Arts Organizations

Berkshire County and Albany, New York-based professional ballet company which performs both classic and contemporary works.

Home of Herman Melville from 1850-1865, Arrowhead is a house museum interpreting the life of the Melville family in the Berkshires. It is owned and operated by the Berkshire County Historical Society. Information on volunteer/intern opportunities as tour guides, collections/exhibits assistants and research work available on the Museum’s website.

The mission of the Aston Magna Foundation is to enrich appreciation of music of the past and the understanding of the cultural, political and social contexts in which it was composed and experienced. The foundation tries to reach the larger public through the use of historical instruments and practices in performances, recordings and workshops and through innovative interdisciplinary educational programs, publications and electronic media.

Innovative professional theatre company with strong community relationship and seasonal as well as year round programming. Features productions dedicated primarily to emerging artists and initiatives such as a theatre program for at-risk youth that led to the formation of the Railroad Street Youth Project. See website for volunteer opportunities or contact volunteer coordinator.

Offers professional choral and instrumental concerts of Baroque music year round in the Berkshires of Massachusetts.

Peaceful refuge of natural beauty, stunning display gardens and exciting community events for people of all ages. See website for virtual tour and information on variety of volunteer opportunities.

Founded in 1982, the Berkshire Choral Festival offers adult and youth choral training and performing programs involving world class conductors and professional music staff in direct interaction with choristers, teaching the masterpieces of the choral-orchestral repertoire.

Oldest community music organization and premiere professional-level community chorus in the Berkshires. Programming includes a children’s chorus.

The mission of the Berkshire Museum is to enrich, inspire, and educate through interactions with the arts, history and the natural world. The Museum serves audiences of all ages by acquiring, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting objects of art, history, and natural science. The Museum welcomes help in a variety of capacities including research, exhibition work and education. A volunteer handbook is on file in the Experiential Education Office (101 Mather House).

Professional opera company which welcomes help with ushering and general production support.

Dynamic professional theatre in the Berkshires on two stages in July and August. The mission of the Berkshire Theatre Festival is to sustain, promote and produce theatre for its community through performance and educational activities. See the education and training section of the BTF website for information on internship and apprenticeship opportunities.

Historic house museum of the 1920’s summer home, studio, and garden of sculptor Daniel Chester French. Open daily from 10am to 5pm, May to October.

The mission of the Colonial Theatre is to enrich life in Pittsfield and the Berkshires by presenting a wide variety of performances and fostering artistic collaboration and performing arts education in a restored national historic landmark. The Theatre is currently engaged in a capital campaign to restore the 100 year old theatre, fund operating expenses and establish an endowment fund. Help is welcome in a variety of areas including assisting with special projects and regular events, administration, and volunteer coordination.

A non-for-profit artists’ studio facility established in 1990 by working artists for working artists. Through ongoing community programs and partnerships, the CAC offers a lecture series, specialized exhibitions, a resource network and database for area artists, an online gallery and slide bank, and youth programs. The CAC has five unique galleries, which feature regional and international and CAC artists in residence exhibits. Galleries are open May through October.

Non-profit museum service organization that develops and circulates traveling exhibitions in the arts.

Estate Museum located in central Berkshire and open May through October.

House museum of International style home built by abstract artists George Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen featuring paintings, frescoes, sculpture and a collection of American and European Cubist art.

Inkberry is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the literary arts in and around Berkshire County. Through workshops geared towards every level of writer, and a reading series that both brings established writers into our community and promotes local talent, we aim to strengthen connections between writing and life, and create a place where everyone can discover their voice.

One of the most acclaimed intenational dance festivals in the world, Jacob’s Pillow is located in the Berkshire hills of Western Massachusetts. The beautiful and historic campus includes two theatres, an outdoor stage, four studios, an exhibition gallery, the Archives, residential cabins, food venues, offices and 153 acres of woodlands. The 10-week Festival attracts attendance of over 70,000 visitors to performances, lectures, work-in-progress showings, exhibitions, dance classes, and other events. In addition, over a hundred professional-track dancers and choreographers from all over the world come to study with the renowned faculty at The School at Jacob’s Pillow.

Kidspace at Mass MoCA is a contemporary art gallery and art-making space for children, teachers, family and the general public. Housed at the MassMoCA complex, Kidspace is a collaborative project of the Williams College Museum of Art, the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, and MASS MoCA. At Kidspace, children, teachers, families and other visitors are invited to view outstanding contemporary art and to create art of their own. Local schools are an important part of Kidspace, with every student and teacher from the two closest school districts involved with in-depth educational programming. Two exhibitions, selected on both educational and artistic merit, are mounted each year. Kidspace welcomes volunteers/interns interested in conducting weekday gallery programs, helping students to begin to make their art projects and working on weekends helping general public visitors explore the exhibition and make their own art projects.

A community arts center (including a gallery) dedicated to long term institutional change and community improvement by making the arts both physically and economically accessible to everyone. Programs include a public arts program in public murals, a performing arts series, workshops in pottery, photography, writing and life drawing and a juried gallery space now in its 27th season. Help welcome especially with public relations and gallery management.

Non-profit community theatre serving north Berkshire featuring productions year round.

A multicultural community empowerment organization that strives to uplift all of the latino, immigrant and minority members of our community through a sustained exchange of shared resources, participatory education and living arts. Manos Unidas seeks not only to provide the opportunity for empowerment but also foster the creation of a diverse culture of community that hones our unique strengths by crossing real and artificial boundaries set up by class, race, language, culture and geography. Manos Unidas welcomes help with its outreach work in the community such as a) creating opportunities for community dialogue (such as a “Know Your Rights” Forum), b) helping with program start-up and continuation (e.g., Bilingual Radio Program), c) planning community events such as mural projects, Earth Charter Summit Day, Immigrant Month Conference, etc.

Housed in a vast 13 acre, 19th century factory campus, MASS MoCA presents world class and cutting edge visual, performing, and new media arts. Facilities include 80,000 square feet of galleries (including largest exhibition space in North America) a versatile 700 seat theatre, a 200 seat lab theatre, an outdoor cinema and concert courtyard and more. MASS MoCA welcomes volunteer help in a variety of capacities, looking for interns with experience or education in the fields to which they apply.

House museum (c. 1825) managed by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. Private heritage tours available with advance reservations by calling 617-227-3956, June 1st through October 15th.

The Norman Rockwell Museum is dedicated to the enjoyment and study of Rockwell’s work and his contributions to society, popular culture, and social commentary. The Museum houses the world’s largest and most significant collection of Rockwell’s work, including 574 original paintings and drawings. Rockwell’s Stockbridge studio, moved to the Museum site, is open to the public from May through October, and features original art materials, his library, furnishings, and personal items. The Museum also houses the Norman Rockwell Archives, a collection of more than 100,000 items, including working photographs, letters, personal calendars, fan mail, and business documents. The Museum welcomes volunteers/interns in a variety of capacities and posts its volunteer needs as well as available jobs on its website.

A startup community arts non-profit, recently incorporated, located in North Adams. NBCA will work within, through and help expand the reach of the existing arts organizations in North Berkshire. NBCA’s mission is to serve as an arts community center for Northern Berkshire providing studio classes and workshops in the visual and oral arts, broadly defined. NBCA is open to creative proposals from volunteers/interns with preference for help in the following areas: 1) bilingual arts education; 2) technology; 3) fundraising and grant-writing; 4) assistance with classes in arts, education, psychology; 5) internet research.

The START cultural inventory seeks to explore and catalogue the area’s arts and traditions in order to increase awareness, and understanding of our cultural resources and to promote greater interaction between cultural groups, organizations, and artists within the ten N. Berkshire Communities. The START project is funded by the Mass Cultural Council through a generous gift from the Wallace Foundation. The Project seeks volunteers to help with data collection using a survey and lists of contacts developed by the START committee. This data collection can be done by phone and by visiting with local artists and groups. Volunteers could also be helpful with data entry. Interested students should contact the START Coordinator.

One of the oldest community theatre groups in the country featuring three productions a year. "The Workshop," a production rehearsal hall, is located at 148 Lebanon Avenue in Pittsfield.

A non-profit organization dedicated to using the power of the media to tell the stories of people and organizations making positive social change throughout the world. Contact Executive Director Bill Mosher for more information about intern opportunities.

A nonprofit art conservation organization located on the grounds of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, which treats objects ranging from family photographs, antiques and heirlooms to some of the most important paintings, sculpture and furniture in the country. Founded in 1977 to address the conservation and collection care needs of a small consortium of collecting institutions in the Northeast, the Center now serves more than 50 member museums and historical societies in New England, New York, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, as well as individuals and corporations. WACC has also become a center for information on all aspects of collections care. Students should contact Executive Director Tom Branchick for information on volunteer and internship opportunities.

Non-profit professional summer theatre which produces classic and new plays, presents artists production opportunities and challenges seldom available elsewhere, provides training to emerging theater talents and creates and presents programs which serve and engage a diverse community. See website for information on training and career opportunities.

Wide range of social, recreational and educational programs for youth and adolescents ages 6 - 18 from Williamstown and the surrounding area. Executive Director David Rempell welcomes students interested in helping develop and implement arts programming (in any medium) to e-mail him about experiential learning opportunities at the WYC.