Our Story

This dream started a simple observation; as I slowly watched the scenery go from lush green to bright variations of red, orange, and yellow from August to October I had a thought. When I lived in Tucson, Arizona the City painted their many rocks bright colors and dressed them in beautiful murals. "Arizona," I thought, "has a similar colorless landscape. No grass, few trees, dark grey and brown mountains." But there are not ample large boulders hanging around Berkshire County, however, there are beautiful trees that go dormant in the Winter time. I began to think more about the mental health issues our community faces and having lived in the Southeast where they have more days of sunlight a year, I began researching Seasonal Effective Disorder (SAD), also known as Seasonal Depression. I myself felt the shift in mood as it began to get dark earlier, trees and mountains began to turn grey, and the amount of sunny days began to shrink as cloudiness surrounded us. I began to think of how colors effect mood and researched the effects of colors being used in therapy for SAD. I found there are actually many credible sources that studied how the presence of color helped in a similar way that light therapy does. I began partnering with two local artists with a developed studio at The Eclipse Mill. Phone calls were made to conservationists and an Arborist asking what material could be safe for trees. We were told tree wrap, specifically made for trees and made of a breathable cloth, was safe and in many ways beneficial for the trees in the Winter. We learned many people wrap their trees during this time to begin with. The two artists who also manage a local organization called Art About Town agreed to work with me to make this a reality. Now we have 5 sponsors total and growing. Thank you for being a supporter of the Arts and of our community!