[Forum] Northern Berkshire Arts
Karen Kane
k.kane at roadrunner.com
Fri Mar 30 19:15:06 EDT 2007
I understand lack of shoppers, shops, foot traffic. I'm just
thinking ... a pedestrian way would then create opportunity for
happenings on the street. The beach party, for example, brings tons
of folks. I know that this is not the favorite event for the shop
owners, as everyone has sand on their feet, and people are playing,
not shopping. But, extended into imagination ... it could mean
events such as farmers market, live music in the summertime, craft
fairs, puppet shows for the kids ... the kind of stuff that would
make Eagle a destination, and perhaps inspire the entrepreneurs to
open some shops in some of those empty storefronts.
I'm not actually set on the idea of a pedestrian way on Eagle. I'm
just really conversing, offering the other side.
On Mar 30, 2007, at 12:36 PM, Daniel Field wrote:
> folks, please connsider my years of involvement on eagle street.
> the idea of a pedestrian way is sweet and admireable but. one major
> reson we have so little shoppers is we have so few shops. and the
> other major reason we have so little buseniss is we don't sell
> anything anybody needs. many of you love what i have in my store
> but you don't realy need it. at the moment tio many biulding need
> major renovations and closeing of the street will a problem. so in
> conclution if eagle street becomes a pedestian way will you be down
> here every week to shop ,that the question you need to ask youself
> before you decied whats best for us merchants on the street. also
> for all you armchair urban planners, i have an idea for an eagle
> street show, so keep those ideas comming and mabe we cane make some
> money with this issue.
> thanks dan
>
>
> On 3/28/07, Karen Kane <k.kane at adelphia.net> wrote:
> I'm not sure about this issue, but ... there is so little traffic
> on Eagle st now ... mostly cars driving through. A pedestrian way
> might be a place people would come to as a destination. Maybe
> there could even be (ohmygod) benches ...
>
>
>
> On Mar 28, 2007, at 11:40 AM, Daniel Field wrote:
>
>> one short note about a peddestian way on eagle str.NOthat would be
>> the death nail for all of us on eagle st.
>> if you love eagle st. so much get caugh there once in a while or
>> buy in while you still cane
>> dan
>>
>>
>> On 3/26/07, Joshua Field <joshua at joshuafield.com > wrote:
>> hi ralph,
>>
>> yep - this is the correct address for communication with the group.
>> thanks for your thoughts - in particular, the lewitt project and the
>> ando addition at the clark are great to note and tend to be forgotten
>> when talking about the scene here. it should be a great press buzz
>> when
>> they open.
>>
>> your note about restaurants ties to our williamstown visitors'
>> experience in north adams. when we would venture to gideon's or now
>> gramercy i am surprised to see a lot of faces i recognize from the
>> williamstown business community. it seems like those folks are
>> willing
>> to travel to a fine dining restaurant (there aren't that many in
>> williamstown outside of mezze and mill on the floss), particularly in
>> the summer. likewise, i frequently see williamstown folks at mass
>> moca
>> events and at cafe latino before or after an event. i also see an
>> increasing number of williams students at brewhaha...
>>
>> it seems to me that the difficulty we face with our neighbors from
>> williamstown is not that different from the problem we've been
>> struggling to solve regarding visitors to mass moca. the lack of
>> critical mass in interesting things to see/do in north adams means
>> that
>> folks tend to get back in their cars and leave. honestly, it is
>> hard to
>> blame them. at the moment, downtown is pretty empty and half of the
>> occupied storefronts are banks, insurance companies and other
>> entities
>> which have nothing to offer visitors (and nothing to offer them after
>> 5pm when people are dining).
>>
>> things that might impact this in a positive way (most have been
>> mentioned before):
>>
>> 1. art installations downtown.
>> the massmoca sound art installations and the cac downtown
>> installations
>> were both positive steps which have since been abandoned. i, for one,
>> would love to see a "can't miss" installation like the upside down
>> trees
>> installed on eagle street.
>>
>> 2. bridge of flowers type attraction downtown.
>> on a similar note - take a page from shelburne falls' book. they
>> invested in the "bridge of flowers" which really is just an old
>> trolley
>> bridge with flowers planted on it. yet, with signs on route 2,
>> they draw
>> tons of foot traffic downtown with a relatively simple and
>> inexpensive
>> attraction.
>>
>> 3. eagle street pedestrian walk.
>> wthis has been discussed (in fact, there is an architects
>> rendering of
>> the idea at city hall!) but nothing has ever been pushed forward.
>> again,
>> i think there needs to be a "can't miss" centerpiece, and for the
>> sake
>> of north adams' well being - would someone do something with the big
>> brick building on eagle street?! apparently, the manuel family would
>> rather see it fall down than sell if for a reasonable amount.
>>
>> are there other ideas that people have about how to get people do
>> more
>> than either visit massmoca or dine in north adams? what do we or
>> could
>> we have to offer?
>>
>> --
>>
>> // www.joshuafield.com
>> // joshua at joshuafield.com
>> // +1 [413] 329-4789
>> // 121 Union Street, Studio 1E
>> // North Adams, MA 01247 USA
>>
>>
>>
>> ralph brill wrote:
>> > Hi All: I have caught some of the Berkshire Arts Forum e-mails
>> over
>> > the past weeks. Is this the correct address for
>> communications? I am
>> > pleased to feel the Positive Energies. Allow me to add these
>> comments:
>> >
>> > 1) It took MASS MoCA several years and tries before it found its
>> > place. Once the Sol LeWitt Galleries are open a Larger and
>> Different
>> > Growd will appear in North Adams. Presently, MASS MoCA announces
>> > about 125,000 Visitors per year and The Clark announces 175,000
>> > Visitors. With the LeWitt Galleries Open and with The Clark's New
>> > Galleries these numbers might jump to 200,000 Visitors which
>> > translates to about 15,000 Arts Visitors per Month coming through
>> > North Adams. We need to be Ready for that! Will We?
>> >
>> > 2) Pittsfield's 40,000 Population is more than double the
>> population
>> > of North Adams and Williamstown Combined. Pittsfield is
>> benefitting
>> > because Artists are finding Affordable Spaces as they are moving
>> out
>> > of Great Barrington, Northampton and from Boston and NYC. They are
>> > that much Closer to the Buying Public versus the Viewing Public in
>> > North Adams. It has taken Pittsfield more than 20 Years to
>> > transition. North Adams' turn is next. If you ask some of the
>> > Artists why they chose Pittsfield they will also say there is
>> More To
>> > Do There. Pittsfield's Arts Community has also benefitted from the
>> > $Millions that GE was required to give back to that community for
>> > Polluting It.
>> >
>> > 3) Pittsfield has Several Very Good Restaurants. Williamstown
>> has a
>> > Few. North Adams has a Shortage. Good Food and Good Art Go
>> Together.
>> >
>> > 4) For whatever reasons, it is a Struggle for the Williamstown
>> > Community to travel further East than Wild Oats. It is easier for
>> > those Residents to go South 30 Minutes to Pittsfield than the 10
>> > Minutes East to North Adams. It should be noted, however, that
>> some
>> > of the Concerts held in the Eclipse Mill have brought
>> Williamstowners
>> > who stated that they were glad to happen upon our Galleries.
>> >
>> > 5) With all its pronouncements, North Adams isn't all that Arts
>> > Friendly. Cities like Beacon, Kingston, Hudson and Pittsfield
>> > understand the dynamics and that Supporting the Arts Aids the
>> > Economy. Simple things like Gallery Signage shouldn't have to
>> be so
>> > bureaucratic. It has taken the Eclipse Mill almost a year and I
>> > believe the Windsor Mill Signs are taking a long time as well.
>> I have
>> > had several parties complain that they couldn't find the Eclipse
>> > Mill. North Adams' Tourist Office is open only Part Of The
>> Year. If
>> > North Adams sees itself as only a Seasonal Tourist City - then
>> that's
>> > what it will become! Almost 50% of North Adams' Storefronts are
>> > Vacant. A Seasonal City is Not Sustainable for the Mechants and
>> > Galleries. In the meantime, the Vacant Storefronts could become
>> > Spaces For The Arts like Pittsfield's Successful Program.
>> >
>> > 6) Now that the Creative Economy Blueprint has been announced
>> it is
>> > up to Us to make sure that the Northern Berkshire Arts Community
>> gets
>> > a Meaningful Seat at the Table.
>> >
>> > 7) Several of the Surrounding States have Hotel/Arts/Food Tourism
>> > Packages.
>> >
>> > 8) This is the Last Week of my Leonard Freed Show. The Gallery
>> will
>> > be Open Friday Evening and Saturday Afternoon. Some of the Freed
>> > Photos will reappear at the Leica Gallery in NYC in May. My
>> next Show
>> > will be the Paintings and Photographs of Eve Sonneman whose
>> works are
>> > in the Collections of MoMA, MET, Corcoran, Pompidou, etc.
>> Please stop
>> > by. - Ralph
>> >
>> > BRILL GALLERY
>> > Ralph Brill, Director
>> > Eclipse Mill - Studio 109
>> > 243 Union Street
>> > North Adams, MA 01247-0786
>> > 800.294 2811
>> > www.brillgallery109.com < http://www.brillgallery109.com>
>> >
>> >
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ---
>> >
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>> >
>>
>>
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