Happy 120th Anniversary, Berkshire Museum!
At a celebratory gala, one of the Berkshires' most beloved institution looked back at its past and forward to its future.
Jonathan Feuer, Brian Tremblay, board treasurer; Larry Fischer (dressed in the style of his favorite decade, as guests were invited to do), and Susan Tremblay
In 1902, Zenas Crane of the Crane paper manufacturing company in Dalton, Massachsuetts envisioned an institution similar to the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but for the people of western Massachusetts. The Berkshire Museum opened a year later in Pittsfield. On Saturday, June 17, the museum’s supporters and staff gathered in that very same building to celebrate the museum’s 120 years and its continued place in the community. “This building, this institution doesn’t exist without the Crane family,” said Board President Ethan Klepetar, as he turned the remarks portion of the evening over to Doug Crane, who related the history of his family’s involvement in Pittsfield. The party was an opportunity for guests to get the first look at the Cabinet of Curiosities: 1903-1939, the first installment of a three-part exhibition series celebrating the history of the Berkshire Museum, featuring iconic pieces of the collection. It was also the opening of “Romance & Nature: Art of the Hudson River School,” a collection of paintings from Hudson River School artists as well as lithographs from John James Audubon, all part of the Berkshire Museum’s permanent collection. That exhibit will run through October 1.
Berkshire Museum's 120-year timeline
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Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
