The Du Bois Freedom Center, The Scottsboro Boys Museum to Host Travel Exhibit

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.—The Du Bois Freedom Center hosts The Scottsboro Boys Traveling Exhibit, opening Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Center's Main Street office, located at 309 Main Street in Great Barrington.

Presented byThe Scottsboro Boys Museum in Scottsboro, Alabama, the exhibit will remain on view through late April.

The exhibit tells the story of nine Black teenagers who became international symbols of racial injustice in the 1930s. The Scottsboro Boys case sparked global outrage and was the foundation for two paramount U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Its legacy to the civil rights movement is immeasurable. 

"This exhibit connects the Scottsboro Boys' legacy to the enduring fight for justice that W.E.B. Du Bois championed," said Dr. John D. Lloyd, Interim Executive Director of the Du Bois Freedom Center. "We are honored to bring this history to Massachusetts."

The partnership between the Du Bois Freedom Center and the Scottsboro Boys Museum brings together two seminal forces in civil rights history. It explores the NAACP's involvement in the Scottsboro Boys case, the responses of communities in the North—particularly in Massachusetts—and the enduring legal strategies that emerged from the case, many of which continue to shape justice efforts today.

This will be the first showing of the travel exhibit outside of Alabama. Dr. Thomas Reidy, Executive Director of The Scottsboro Boys Museum, said,  "We have shown it throughout the state, but this is its first journey above the Mason-Dixon line."  

In conjunction with the exhibit, the Du Bois Freedom Center and the Scottsboro Boys Museum will host a moderated conversation on Thursday, February 12, at 5:00 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. The exhibit will be open for viewing prior to the discussion. The program will feature Dr. Thomas Reidy and Dr. Whitney Battle-Baptiste, Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Center at UMass Amherst, and will be moderated by Marcus P. Smith, History and Archival Fellow at the Du Bois Freedom Center.

"The history of the Scottsboro Boys Case—and the work of the Scottsboro Boys Museum—is both inspiring and essential, highlighting the powerful role museums can play in fostering community and advancing justice," said Marcus Smith.

More information about the associated events or the travel exhibit is available at www.thescottsboroboysmuseum.com

 

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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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