Berkshire Pulse Welcomes New Staff and Board Members

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HOUSATONIC, Mass. — Berkshire Pulse, South County's dance and creative arts education center located in the heart of Housatonic, announced the addition of three new staff and board members.
 
Joan Coombs - Board President - Joan (she/her) has over 40 years of nonprofit leadership experience in executive positions at metropolitan nonprofits, development positions at local and national levels, and volunteer chairs of national and community level boards, committees, and initiatives. Joan capped a 27-year career at Planned Parenthood affiliates in NYC, Boston, and Philadelphia, where she served as President/CEO, by serving as senior vice president at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Prior to Planned Parenthood, Joan served as a professional in higher education administration at Syracuse, Boston, and Brandeis Universities.
 
Joan joined the Berkshire Pulse Board of Directors on July 1 as President, stepping into the position previously held by Gail Gelmuth for the past 2.5 years. In her new role, Joan will build upon her experience as a long-time Pulse student, supporter, and governance consultant to lead the organization during an exciting time of growth and expansion.
 
Allegra Chin - Senior Development Manager - Allegra Chin (they/them) joined Pulse on July 8 in the role of Senior Development Manager. Working alongside Pulse's Executive Director, Founder/Artistic Director, and Board of Directors, they will be responsible for supporting Pulse's capital campaign for its future home at 410 Park Street (Housatonic), expanding giving and donor engagement, and sustaining grant funding for Pulse's school and community programs.
 
Allegra was born and raised in the Berkshires and has spent the past 6 years working with cultural organizations that they loved as a child. After earning their engineering degree at the University of Hartford, they decided to take some time to explore a few alternate life paths. This brought them to their first development job with the Berkshire Museum and they've since spent time at Hancock Shaker Village and Barrington Stage Company. As a musician themself, they are invested in supporting the thriving arts community here in Berkshire County.
 
Jaimee Christiant - Community and School Programs Manager- Pulse is thrilled to welcome Jaimee (she/her) back to the team. For over 25 years, Jaimee—a proud Litchfield County native—has worn many hats at Pulse: from dancer, front desk team member, and translator, to now our dedicated Community & School Programs Manager, she has been deeply involved in the rhythm of Berkshire Pulse since its early beginnings. In her position, Jaimee will oversee Pulse's numerous In-School, Afterschool, and Community Outreach programs, bringing Pulse's high-quality dance and creative arts education programs to schools and community groups throughout the Berkshires. Pulse's school and community programs reach over 600 youth and adults each year, with programs such as Dance for the Special Child, Moving Life Stories, African-rooted Dance, as well as a residency program with the Pittsfield Boys & Girls Club. 
 
She holds a Master's degree in Hispanic Languages and Literature and has spent her adult life engaged in grassroots organizing and arts advocacy within the local Hispanic community. Passionate about cultural connection and community empowerment, she is thrilled to bring her experiences back to Pulse and looks forward to engaging with the rich and diverse Berkshire County population. In her spare time at home, Jaimee takes on more gardening projects than she could ever possibly finish. 
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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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