
Erica Recto, owner of BES at 50 Main St. in Millerton. Photo submitted
MILLERTON — “Bes” is a word in Taglish—a mash-up of English and Tagalog, the most common languages spoken in the Phillipines—that means “best friend” or, more colloquially, “besties.”
It’s the name that artist Erica Recto chose for her store, BES at 50 Main St., a marketplace of specialty curated gift items made by local artists.
Recto started out in the fashion industry, designing clothes and accessories for various corporations—“all the shops you’d find in the mall,” she said. She said that while it was a good place to learn some structure and skills, the mass production and pace became anathema to her own creative process and vision.
“It was so far from the art that I wanted to make,” said Recto. “Everything gets watered down in [mass] production.”
Noticing her burnout, Recto’s husband, product and toy designer Greg Morris, bought her a gift card for an eight-week ceramic workshop to get her back to something tactile. Enchanted with ceramics, Recto quit her job a few months later and began her own business, “for better or for worse,” she said.
Recto began selling her work at markets and working in wholesale. She even had a few international clients right out of the gate, but again found herself working constantly and struggling to keep up with the rate of production that wholesale requires.
Recto and Morris decided moved from Brooklyn in 2017, cutting costs and allowing for Recto to have a home studio. Scaling back also allowed her to “start making things just for the sake of making things.” She was able to “get back to the basics and explore all the different ways of making stuff…and just slow it down.”
In 2021, Recto opened BES in the building behind Oakhurst Diner, now the spot of the zendo. She was a new mother and between the isolation that parenting can sometimes bring and being at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was deeply craving connection and community.
She partnered with Stella Yoon, whose company, Hudson River Exchange, offers an online shop where local makers sell their wares. Recto provided the ceramics and Yoon filled in the inventory for the rest of the store.
After a year together, Yoon had other projects in the works—she is now executive director of CREATE Council on the Arts based in Catskill—allowing her to “do what she does at a larger scale with funding,” said Recto.
Recto now does the curating of the shop herself. Much of the inventory is her own ceramic and textile work “because I can’t stop making things,” she laughed. The store is about 60% her work and the rest is all work of artists she’s crossed paths with along the way.
“Everyone in there is someone I personally know and almost everyone, except for maybe two or three people, are all local.”
BES is open Thursday to Monday, and Recto offers workshops for adults and children during the week. She recently hired a few helpers to ensure she still has time for studio days. Her studio is still in her home.
There is also a workspace at the back of the shop, so some of the items for sale are made in the BES location. There is a loom in the back of the shop, about which Recto said, “I’m dying to make rugs.” She buys wool from local sheep farm Caora Farm, and is hoping to get the loom up and running so that when there’s downtime in the shop, she’ll be able to work in-store.
She also incorporates textiles from other makers in the store in her work, creating low-waste products and adding to the store’s overall collaborative nature.
Recto has also made sure to be involved with other stores on Main Street. She said all the other shopkeepers have been very inviting, even urging her to move to her new location when it became available.
As for her own practice, Recto said, “Lately, I’m really excited. I’ve seen my pieces change from really utilitarian. I’ve been making bigger and more sculptural pieces.” Recto said she’s most excited right now about a new connection with Millbrook School, where she has use of the gas kiln. The gas kiln differs in its abilities from her own electric kiln and is opening up a whole new world of surface exploration. A self-taught ceramist, Recto still delights in the trial-and-error approach.
“I make a lot of mistakes, “she said. “Sometimes it’s frustrating. Sometimes it’s hilarious. Being self-taught, you don’t have the rigid, ‘can’t do.’ I don’t produce for other people anymore. I like to meander, and I’m just having so much fun.”
The Mobile Health Unit will be returning to Millerton on April 9 to provide basic health services and guidance on insurance and addressing greater health needs.
MILLERTON – Dutchess County’s Mobile Health Unit is returning to Millerton. On April 9, members of the public can receive vaccinations, STI screenings and assistance with general health needs.
Public health education coordinators will be on-site to provide information on tick removal as well as hands-only CPR and Narcan training. For those in need of further care, guidance will be provided as will assistance with insurance navigation.
The Mobile Health Unit will be located at the rail trail parking lot from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., just down the street from the North East Community Center, located at 51 South Center St. in Millerton.
Paquito D’Rivera performs at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington on April 5.
Natalia Bernal is the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center’s education and community engagement manager and is, in her own words, “the one who makes sure that Mahaiwe events are accessible to all.”
The Mahaiwe’s community engagement program is rooted in the belief that the performing arts should be for everyone. “We are committed to establishing and growing partnerships with neighboring community and arts organizations to develop pathways for overcoming social and practical barriers,” Bernal explained. “Immigrants, people of color, communities with low income, those who have traditionally been underserved in the performing arts, should feel welcomed at the Mahaiwe.”
Partnerships with organizations like Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires (VIM), the W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee, and Community Access to the Arts (CATA) have helped bridge that gap. But for the Latinx community, there’s an even more targeted effort: the Spanish-language Community Advisory Network (SCAN).
“Six years ago, we started an advisory group of Spanish speakers in the community,” Bernal said. “They tell us what the community wants to see, how they’d like their culture represented. Today, SCAN has 12 members. We meet four times a year and are in constant communication. It’s because of them that we’ve hosted free Spanish-language film screenings and live performances.”
For Bernal, this work is personal. “When I first moved to the U.S. in 2003, it was because I got a Latin American scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music. That first year, I went home to Uruguay for Christmas and saw Paquito D’Rivera perform at a jazz festival. I was determined to meet him, and I did. Later that year, Paquito came to Berklee and invited me on stage.”
Now, two decades and 16 Grammys later, Paquito D’Rivera is coming to the Mahaiwe on April 5, and there’s a chance history might repeat itself. “He saw a post we made about his concert and commented, ‘Ay, chica, que maravilla, are you gonna sing a song with us?’ I almost died,” Bernal laughed. “I don’t know if it will happen, but it would be a dream.”
About the possibility of a guest appearance by Bernal, D’Rivera said, “Natalia is a very dear, valuable colleague, and jazz is about improvisation, so the surprise factor is always part of the fun here.”
D’Rivera’s concert is just one example of how the Mahaiwe is making world-class performances accessible. “My whole day has been about offering ‘pay what you can’ tickets for this show,” Bernal says. “We also issued a 50% discount to our partners. We work with ESL teachers, public libraries, literacy agencies, anyone who can help us get the word out.”
That kind of grassroots effort has been transformative. “Last year, we screened ‘Florencia en el Amazonas,’ the first opera written in Spanish ever performed at the Met,” Bernal said. “I sat in the Mahaiwe in tears. As someone who loves opera, it was the first time I heard one written in my own language. It was so powerful.”
Natalia Bernal, Mahaiwe’s education and community engagement managerPhoto by Martin Cohen
For Bernal, it all comes back to representation, on stage and in the audience. “My son is eight. I bring him to everything I can. Spanish shouldn’t just be something that happens at the dinner table. It should be in the world, in all these shapes and forms.”
And that’s what SCAN is helping build: a future where Latinx voices aren’t just included, they are central. “Our SCAN advisors are volunteers, cultural ambassadors,” Bernal said. “They help us distribute surveys, talk to the audience, and strengthen the community. Nobody should feel alone. Everybody should feel like they belong here.”
Education and outreach are central to D’Rivera’s work as well. He said, “It is an important part of our mission to plant and nurture the seed of quality music in our communities.” He continued to say, “Using our visibility and influence in favor of justice is always a very effective vehicle in denouncing violations of human rights around the world.”
This shared mission of education and social justice extends beyond the Mahaiwe. “We are one of the few arts organizations in a monthly meeting with BASIC (Berkshire Alliance for Immigrant Services). We have direct ties to the Berkshire Immigrant Center, VIM, and others so that we are well-informed and ready to serve,” said Bernal.
That commitment to community, culture, and access is why Bernal’s dream panel—Women in the Music Business—would feature Paquito’s wife and longtime manager, Brenda Feliciano. “She’s a tower of power. She’s been managing his career for at least 45 years. If I could organize an event one day, she would be the cherry on the cake.”
Until then, Bernal will keep doing what she does best: making sure the Mahaiwe is a place where everyone, regardless of language, income, or background, feels at home. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll find herself back on stage with Paquito D’Rivera, just like that first time, all those years ago.
For more info and tickets to Paquito D’Rivera, visit mahaiwe.org
There is magic in a home filled with the things we love, and Mary Randolph Carter, affectionately known as “Carter,” has spent a lifetime embracing that magic. Her latest book, “Live with the Things You Love … and You’ll Live Happily Ever After,” is about storytelling, joy, and honoring life’s poetry through the objects we keep.
“This is my tenth book,” Carter said. “At the root of each is my love of collecting, the thrill of the hunt, and living surrounded by things that conjure up family, friends, and memories.”
The creative director at Ralph Lauren for almost four decades, Carter began writing this book during the pandemic, a time of rediscovering comfort. “I found more time to appreciate those special things that give our homes warmth and connection.” Working with Ralph Lauren, she learned that the best spaces tell a personal story. “His desk was filled with toy cars, miniature shoes, superheroes, English dandies, cowboys on horseback. The walls? A gallery of his children’s paintings, iconic photos of Frank Sinatra and Gary Cooper. Everything told a story.”
Carter acknowledges how homes can become overwhelmed with stuff but sees a difference between clutter and collection. “To live happily, create environments that inspire and comfort rather than encumber you! Look around and ask, ‘What is truly meaningful? What makes you smile? What recalls the people and places you cherish?’” Then, she added, “weed out the rest with discipline and courage!”
Provided
Each home in Carter’s book reflects its inhabitant’s spirit. “The first time I walked into Bethann Hardison’s apartment, I knew right away how authentic it was to who she is.” Hardison’s walls are lined with artwork from friends Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Haitian paintings, testaments to a life well lived. “Though her mantra is, ‘the lighter the load, the freer the journey,’ she also admits some things ‘delight your environment’ and can’t be parted with. Amen to that!”
Having survived two childhood fires, Carter deeply understands what truly matters. “It’s not the things, but the people and memories they evoke.” She loves her collections, but they don’t possess her. “They make me happy, but they do not define me.”
She delights in how people showcase treasures. Paula Grief, for instance, lives in a ten-foot-wide house and had to part with many books. “She tucks the ones she can’t live without through the rungs of her staircase. I love that ingenuity!”
When asked about her most cherished possession, Carter tells a story of loss and serendipity. A childhood portrait of her in a blue velvet dress was lost in a fire. “Years later, the artist’s daughter found another version. Now, it hangs in our apartment, surrounded by flea market art and one of my favorite saints, Our Lady of Guadalupe.”
Adding to the cozy feeling of this book, Carter’s son, Carter Berg, took the photographs, and her sister, Cary, contributed the illustrations. “Cary once stayed in our apartment and painted a dozen objects from our cluttered kitchen. I hung them immediately. When I started this book, I knew she had to capture my favorite objects.”
Four of the featured homes are local to the Northwest Corner, including Carter’s in Millerton, Joan Osofsky’s in Lakeville, Robin Bell’s in Salisbury, and Paula Grief’s in Hudson. They all gathered at the White Hart/Oblong Speaker Series on March 27.
After perusing the richly colored pages of this book, you may feel tempted to shop. “You don’t need money to create a meaningful home,” Carter insisted. “Some of my favorite paintings cost no more than $10 or $25. Value is personal. It’s not about provenance but the story an object tells you or the one you make up.”
Carter’s advice? “Fall in love with the wackiest thing. Surround yourself with what matters, and you’ll live happily ever after.”