Berkshire Art Center Announces Spring 2026 Classes, New Workshop Series

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STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Berkshire Art Center (BAC) has announced its Spring 2026 lineup of classes and workshops, offering a range of creative opportunities in ceramics, mixed media, drawing, painting, and mindful art practices for artists of all levels.
 
BAC's ceramics studios will be active this season with courses such as Natural Sculptural Forms in Clay with Paula Shalan, Handbuilding Techniques: Altering Slab Forms with Ingrid Raab, and Thrown Forms for Teapots with Sharon Pollock. Additional offerings invite students to explore the expressive possibilities of clay through both handbuilding and wheel throwing.
 
For those interested in mixed media, BAC will offer workshops including Natural Dyeing with Plants: Eco-Printing Basics with Mallorey Carron, as well as Joyful Collaborative Collage and Joyful Jewelry Studio with Kim Waterman. Students can also join artist Jody King Camarra for Intuitive Collage or experiment with printmaking in her Print Lab sessions.
 
Drawing and painting classes will take place in BAC's spacious 2D studio, where instructor Wednesday Sorokin will lead courses including Painting Basics, Abstract Painting: Color, Design, and Spirit, and Drawing for Everyone, welcoming beginners and experienced artists alike. Friday Morning Painting Studio, a supportive and relaxed group setting for painters, will continue this season with guidance from Faculty Artist Diane Firtell. Open to artists working in any medium, the studio offers participants dedicated time to paint alongside others while receiving feedback and encouragement in a welcoming creative environment.
 
The spring schedule also includes opportunities to connect creativity with mindfulness. Executive Director Laura Thompson will lead a free three-week online series, Spark Your Creativity, inviting participants to explore reflection and creative renewal through guided meditation. Artist Thomas Libetti will also offer Drawing from Observation & Meditation, combining foundational drawing techniques with practices inspired by yoga and mindfulness.
 
BAC is also launching a new series of monthly workshops at Wander, located at 34 Depot Street, Suite 101 in Pittsfield. Held on the second Saturday of each month, BAC at Wander will introduce participants to creative techniques in a welcoming, community-centered setting. April's workshop, Indoor Urban Sketching with Jill McLean, will explore capturing scenes from everyday life—people, food, drinks, or interiors—using layered ink and watercolor. In May, Botanical Watercolor Resist with Johanna Merfeld will invite participants to draw from live plant materials while experimenting with the vibrant interaction between oil pastel and watercolor. In June, Visual Journaling with Kaily Ritz will guide students in creating a small sketchbook diary, combining drawing with collected mementos such as receipts, notes, and keepsakes to document daily life through art.
 
BAC's Spring 2026 programs are designed to foster creativity, connection, and exploration across a wide range of artistic disciplines.
 
For a full list of classes and registration information, visit berkshireartcenter.org. 
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Units Available at Lee's New Eagle Mill Housing Development

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

It's took more than a decade to bring the Eagle Lofts to fruition in the former Eagle mill. 

LEE, Mass. — Hearthway wants community members to know there are three-bedroom units available at The Lofts at Eagle Mill with little to no waitlist. 

The apartments at 73 West Center St. recently came online in the historic building on the banks of the Housatonic River after more than a decade of work. The first tenants began moving in last week. 

Three-bedroom units are less than $2,000 per month for those who meet income requirements. 

"These units are $1,855 a month with hot water included. To qualify, applicants must be under the 60 percent AMI income limit by household size and be able to afford the rent," the affordable housing provider wrote in a communication on Monday. 

"Mobile vouchers are welcomed."

A ribbon was cut at the former paper mill over the summer for 56 one- to three-bedroom, mixed-income units in the heart of downtown. 

According to a chart provided by Hearthway, 60 percent area median income is $55,320 per year for a one person household, $63,240 a year for a two-person household, $71,160 a year for a three-person household, and $79,020 a year for a four-person household. 

Applications are available in English and Spanish. They can submitted via email to leasing@hearthway.org, drop off to the main office at 1 Fenn St in Pittsfield, fax to 413-403-2710, or USPS mail to P.O. Box 1180, Pittsfield, MA 01202-1180. 

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