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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).
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Works that took first, second and third in hte Berkshires Jazz Student Art Contest.

Berkshires Jazz Student Art Contest Winners Honored at Pittsfield City Hall

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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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.
 
1.Huseyin Colak
2. Ethan Breitmaier
3.Jack Wildgoose
4. Britain Sadowy
5.Theresa Bowen
6. Kiera Cogswell
7. Piper Patton
8. Mitchel Manning
9. Allison Schnopp
10. Brooklyn Duck
11. Adams Sidibe
13. Gianna Dejax
12. Dominique Billups
14. Paxton Ehling
15. Nyla Cuyier
16. Mason Bromback
17. Zachary Bruno
18. Marley Parras
19. Aiden Carlino
20. Ceilia Cantarella
21. Kevin Esquivel
22. Mia Acedo
23. Brandon Balcazar
24. Leonardo Kirian
25. Abjah Keamson
26. Alyssa McNeil
27. Maggie Vittum
28. Patrick Hamilton
29. Owen BNooth
30. Caz Stein
31. Madison Stetz
32. Gustavo Oliviera
33. Caitlyn McDonald
34. Kaydance Shaw
35. Bethany Iffetayo
36. Natalia Mendez
37. Amanda Roy
38. Natalie Arnhold
39. Brittany Lummus
40. Selvin Tagual-Pirir
41. Charlotte Goodnow
42. Paige Williams
43. Josephina Pixley
44. Carter Mungin
45. Ella Walger
46. Spopzhmai Mangal
47. Lyndsay Vosburgh
48. Emma Vittum
49. Emma Kinnas
51. Maddalina Penna
50. Lenox Silvestro-Dias Tagual-Pirir
52. Kat Castagna
53. Daniel Rodriguez
54. Rochelle Delesus
55. None
56. Felix Rogers
57. Prosper Ezan
58. Keshya Hawkins
59. Hannah Howes
60. Abby Malumphy
61. Danayah Garrity
62. Mia Adair
63. Jernando A. Mendez
64. Gionnah Levardi
65. Lonan Jenings
66. Sean Depson
67. Freddy Conyers
68. Kyana Summers
69. Logan Middlebrook
70. Sevaeh Bryant
71. Carson Wober
72. Dylan Munchan
73. Olivia Doyle
74. Lewis Rogers
75. Kenny Davis
76. Steven Wood

Tags: art contest,   jazz,   

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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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