Trustees Of The Berkshire Museum

Programs: Opened in 1903, the berkshire museum holds a micro-encyclopedic collection of more than 40,000 objects, inluding art, material culture, and specimens related to the berkshires, the greater regional and american experience, and the world. The museum houses one of the most significant natural science collections in the region, including a 30-tank aquarium with fish, reptiles, and amphibians and a major collection of scientifically valuable specimens such as mollusks, minerals, fossils, insects, birds, mammals, and plants. Core exhibitions are devoted to interpreting the permanent collection, regional natural history, animal habitats from around the world, and living collections. The feigenbaum hall of innovation explores innovation in the berkshires related to science, technology, natural history, and visual, literary and performing arts. The exhibition "window on the world" highlights historical objects from the 18th through 20th centuries such as nathaniel hawthorne's desk to antiquities from egypt, rome, and greece. Ethnographic artifacts originating in the americas, africa, oceania, and asia are on view, as are selections from the fine art collection. Complementing core exhibits focused on the cultural and natural histories of the berkshires, the museum presents 12-15 temporary exhibits every year. The museum is dedicated to interdisciplinary interpretation: recent exhibitions have included native american art from the pacific northwest; tell me more - time & travel, extreme exploration, art of the armanent; the science of color; curiosity incubator; and the art, history and science of paper. The museum's berkshire now gallery offers four exhibitions every year of work by regional artists working across a range of media. The berkshire museum has been a smithsonian institution affiliate since 2013. Total attendance for the year was approximately 44,000 individuals.

berkshire museum is an acknowledged leader in arts and science education, offering interactive and engaging educational programs and activities for school groups in grades k through 12 that foster problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration through hands-on, inquiry-based, experiential projects. The museum provides more than 20,000 educational experiences for local students each year through curriculum-based classes at the museum and through 13 outreach programs in 12 area schools. The museum's education staff is committted to promoting the learning skills necessary for success in the 21st century - communication, critical thinking, collaboration and creativity. All educational programs support national common core standard initiatives and the massachusetts curriculum frameworks. Berkshire museum is the only museum within a 60-mile radius to offer science education. The berkshire museum also offers a robust schedule of activities for early learners providing innovative activities for children from 6 months to 4 years. Utilizing a museum's unique resources, educators have developed stem- and steam-related activities specifically designed for younger children, incorporating coordination and motor skills, language skills, social interaction, and sensory exploration. Berkshire museum's educational programs fill significant needs for local school districts that lack sufficient funding and resources of their own to serve a population that includes many academically at-risk students. Classes are offered at a very low cost per student, ensuring maximum access for all regional children. Approximately 28,000 students served during the year.

the berkshire museum presents a year-round schedule of more than 500 innovative, interdisciplinary public programs, including tours, classes, workshops, camps, gallery talks, live animal shows, film, spoken word, dance, theater, and music performances, all designed to serve our family and community audience. Weemuse programs for early learners and their caregivers are offered several times every week in the galleries, as is the popular chow time in the aquarium. Several times a month children can participate in kitchen ka-boom, a science class, or experience the imagination playground. The learner's lab program offers monthly opportunities to try life skills, from sausage-making to quilting to ukulele-playing. During the summer and school breaks, the museum offers an exciting variety of summer camps, including hands-on experiences in robotics, theater, animation, forensics, natural science and magic. The museum also recognizes the importance of engaging the entire family. To that end, the berkshire museum offers four free community nights annually: science night, pajama night, an evening of literacy; the opening night of ten days of play, focused on child-directed creative play; and welcome to kindergarten. The berkshire museum's little cinema screens independent and foreign films five times a week, year-round. The museum has developed a robust network of organizational partners, including local and regional educational systems, cultural organizations, governmental and non-profit agencies and the museum often presents special screenings as well as talks and classes as part of these ongoing collaborations, focused on community needs. Total attendance for the year was approximately 22,000 individuals.