CATA Announces New Staff

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Community Access to the Arts (CATA) announces the hiring of Nina Boutsikaris as Grants & Communications Coordinator and Jeremy Lovelett as Communications Associate.
 
These new positions will support CATA's Communications department to help grow public awareness and expand financial support for CATA's work. CATA has expanded programs serving people with disabilities in recent years, with an innovative, community-based model rooted in partnerships with disability agencies, day-habilitation programs, residences, and schools. 
 
CATA currently provides more than 2,500 arts workshops annually for 1,250 children, teens, and adults with disabilities in painting, dance, acting, songwriting, drumming, creative writing, juggling, yoga, and more.
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Nina Boutsikaris and Jeremy Lovelett to the CATA team," said Margaret Keller, CATA Executive Director. "These new full-time roles are part of our strategic plan to engage more people with disabilities and expand opportunities for them to explore their talents and express themselves creatively."
 
Nina Boutsikaris (she/her) joins CATA following work as the Developmental Writer & Program Coordinator at the Diverse Future Foundation (Hudson, NY) and Archivist & Librarian at The John Ashbery Resource Center. Nina is a published author and former educator with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from University of Arizona, and MSLS in Archives Management from Simmons University. In her role at CATA, Nina will support CATA's Communications and Development departments, supporting writing projects including grants, newsletters, and strategic plan and campaign materials.
 
Jeremy Lovelett (he/him) joins CATA following roles as Managing Editor at The Edge (Ithaca, NY) and as Library Assistant in Tech Services at the Berkshire Athenaeum. Jeremy has a Bachelor of Music with Outside Field in Writing from Ithaca College. In his new role at CATA, Jeremy will support CATA's Communications department through a variety of projects, including social media, e-blasts, website maintenance, photography, copy editing, and graphic design.
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Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said. 

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