ArtWeek Berkshires is a county-wide collaboration led by the five state-designated Cultural Districts of Berkshire County. The multi-day festival invites artists of all disciplines and cultural venues of all sizes to engage audiences with hands-on, behind-the-scenes, or interactive opportunities to get to know them and their art more deeply.

After 90 years in the community, Berkshire Botanical Garden continues to inspire and educate a growing number of visitors from near and far with our 24 acres of gardens, year-round educational offerings for youth and adult learners, and exciting special events.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, as a result of our work developing an Outdoor Recreation Plan for Berkshire County in 2020, subsequently created www.berkshiresoutside.org to help residents and visitors discover more of what the Berkshires has to offer through a comprehensive, user-friendly website displaying nearly 575 access points to the outdoors. Since its launch in January of 2024, BerkshiresOutside.org has had over 57,000 sessions and 43,000 users.

The Mount is a National Historic Landmark and cultural center dedicated to the intellectual, artistic, and humanitarian legacy of author Edith Wharton (1862-1937), whose works include classic novels such as The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth, as well as authoritative works on architecture, design, and travel.

The Norman Rockwell Museum illuminates the power of American illustration art to reflect and shape society, and advances the enduring values of kindness, respect, and social equity portrayed by Norman Rockwell.  The Norman Rockwell Museum has welcomed What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine to the Berkshires this summer which has inspired a 40% increase of attendance in July and August; with several days reaching 1000 or more.

Alander Construction is a full-service general contractor and design-build firm with extensive experience in complex restoration, new construction, and fast-track construction projects. They create intricately designed projects that require meticulous attention to detail.

The Berkshire Innovation Center serves as a catalyst to spark innovation and sustainable growth of technology-focused companies. We do this through programs that promote learning and enrich people in technology-led career paths and by providing research and innovation space for people and companies to explore new technologies, all while convening and connecting a community of like-minded people. We can do more together.

The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire has helped a huge number of small businesses find the technical assistance they need, and has helped to fill a massive gap in our regional housing through the variety of developments they’ve undertaken. Their work at Windrush Commons is a model to be replicated to move the needle in the Berkshires.

EMA has established globally recognized test, simulation, and consulting capabilities for the space, aerospace, defense, and related sectors here in the Berkshires. EMA’s work in the region includes fostering a high growth, high wage, and high impact business, supporting youth workforce pipelines, and acting as a leader in the development of our emergent aerospace technology sector.

Moresi & Associates is committed to private economic development in the Berkshires and beyond! They proudly provide commercial and residential development and property management services throughout Western Massachusetts, Southern Vermont, and Eastern New York.

The AYJ Fund supports children with cancer through our programs: AYJ SMILES providing gift packs and fun experiences, CONNECTIONS through tablets and laptops, and CURES which funds critical research to find effective treatments for children with cancer. AYJ Fund programs are available to all children with cancer in the Berkshires, with resources through our local, national and international collaborations.

Protecting land, and creating access to nature for all, is not work that can be done by one person or one organization. It takes thoughtful and in-depth collaboration at every level, without concern for who gets the credit in the end. To create the most climate-resilient Berkshires, we must all work together, and we are!

Since 1924 Berkshire United Way has ignited the collective power of our neighbors, board and staff, funded partners, donors, business supporters, and volunteers to build a stronger and more equitable community in the Berkshires, one where everyone can thrive. BUW is a partner and leader in the nonprofit community in Berkshire County which represents a key economic sector and contributes to household and neighborhood stability. Through our work, Berkshire United Way aspires to serve every individual, family, and organization in Berkshire County either directly or indirectly, through funding of partner organizations, nonprofit capacity building, volunteer recruitment and engagement as well as by responding, partnering, and leading collaboratively to address urgent and emergent community needs. BUW’s work is deeply rooted in a commitment to collaboration guided by the shared purpose that everyone in Berkshire County has equitable access to economic opportunity.

Latinas413 is a unique organization for Latina women, led by Latina women. What makes Latinas413 special is that its members are women who have worked hard to achieve their current success.  Over the past three years, Latinas413 has supported seven young traditional and non-traditional students in attending college, providing nearly $10,000 in scholarships.

The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires collaborates with dozens of businesses, funders, nonprofits, consultants to provide free or low-cost programs and support to over 1,000 Berkshire nonprofits.

Abigail Allard is the Manager of Development and Communications at the Brigham Center.  Abby is a passionate leader dedicated to empowering youth, children, and families to achieve their fullest potential by supporting their unique goals. With a deep commitment to the community, Abby supports transformative programs that elevate lives, bridge educational gaps, and meet people where they are, fostering growth and opportunity for all.

Marina Dominguez is the adjunct fellow at TDI Mass Development allowing her to help immigrants who desire to become business owners in the Pittsfield district.  An immigrant advocate, Marina leads an arts collective for Spanish-speaking immigrants and is a strong voice for positivity and inclusivity for immigrant populations in business fields.

Jonah Sykes is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Berkshire Community College. Born and raised in the Berkshires, he has dedicated his life to helping make this amazing county a better place for all through his commitment to community and civic engagement.

As owner and chocolatier of Truffles by Tarah LLC, Tarah has been a change maker for the economy and for the culinary scene of Berkshire County.  Truffles by Tarah LLC makes small batch chocolate truffles using locally sourced ingredients to be a taste of the Berkshires in every Bite!

The Choices Mentoring Initiative has made a profound impact on Berkshire’s youth, equipping them with essential skills and support systems to navigate life successfully. Our focus on fostering emotional resilience has resonated deeply, and our growth plans include expanding our reach with a strategic plan to establish a dedicated location, open five days a week, to serve all youth in Berkshire County.

It all began with two brothers in search of the very best produce they could find. They named their roadside stand after their father Guido, determined to carry on the commitment to good health and personal integrity that ran through everything he did. That little roadside stand has grown, but the Masieros’ mission has remained the same…  Under the marketplace concept, separate vendors run independent businesses alongside the Guido’s departments, creating a selection and commitment to quality that helps to make Guido’s such a unique destination.

Roots Rising’s mission is to empower youth and build community through food and farming. We have three main programs: our Pittsfield Farmers Market, our Youth Crews, and our upcoming Farm and Education Center.  Last year Roots Rising’s market generated nearly $300,000 in income for vendors, strengthening and supporting our local economy. This year, Roots Rising acquired a 6.5-acre parcel of land in Pittsfield. The space will be the heart of our operations, where the next generation of food system change-makers will be nurtured.

Second Chance Composting is a fully licensed, certified, and insured family and locally owned business offering drop-off, hauling & processing of food scraps and other organic matter, including selling of finished compost, in the Berkshires MA & Southern VT.  As the first and only full- scale local community-based compost operation in the Northern Berkshires, we provide community events, outreach, education, awareness and consulting services.

Woven Roots Farm is a traditional, hand-scale vegetable farm, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, and education center located on unceded Mohican land in the present-day Berkshire hills of Western Massachusetts.​ Through a deep relationship with the land and one another, we commit to feeding, educating, and empowering our community members by co-creating pathways to become healthier individuals, ethical growers, and caretakers of the earth and one another.

Berkshire Funding Focus (BFF) makes nonprofits, municipalities, small businesses, and educational institutions become aware of and more competitive for state and federal grants. BFF takes a collaborative approach to distilling the county’s knowledge, power, and tenacity into compelling proposals.

Dri is a Berkshire-based, innovative company improving upon today’s modern day umbrella by creating a more eco-friendly and durable option that is focused on sustainability and conscious consumerism. In order to mitigate the worst impacts of plastic pollution and climate change, Dri builds rain umbrellas from recycled ocean-bound plastic and has diverted over 16,000 plastic bottles from entering our oceans.

At Full Well Farm, our business model is rooted in social justice and the belief that everybody has the right to high-quality produce.  Our growing practices demonstrate a deep respect for the larger ecosystems on the farm and a commitment to stewarding our land with sustainable practices in light of the urgency of climate change.

The Let It Shine! mission is rooted in making art accessible to all, building confidence in Pittsfield, and creating stronger ties between residents and their downtown. This year, Let It Shine! will operate a mentoring program in Pittsfield Public Schools surrounding downtown with the goal of educating young artists and building bridges between young people and downtown that boost economic vitality. Public art will be created with and by local youth in ways that engage children with themes of activism, environmentalism, and entrepreneurship.

Jenny Wright creates the conditions that allow the people around her to do their best work. For the past year, she has been part of a Placemaking Task Force, supported by MASS MoCA and the Barr Foundation, to study the challenges the City of North Adams and the Berkshires face related to housing, economic development, and civic infrastructure. Jenny has learned that these challenges are systemic and interdependent, and that the opportunity to make an impact is not in tackling them one by one in silos, but by looking at where and how they intersect and by aligning existing planning studies, public and private partners, and local and regional community groups to face these problems together as one interconnected effort to move the Berkshires forward.