Parties & Openings
May 13 - Great BarringtonConstruct's Mayfest Fundraiser |
Pittsfield - May 11Going red for Rogue Angel |
May 11 - LenoxCATA'S 20th anniversary |
Construct Inc. Brings Out the Community
Rachel Louchen reports from Great Barrington. It seemed as if just about everyone in the Berkshires gathered at Crissey Farm on Monday, May 13, for Construct Inc.‘s annual fundraiser, Mayfest, which raises money so that the organization can continue to provide housing, financial aid, and other multiple forms of support to those in need in Southern Berkshire County. The packed room included more than a dozen local restaurants, which ran the gamut from Aroma, The Great Barrington Bagel Co., tacos from Gedney Farm, and sweet treats supplied by Klara’s Gourmet Cookies. This year, a large portion of the evening’s proceeds will go towards an addition to Contruct’s main building — a community center called Priscilla’s Room, where women can safely gather for educational as well as recreational classes. At left; Property Manager and Administrative Assistant Lisa Henriques, with Executive Director Cara Davis.
Rich Petrino of Great Barrington with his wife, Elaine Radiss; Marilyn Lebowitz of Alford and former board member Elaine Silberstein.
Barney Stein and Maureen Phillips of Greylock Federal Credit Union, one of the evening’s underwriters; Barbara Vossbergh and Caren Mercer .
Bill Ryan and his wife, Deb Ryan, supported the event as underwriters.
Sherri Gorelick with her cupcake pops; Cyril Dray and Dayne Kelly, owners of Cyril & Dayne.
Fiori’s Executive Chef Rachel Hunter and Bar Manager Jesse Watkins; Board members John James and Marcia Lawrence Soltes.
Former Construct board member and realtor Barbara Schulman, with Anita Schilling, and artist Kerry Millikin.
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Posted by Rachel Louchen on 05/13/13 at 08:41 PM • Permalink
CATA Celebrates 20 Years of Making Art
Amy Krzanik reports from Lenox.
Despite the rain, spirits were high on Saturday, May 11, as Community Access to the Arts (CATA) celebrated its 20th anniversary in style at Shakespeare and Company. The night’s festivities included cocktails, silent and live auctions, a gourmet dinner, and a dance party with DJ BFG to close out the gala. But the highlight of the evening came as 50 CATA participants took the stage at the Tina Packer Theater. Founder and Executive Director Sandra Newman (second from left, with Roselle Chartock, CATA Board President John Whalan, and Alan Chartock) spoke about the nonprofit’s mission and wonderful successes, and then let the evening’s performances speak for themselves. Both teachers and students acted, sang, rapped, tapped, danced, juggled, and serenaded their way into the hearts of the delighted audience. Congratulations, CATA, and here’s to 20 more years of helping Berkshire County’s adults with disabilities be “a part of art.”
Caitlin Nash, Annie Selke, Chris Masiero, and Kelly Vickery; CATA Board Member Catherine Mandel and supporter Nancy Kalodner.
Cory and Tony Schifano; Paula and Andy Miller with Andrew Beckwith.
Terry Wise, Nancy Nirenberg, and Jay Wise; CATA faculty artists Lara Gonzalez and Yael Shacham.
Tyler Weld and daughter; Ana Suffish and CADA Co-chair Linda Cooper.
Gala Committee Member Trisha Killeen and husband Brian Killeen; Pete and Jen Salinetti with children Noelia and Diego.
Board Member Elaine Radiss with Hope Davis; Board Member Melissa McGarrity and Gala Committee Member Margaret Keller.
Hester Velmans and Edith Velmans; Donors Vicki Bonnington and David Schecker.
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Posted by Amy Krzanik on 05/13/13 at 11:27 AM • Permalink
Ladies (and Gentleman) in Red: Rites of Passage Fundraising Gala
Rachel Louchen reports from Pittsfield.
Guests were told to dress to impress in red on Friday, May 11, for a fundraiser gala benefiting Rogue Angel Theater at the Whitney Center, which was transformed into a festively decorated room with rose petals strewn on the floor, red lighting, and Moroccan style drapery hanging from the ceilings. Hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and chocolates were served, while crimson-clad guests enjoyed music and had the opportunity to bid on the silent auction and visit a tarot card reader. The gala was held to raise money for the upcoming Rites of Passage performance piece, which will be staged inside the Whitney, formerly the Women’s Club of the Berkshires, with each room of the stately brick edifice representing a different stage in a woman’s life from childhood to old age. The event will run for four nights in June and involves dozens of people, aged 1 to 90. The evening’s spectacular turnout was more than encouraging for theater director Pooja Ru Prema, at left with Laura Geilen, who will be performing in the upcoming production.
Amy Warner, Katie Hagel, and Julia Erickson.
Amy Tanner of Housatonic with longtime Rogue Angel supporter Jennifer Clark; Kelsa Summer and Chenoa Pelligra of Hillsdale.
Jocelyn McEwan with Nadine Hottat; Michael Bushy and Gabrielle Senza, who will perform in the “Hysteria Room” during Rites of Passage.
Susan Bryan of Otis and Beth Bacon of Great Barrington; Walter McTeigue and Caroline McTeigue.
The evening auctioneer, Helsinki Hudson’s Cameron Melville with friend Lizzy West; Ty Elliston and Ronja Geilen of Alford.
Christine Root, playwright Elizabeth Blackshine, and Maris Nichols.
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Posted by Rachel Louchen on 05/12/13 at 10:38 PM • Permalink
Ramp Fest: Third Time’s Still the Charm
Dale Stewart reports from Hudson.
If the line snaking out to the parking lot of Basilica Hudson on Saturday, May 4, was any indication, the third annual Ramp Fest was a wild success. And the lines didn’t stop at the parking lot: Some foodies piled up three deep to sample spring’s first forageable delicacy, as interpreted by standouts like New Lebanon’s Blueberry Hill Market Café and Milan’s Another Fork in the Road. Ramps, a perennial member of the onion family known to be plentiful in the Hudson Valley, took center stage with twenty participating restaurants serving up ramps and live music. The Fest is the brainchild of Jeff Gimmel of Swoon Kitchenbar and stationery maven Alison Riley, pictured left.
Mikhaila Simeon, Roema Rotondo, Lena Deleo, Derek Dillinger, and Mike Rotindo.
Helsinki Hudson’s Hugh Horner, Sean Elliott, and Riley Murkett; Fish and Game’s Zakary Pelaccio and Jori Jayne Emde.
Ca’Mea co-owner Max Cenci takes an Italian interpretation of the ramp.
Lynn Galluscio and Erika Clark; Basilica Hudson’s Nancy Barber and William Stone.
Carrie Leonard and Lara Gorton; Zia Anger and music producer Steve Durand.
Deborah Au-Yeung, Carol Gillard, Annie Mayer, Kip and Saadia McConville.
Nicholas Nicoletti, Michael Williams, and Katharine Umsted; gallerist Marianne Courville and Hudson Wine Merchants’ Michael Albin.
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Posted by Dale Stewart on 05/07/13 at 10:57 PM • Permalink
A Fabulous First: The PS21 Gala
Amy Krzanik reports from Chatham.
On Saturday, May 4, PS21 (Performing Spaces for the 21st Century) held its first-ever gala benefit at the beautifully decorated Cady Hall in Chatham. PS21 President Judy Grunberg (shown left, between friends Chris and Jim Warren) and Board Member James Kraft welcomed guests who ventured out on this warm spring evening to dine, dance, and mingle. Carlucci Simons Catering served wine, delicious appetizers, and a dinner buffet prepared using many locally sourced ingredients. Local bakers provided a dessert bar. Before and after dinner, partygoers were treated to dance interludes by members of the TAKE Dance Company, a PS21 past performer and area favorite. The gala, and the night’s quilt raffle courtesy of artist Melissa Sarris, support PS21’s annual summer season held at their venue just outside Chatham. From June through August, PS21 hosts concerts, dance and theatre performances, workshops for children and adults, and weekly films including a film festival.
Jim and Patti McKay; TAKE Dance Director and Choreographer Takehiro Ueyama, Eve Mykytyn, Denise Henkind, and Charles Rosen
Gloria Kaufman with architect Paul Miller and Elizabeth Miller; PS21 Board Member James Kraft, Linda Mussmann, and Duke Dang
Maurice and Paige Bowerman; Leslie Bedford, Sue Cohen, PS21 Board Member Paula Forman, and Roberta Todras
David Stocks, Michael Carter, and sculptor John Cooley; Karen Malina, Warren Collins, and Susannah Marks
Melanie Brandston, Howard Brandston, and Gwen Gould; Wayne Shelton, Judy Albert, and Julie Kabat
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Posted by Amy Krzanik on 05/05/13 at 11:02 AM • Permalink
In the Shed: Berkshire Botanical Garden Reception
Sarah Todd reports from Stockbridge.
Avid gardeners are constantly thinking of ways to up their backyard’s “wow” potential, from heirloom rose bushes to koi ponds. But although the humble potting shed is as much a part of the landscape as any trellis or azalea shrub, it often gets overlooked. That oversight was handily remedied at the Berkshire Botanical Garden’s opening reception for “Down to Earth” on Saturday, May 4. On display were six state-of-the-art potting sheds donated to the Garden by local architects, each built with an eye to aesthetics and the environment. Highlights included John Carchedi’s elegant wood-slatted shed, which drew inspiration from Hawaiian surf shacks and Japanese cha-shitsus; Clark and Green‘s interactive shed with sliding walls; and Aaron Dunn‘s DIY structure, which children would help build the next day using cob — a mixture made from mud, straw, and stone. Board Chairman Matt Larkin (left, with landscape designer Jonathan Keep, Coast of Maine’s Sue Lavallee, and Andrea Austin) welcomed guests to an evening that had all the ingredients of a great outdoor party: magnolia trees in bloom, modern design galore, and a wheelbarrow filled with chilled white wine and cocktail mixers, which followed guests down idyllic dirt paths.
Medical illustrator Catherine Delphia and Grant Larkin’s Aaron Dunn; lawyer Beau Buffier with Garden trustees Ian Hooper and Michael Beck.
UMass Architecture and Design students Della Donahue and Jess Caruso; Clark and Green’s Scott Henderson with Allegrone Construction’s Joe Lewis.
Walter Maxwell, Lisa Maras, Silo Bed and Breakfast’s Tom Murphy and Marion Jansen, and Jackie Maxwell.
JK Custom Furniture and Design’s Josh and Kristen Kanter; medical student Abigail Shrang and Steven Rufo.
Gary and Beverly Igleburg with architect John Carchedi; magnolias frame a sumptuous spread.
Rebecca Turner and Darrell Turner with Clark and Green’s Glenn Goble and his daughter Kate Goble.
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Posted by Sarah Todd on 05/04/13 at 09:35 PM • Permalink
IS183’s Inaugural Berkshire Arts Educator Award
Fiona Breslin reports from Pittsfield.
In an academic world devoted to testing and sitting at desks, the art room is and always has been a haven for students. We are lucky that the RI region values creativity, and to acknowledge all K-12 arts educators in Berkshire County, IS183, art school of the Berkshires, hosted its first ever Arts Educator Award and Art Educator Reception, Thursday, April 25, at The Colonial Threatre. More than 200 teachers were nominated by the community for the award, 20 were selected by a panel of judges, and in the end, it was my own former art teacher, Krista Kennedy, of the memorable room K01 at Monument Mountain Regional High School who received the first annual Berkshire Arts Educator of the Year award. Kennedy (above with fellow Monument teacher and nominee Linnea Mace) started teaching at Monument when she brought her art portfolio to the interview rather than a curriculum. This was exactly what the school wanted, and Kennedy has fostered creativity there ever since. “We live in a time where the school culture is about testing and creativity is not well thought upon,” said Kennedy in her thank you speech. “This is a really important time for us to push problem solving and creativity, that’s our job as art teachers.”
Hoosac Vally’s Alexa Bermudez with Elizabeth Kick; IS183’s Cecilia Hirsch and Amy Butterworth.
IS183 executive director Hope Sullivan and Megan Whilden, panel member and director of cultural development, city of Pittsfield; Judith Pomerantz, Katie Malone Smith, and Clinton Smith.
Award nominee Michael Vincent Bushy with art teacher Mary Beth Eldridge, award nominee Barbara Patton, and award nominee Lisa Ostellino.
Valerie Zantay, Lynda Mulvey, and Tyler Malik; Neel Webber, award nominee and art department supervisor at Monument Mountain, Krista Kennedy, and award nominee Linnea Mace.
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Posted by Fiona Breslin on 04/30/13 at 03:43 PM • Permalink
RSYP Cooks Up a Storm at John Andrews
Fiona Breslin reports from Egremont.
It was one of the first warm nights of Spring, Wednesday April, 24, and couldn’t have been a better evening to celebrate Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP) and its spring culinary interns Table Dinner at John Andrews Restaurant . Under the tutelage of chef Dan Smith, five students curated and prepared a creative and mouth-watering tasting menu of house-made ricotta fritters, black olive puree, ravioli with spring greens, meats, cheeses, desserts, and more, which they served to a sold-out house. RSYP helps Berkshire youth by supporting activities to encourage self-worth and responsibility; its culinary apprenticeship program offers students the chance to learn from local top chefs — gaining valuable work skills or, possibly, a job a with a local business. As guests dined, the young chefs were presented their certificates of completion and a raffle was drawn for dinner at—John Andrews, of course!
Berkshire Rental Properties Claudia Laslie, Georgia Karbelnikoff, and Rebecca Bruun; RSYP board member Barbara Manring, Cheryl Raifstanger, and RSVP board vice president Gery Rybacki.
RSYP board member and realtor Barbara Schulman with Freddy Friedman and Mary Jo Friedman; Mark and Caren Rosengren.
Builder Lou Boxer, RSYP board member Beno Friedman, and Stephanie Blumenthal; Phil Timpane, Sugar Timpane, and Paul Clark.
RSYP board member Barbara Manring, RSYP executive director Ananda Timpane, and RSYP board member Barbara Watkins, winner of the evening’s raffle.
Lyn Yonack, RSYP clerk Eric Bruun, Rebecca Bruun, and Anya Van Wagtendonk; RSYP alumni Kirsten Thorn with Caitlin Harrison.
Lou Boxer, realtor Nancy Kalodner, and Molly Boxer; party planner Amy Rudnick and artist Ben Hillman.
Students from the RSYP culinary apprenticeship program with John Andrews chef/owner Dan Smith.
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Posted by Fiona Breslin on 04/28/13 at 05:21 PM • Permalink
