Who We Are
Growing and sustaining artists since 1991
Berkshire Art Center (BAC), formerly known as IS183 Art School, is the leading provider of high quality, hands-on instruction in the visual arts year-round at sites throughout Berkshire County.
Founded in 1991 as a place where “people who love art, regardless of age or ability, can gather to experience creative expression,” BAC has evolved to reach over 2,500 students each year through studio-based classes, artistic events, and out-of-school engagement programs.
BAC’s Learning Through Arts program, launched in 2007, brings the studio art experience directly to the desks of our county’s K-12th grade students. BAC’s classes provide opportunities for our community to feel what it’s like to create the art seen in our local museums, to connect with local artists, and to be empowered to make something with their own hands.
Staff
Laura Dickstein Thompson
Executive Director
laura@berkshireartcenter.org
413-298-5252 x101
she/her/hers*
Jen VanBramer
Communications & Student Services Manager
jen@berkshireartcenter.org
413-298-5252 x100
she/her/hers*
“Because of BAC, I get to see meaningful moments of discovery and creativity every single day. Last week I got to see a kindergartner try watercolor paint for the very first time. That might sound insignificant to you, but this kid screamed, “WOW! That is a GOOD red!” as he excitedly watched the paint spread out onto his paper. And just like that, he became as confident as a world renowned painter.”
Katie Mitts
Ceramics Apprentice
she/her/hers*
Paul Lewis
Ceramics Studio Assistant
he/him/his*
History
Citizens' Hall
Berkshire Art Center's home base is Citizens' Hall in Stockbridge, a historic Second Empire building designed in 1870 by Charles T. Rathbun to serve as a district schoolhouse on the first floor with a large public meeting hall on the second floor. After district schools were consolidated, Citizens’ Hall continued to be used as a meeting place, but with decreasing frequency. Old Curtisville, Inc. was organized as a community group to preserve and restore the building, and was instrumental in obtaining a grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission for critical repairs in 1975.
For its first 14 years, Berkshire Art Center, formerly, IS183 Art School, leased space in historic Citizens’ Hall. In 2005 we merged with the building's previous owner, Old Curtisville, Inc., and now the school owns the building outright. After acquiring the title to Citizens’ Hall in June 2005, Berkshire Art Center immediately embarked on our “Home At Last” campaign; a four-phase program of capital repairs and improvements to address the widespread effects of deferred maintenance on the building. Exterior repairs were completed in May 2009.
The iconic building now houses Berkshire Art Center's offices and art studios. The school is conveniently located just a few miles past Tanglewood, just off Route 183. Get directions.
Name ChangeS
Berkshire Art Center has had many names — most recently, IS183 Art School!
Berkshire Art Center
In June 2022, on the celebration of our 31st anniversary, IS183 Art School changed our name to Berkshire Art Center. This evolution is as much about our past as it is about our future. It’s an affirmation of all that we do in the Berkshires. We are a center for the visual arts, offering classes, professional development, exhibitions, residencies, and events - for all ages, year-round, across our county. The impetus for the change began during a year-long Inclusive Leadership Cohort led by Multicultural BRIDGE. Alongside our community, through focus groups and surveys, we explored our organization’s identity, discussed the barriers implied by “school”, and debated the very definition of “art.” Berkshire Art Center is an embodiment of our commitment to creating an inclusive space - one that celebrates ‘art’ in its many forms and the diverse community of artists in the region. Berkshire Art Center continues to be a space for all — regardless of age, skill level, background, economic status, or education.
IS183 Art School of the Berkshires
In February 2002, we changed our name from the Interlaken School of Art to IS183 Art School of the Berkshires (required to do so because of a legal challenge posed by the similarly named Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan). The "IS" payed homage to our former name and to the village of Interlaken where our main studios and offices are based, and the "183" referenced Route 183, the main road closest to the school. More importantly, the committee that chose the new name felt it conveyed a community spirit, echoing the names of urban public schools and innovative public art centers located in former schools (like us!) such as PS122 in NYC's East Village. This new name — like our students, faculty, and friends — was creative, unexpected, and innovative: qualities that embody artmaking at its best!
Board Members
Mike Zippel, Board Chair
Elissa Haskins-Vaughan, Clerk
David Gilbert, Treasurer
Michael Ibrahim
Cheryl Mirer
Faculty Representatives
Karen Arp-Sandel
Paula Shalan
Kim Waterman
Advisory Committee Members
John Bridge
Parker Chandler
Ben Evans
Andrea Nellis
Robert Salerno
Andrea Sholler
Founder
* Why does this matter? Go to www.mypronouns.org.