Student Exhibition Part Of Open Studios Event

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Natalie Tottenham
NORTH ADAMS – In celebration of the new art major at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, MCLA Gallery 51 will present “Passages and People: Work by MCLA Students,” in one of the Holden Street Annex Galleries as part of North Adams Open Studios, Oct. 18-19.

“Passages and People: Work by MCLA Students” features the work of current MCLA students Jamal Ahamad ’11, Jordan Pagan ’09 and Natalie Tottenham ’10. Also expected to exhibit is former student Aaron Andrews ’08.

“These students make time during their busy college lives to create art that is not for a class or an assignment, but driven by their own need to make what’s in their imagination come to life,” said Melanie Mowinski, assistant professor of visual art at MCLA. “Sometimes it’s a realistic portrait of a friend, other times it’s a funked-up illustration of a family member. Students also experiment with mixed-media and collage, seeking artist mentors in the community.”

According to Mowinski, Pagan’s work features a technique learned from North Adams artist Debi Pendell, and Tottenham entered work that she completed while studying abroad this summer in France.<L2>

MCLA Gallery 51 Annex is on Holden Street in North Adams. It will be open in conjunction with North Adams Open Studios, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18-19, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, go to www.mcla.edu/Gallery51 or contact Mowinski via e-mail at Melanie.mowinski@mcla.edu.
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Pittsfield Council Passes $232.7M Budget

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council unanimously approved a $232.7 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year. 

It is a modest, almost 2.9 percent increase from FY26. 

"I do want to give the community kind of a heads up as we move forward on budgets. What we see coming out of the federal government that's trickling down to the states, it's going to be harder and harder for us as a community to meet our needs under the Proposition 2 1/2," Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said. 

"We're going to have challenges, as we've seen communities across the state trying to override the Proposition 2 1/2, because we have dwindling amounts of money coming from the state and federal government." 

She pointed out that, at the same time, utility bills are going up for both residents and the city, as are the costs of pavement and other items. 

The amended budget of $232,777,720, down from the $232,782,090 originally proposed, includes cuts to the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the restoration of funds for councilors to attend the annual Massachusetts Municipal Association conference. 

The Pittsfield Public Schools' $86,855,061 budget includes $68,886,061 in state Chapter 70 funding and $18 million from the city. With $345,000 in school choice and Richmond tuition revenues, it totals $87,200,061 and is an approximately $300,000 increase from the Pittsfield Public Schools' FY26 budget of $86.9 million. 

The district's budget will fund 13 schools, as Morningside Community School will retire in the fall, and includes the middle school restructuring. 

Councilors also approved the use of $2 million in certified free cash to reduce the tax rate, and appropriated $450,551 for parking-related expenditures. 

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