Berkshire Trade & Commerce

March 2009

‘Women in the Arts’: Month-long festival aims to enliven slow season while showcasing scope of cultural contributions

By John Townes

This year’s transition from winter to spring will be enlivened by a month-long celebration of women in the arts, with over 60 events at more than 30 venues throughout Berkshire County during March. In addition to its cultural appeal to local residents and weekenders, organizers also hope that the first Berkshire Festival of Women in the Arts will become an annual tradition that will enhance the region’s ability to draw visitors at a quiet time of the year.

The festival’s presenting sponsor is The Women’s Times, a monthly periodical based in Great Barrington, in conjunction with a variety of business partners and area organizations. The festival is also affiliated with the Eighth Annual International Women’s Day Conference at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington.

“Among other things, I see this as a part of the region’s creative economy,” said Eugenie Sills, publisher and founder of The Women’s Times. “One of the benefits of this in economic terms is that it can become an attraction to help extend cultural activity and tourism in the Berkshires into a month that is usually quiet for tourism.”

The festival will include art exhibits, performances, lectures, films, discussions and other activities. “There is a really diverse range of events over the month, from the historic to the contemporary, including traditional arts and those which are more radical,” said Sills. “There are events that are political and others that are non-political. Some events will provide an opportunity to discuss issues related to women and the arts, while others are more focused on the arts for their own sake. There will be something for everyone, whether they are interested in the gender aspects or simply want an opportunity to enjoy art and performances.”

The festival includes two signature events. The Eighth Annual International Women’s Day conference will be held March 6-7 at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, with the theme “The Power of Women in the Arts.” Speakers include director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts Susan Fisher Sterling, author and Simon’s Rock alumna Veronica Chambers, psychologist and author Carol Gilligan, actor and fiber artist Karen Allen, poet and human rights activist Marjorie Agosin, visual artist Kristin Jones, social entrepreneur Amber Chand, and art activist and philanthropist Martha Richards.

A special performance featuring Simon’s Rock alumna Heather Fisch and other actors will be directed by Irina Brook. The conference will also feature a special invitational showcase of craftswomen and artists.

The other keynote event is the “She’s Got Moxie!” awards, presented by The Women’s Times to recognize the individual contributions of selected Berkshire women in the arts. A gala and presentation of awards will be held March 13 at Founders’ Theater at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox.

Recipients of these awards include four women who have created important creative enterprises, according to Sills. They include Kelly Vickery, founder of the Berkshire International Film Festival; Laurie Norton Moffatt, director and CEO of the Normal Rockwell Museum; and Ellen Spear, president and CEO of the Hancock Shaker Village Museum, all who were instrumental in organizing the Berkshire Creative economic and cultural development coalition; and Sara Katzoff, co-founder of the Berkshire Fringe Festival.

“It was difficult to choose, because there are so many women in the arts in Berkshire County,” said Sills. “We decided on the quality of ‘moxie’ as the theme of the awards, to reflect the power of women in the arts and their ability to inspire. We selected four women who went out on a limb to start organizations that have made an important difference.”

Numerous other events related to the festival’s basic theme will take place during the month. Examples include Radical Detour, an exhibit of work by women artist/activists at the Storefront Artists Project in Pittsfield (March 6-29); a special exhibit of works by female artists from the collection of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown (Feb. 21 to April 19); Locus, a multimedia exhibit at MCLA Gallery 51 in North Adams (Feb. 26 to March 22); a performance by Berkshire singers Vikki True and Joanne Spies at the Berkshire Art Kitchen (March 5); and a screening of the documentary film “Who Does She Think She Is?” and discussion with the filmmaker Pamela Tanner Bolland at the Berkshire Museum (March 12), among others.

(A full schedule and other festival information is available at www.thewomenstimes.com. Information and registration for the International Women’s Day Conference is available at the website of Bard College at Simon’s Rock, www.simons-rock.edu.)

Wealth of talent
The concept for the festival was initiated by Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez, a faculty member in literature and gender studies at Bard College at Simon’s Rock who directs an annual International Women’s Day conference at the school, co-sponsored by Berkshire Women for Women Worldwide.

Each year the conference has had a different theme. When planning this year’s conference, which has the theme “The Power of Women in the Arts,” she decided to look for ways to expand on the topic.

“We have an incredible wealth of talented women in the arts in the Berkshires who ought to be recognized and celebrated for the powerhouse force they are,” said de Hernandez. “It’s too much to do in a single day, so I got the idea of putting on a month-long festival during the month of March.”

Last summer she discussed the idea with Sills, and the idea for a larger festival grew out of that. Sills said she saw the festival as a worthwhile project on a variety of levels. She added that it also meshed with one of her business goals for The Women’s Times.

“I’ve been looking for ways to expand the brand of The Women’s Times by associating ourselves with other activities that reflect the identity and editorial mission of the publication,” she said. “This was an opportunity to do that because it was a perfect fit for us. The Women’s Times has always cast a spotlight on women’s art, women artists and women working behind the scenes.”

Sills added that the festival also addresses what has become a regular question in her publication. “A few years ago, we began an annual feature in our Summer Arts Preview called ‘Where the Women Are – and Aren’t,’” she said. “This March, the answer will be resounding: everywhere in the Berkshires.”

The conference and festival are related but separate entities. “We’ve created an umbrella structure to pull everything together,” said Sills.

Positive response
Sills and de Hernandez contacted galleries, museums, performing arts venues and other cultural groups with the idea. “Frankly, I wasn’t sure of what the response would be,” said Sills. “But the reaction has been very positive, and almost everyone we spoke with wanted to be a part of it.”

Each participating venue came up with their own activities to be included in the festival. Some incorporated events they had already planned in advance related to the theme, while others created events specifically for the festival.

In its initial year, the seed money to cover marketing and other costs has come from a combination of sources, including a portion of the Women’s Day Conference budget, advertising sales on the website and sponsorships and partnerships with businesses.

As the primary sponsor, The Women’s Times has provided production of material and other resources for the festival. Sills also contacted area businesses to become partners in the festival through in-kind contributions and other forms of sponsorships. For example, among other partners, Quality Printing Company of Pittsfield is providing printing services, Studio Two of Lenox developed its website and Essential Marketing of West Stockbridge has provided promotional services. (Sills said they are still seeking additional partnerships, and encouraged interested businesses and organizations to contact The Women’s Times at 413-528-5303).

Sills’ goal is to make the festival an annual event with The Women’s Times as its primary sponsor and organizer.

She said the ultimate form the festival organization takes will be determined over time. In general, she said, she envisions it as an extension of her publication’s business operations.

“I’m an entrepreneur, and I look at things in terms of business opportunities,” she said. “So, rather than setting up the festival as a non-profit venture, my inclination is to develop this as a business enterprise that can cover its costs through various earned revenue sources, such as business marketing partnerships, advertising sales and events that can generate income.”

One of the business supporters of the festival is Brian Butterworth, director of sales for the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge and The Porches in North Adams.

“As someone who is strongly tied to tourism, I recognize the need to grow tourism beyond the busy times like summer and foliage season,” said Butterworth, a former chair of the Berkshire Visitors Bureau. “We’ve seen other examples of that, such as the number of people who come here for the Stockbridge Main Street holiday celebration every winter. This festival is the type of offering that also can do that in March in the long run, as it becomes established. The concept also meshes with Berkshire County’s cultural identity, and the prominent role of women in the arts here.”
Butterworth added that it is the kind of initiative that he believes is worthy on its own terms. “It offers something worthwhile for the local population,” he said. “In addition, I think it’s important to support people who are willing to take a risk. They could have taken an easier path and scheduled this in June or July to take advantage of the level of activity that already exists then. Instead they are taking a chance and doing it a time of year that is more challenging. They deserve credit for that.”