FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jen Glockner
(p) 413-499-9348
June, 2023
PITTSFIELD, MA – The City of Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development in partnership with Artscape and the owners of The Cooper Center announce a new mural in Downtown Pittsfield. Artist Huckleberry (Huck) Elling recently completed Seven Stars for Renne Ave. after 3-4 weeks of working. The mural is located on the east side (facing Renne Avenue) of The Cooper Center at 1 Fenn Street in Pittsfield.
Huck worked with the building representatives Jodi Tartell and Robert Shan and the City of Pittsfield on the design after being selected as the mural artist during a call for art from Artscape, a volunteer-led committee which sponsors, plans, and oversees juried exhibition of public art in the City of Pittsfield. The mural was sponsored in part by Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Huck describes it as a “brick quilt”, featuring seven stars in reds and oranges and browns.
Elling is a multidisciplinary artist working in textiles, painting, and public art. Huck has spent her entire life observing patterns, and since childhood has been compelled to explore colors, shapes and textures through art-making. Because she was never classically trained, Huck considers herself a folk artist and appreciates using readily available materials and processes, tapping into a shared human experience.
For the first phase of her artistic career, Huck crocheted large, fantastical, wearable masks. (You may have seen them at MASS MoCA’s Kidspace or gift shop.) More recently, she has been working on canvases and painting and installing murals in downtown Pittsfield.
The City of Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development serves as the City’s first point of contact for artists, cultural organizations, event organizers and creative businesses in Pittsfield. It supports, promotes and initiates cultural activity in Pittsfield to benefit the citizens, quality of life and local economy. The office publishes the free Love Pittsfield Email Newsletter and leads the Love Pittsfield campaign. The Office is located in the city-owned Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in downtown Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District. Go to LovePittsfield.com for more information.
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