The Berkshires are a mecca for world-renowned arts and culture, with dance, theater, and museums galore. So, it should come as no surprise that the largest city in Berkshire County boasts an exciting and active cultural scene.
Zydalis Bauer sat down with Jennifer Glockner, Director of Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development to discover all that Pittsfield as to offer, from eclectic restaurants to intimate theaters and performance spaces.
This story originally aired on June 25, 2021.
Read the full transcript:
Zydalis Bauer, Connecting Point: The Berkshires are a mecca for a world-renowned arts and culture, with dance theater and museums galore. So, it should come as no surprise that the largest city in Berkshire County boasts an exciting and active cultural scene.
I sat down with Jennifer Glockner, Director of Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development, to discover all that the city has to offer.
Jennifer Glockner, Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development: Pittsfield is the heart of the Berkshires. We are smack dab in the middle and we tell everyone that we are accessible to everything from Pittsfield.
But also, Pittsfield is the only place where you can stay downtown at a hotel and within a half mile of where you’re staying, there are art galleries, there are museums, there are theaters, there are performing arts, world-renowned performing arts spaces. Berkshire Theatre Group, Colonial Theatre, and Barrington Stage has several footprints in Pittsfield.
Zydalis Bauer: Tell me where we are and what this place is?
Jennifer Glockner: This is the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts. We’re so fortunate that it’s owned by the city of Pittsfield. There are nine artists studios here. And then, this is an art gallery.
We rotate art shows every month, typically opening on the first Friday of the month during first Fridays Arts Walk. But we have Art in our School every May, which is on the walls right now. These are Pittsfield High School AP Art students. And then we have CATA, Community Access to the Arts, every July here.
So, we have shows that happen every year, but then we have unique shows, also.
Zydalis Bauer: The city is known for its many cultural events, such as Third Thursdays and the Ten by Ten Up Street Arts Festival.
Can you tell us about those events and others that you offer throughout the year?
Jennifer Glockner: We love Third Thursday. In a typical normal quote unquote, Third Thursday, it’s a big street festival. The half mile downtown of North Street shuts down to cars and there’s pedestrians and food trucks and vendors and entertainment.
So, this year we’re actually doing something like that on Friday, September 17th– save the date — over at the Common, which is another gem in Pittsfield, this beautiful park. And we’re doing a block party.
The Ten by Ten Up Street Arts Festival is a partnership with Barrington Stage. Julie Boyd, the artistic director at Barington Stage, came to this office and said, “I want to do a Ten by Ten new play festival.”
Every ten minutes, a new play begins. It’s phenomenal. You’re laughing one minute and crying the next minute. And you can’t believe that there’s five or six actors doing this whole thing.
Zydalis Bauer: Now, a vibrant city usually has an active culinary scene, and it’s one of my favorite things about the city of Pittsfield.
What can foodies expect to find when they visit?
Jennifer Glockner: Everything! I mean, Pittsfield, again, is just — it blows my mind, all of the international culinary experiences you can get in Pittsfield. And right here downtown, there’s tapas, Mexican food, Asian fusion.
Zydalis Bauer: Through Artscape, the city embraces public art display.
What is Artscape and what new public art projects are you unveiling this year?
Jennifer Glockner: Artscape is a great organization and it’s a committee that meets once a month. The mission of the committee is to bring public art to Pittsfield, downtown and beyond. And Artscape has done some great things.
We did the electrical load boxes got transformed to works of art and we did call for art for those. There is a beautiful mural on top of the lantern building called “The Sun Will Rise” and it’s gorgeous.
Over the next six to eight months, there will be more murals popping up in Pittsfield, for sure. So, we’re really excited that Berkshire Lightscapes is expanding. It’s a great up-lighting throughout downtown. So, if you come down to Pittsfield at night, it’s beautiful. You see these lights throughout downtown.
And we are announcing an expansion of this in mid-July, where there will be an actual art show. And look for a call for artists in the late summer for an opportunity to be a part of that light show.
Zydalis Bauer: How important are the arts and the creative economy for the city?
Jennifer Glockner: It is the city. It sparks the economy to thrive. The arts and the creative economy is what makes Pittsfield what it is.
And then, it’s the ripple effect. They go out to dinner or some stay for the weekend. They go for coffee at the local coffee shop. I would say it’s a key part to Pittsfield.
Zydalis Bauer: And how is Pittsfield leveraging arts and culture to create a healthier, better represented, and more equitable city?
Jennifer Glockner: The creative economy and arts in Pittsfield is diverse. And it always has been. And we strive to pay attention to that in everything that we do. And it’s just an amazing thing that Pittsfield has.
Zydalis Bauer: Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development is the oldest of its kind in the county.
Talk to me about the history of this office and why it’s important for municipalities to have a cultural facilitator on staff.
Jennifer Glockner: It is unusual around the country to have a municipal office of cultural development. And we are very thankful every year that the city councilors and the mayor and the city staff continue to say, “yes, we want this.” And here in Pittsfield, the city of forty four thousand in western Massachusetts, we have it and we’re thankful.
