Interested in the diverse stories that can be seen in the Outdoors?
Join us for artist/scientist WALKS at the Boulders & Old Mill Trail
The Boulders, Pittsfield
Sunday, October 3, 11:00 am – 1:30 pm
Walk Leaders: Mary Miss and Charles Canham (Bios Below)
CLICK HERE TO RSVP (Space is limited)
Participants should bring water and wear sturdy shoes.
Directions: The parking area is to the left of the house at this address: 1051 Dal. ton Ave, Pittsfield, MA 01201 and across from Hubbard Avenue. There is a stone staircase and informational kiosk entering the south access to The Boulders Reserve.
The Old Mill Trail, Hinsdale
Saturday, October 9, 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
11 am Walk Leaders: Alexis Callender and Britt Crow-Miller (Bios Below)
CLICK HERE TO RSVP (Space is limited)
2 pm Walk Leaders: D Colin and Anita Milman (Bios Below)
CLICK HERE TO RSVP (Space is limited)
Participants should bring water and wear sturdy shoes.
Directions: From the center of Dalton: take Route 8 south to the Hinsdale line. From the town line, continue 4/10 miles to a left on Old Dalton Road. The trailhead parking is the first, immediate left.
Berkshires as Living Laboratory aims to increase inclusion and accessibility to natural and cultural resources. Please join these artist- and scientist-led programs to experience new, inclusive perspectives on the histories and current conditions of the Berkshires great natural resources. Imagine possible futures along BNRC trails through the eyes of artists and diverse expertsts.
BNRC is partnering with CALL/City as Living Laboratory, the Berkshire Museum, and several community stakeholders: Living the Change, Word X Word, NAACP, Berkshire Environmental Action Team (B.E.A.T.), Manos Unidas, to launch Berkshires as Living Laboratory. education, and outdoor recreation initiatives.
WALK Leaders
Artists
Alexis Callender was born in New York City, completed her MFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and is an Assistant Professor of art at Smith College. Her work draws largely from archival sources, and incorporates painting, drawing, and installation to recontextualize history and explore the interrelations of race, gender, and capitalism. She has been exhibited in galleries across the nation and internationally in France and Trinidad. Her work is currently featured in a solo exhibition at the Rubber Factory gallery in NYC. alexcallender.com
D Colin is a poet, actor, and visual artist originally from Bridgeport, CT, living in Troy, NY. She holds a BA in English from Southern Connecticut State University and a MA in Africana Studies from University at Albany, SUNY. She is the author of two poetry collections, has been exhibited in multimedia art exhibits, and runs her own art and handmade jewelry company. Her artwork aims to cultivate space for stories, healing, and community. www.dcolin.com
Mary Miss – Founder and Artistic Director of CALL/City as Living Laboratory. Since the early 1970s, Mary Miss has redefined how art is integrated into the public realm. Her place-based work crosses boundaries between landscape architecture, architecture, urban design, and graphic communication. She has transformed people’s experience of New York City, from redefining NYC’s waterfront through South Cove (1984-1987) to revealing the history of the Union Square Subway Station (1992-2000), and developing a framework for artists’ projects as the NYC Dept. of Design and Construction’s first Artist in Residence (2017). She currently leads WaterMarks in Milwaukee, an urban-scale initiative to promote water stewardship in diverse neighborhoods across the city with local artists and community members. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Miss
Scientists
Charles Canham studies the dynamics of forest ecosystems and how they respond to a wide range of human impacts. Using field research, novel statistical methods, and computer models, Canham predicts forest response to factors including climate change, introduced pests and pathogens, logging regimes, and air pollution. He received a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University in 1984 and then joined Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.www.caryinstitute.org/science/our-scientists/dr-charles-d-canham
Dr. Britt Crow-Miller is a Senior Lecturer in the Departments of Environmental Conservation and Geosciences at UMass Amherst. Her academic research is focused on environmental politics, sustainability, global development, and water resource management in China and cities of the Western U.S. In 2018, Britt founded CityWild, a nonprofit organization with the mission of inspiring curiosity about nature through fun, exploration, and hands-on learning for kids and families, including those in underserved communities. The foundation of CityWild was laid in Portland, Oregon, and the organization relocated with Britt to New England in 2020. Primary Interests- sustainability, environmental politics, hydropolitics, global development, water, sustainability education: Education: UCLA, Geography (PhD), Harvard University (MA), Bard College (BA) co.umass.edu/people/faculty/crow-miller-britt/
Anita Milman is an Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst. Her research on environmental governance focuses on water resources in the context of global change. She is particularly interested in how adaptation to climate change in the water sector is influenced by a) institutional structures 2) the socio-political-cultural lenses used in interpreting information and c) the need to make decisions and act under uncertainty. Her research is itself a form of boundary work, with a special interest in connecting those who produce knowledge with stakeholders, policymakers, and government agencies. Her current projects include: Science-policy interfaces in transboundary rivers. Groundwater governance. Adaptation to extreme flood events in New England. www.linkedin.com/in/anita-milman-0466956/
This project has been supported by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the Lee Bank Foundation
Links to partners and stakeholders:
https://www.cityaslivinglab.org
http://livingthechangeberkshires.com
http://wordxwordfestival.com/index.html
https://manos-unidas.wixsite.com/manos-unidas-