Sheffield Art League Book Celebrates the Housatonic River; Panel Discussions, Signing Events Scheduled for June 18 and 24 SHEFFIELD, Massachusetts, June 10, 2004 – The Sheffield Art League has announced that their book Art and the River: Views and Visions of the Housatonic, which pays tribute to the region’s most notable natural resource, is now available. Edited by Nancy Goldberger and Andrea Scott, the book is part of the League’s support of Housatonic River Summer 2004, a collaboration of arts and conservancy organizations designed to call positive attention to the Upper Housatonic region. From Thomas Cole’s early nineteenth-century pastoral views to the abstractions of Arshile Gorky, the Housatonic River in western Massachusetts and Connecticut has long inspired artists to commit their visions to canvas. Contemporary painters follow in both the pastoral and abstract traditions. Art and the River celebrates the Housatonic by presenting more than 25 historic and contemporary paintings of the river, with accompanying articles by both conservationists and art historians. The book makes its formal debut with a panel discussion and book signing with essayists and artists on June 18, 6:30 p.m. at the Bushnell-Sage Library in Sheffield. A book-signing party will also be held on June 24, 5:00-7:30 p.m. at the Geoffrey Young Gallery, 40 Railroad Street, Great Barrington. “Besides calling attention to the work of the artists, the book serves as a lasting symbol of the collaboration between the creative and conservation communities,” said Nancy Goldberger, President of the Sheffield Art League, the umbrella organization for Housatonic River Summer 2004. Peter A. A. Berle, former environmental commissioner of the state of NewYork and former president of the National Audubon Society, commented, “By bringing together artists and conservationists, the Sheffield Art League celebrates the unique beauty of the Housatonic River and honors the continuing efforts to keep it a vibrant, vital part of the communities through which it flows.” The book combines “the perspective of artists who capture the beauty and spirit of the waterway with the outlook of environmentalists who have been restoring its health. Both groups talk to the River. In this book they talk to each other. We see that the River requires their combined efforts to thrive.” The book costs $38.00 hardcover and $22.95 soft cover. It is available through local museums and bookstores, including The Bookloft, The Bookstore, Chesterwood, Norman Rockwell Museum, The Berkshire Museum, Guido's South, and the Red Lion Inn. It will also be available at most HRS 2004 Festival Days, and directly from the Sheffield Art League, P.O. Box 296, Great Barrington Massachusetts 01230. The Sheffield Art League was founded in 1974 as a collaborative association of artists and art supporters of Berkshire County in Massachusetts, and nearby New York state and Connecticut. The League sponsors annual juried art shows and a program of art workshops demonstrations and lectures and co sponsors events that focus on art local history and natural resources of the region. It also sponsors a scholarship program for high school seniors. Further information is available at www.HousatonicRiverSummer.org. # # # NOTE to editors: for a review copy of the book, contact: Nancy Goldberger, nangold@simons-rock.edu, 413-274-3809 Press contacts for Housatonic River Summer: HRS2004@aol.com Edward Bride, 413-442-7718 Connecticut: Liba Furhman: 860-672-6678

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