Pittsfield Photographers Keep the Focus Local

Rural Intelligence article by Nicole Garzino

It wasn’t too long ago when “Pittsfield, snow and January” all mixed up together pretty much guaranteed quiet. No longer. Last Friday, more than 200 people showed up at the Lichtenstein Gallery for the opening reception of BerkshireCity: Pittsfield on Film, which proves that Pittsfield is pulsing with creative energy, even through the dark days of winter.

Revelers (including, from left, Berkshire International Film Festival founder Kelley Vickery, actress/singer Lauren Ambrose and her mother, Anne Garland) came from as far away as New York City to take in the juried exhibit, a collection of Pittsfield images by some 26 contemporary photographers. The artistically and thematically diverse works detail the surprising beauty found in empty lots, neighborhoods after dark, and pop-culture carnivals. Created in partnership with the Berkshire Film and Media Commission (BFMAC), the exhibit will live beyond its time on the walls (the show runs through March 6.) Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development is building a film database, hoping to attract film location scouts. Megan Whilden, director of cultural development, plans to make the exhibit an annual showcase of Pittsfield’s beauty and brawn. “We envision different themes each year,” says Whilden, “in order to highlight the diversity that is found in the Pittsfield landscape and to fill in the gaps in our film location database.” —Nicole Garzino

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