Berkshire County Historical Society Summer Season
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society (BCHS), located at Herman Melville's historic Arrowhead, will open its summer season on May 14 offering guided tours of the historic house Thursday through Monday beginning at 10 am.
Currently tours are available on Saturdays only.
"This summer we are expanding our exhibitions program to include programs both at Arrowhead and at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in downtown Pittsfield," said Executive Director Lesley Herzberg. "The Arrowhead show will explore the rich history of the Works Progress Administration in Berkshire County, and the Lichtenstein exhibit will feature works by contemporary artists Jim Jasper and Christopher Volpe. We've built a robust and varied program of events that will explore the history of Berkshire County and Herman Melville's influence on contemporary art and writing. We look forward to welcome visitors this summer."
Guided Tours
May 14–Oct. 31
Guided tours of Herman Melville's historic Arrowhead are available Thursday through Monday beginning at 10 am, with the last tour beginning at 3 pm. Rates for guided tours are: adults $16.00, seniors $14.00, students $10.00, children 12 and under, free. Members of the BCHS receive free admission. BCHS participates in the Card to Culture program extending free admission to EBT, WIC, and Connector Care health plan insurance cardholders. Visit mobydick.org for details.
Trails and Walks
BCHS's grounds and nature trails at Arrowhead are open year-round free of charge during daylight hours. To protect and preserve this natural and historic habitat, dogs must be leashed at all times and owners must clean up after their pets. Motorized vehicles are not allowed except for in the driveway and parking lot. Metal detectors are prohibited.
Exhibitions
July 2–Oct. 31
The WPA in the Berkshires
The history of the Works Progress Administration (1935-1943), the largest of President Roosevelt's New Deal programs, and its associated Berkshire projects are examined in this exhibition. The WPA in the Berkshires examines the impact these programs had on Berkshire residents and the ways in which they shaped the county we know today. The exhibit will look primarily at the Federal One projects (the Federal Art, Music, Theater, and Writer's Projects, and the Historical Records Survey), along with adjacent New Deal programs, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Historic American Building Survey. The history of these programs and the specific sites and individuals associated with them will be illustrated by photographs, documents, and objects from the collection of the Berkshire County Historical Society. This is a free exhibition is sponsored by Berkshire Bank.
August 5–26
"Moby-Dick"
The exhibition, presented at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in downtown Pittsfield, is a dialogue around Melville's work, how it has inspired generations of artists, and how many of the themes are relevant in today's world. Featured artists Jim Jasper and Christopher Volpe have created bodies of work exploring themes in Herman Melville's 1851 novel, "Moby-Dick." Jasper's series, Moby Dick, consists of works on paper referencing each chapter of the novel. Rather than simply illustrating each chapter, the artist draws on the sources that inspired Melville in his writing. Volpe's series, Loomings, which references the title of the first chapter of "Moby-Dick," includes paintings which incorporate other materials beyond oil paint: primarily liquified coal tar. This is a free exhibition.
- Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, Pittsfield
- Open Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 am - 3 pm, or by appointment. Call 413 499 9348
Special Events and Programming
All events and programs take place at Herman Melville's historic Arrowhead unless otherwise stated.
May 28–Architecture and Landscape at Herman Melville's Arrowhead, 11 am
Veteran tour guide John Dickson and Executive Director Lesley Herzberg lead an enlightening walk through Arrowhead and the surrounding grounds. John Dickson will provide an overview and evolution of the architectural features of the building from the 1780s to the present. This talk is followed by Lesley Herzberg's walk through the north field to discuss the cultural landscape where the entire Melville family participated in the cultivation of the farm and gardens in the 19th century. (Rain date: May 29, 11 am), This event is free and sponsored by MountainOne Insurance.
June 8– "Moby-Dick" Monologue, 5:30 pm
Herman Melville learned about the art of soliloquy from his reading of Shakespeare and after reading the Bard, he re-wrote his whaling epic. Actor and educator Stephen Collins expands on this tradition by performing monologues from Melville's expansive novel. This performance features the musings of Ishmael, Father Mapple, Captain Peleg, Starbuck, and this free event is sponsored by Pittsfield Cooperative Bank.
June 22–Hester Blum on "Moby-Dick," 5:30 pm
Hester Blum, leading Melville scholar and editor of the new Oxford World's Classic edition of "Moby-Dick," discusses moments and her additions and annotations of Melville's best-known novel. Themes will include the novel's elasticity and continued relevance for twenty-first-century readers, with attention to its queerness and its meditations on race, power, and disability. This free event is sponsored by MountainOne Insurance.
June 24–Book Talk: Thirty-Five Days To Baltimore, 5:30 pm
Join Writer-In-Residence Emeritus, Jana Laiz and Author Alexis Portillo as they celebrate the release of their new book, "Thirty-Five Days To Baltimore." This bilingual book explores topics of migration, immigration, poverty, and hope, through the story of an unaccompanied minor, as he makes his way from Honduras to Baltimore, ultimately arriving in the Berkshires. Part of the Berkshire County Historical Society's Underrepresented Voices initiative. This free event is sponsored by MountainOne Insurance.
July 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31–ReWritten, 8 pm
ReWritten is a performance that explores the often-silenced intimate relationship between authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. Moving between their lives, work, and remaining letters, ReWritten reimagines an intergenerational queer love story that helped shape American literature. Through dance, live music, visual art, projection, and text this performance questions what happens when we say no to dreams when we want to say yes. Co-created and performed by Tom Truss and Matthew Cumbie.
- $10 for BHS members
- $15 for non-members
- Use EBT card and get 50 percent off
- 12 and under free
July 26–Lace in American Culture, 5 pm
Lace came to America more than 400 years ago. Lightweight, easy to pack, it was an expression of civilized European lifestyle, and brought with it the optimism for a similar life in the New World. Over time, lace defied hardship, celebrated socio-economic advancement, indulged the wealthy, often in unexpected format. During this talk, Irish lace expert Beverly Wolov will discuss how lace became so deeply imbedded in American material culture. This free event is sponsored by MountainOne Insurance.
July 27–Berkshire County Historical Society Summer Fundraiser, 4 pm
Enjoy the historic site and the newly-restored 1840s barn and gather to celebrate with a silent auction and a peek at the new performance of ReWritten. Tickets available at berkshirehistory.org.
July 28–August 1: Moby-Dick Sixth Annual Read-A-Thon, 10 am–5 pm
"Call me Ishmael" and sign up to read part of Melville's masterpiece on the site where it was written. Virtual reading more your style? Join in with others from around the globe from the comfort of your own home. For more information, visit berkshirehistory.org/moby-dick-read-a-thon/
- $5 recommended donation
- This event is sponsored by MA Humanities/Bridge Street Foundation and Berkshire Roots.
July 31–Monument Mountain Hike, 9 am
Celebrate the day (August 4, 1850) Melville met Nathaniel Hawthorn on a hike up Monument Mountain by joining BCHS for a similar hike and reading of local poet William Cullen Bryant's Monument Mountain. The guided hike takes approximately 2 ½ hours and is appropriate for families. Hikers should meet at the Monument Mountain Reservation Parking lot on Route 7 and should be prepared with their own water, proper footwear, hiking gear and bug repellent. This free event is sponsored by MountainOne Insurance.
August 5–Opening Reception for Moby-Dick exhibition, 5–8 pm
Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, Pittsfield. This free event is sponsored by Berkshire Bank.
August 10–Jim Jasper Artist Talk, 5:30 pm
Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, Pittsfield. This free event is sponsored by Berkshire Bank.
August 17–Reflections on the Marble Corridor of Western New England, 5:30 pm
Historian William Hosley will discuss the history and economic impact of the western New England's "marble corridor." As early as the 1780s, western New England stonecutters, discovering high quality marble in the Berkshires and Vermont, soon began exporting artfully finished products to points south and beyond. At its height the marble industry along the Taconic Range (today's Route 7 corridor) was a beehive providing thousands of monuments, gravestones, and architectural features to buildings, cemeteries, and town squares. Rutland, Vermont, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and Marbledale, Connecticut, were economically transformed by the stonecutting industry. The products they made were varied, artistic, and sophisticated. It was an art industry of national influence. This free event is sponsored by MountainOne Insurance.
August 24–Christopher Volpe Artist Talk, 5:30 pm
Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, Pittsfield. This event is sponsored by Berkshire Bank.
Mastheads Writers' Residency
The Mastheads is a writers' residency program that creates a dialogue about place through literature and architecture. Five original architectural spaces serve as studios for selected writers-in-residence to produce new work each summer. Each space is inspired by an American author who produced work in and around Pittsfield – Melville, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Longfellow, and Holmes Sr. The studios remind us of the past while providing a platform for new creativity. Visit themastheads.org for more information.
Day Residencies May 14–July 11, August 8–October 31
The Day Residency includes private use of The Mastheads studios, a tour of Melville's historic home, and access to the extensive grounds and trail network at Arrowhead. Writers may reserve as many days as they want.
July Residency July 16–August 6
Each summer, five writers across disciplines (poetry, fiction, non-fiction, translation, playwriting, comics, and more) are awarded three-week residencies at Arrowhead.
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