Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA
berkshiremuseum.org
through January 4, 2014
Berkshire Museum’s current exhibits make for a somewhat odd
duo -- festive Christmas trees and an African Safari. Odd, but so effective,
artistic, fun, and wide open to all sorts of creativity that the Museum is a
must see early this winter.
For those who have attended “Festival of Trees” in the past,
this very successful annual exhibit is new each year, featuring holiday trees
of all shapes, sizes, colors, materials, and (most important) decorations.
Dozens of trees are displayed throughout the second and third floors. Coupled
for the first time with an equally important exhibit called “Lions & Tigers
& Bears: Through the Lens with National Geographic,” the two shows
exemplify this season’s theme, “On Safari.”
“Lions & Tigers & Bears...” (it’s difficult not to
follow with “oh, my”) is a compelling look at wildlife photography featuring 50
photos from three of National Geographic’s top photojournalists — Michael
“Nick” Nichols, Steve Winter, and Paul Nicklen. Observe the profound impact of
visual storytelling with stunning images of these massive animals. Interesting
reading on the displays’ signage is the story of a photographer’s harrowing
experience sinking into quicksand, and a head-on shot of a majestic tiger.
In touring the Museum, trees seem to be situated around
every bend and in every corner -- some larger trees stand alone, some in a
mini-forest scene, and dozens of tiny trees which have been decorated by
elementary schoolers on festival scaffolding. The latter is titled “The Kid
Zone.” The “stars” of the show are the ornaments, all made and carefully placed
by numerous Pittsfield community groups, senior centers, schools, clubs, farms,
art agencies, health programs, and other non-profits.
Nearly any ornament that one can imagine dons the trees.
Yes, there are the traditional decorations, and they are lovely. Especially fun
are ornaments depicting a safari and wild animals made from paper mache,
clothe, drawings, cutouts, and stuffing. Visitors can expect to see lots of
wonderful trees with animals incorporated into the designs.
The two exhibits are sponsored by many businesses in and
nearby Pittsfield. The proceeds benefit Berkshire Museum’s education program.
