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Vandalism Leaves Pittsfield’s Whitney Center For The Arts Trashed

A historic brick building sits at the end of a path through a grassy lawn.
Josh Landes
/
WAMC
The Whitney Center For The Arts in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts police are investigating vandalism that caused extensive damage to a city art center that they say occurred between July 10th and July 13th. The Whitney Center for the Arts, which has been in operation since 2012, sits in a historic building just outside of downtown Pittsfield on Wendell Avenue. While the investigation continues, WAMC spoke with Executive Director Ghazi Kazmi to find out more about the damage and why he thinks it was a targeted move.

KAZMI: Our mission statement is to give back to the community, basically. And my wife, Lisa Whitney, was also- We are the founding executive member of the center. So she grew up here, so she always felt like she had to give back to the community. But we wanted to give a, provide a portal for artists who are not well known, are either visual performance or musicians. We want to give them a, basically, step up so they can be actually viewed in public. And, you know, be reviewed and then they can go to- Not every artist can go to Barrington Stage or, for example, Berkshire Theatre, or New York City. That was the deal. So we did performances, we did theatrical performances, musical concerts. We have two galleries, which did shows, monthly shows and stuff like that.

WAMC: Can you tell me how you discovered the vandalism and the extent of the damage?

Right. So Monday morning, I got a call from one of the gentlemen who rents offices. The center has been closed since January due to the quarantine, of course. But we still have offices there. So one of the gentlemen who works there, he's actively using his office, called me Monday morning and said, "Hey, guys, we got vandalism," which I didn't think much of it. I thought maybe somebody costs a couple of chairs around or whatnot. When I got there, then I realized, no, it wasn't vandalism, it was brutal vandalism. Because what they did was they went into every single room, every nooks and crannies and tossed everything apart. And for good measures, and for strange reasons, what they also did was, they took some of our equipment and put it outside, in our parking lot. Then next day, I found, I got a call from my next door neighbor and said, which is music school, Berkshire Music School, and they said: "Hey, I have a bunch of lighting equipment behind my dumpster, Is this yours?" So I went and looked at it, it was, of course it was ours. So they even put some stuff on other people's parking lot. And for good measure, what they did- Well, because it's a historic house, it used to be a residence. So, on the second floor, we have couple of bathrooms that has tubs and bathtubs in it. So they ran the tubs over. So we have extensive water damage. So they ran enough water, over the period of time- We think it happened on Saturday sometime. So the water came from second floor, eventually started going down to first floor, and eventually went to the basement. So it was just pure- Looks like all they wanted to do was destruct center.

Do you have any idea who would have reason to perpetuate this act of violence against the center?

No, I don't. And it was like- And one thing I can assure you it was targeted. Because what they did was they deliberately did not hurt any art. So all the art is almost intact, as far as, because right now it's very chaotic, so we don't even know what's behind the debris, you know? But the art that was obvious target for attack, they did not attack it. So it was pure- It was targeted destruction to the Whit and myself personally. The brunt of the rage took place in my office actually. They really- You have to see to believe it really, I just put some pictures on Facebook. So it was selective. So, original theory was, when the first cops came in, they thought, "Oh, a bunch of teenagers, drunkards or whatnot..." And then finally realized that, no, or people, or kids hopped up on heroin or something like that. Then they realized, no, that wasn't the case. Because if that was the case then everything would have been free for all. But it was deliberate. So they would destroy a vase, next to a painting, but the painting left untouched, for example.

At this point, do you have any idea why this might have happened?

We haven't been active since January at the Whit so I, obviously nothing could have happened in last six months that could have triggered it. So something might have happened last year, which I cannot- We have very good relationship with our customers and our artists and whatnot. So it is very mind boggling and hurtful that they did that. Because the worst part is I really wish I'd said to everyone I can say that to, is I wish they had just robbed us and took all the equipment out, everything they wanted to take, take it- That would be easier to replace. But the destruction now, it's a two to three month process to clean up first and then to start repairing it and then- And it's also a historic building, so some of the stuff cannot just be bought at Home Depot and replace it. So for example, one of the- That they broke to get into one of the offices, has a matching glass next to it, and has a matching glass in front of it, other office, and the people who came in to replace it, they told me that, "Ghazi, they don't even make this glass anymore. So either I can try to match it, it's not gonna match it- So either you have to replace all four glasses or live with three glasses that exist and one glass that I would make for you as best as I can." Which I don't want to do because it's a historic building, I'm not even allowed to do that. So I have to try to restore it as much as possible. So I, so one of the process I'm going to have to go through eventually is talk to the Historic Society in Boston, who handles our historic building, because we are nationally and statewide registered as a historic building, to see how- The floor has been, has some of the flooring has to be ripped off in at least two rooms, and they were very intricate designs. So I have to find out, I have to get permission from them. If we cannot replace them the way it was- I have to find the right contractor for it, and if they say, "No, we cannot get this pattern again," then I have to go back to the Historical Society and say, "Okay, I'm gonna have to redo this without the original material," which is going to be another pain in the neck.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018, following stints at WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Western Massachusetts, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. His free time is spent with his cat Harry, experimental electronic music, and exploring the woods.
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