When it’s summer in the Berkshires, all eyes (and ears) are on Tanglewood. Come September, after the final note has been played and the seasonal crowds disperse, it’s time to explore some of the area’s equally appealing cultural and culinary attractions.
Stockbridge may be best known for the Norman Rockwell Museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of original Rockwell art, and as the longtime home of the artist. Born in New York, Rockwell moved to Stockbridge in 1953 so his wife could receive psychiatric care at the Austen Riggs Center; he set up his studio nearby and lived in town for the last 25 years of his life. That studio now sits on the grounds of the museum, where current exhibits include a dive into the midcentury divide between abstract and realist art and a look at Rockwell’s more than 300 covers for The Saturday Evening Post. It’s well worth a visit, but art lovers shouldn’t neglect the Schantz Galleries, a smaller Stockbridge gem featuring glass works by more than 50 contemporary artists, including Dale Chihuly. Elegant, exuberant and brilliantly colorful, these museum-quality showstoppers are beautifully presented in the multi-level gallery, and well-heeled patrons of the arts can even commission installations for their private, corporate or public collections. Read more