FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
City of Pittsfield Director of Cultural Development, Megan Whilden, 413-281-7289
Barrington Stage Company Press Director Charlie Siedenburg 551-655-0968
THE NUMBERS ARE IN!
10×10 UPSTREET ARTS FESTIVAL
IN DOWNTOWN PITTSFIELD
ATTRACTS MORE THAN 6,500 PATRONS
Over 75 performances, events and art exhibits featured more than 300 new works created for the festival including plays, poems, visual art and more
SAVE THE DATES: 3nd Annual 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival, February 13-23, 2014
(PITTSFIELD, MA) The numbers are in! The 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival returned February 14-24, 2013 and its dynamic mix of art, dance, film, music, theatre, comedy and more drew over 6,500 patrons to downtown Pittsfield to experience more than 75 performances, events and art exhibits.
Spearheaded by Barrington Stage Company and the City of Pittsfield, the 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival – now in its second year – expanded in size and geography in 2013 to include more programming in venues throughout the city’s newly designated Upstreet Cultural District.
Attendance in 2013 surpassed 6,500 – more than doubling the attendance at the inaugural festival in February 2012 of 3,000. This year’s festival also included over 75 performances, events and art exhibits – 60% more events than in 2012. Over 480 artists participated or had work featured in this year’s festival and more than 300 new works were created specifically for the 2013 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival.
Mayor Daniel Bianchi attended a number of 10×10 events and hosted the Teen Ten Art Show in Pittsfield’s City Hall. He noted “The 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival is a wonderful example of the great things that can happen when the city partners with local businesses, arts organizations, artists and youth to create an affordable, fun winter celebration of creativity that also benefits our local economy. Special thanks to Barrington Stage Company for founding this new winter arts festival and for all they have done to make it so successful.”
2013 festival partners included Alchemy Initiative, Barrington Stage Company, Beacon Cinema/Berkshire International Film Festival, Berkshire Art Association, Berkshires Jazz, Berkshire Museum, Gallery 25, Hancock Shaker Village, NU Arts, the Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe/Berkshire Theatre Group, WAM Theatre, and WordXWord, as well as a comedy show presented by Thomas Attila Lewis. The 2013 festival also included a new family arts component, as the festival took place during February school break. Family programming participants included Berkshire Museum, Bisque, Beads & Beyond, Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield City Hall and Miss Hall’s School.
All 2013 Upstreet festival events and exhibits took place in downtown Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District, the first state-designated cultural district west of Boston. The Upstreet Cultural District stretches from the Colonial Theatre on South Street to Barrington Stage’s Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center in the North, and from First Street to Center Street.
Berkshire Gas was the lead sponsor of the 2013 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival. Additional support was generously provided by the following sponsors: Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Berkshire Magazine, The Berkshire Eagle, Lamar Advertising, Barrington Stage Company, and the City of Pittsfield.
With the success of the second annual 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival, plans are underway to present the 3rd annual 10×10 festival February 13-23, 2014. Mark your calendars!
About 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival
The festival is a collaborative effort spearheaded by Barrington Stage Company and the City of Pittsfield and coordinated through a steering committee that includes the Beacon Cinema, Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF), Berkshire Museum, Lichtenstein Center for the Arts and the City of Pittsfield, Mission Bar + Tapas, and y bar. For more information, visit discoverpittsfield.com/10×10, find 10×10 Upstreet on Facebook, or contact the City of Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development at 413-499-9348 or mwhilden@pittsfieldch.com
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