Our hats are off to Berkshire Creative for a smashing SPARK! networking event at Chesterwood, the former studio and home of sculptor Daniel Chester French, last week. The conversations alone were enough, but just one small part of a well-organized event.

We talked about marketing, media, public relations, and the power of collaboration with dozens of like-minded folks. But we didn’t just talk shop. We talked about wine, hummus, and overflowing cheese platters. We talked ballet, poetry, jazz, and playwriting. There was a discussion about synesthesia in there somewhere. We strolled the grounds and viewed the exhibits, and made new friends.

The temperamental New England weather didn’t dampen our spirits, and a stalwart Abe Lincoln — perhaps French’s most notable subject — kept close watch over the tent as we chatted, mingled, and perused.

Below are some of our favorite glimpses from the evening … hopefully it’s enough of a taste to whet your appetite for the next event.

The gorgeous, innovative creations of Chiossone & Co., eco-sustainable wood products and decorations. The possibilities are endless, and include ornaments, toys, home decor, wall moldings, and even wedding invitations.

Each featured business at the event, of which Winstanley Partners was one, provided a small free gift for attendees. The chotchkes included little art spoons from Berkshire Art Kitchen, handmade ornaments from the Berkshire Ballet, and hot magenta decals from the Williams College Museum of Art.


Words, pictures, 3D things to touch and feel… we were sure to highlight all of our strengths.

Daniel Chester French created the Lincoln Memorial sculpture as well as the Minute Man in Concord, Mass. This similar statue of Abe looks serenely over the Chesterwood grounds.

Our Piece de Resistance! In response to Berkshire Creative’s call for featured businesses to bring a small give-away to the event, our crack creative team devised the Creativitea tea bags. Tea Guys of Hatfield, Mass. supplied the herbal tea, and we created the packaging, complete with all the ‘T’ words that make us tick: Talent, twists, turns, and Twittering among them.

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A Civil Rights display at Chesterwood the holds true today.

See more photos here.