Children at the Morningside School, Pittsfield, MA, creating paper mache sculptures thanks to IS183 Art School
IS183: A spacious room perfect for students and teachers. Oil, pastel, watercolor, drawing from the model, workshops, classes and private study. So, now I am wondering, what is a typical day like for you at work? Hope: Yesterday was pretty typical… (And apologies if this get a bit long)! I started the day at a meeting in Stockbridge to discuss collaboration with long-time art school friend, the red Lion Inn. They’ll be helping us plan the the faculty art exhibit. Following that meeting I returned to Citizens’ Hall and investigated a frozen pipe, luckily a member of the facilities committee was in the neighborhood and addressed the issue before any classes were disrupted. next I met with IS183 staff to review plans for summer in-school programs in Great Barrington and Pittsfield and to finalize an after-school program to be offered in collaboration with the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown this May. I then switched gears and proofread a press release on IS183’s new slate of Board members and some recent grant awards, did some work on the FY14 budget, confirmed a meeting in Dalton for Monday (we’re starting a program at Cranesville elementary this month), and did some preliminary outreach to faculty regarding Summer Studio programs. A prospective faculty member came by for an informational meeting, I reviewed ad sales for our summer catalog and by then it was late afternoon so I headed off to pick up my daughter at childcare, day done!
Have you become aware of any significant lesson you have learned from your experience at an art school? Hope: I’ve learned a lot about the responsibility of leadership, and how that relates to stewardship. I am the current steward of IS183 and its mandate to ensure the joy and benefits of the creative experience are available to everyone in our orbit. I’ve also gotten really comfortable with the reality that the work is never done. And that’s probably true for people working in most non-profits. Initially that can be frustrating, that lack of closure. But as I’ve grown accustomed to the cycle of development it’s really become liberating. We’re always in
process, if something doesn’t work in the moment, we can change it, and if something does work we still look for ways to improve it. nothing is static. Managing and monitoring change with humor rather than fear is a great lesson from work to apply to life generally!
I remember when your little girl, nearly first born lying in her portable, cute, cozy cradle right on the top of your desk at work in your office. You were juggling many roles! Time sure flies. Did you have an arts education background that inspired you to take on such a huge business in the arts, not to mention, so far from the city? Hope: I’ve done a lot of different things over the years. I got my bachelor’s degree in film and photography at Ithaca College and my thesis was an original cell animated film, ”Carrot nose”. I dabbled in the industry after college - did some editing for work and travelled around the uS and overseas. I went back to school for an MFA in playwriting from Columbia and then attempted to make a feature film, “Muscle Car”, which shot for three weeks here in the Berkshires before wilting in the editing process. Although I’m not working on any side projects right now my background in artistic exploration plays a large role in my work at IS183. To succeed at my job, a lot of creativity is required. Being open to new possibilities, taking risks with programs and ideas and maintaining a willingness to take a leap of faith are all necessary. IS183 is my creative outlet and the more I approach the work from that perspective the more inspiring it is for me and for staff, faculty and collaborators. We’re working towards a shared vision, an inspiring picture of what our creative Berkshires is and what our community must provide to each citizen. This is your life, and you surround your life with the goals to educate through the arts. It’s very focused, Hope. What were
you doing prior to coming to the Berkshires? Hope: I was in new York City for about ten years before I moved to the Berkshires. I moved there for grad school (Columbia) and remained to pay it off! I worked at the off Broadway theatre Second Stage for a bit and then at Goldman Sachs for about two years while trying to make an independent feature. Goldman Sachs was not a great fit for me, though I appreciated the work ethic and the perks – dinner after 8pm, car service home after 9pm and free shoe shines by the trading floor! I decided to make a move and vacillated a bit. Was a scout for a literary agency on 5th Avenue and was offered a job in a detective agency before landing at a start-up web shop that over the course of 5 years turned into a boutique digital marketing agency. As the third employee I grew into the industry as the business grew and by the time I left was responsible for managing the intersection of technology and creative for a roster of Fortune 500 clients. I remember leaving a music band that crashed out in my Brooklyn loft one morning, off to make a pitch in another corporate boardroom, and when one of the musicians asked what exactly I did during the day, I hemmed, I hawed, and I left for work without answering. I had so much advertising glory, and was so embarrassed to be a part of it. When I moved to the Berkshires a large part of the decision to make that change was the desire to be more closely connected to artists and the community. Thinking about the world from a consumer influence perspective was soul draining. Hope, I can only imagine. Do you consider yourself to be an artist? Tell us what your favorite past-times might be. Hope: Well, the short answer of course, is that everyone is an artist. It becomes a question of degree. I studied film, photography and writing and still dabble with all of those. I paint Continued on next page....
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