Exhibition Openings for Berkshire Artist Residency Program

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STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. Berkshire Art Center's 2024 Berkshire Artist Residency Program is coming to a close with three exhibition openings this summer and fall at Chesterwood, The Red Lion Inn and Ventfort Hall. 
 
This year, local artists, Dai Ban, Grigori Fateyev, Kyle Strack, Kara Smith, and Stacy Scibelli worked at their respective sites for three months using each unique historical setting as inspiration for their art-making.
 
Chesterwood Artists-in-Residence, Dai Ban, Grigori Fateyev and Kyle Strack, will have an opening of their exhibition, "Chesterwood Reimagined: Architecture and Sculpture in Dialogue", on Friday, Aug. 30, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Morris Center Studio at Chesterwood. This group exhibition will be on view during Chesterwood's regular open hours, Wednesdays through Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., until Sept. 22, 2024.  Entrance to the Morris Center Studio is free, however, admission tickets are required if you would like to tour the contemporary sculpture show on the grounds or visit the historic Studio.  
 
Red Lion Inn Artist-In-Residence, Kara Smith, will have an opening of her exhibition, "Room 322: A Visual Investigation", on Saturday, September 7th, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Sun Room located on the first floor at The Red Lion Inn. Smith's exhibition will feature her newest collection of paintings, prints and mixed media work driven by an interest in memory, visual storytelling and modes of communication.
 
Later in the fall, Ventfort Hall Artist-In-Residence, Stacy Scibelli, will have an opening of her exhibition, "Spaceship Orion", on Thursday, October 17th, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Ventfort Hall. More details will be announced on Berkshire Art Center's website and social media. 
 
The Berkshire Artist Residency Program began in 2012 as a partnership with the Red Lion Inn. In addition to the Red Lion Inn, the program has expanded to include Chesterwood and Ventfort Hall. The heart of the Berkshire Artist Residency is to give local visual artists the opportunity to create new work inspired by their home county. Artists were chosen from a selection of diverse applicants and offered the opportunity to work on the grounds of each historic site to develop new work that intertwines with the fabric of our county. The Berkshire Artist Residency is supported in part by grants from the Stockbridge Cultural Council and Lenox Cultural Council, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
 
Artists' work will also be available for purchase through Berkshire Art Center's Gallery Shop at berkshireartcenter.org/gallery-shop. 
 
Chesterwood is located at 4 Williamsville Road in Stockbridge, Massachusetts; The Red Lion Inn is located at 30 Main Street in Stockbridge, Massachusetts; and Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion & Museum is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox, Massachusetts.
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Reps. Leigh Davis, Bud Williams Filing Legislation Honoring Freeman

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — State Reps. Leigh Davis of the 3rd Berkshire District and Bud L. Williams, of the 11th Hampden District, are filing legislation establishing Aug. 22 as Elizabeth Freeman Day of Equality, Healing, and Remembrance in the commonwealth.
 
The legislation would direct the governor to annually issue a proclamation recognizing the courageous contributions of Elizabeth Freeman, an enslaved Black woman known as Mum Bett, whose landmark freedom suit helped spark the legal end of slavery in Massachusetts.
 
"Elizabeth Freeman's story began here in the Berkshires, but its impact reached every corner of the commonwealth," said Davis. "More than two centuries later, her legacy continues to inspire us. Establishing Elizabeth Freeman Day will ensure that future generations learn not only about her extraordinary bravery, but also about the power of one person to change the course of history."
 
In 1781, Freeman, of Sheffield at the time, challenged the institution of slavery by filing suit against her enslaver, Col. John Ashley. In the landmark case Brom and Bett v. Ashley, a Berkshire County jury ruled in favor of Freeman and her fellow plaintiff, Brom, granting them their freedom. The case demonstrated the power of the Massachusetts Constitution's declaration that all people are born free and equal and helped pave the way for the Quock Walker decisions that ultimately ended slavery in the commonwealth. 
 
"Freeman's courage changed the course of history in Massachusetts," said Williams. "At a time when the odds were stacked against her, she stood up and demanded that the promises of liberty and equality contained in our Constitution apply to her as well. She risked everything to challenge an unjust system, and her victory helped lay the foundation for the end of slavery in our commonwealth. Her legacy deserves to be recognized and remembered by every resident of Massachusetts."
 
Although unable to read or write, Freeman understood the meaning of freedom and equality and took extraordinary action to secure those rights for herself and others. Her story remains one of the most powerful examples of individual courage in the face of injustice. 
 
Elizabeth Freeman Day will provide an opportunity for reflection, education, healing, and remembrance, said Williams. 
 
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