Page 68 - BusinessWest September 15, 2021

No Standing Still
Amid Challenges, Cultural Sites in the Berkshires Have Learned Key Lessons
By Joseph Bednar
It may not stack up to Edith Wharton’s best novels, but it’s a compelling story.
“We’ve had an incredibly good season,
despite the challenge of staying in compliance with the latest CDC and local health recommen- dations regarding COVID,” said Susan Wissler, executive director of the Mount, Wharton’s for- mer estate in Lenox that is now a hub for all kinds of arts, nature, and cultural programming.
“We opened as a public park so people had a place to walk and enjoy beauty and nature in relative safety. We’ve got a pretty big space, and people really appreciated it.”
In fact, Wissler said, this year’s visitorship has doubled that of 2020 — maybe not a striking sta- tistic in itself, given the economic shutdown of that spring and a hesitancy among many people to leave their homes for much of the year. But this year’s figures are also 50% higher than they were in 2019.
Part of that success may be attributed to a
decision last year to open up the property’s out- door grounds and gardens for free. “We opened as a public park so people had a place to walk and enjoy beauty and nature in relative safety,” she noted. “We’ve got a pretty big space, and people really appreciated it.”
The house itself still requires admission, and Wissler worried people would take advantage
of the free outdoor experience and leave. And maybe some did come with that plan — but many felt compelled to go inside, too. Thus, paid visitation topped the previous two years.
So did weddings, all of which were cancelled in 2020, many of them moved into this year. The Mount typically hosts about 12 weddings per year; it will welcome 26 between May and October.
Meanwhile, NightWood — an ethereal, immersive walking experience featuring original music, lighting, and sculptural elements — was a huge hit last winter, bringing in desperately needed revenue with limited attendance and timed tickets; the Mount will stage the attraction again later this year.
Still, the new focus on outdoor space — which included a lecture series under tents this summer — posed its own issues, particularly weeks when it rained and rained. “That has been a huge frus- tration for all culturals and restaurants, anyone
Susan Wissler says visitorship is way up at the Mount — not just from 2020, but from pre-pandemic 2019.
focusing more attention outdoors,” Wissler said. “The weather was a punch in the stomach.”
MASS MoCA in North Adams also offers pro- gramming inside and outdoors, and found plenty
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