Northeast Regional Conference

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Preconference: Wednesday and Thursday

The preconference will feature papermaking at the Crane Museum of Papermaking using some historic moulds, carving linoleum blocks for steam-roller prints and creating books for a local book bomb. All the activities at Crane are free. There are also excellent museums and other attractions that Friends can visit on an ad hoc basis. Information about things to do and see in the area can be found at berkshires.org. We’ll make sure there’s a big pot of coffee on, and we’ll all chip in for beer and pizza. Dinners will be on your own.

Thursday

The conference will offcially begin on Thursday evening at 5:00pm with a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the City of Pittsfield and of Berkshire County at Pittsfield’s Third Thursday. Pittsfield’s main street will be closed to traffc from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. for a host of activities. The Friends will be offering some of those activities, including the aforementioned steam-roller prints and book bomb. We will be looking for additional demonstrations for the event, including papermaking for kids, pulp-painting and pulp spraying. That evening the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts will host a Member’s Exhibition and Reception, open to Friends and the public.

In addition, we will hold the frst session of our Trade Fair during the evening, which will be open to the public.

Friday

The Friends will convene at Crane’s Model Farm, a late 19th-century former family home, now used by the company as a meeting center. We will have a morning of lectures, workshops and demonstrations at Model Farm and possibly at the Crane Museum. Lunch and Trade Fair will follow. In the afternoon, we will be treated to a "salon" on 19th-century papermaking in the Berkshires, followed by the premiere of the documentary Paper Town on the rise and fall of papermaking in Lee, Mass., by Judith Monachina. The evening will be devoted to informal networking.

Saturday

Saturday morning will feature a few lectures and demonstrations, followed by set-up for an afternoon of demonstrations of the paper and book arts for area educators (and Friends too!). The Trade Fair will be open in conjunction with the afternoon events. The day fnishes with a banquet with cash bar at the Wahconah Country Club in Dalton.