Mayor Linda Tyer and Berkshires Jazz Chair Edward Bride, far right, pose with PHS art students and winners Katarena Castagna (second) and Maddalina Penna (first), and judge Sally Tiska Rice holding Abby Malumphy's work (third).Works that took first, second and third in hte Berkshires Jazz Student Art Contest.
Maddalina Penna's winning artwork is featured on this year's poster for the Pittsfield City Jazz Festival.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Maddalina Penna had just won one award at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art when she walked into restaurant to seen another of her works prominently displayed.
"It's pretty insane that I've seen my art everywhere," the Pittsfield High junior said on Monday after being recognized as this year's first-place winner in the annual Berkshires Jazz Student Art Contest sponsored by the Pittsfield City Jazz Festival. "It's cool to see it around."
Jazz Chair Edward Bride noted that Penna's art "has been all over the city for a couple of weeks including on this poster for the Pittsfield City Jazz Festival."
More than 70 students from PHS submitted jazz-themed artwork and Monday morning the awards were presented at City Hall by Mayor Linda Tyer and Bride in honor of Jazz Awareness Month.
"The idea is to celebrate art and engage more people in appreciating it," said Bride. "And so we thought we'd call attention to the work that the students do other than making music. [Board member] Art Niedeck, who can't be here with us today, designed this art appreciation, student art contest."
The entrants were judged by professional artists Sally Tiska Rice, Dierdre McKenna and Marion Grant. In addition to first, second and third winners (who also won cash prizes), there were five honorable mentions.
Penna, who placed third last year, won for her bright and colorful pen and marker rendition of three musicians on violin, cello and trombone
The mayor queried Rice, who as in attendance on what the judges had looked for in the works, but not for Penna's.
"I don't need you to explain this to me," the mayor said. "I can see why, it's so intricate. ...
"The colors are amazing. The musicians are very — I love it that they don't have faces — and all this other artwork that you embedded into your piece, it's beautiful."
Penna said she's been seriously working on her art since sixth grade and plans to study art in college. She's sold a few paintings and won some competitions, "but this is the biggest."
Second place went to Katarena Castagna for her oil and pen image of a hard-working trombone players and third went to Abby Malumphy for her painting of instruments that gave the impression of a cityscape and roads.
Honorable mentions went to Ethan Breitmaier, Josephina Pixley, Paige Williams, Charlotte Goodnow and Piper Patton.
Bride thanked art teachers Colleen Quinn, Lisa Ostellino and Michael Greenberg for helping coordinate the event as well as his fellow board members.
"This has been really great. We look forward to this every year," said the mayor. "We'll see the artists next year."
Students participating in the jazz art contest are listed below; their work can currently be seen in the hallway outside the city clerk's office in City Hall.
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Belchertown Stops Pittsfield Post 68
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Belchertown Post 239’s Cooper Beckwith set the tone when he crushed the game’s first pitch to left-center field for a double.
The visitors went on to pound out 14 more hits in a 9-1 win over Pittsfield Post 68 in American Legion Baseball action at Buddy Pellerin Field on Monday night.
Beckwith went 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice, and Chase Earle went five innings on the mound without allowing an earned run as Post 239 improved to 15-0 this summer and completed a regular-season sweep of Post 68 (12-4).
“He’s a good pitcher,” Post 68 coach Rick Amuso said. “Good velo[city], kept the ball down. We didn’t respond.”
Pittsfield did manage to scratch out a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, when it already trailed, 7-0.
Nick Brindle reached on an error to start the inning. He moved up on a single by Jack Reed (2-for-2) and scored on a single to left by Cam Zerbato.
That was half the hits allowed by Earle, who struck out three before giving the ball to Alex West, who gave up a leadoff walk in the sixth and retired the next six batters he faced.
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The $25,000 raised will directly assist the Berkshire Humane Society in funding its various programs aimed at improving the lives of animals in need throughout the Berkshire County area. click for more
The short film follows Tom Levardi, who has been a supporter of the hiking community over the last 45 years by allowing Appalachian Trail hikers to camp in his back yard.
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On Thursday, the commission issued 36 conditions for the city project that include a new boardwalk, access stairs, paring improvements, seasonal docks, and a new swimming beach on the park’s two properties at 1447 North St. and 40 Hancock Rd. click for more