Feigenbaum Foundation Pledges $2.5 Million to Berkshire Museum

PITTSFIELD — The Feigenbaum Foundation is providing $2.5 million in support of the Berkshire Museum’s New Vision campaign, the largest single gift to the museum since its founding in 1903.

The announcement came as part of the museum’s July 12 special event celebrating the culmination of a two-year master-planning process which will lead to the creation of a new, interdisciplinary museum. At the event, on behalf of the Berkshire Museum board of trustees, Executive Director Van Shields offered a detailed presentation of the concepts and designs for the new museum, as well as information on the New Vision campaign, part of the funding strategy for the reinvented museum.

The goal for the New Vision campaign is $10 million. The lead gift of $2.5 million from the Feigenbaum Foundation, along with other gifts and pledges for a total to date of $5.4 million, bring the campaign more than halfway to the goal.

The Feigenbaum Foundation has long been a significant supporter of the Berkshire Museum. The Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation first opened in March 2008, as a 3,000-square-foot exhibition space exploring innovations in science, technology, business, politics, culture, and the arts.

As part of its commitment to ensuring that visitors to the museum enjoy experiences on the leading edge of exploring innovation in the Berkshires and beyond, the Feigenbaum Foundation made it possible for the Berkshire Museum to create the Curiosity Incubator, which opened in February. In the Curiosity Incubator, visitors discover exciting ways to learn about science and history through state-of-the-art, interactive stations. Filling an entire second-floor gallery, the Curiosity Incubator utilizes vivid full-wall graphics, touch screens, virtual-reality headsets, video monitors, a photo booth, and fresh ways to view objects from the museum’s collection. Meanwhile, a series of Feigenbaum Innovative Experiences will be deployed throughout the building as part of many of the exhibits being designed for the transformed institution.

“The Feigenbaum Foundation is proud to contribute to the museum as it embarks on this exciting new plan. We endorse the idea of a heightened focus on science and innovation as well as the creation of a consistently high-level core experience for visitors,” said Emil George, president of the Feigenbaum Foundation.

Added Shields, “we are extremely grateful for the Feigenbaum Foundation’s continued interest and generosity that also helps cement our position at the forefront of regional institutions dedicated to fostering creativity and innovation. As a result, the new Feigenbaum experiences will continue to be significant in the way they explore how invention shapes our lives and the world around us.”