W.E.B. Du Bois Statue Unveiling Set Saturday

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The statue of W.E.B. Du Bois will be unveiled at Mason Public Library on Saturday.
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — A life-size sculpture of civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois will be unveiled in his hometown this Saturday at 2 p.m. 
 
The bronze sculpture, created by artist Richard Blake, will sit on a curving marble bench at the center of a redesigned plaza at Mason Public Library. The site features renovated steps, added seating, and a sense of welcome. 
 
"This moment represents years of dedication from so many people," said Ari Zorn, co-chair of the W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project. "We are bringing Dr. Du Bois home in a way that invites everyone to sit with him, reflect with him, and carry forward his legacy. This sculpture isn't just a monument — it's a space for justice, remembrance, and stewardship."
 
The unveiling is part of the fourth annual Du Bois Forum, an annual retreat and year-round fellowship dedicated to the Black intellectual and artistic traditions inspired by the writer and historian, held July 18–20 across historic sites in the Berkshires.
 
Born in Great Barrington in 1868, Du Bois was a pioneering sociologist, civil rights leader, author, and co-founder of the NAACP. His 1903 work "The Souls of Black Folk" is a foundational text in American literature and thought. Du Bois graduated from the former Searles High School in 1884, and his early education was supported by members of the local Congregational Church, located next door to the Mason Library.
 
"As we launch into our nation's semiquencentennial, redefining how we memorialize our past and whose stories are told will be critical as we respond to the present and shape our future," said Imari Paris Jeffries, president and CEO of Embrace Boston, a partner in the sculpture project,. "We're honored to be a part of this project. We're also excited to have the Du Bois unveiling kick off a series of monument marker plaques commemorating a radically inclusive 250th anniversary of this country through our Everyone 250 coalition."
 
Everyone250 is a initiative to celebrate the nation's birth through "a lens of justice, anti-racism, and belonging" and to amplify voices often left out the narrative. Paris Jeffries is co-chair of the initiative. 
 
The unveiling will include remarks from former Gov. Deval Patrick, forum co-founder and Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer David Levering Lewis, and Paris Jeffries. 
 
The weekend brings together about 50 scholars, artists, and community members for talks, tours and performances. It will honor Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, Gov. Patrick and Diane Patrick, and Paris Jeffries on Friday night for their outstanding contributions to African American history and heritage work at the local, regional, and national levels. 
 
The dinner and a dance performance at Jacob's Pillow are ticketed, but a number of events are free, including the dedication. Contact duboisforum@tufts.edu for ticketing information and itinerary.
 
The fourth annual Du Bois Forum Roundtable & Celebration will be held at Jacob's Pillow in Becket on Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. (The following dance and dinner are ticketed events.)
 
Chesterwood is also hosting a free community event on "Creating W.E.B Du Bois" with sculptor Richard Blake, who will share his process in creating the monument, on Friday from 5 to 6 p.m. and a panel discussion on Du Bois on Sunday from 1 to 2 p.m. 
 
A "W.E.B. Du Bois and the Black Berkshires" tour begins at 12:30 on Saturday and will feature stops like the historic Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church (now the Du Bois Freedom Center), James Weldon Johnson's writing cabin and concludes at the library for the unveiling. 
 
Community partners in the project also include Blackshires, Chesterwood, Housatonic Heritage, Great Barrington Library Trustees, W.E.B. Du Bois Town Legacy Committee, Great Barrington Select Board, and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism's MA250.

Tags: du bois,   monument,   unveiling,   

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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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