2013 Berkshires Jazz Student Art Contest
2013 Berkshires Jazz Student Art Contest
The winners of the annual Berkshires Jazz Student Art Contest, adjudicated from more than 70 entries from all four of Pittsfield’s high schools, will be announced on April 11. The ceremony will take place starting at 5:00pm in the Crane Room at the Berkshire Museum, where all entries will be hanging.
The occasion will open with a performance by the Pittsfield High School Jazz Ensemble under the direction of band director Ronald Lively. Berkshires Jazz will also announce the headline performers for its two main events of the second half of 2013, the Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend in late July in downtown Lee, and the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival in October, followed by the announcement of the Student Art Contest winners. Light refreshments will be provided, and many of the student artists will be on hand.
Students from Pittsfield and Taconic High Schools, as well as St. Joseph’s and Miss Hall’s, participated in this fourth annual contest. to create the graphic symbol The winning entry will become the graphic image for the eighth annual Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, which will be held from Oct. 9-19, 2013. It will appear on the festival’s poster, web site, advertising, and program booklet.
The contest is a way to engage more of the student community in a cross-genre creative activity. Many of the students conduct independent research the subject, and jazz music is sometimes played during the classes, as a way of inspiring the student artists. The top three entries receive small cash prizes and the opportunity to show their work in a world-class exhibit space at the Berkshire Museum.
This year’s judges included artist Anne Pasko; graphic designer Tom Buckley of Greylock Marketing Group; and fine art photographer Ken Green of Museum Facsimiles.
Art teachers engaged in the project were coordinator Colleen Quinn, Pittsfield High School; Lisa Ostellino and Barbara Patton, PHS; Marybeth Eldridge and Mike Boroniec, Taconic; Dale Zola, St. Joseph’s; and Ellie Kreischer and Sophia Lee from Miss Hall’s.
Project coordinator is Art Niedeck, a jazz musician and music educator, and chairman of the Education Committee of Berkshires Jazz, Inc., which is responsible for planning the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival and other events throughout the year. In addition to its mission of presenting ‘live’ jazz, the not-for-profit Berkshires Jazz is chartered to promote jazz education throughout Berkshire County. Its activities are supported by ticket sales from the festival, as well as donations from sponsors, which this year include Greylock Federal Credit Union the Pittsfield Cultural Council, and jazz education pioneer Jamey Aebersold.