One of the largest and most generous foundations in Berkshire County may be one you've never heard of, the Feigenbaum Foundation. But it's a name you should remember, since they are a major benefactor of cultural and other organizations in our county, and they recently contributed $15,000 to the renovations for our own Sandisfield Arts Center.

Their website describes the foundation's purpose this way:

The founders, brothers Armand and Donald Feigenbaum, had a deep respect and love for the Berkshires. In keeping with that idea, organizations located in or providing primary benefits to the Berkshires are the Foundation's preferred grant recipients. The purpose of the Feigenbaum Foundation is to focus its financial assistance primarily on pursuits related to, effecting or associated with education in technology, engineering and management; academic institutions and disciplines; medical institutions and disciplines; cultural programs and projects; community-based tax-exempt organizations in the Berkshire County area; established religious institutions, programs and project.

The non-profit Sandisfield Arts Center falls into the cultural programs and projects category. Although we are much smaller than many of their grantees, the directors of the Feigenbaum Foundation recognized the value of our renovation project, "Building Our Future Together," to our small and special community.

With this grant and the funding already received from individual donors, along with the Estate of Leslie and Johanna Garfield (administered by their family), the 1772 Foundation, the Homestead Foundation, and the Wyomissing Foundation, we are close to covering Phase I costs.

That means we'll have climate-friendly HVAC and a modernized Gallery for our grand opening weekend May 30-June 1. "The Landscape We Live" is the opening Gallery show, celebrating the 30th anniversary and renovations of the Arts Center. The exhibition pays tribute to Sandisfield-the topography, trees, totems, rocks, rivers, animals, and artists who call it home. We'll share the full season lineup in a future article, but "The Landscape We Live" is very much a focus of this season.

Update on our renovations

Work continues on the project despite the cold. Three of the four ceiling HVAC units are in (see the photograph). As anyone will recognize who has done home renovations, unexpected needs and issues add to the costs. For example, work on the ceiling HVAC led to discovering an unrelated problem. Our electrical system requires a major upgrade to support the HVAC and future kitchen. Digging the foundation for the future shed cost more than the initial estimate because - it's Sandisfield - it hit ledge.

Such inevitable surprises along the way are why we continue to seek donations from foundations and from members of our community to complete our Phase I, 2025 plan. We also need funds for Phase II, 2026, for the kitchen and storage shed.

Look for our article in the April Times for a further update and a season preview