Artist Brielle Rizzotti is an inspiring example of how employment in the arts in western Massachusetts can attract and retain talented young professionals.
In 2011, when Brielle graduated from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with a degree in arts and arts management, she was focused on remaining in the region she’d grown to love during her college years. A Berkshire Hills Internship Program internship at IS183 Art School of the Berkshires that summer led to a full-time job as program and marketing coordinator.
Life was good but she left for California, something local planners bemoan as a negative indicator for our region. The story here is that Brielle came back. After almost three years in the Santa Cruz region, Brielle decided to return to western Massachusetts.
She was drawn back by many things: friends; the beauty of the region and the artistic opportunities available through her former employer, IS183 Art School; and the vibrant arts community in western Massachusetts. Brielle is deeply committed to the arts: she is an artist, arts educator and arts administrator. “I want to make art happen for the world in whatever way I can,” she says.
An artist
As an artist, Brielle enjoys transforming “unique, unexpected mediums” into art. Recently she’s been working in sewn media, starting with a series of “Pooties” – quirky, handmade plush creatures. She followed up her Pootie dolls with Moon Cats – plush cats with embroidered designs –and cushions inspired by gemstones. Her work has been exhibited at MCLA’s Gallery 51; the gallery at 28 Holden St. in North Adams; Caroll House Gallery in Keene, New Hampshire; and the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge.
A faculty artist
Brielle is a faculty artist at IS183 Art School of the Berkshires, where she teaches in the Learning Through Arts (LTA) program, which is an approach to arts integration that makes connections across multiple, rigorous disciplines. Brielle gives her LTA students the freedom to experiment with advanced art techniques and mediums, create unique wor, and find their voices while reinforcing academic curriculum goals.
When she teaches, she loves seeing her students develop a sense of “pride and accomplishment” as they create something new out of their own imaginations. In other classes, she notes, teachers may be looking for a right or wrong answer but, with arts, “mistakes can be turned into happy accidents … learning to adapt and improvise can allow a child’s piece to end up even better than before!” Brielle’s students learn to collaborate, explore and try new things–skills that benefit them well outside of the art studio.
An advisor: Youth Action Research Team
In 2017 a group of dynamic teenagers from the Morningside community in Pittsfield were gathered and the Youth Action Research Team was launched. With Brielle’s guidance, the YART students designed survey questions and then interviewed more than 60 community members on topics ranging from community gardening and public art to community engagement and safety. YART then presented its findings to the community at Shire City Sanctuary. YART’s recommendations for gardening and street art projects, informed by community needs, have been submitted with a grant proposal; the next step is putting it all into place!
A staff member: Brielle is back at IS183 Art School in the Berkshires
In addition to all of her other roles, Brielle also works as IS183’s materials coordinator. She makes sure that all classes have the supplies they need, a process that on occasion requires a “treasure hunt,” she says, given how diverse IS183’s offerings are.
Whether creating her own work, planning a curriculum or teaching students a new technique or media, each activity supports and strengthens her understanding of the other. “I can’t define myself in one particular category,” says Brielle. ”If I were just working in an office, just teaching or just making art, it would not be as fulfilling.” Whether making art, helping others make art or using art to solve community problems, Brielle brings all of her considerable skills to bear. Go, Brielle!
