Kathryn Boughton

Perhaps the saddest word that can be uttered between friends is “goodbye.” But after 14 years of bringing the at once elegant and casual, sophisticated and pastoral highlights of Berkshire living to our readers, we are, indeed, saying goodbye with this final issue. It has been 14 years—almost a decade and a half—of highlighting what is beautiful and enlightening about this most extraordinary part of our country and we are grateful that we have had the opportunity to do so for so long.

Back in the old days, when the United States was involved in Vietnam, I was on the very periphery of protesters. I was not politically astute—indeed, the first time I encountered a story about Vietnam was in Paris Match in an article about the assassination of President Ngo Dinh Diem, read during French class.

Long ago Don Bracken decided he didn’t want to just paint pretty pictures. He now hopes that his show at the Cornwall Library will resonate with viewers and that they will understand his concern about what is happening to the Earth and its peoples. Don Bracken is a process-oriented artist whose work evolves through the use of natural materials that are incorporated into his artwork. His materials range from dirt and clay, to ash from California fires and even debris from the 9/11 catastrophe.