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This project is supported by Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the Barr Foundation.
BERKSHIRE COUNTY, MASS. – Common Folk and Multicultural BRIDGE are pleased to announce a new series of artist residency, fellowship, mentorship, and community arts opportunities designed to expand access and investment in Artists of Color throughout Berkshire County. These new opportunities are supported through the Equity Initiative and Arts Build Community at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Applications are open now until October 1, 2026. Visit xxx for more details. Together, the organizations will serve as regional arts hubs, creating new pathways for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) artists to access funding, creative space, mentorship, professional development, and public presentation opportunities. In North Berkshire County, Common Folk has launched a fellowship program that includes a year-long studio residency for one established Artist of Color, project stipends for emerging artists, and membership for all awardees to Common Folk for a year. Membership to Common Folk includes creative facilities, including screen printing, a darkroom, secondhand art supply resources, communal workspaces, and a newly supported risograph printing program. Application opened September 1st, 2026, and the deadline to apply is Oct 1st. In South Berkshire County, Multicultural BRIDGE will administer Solidarity Arts Collective project grants to established artists while supporting a larger cohort of emerging artists through workshops, mentorship, open studio opportunities, and culturally grounded community programming. The program will center intergenerational learning, community storytelling, culinary arts, photography, textile traditions, music, land-based practices, landscape design and other forms of cultural expression. Summer at Solidarity Arts Collective To date, the summer has kicked off with a blend of established and emerging artists participating in the “We the People” sunrise event with Yo Yo Ma in “Parading to Tanglewood” and the “Voices of Freedom” event with Town of Lee along with its Happiness Toolbox and Youth Leadership summer youth programs. Exploring African, Haitian, African American, and Latina cultures and Indigenous Dine traditions. Both organizations will collaborate on artist development, community engagement, and a culminating exhibition featuring participating artists from across the county. "This collaboration recognizes that artists are essential community builders," said representatives of the partnership. "By investing directly in Artists of Color, we're creating more equitable access to resources while strengthening the cultural vitality of Berkshire County." The initiative builds on Multicultural BRIDGE's history of community-centered arts engagement. In a recent letter of support, PS21 Center for Contemporary Performance highlighted BRIDGE's role in connecting artists and community members through collaborative arts experiences that foster healing, connection, and collective expression. Next Solidarity Arts Collective Presentation occurs on International World Day of Peace with culinary, indigenous and many other cultural offerings. Upcoming Opportunity at Common Folk Applications for the inaugural Common Folk Artist Residency & Fellowship Program are expected to open September 1, 2026, with priority given to Artists of Color who demonstrate meaningful connections to Berkshire County, particularly North Berkshire communities including North Adams, Adams, Williamstown, Clarksburg, and surrounding towns. The opportunity will support:
Building a Countywide Network The Equity Initiative & Arts Build Community Collaboration is designed to increase equitable participation in arts and culture through artist support, residencies, workforce development, mentorship, and shared creative infrastructure. Both hub partners will work together to strengthen connections among artists, cultural organizations, and communities throughout Berkshire County. For updates on application opportunities and public programming, community members are encouraged to follow announcements from Common Folk and Multicultural BRIDGE. About Multicultural Bridge BRIDGE is a Berkshire-based public health and social justice organization founded in 2007 that advances health and well-being by addressing the social conditions that shape people’s lives, including housing, employment, education, and systemic racism. We serve Black and Brown communities, immigrants, LGBTQ+, and other historically underserved populations through community building, education and training, organizing, and advocacy. BRIDGE is the Berkshires’ only culturally specific family shelter and BIPOC wellness center, and we were the first BIPOC- and Black women-led organization invited by the state to develop a public health model. We connect sectors including the arts, community organizations, and financial institutions to create collaborative solutions and advance systemic change, while fostering spaces where people feel supported, loved, and valued in their full humanity. About Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Since 1987, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation has strengthened our region through philanthropy and leadership. We channel generosity where it is needed, bringing together resources and passion to tackle pressing issues and create lasting change. We award over 15 million dollars annually in grants and scholarships and support nonprofit organizations in communities across Berkshire County, Mass., northwest Litchfield County, Conn., and Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County in New York. Arts Build Community is a 10-year program that has focused on strengthening the arts sector in Berkshire County and is supported by the Barr Foundation. The Equity Initiative launched in 2023 and is dedicated to advancing racial and social justice, economic empowerment, and leadership development for BIPOC communities across the region. Media Contacts Common Folk 165 E. Main Street North Adams, MA 01247 https://commonfolk.org/ Application to fellowships can be found here: https://bit.ly/4gOBf6r Multicultural BRIDGE 965 Main St. Great Barrington, Massachusetts https://multiculturalbridge.org BRIDGE Hosts Earth Day 2026 & Launches Next Phase of Solidarity Farm at April Hill Advancing a Community-Based Environmental Justice Model for Food Sovereignty, Climate Resilience, and Public Health Great Barrington , MA — Multicultural BRIDGE will host its Earth Day 2026 Celebration on April 22 at Solidarity House, marking both the opening of the growing season and the next phase of its Solidarity Farm & Garden at April Hill. This year’s gathering brings together state leaders, regional partners, and community members to advance a shared vision for environmental justice, food sovereignty, and climate resilience in the Berkshires. A New Phase at April HillAfter five years of growing at the Great Barrington Fairgrounds, BRIDGE’s Solidarity Farm has supported the development of a strong cohort of community growers. As part of this next phase, several Solidarity growers are now ready to expand beyond community plots into more independent, production-oriented farming. The April Hill site represents the next evolution of this work, building on the World Farmers Flats Mentor Farm model and adapting it for the Berkshire context of BIPOC emerging farmers. Partnering with Greenagers in a values-aligned effort across constituencies, trainings and agricultural resources. This expansion includes:
Earth Day 2026: Community Health, Climate Resilience & Collective ActionEarth Day at BRIDGE is a family-friendly, community-centered event that connects land, learning, and action. Season Opening Activities
Environmental Justice Panel As a member of Environmental Justice Fund Steering Committee of the Attorney General Office, BRIDGE will feature a public panel on Environmental Justice & Community-Based Climate Solutions, connecting state leadership with local practice. Moderator: Gwendolyn VanSant, BRIDGE, with Dr. Lina Maria Polo Caijao
BRIDGE invites families, youth, educators, farmers, land stewards, and regional partners to participate in a day of hands-on learning, engagement, and collective action. The State is coming to be with the community and hear our challenges and solutions. Rooted in Community & Climate Justice BRIDGE’s work is grounded in a long arc of community-led environmental justice and public health work, beginning prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and shaped through collaboration with the BRIDGE community and the Town of Great Barrington Sustainability Committee as part of the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) climate resilience planning process. This work led to the development of our shared C.A.R.E. framework, which remains a guiding model for BRIDGE work as it was rooted in our community voices, wisdom, experience and municipal partnership. The framework centers:
Today, Solidarity Farm & Garden operates as a community-based environmental justice and public health initiative, serving over 200 families and supporting BIPOC growers across multiple sites. Through alignment with values-aligned partners & organizations including:
A Model in Motion “This work reflects a long-term commitment to building systems that connect land, health, and community,” said Gwendolyn VanSant, CEO & Founding Director of BRIDGE. “We are proud to support growers as they expand, and to continue developing solutions that are rooted in both culturally relevant community knowledge and regional partnership. We look forward to sharing our SHAWE initiative that works across agriculture, the arts, health and justice in our BIPOC and vulnerable communities fortifying health, self-determination, belonging and joy.” Event Details Earth Day Celebration – Solidarity Farm & Garden April 22, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 7:30 PM Solidarity House 965 Main St, Great Barrington, MA Abbreviated Agenda
Community members, partners, and supporters are encouraged to attend and engage. Email: [email protected] Phone: 413-274-8142 Media contact: Gwendolyn VanSant Phone: 318-528-1011 “Our Earth Day celebration in the Berkshires is a hub for environmental justice—connecting climate resilience, food systems, and public health through inter generational cross-cultural community-led models.” - Gwendolyn FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb 9, 2026
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