New Marlborough — In a fitting return to its roots, Flying Cloud Institute (FCI) partnered with the former Cantina 229 in New Marlborough to host one heck of a S•M•Arty Party on Monday, July 24, a scant three miles north of the eponymous farmstead where—in 1984—Jane and Larry Burke hosted their first group of summer campers keen on getting their hands dirty making art. A crowd of about 140 friends, supporters, and alumni of the nonprofit turned out for an evening of celebrating the off-the-beaten path FCI has tread in the Southern Berkshires for nearly four decades.
“What Flying Cloud is, and what it represents, is not just held in any one program—or one child’s experience—it’s how [the organization] has cumulatively moved the needle in our region about what it is to be a creative person, what it is to go to school and be held as an artist and a scientist, and how we look at each other collaboratively and cooperatively to solve problems,” said Executive Director Maria Rundle in her welcoming remarks, before acknowledging that the very spirit of creative engagement being applauded by the crowd before her is currently under threat.
“It’s not something that we can take for granted as part of an educational experience, it is something we have to fight for,” said Rundle in a nod to the path unfurled back in 1984 that she and her team—including countless teaching artists, many of whom were in attendance—continue to walk in a collective effort to ensure that the lights, ignited by FCI’s founders, don’t go out.
“I just feel like the luckiest person in the world to have been able to do this,” said Jane Burke upon acknowledging that, after 33 years at the helm of the organization, she “always knew that [Flying Cloud] needed to reach more kids to keep it going … [which is why she] stepped back and let somebody who’s got pizazz take over,” she said in a nod to Rundle who came to FCI in 2017. As much as things have changed since that time, one constant has remained.
“The question at the heart of everything we do is: How do we create dynamic experiences for youth and educators to use science and art to problem solve?” Rundle told The Edge in a recent Spotlight on the nonprofit. What began as a center for community education specializing in environmental education, energy and land conservation, and the arts has ultimately grown to offer a robust array of programs in the arts and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) that serves over 2,000 youth and local educators annually.
Today, the mission of Flying Cloud Institute is to inspire young people and educators through dynamic science and art experiences that ignite creativity. Cheered on by a handful of current FCI participants, Rundle shared—from the mouths of babes—why supporting the nonprofit makes sense:
“What you do at Flying Cloud is you learn to be an artist … and a scientist,” said one child, based on her personal experience.
“So many kids love it, because it’s very inclusive … especially if [your kids] like making things, they will love [Flying Cloud],” said another young maker with a bright future ahead.
“This is where science meets art,” said another, employing a phrase coined by Larry Burke.
And, finally, one very young camper suggested the best part about FCI: “You can build things in New Pinesburg, because we’re all makers and we’re making things there,” the camper said, conjuring up a special grove of pine trees (located at April Hill Education and Conservation Center in South Egremont, FCI’s current home-base), one that pays homage to Pinesburg, the original grove located at Flying Cloud Farm.
The event—sponsored by Elyse Harney Real Estate, Berkshire Mountain Distillers, Carbon Point Partners, and Fiber Connect of the Berkshires—featured a smorgasbord of smoked meat courtesy of Josh Irwin of Cantina 229 fame, creative cocktails shaken by Billy Jack Paul of Mooncloud in Great Barrington, plus music by DJ Jules Jensen (both of the latter two being proud FCI alums).
In keeping with another facet of the nonprofit’s mission (to bring real scientists and real artists into relationship with youth in authentic ways), myriad artists working within the community donated original work—from handmade jewelry and pottery to quilted glass and woodcuts, and even smoked brisket—that, by way of a silent auction, served to fundraise for the next generation of artists and scientists, many of whom risk going unnoticed without programs like those offered by FCI.
“I want to give a great big shout out to the next generation of alums … who I can’t wait to see create art and make explorations in our big beautiful world,” said Rundle in closing, harnessing the energy of the crowd, “and make sure that this amazing, very special talent continues on into the future.”
