Town will give the final $5,000 to bring Roots Rising to its Tier Two goal. The Tier Three goal of $30,000 will offer Roots Rising financial sustainability by enabling the program to buy a food truck and launch a nonprofit, teen-run food truck business with ingredients from local farms. Roots Rising will continue its fundraising efforts until Wednesday, March 22.
–E.E.
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Massachusetts Nonprofit Network to hold meeting
Great Barrington — The Massachusetts Nonprofit Network will hold its annual Berkshire region meeting on Monday, March 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Saint James Place. This event is sponsored in part by the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires and is open to all nonprofits.
A number of emerging public policy issues at the state and federal level will have an immediate impact on Massachusetts nonprofits and span across subsector, budget size and region. Berkshire nonprofits are encouraged to attend to learn about key legislative issues impacting nonprofits, share best practices for effective advocacy, and plan strategy to respond to important legislation.
Online registration is available. For more information, call the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires at (413) 441-9542.
–E.E.
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Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School announces new director of development
Great Barrington — The Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School welcomes Edward Brozman as its new director of development. Most recently Brozman was the chief advancement officer at UMASS Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management. He has also served as vice president for institutional advancement at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish, Maine, and executive director of development and alumni relations at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. In the corporate sector, Brozman has been a sales and marketing executive for companies including Winfield Industries in San Diego; Anchor Systems Group in Providence, Rhode Island; Shared Medical Systems and Haemonetics in Boston; and Baxter Healthcare in Chicago. Brozman is an alumnus of the SUNY Oswego and also attended executive education at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
–E.E.
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Artist’s Resource Trust Fund awards $138,400 in grants
Sheffield — Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation has announced that the Artist’s Resource Trust Fund awarded $138,400 to 20 individual artists and eight organizations in New England and Columbia and northeast Dutchess counties in New York. Established in 1996, the A.R.T. fund supports midcareer visual artists, aged 35 and older, and nonprofit organizations that purchase, exhibit or commission work by regional artists.
British-born multimedia artist John K. Lawson of Sheffield received $1,000 to purchase materials to produce new oil paintings. His work will be on view at Lauren Clark Fine Art in Great Barrington at the end of the year.
MASS MoCA in North Adams was awarded $20,000 to display the work of six midcareer New England artists in a group exhibition titled “Explode Every Day: An Inquiry into the Phenomena of Wonder,” which features artists Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel, Tom Friedman, Megan and Murray McMillan, and Chris Taylor.
SculptureNow in Lenox received $4,750 for its annual sculpture exhibition at the Mount where work of William Carlson of Sandisfield and Robin Tost of Mill River, along with 26 other sculptors, will be on display from Thursday, June 1, to Tuesday, Oct. 31.
A full online list of A.R.T. recipients is available. Application submissions for 2017 are due by Tuesday, Aug. 1.
–E.E.
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Darrow School seeks artist-in-residence
New Lebanon, N.Y. — Darrow School is seeking an artist-in-residence whose work is focused in the visual arts for the 2017–2018 school year. The artist-in-residence will supplement current course elective with new innovative offerings.
The Artist in Residence program offers the selected artist the opportunity, time and space to further develop their artwork within a supportive community. The residency will also provide the artist with studio space, teaching and exhibition opportunities, housing, meals and a stipend. In exchange, the selected artist will be responsible for teaching one or two classes per semester, offering community weekend workshops, giving evening lectures on artistic process and artwork, serving as either a house parent or coach and attending various faculty functions. At the conclusion of the residency, the artist will donate a piece of artwork to the school.
A complete application must include a resume, an artist’s statement, a letter of intent, 10 .jpg images of artwork and two references. Interested applicants should send materials to Darrow School, Attn.: Liz Daly Fougère, 110 Darrow Rd., New Lebanon, NY 12125 by Saturday, April 1.
–E.E.
