IS183 Art School of the Berkshires: the classic, idyllic drawing studio setting with wood aisles, desks and model’s platform. Fabulous natural light, original wood floors, doors, etc.
What specifically does your job entail, and the responsibilities that go along with it? Hope: My job is both management of the business of IS183 and facilitating our mission and vision, which is about as exciting as you can get. What this translates to is that day-today what I’m doing and thinking about varies dramatically. It’s one of the reasons being Director never gets old, it’s always changing!
What now seems to be some of your pending goals? Hope: Our primary goal is to be a transformative force in the community by providing all community members – regardless of age, means or skill level – with the opportunity to make art. Art can elevate the experience of everyone living in the county, but art and the “world of art” has taken a bad rap. From the days of the caveman when people recorded their lives by drawing on the wall, it somehow evolved to be perceived as a stuffy, elitist, inaccessible experience for a rarefied few. That’s not what I believe, and it is the antitheses to our work at IS183. I strive to nurture an egalitarian spirit at IS183, to engage with staff, Board, faculty, collaborators and community members on an individual basis, and find common ground. We’re different people with different talents finding ways to combine our efforts for a common good, the enrichment of our community.
we approach that mandate have greatly expanded. As I said earlier, our ambition is to be a transformative force in the community. To be that, we have to look beyond our walls. For example, we now offer programs across the county from Sheffield to Williamstown which is a significant shift of vision and re-defining of community, as we explored how best to bring enriching power of art-making to the Berkshires. now I spend my time focused on the community, program development and ensuring that we have the resources in place to deliver at the high standard we’ve set. Over the course of my tenure we’ve increased the number of people served by more than 75% and we’re on track to raise that number significantly in 2013 with expanded studio pro-
Can you see yourself being titled as a new Pioneer? Hope: With all this in mind, YES, I can see IS183 being a pioneer organization for this region.
The evolution of the art school must seem like magic to you. It’s now has a life of it’s own. What were some of the first groundwork goals you worked on to get where you are now? Hope: The key areas of focus when I started were restoration of our historic home base, Citizens’ Hall, in Stockbridge and stabilizing finances. You really need to make sure the house is in order before you take on efforts intended to have significant impact. And, while our mission has remained the same over this period the ways in which
Citizens’ Hall, built in 1790. 2013: IS183 Art School of the Berkshires
gramming in Williamstown and significant investment in expansion of our in school programs. This significant programmatic change came when we realized we were missing a huge impact opportunity by keeping our physical walls as our borders. That occurred when we launched our In School programs, starting with the “Learning Through Arts” after school curriculum. It very quickly became apparent that if we were to change our model by going to students instead of having them come to us, we could serve exponentially more of them. We debated the shift at the Board level but very quickly came to agreement and in fact have had amazing success. We now serve 350 children a week during the academic year at 17+ sites and approximately 900 across the county in camp and enrichment programs each summer. I’m very proud of the staff and faculty of IS183 who have worked so hard to increase the impact of our organization. Art is essential to the community and in an area rich in opportunities to spectate - to witness world class dance, theatre and music - we lack not just participatory experience but true engagement, the empowering aspect of art as an element of our education to inspire creative thinking, innovation and unique work. Something every single member of our community needs…
Aside from the art classes and programs, I know you are heading towards making a great event take place for the school. What is that all about? Hope: We put on several events each year. Our annual gala was held on March 9th and it was a great success. This year’s event was the Big Bang at the Energy Vortex, an electro swing affair. Quite a title, eh? Plans are in the works now for a faculty art exhibit which will open on Friday, May 3rd. This is the first faculty show during my tenure which will have enough space to showcase the entire roster of art school talent. Thanks to collaboration with the red Lion Inn we’re taking over multiple sites in Stockbridge to accommodate the full scope of the show, it’s going to be great!
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THE ArTFuL MInD MArCH 2013 •9