The grand prize winner in this year’s downtown Great Barrington Halloween window painting contest is Ryan Baumgart for his art in the Bernay Fine Art gallery window at the corner of Main and Railroad streets. The painting contest is sponsored by the Great Barrington Rotary, which provides the supplies and gives out cash prizes to the winners.
GREAT BARRINGTON — Did you see that ghost in the window?
It might have been painted by local middle and high school students.
Eleven students took home Halloween glory during the Great Barrington Rotary Club’s annual window painting contest on Friday. The contest, in its 75th year according to longtime Monument Mountain Regional High School art teacher Neel Webber, places student work in downtown storefronts.
Webber and his colleague, art teacher Krista Dalton, and W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School art teacher Katie Malone-Smith oversee the project. Students from other schools sometimes participate, including from the Berkshire Waldorf High School and Hillcrest Educational Center.
Local students on Friday made their Halloween storefront window paintings in downtown Great Barrington. The tradition is 75 years old, and a painting contest is now sponsored by the Great Barrington Rotary. The rotary pays for supplies, judges the paintings and awards cash prizes.
The club pays for the art supplies and then judges and awards cash prizes. Webber said all winners were awarded a cash prize.
Webber, who has taught art at Monument for 30 years, said the project has gone forward every year without fail. Even during the pandemic — students that year made the paintings at the school and then brought them into town.
Who won? Here’s a complete list of winners:
- Grand prize: Ryan Baumgart, for his art in the Bernay Fine Art gallery window at the corner of Main and Railroad streets.
- First prize: Siddy Culbreth for art work in the Bear Butter storefront on Main Street.
- Second prize: Axel Bowser, for art at Sett/Mercantile on Main Street.
- Third prize: Aiden Martin, also at Sett.
- Honorable mentions: Ava Szymansky, at Bon Dimanche on Railroad Street; and Luna Reynolds at Lee Bank on Main Street.
- Special award: Solana Sharpe at JWS Art Supplies on Main Street.
Middle school winners for work in the Carr Hardware windows on Main Street:
- First prize: Nora Kenny and Zoe Hoffman.
- Second prize: Violet Camarra and Tilly Hobart.
- Third prize: Kavya Culbreth.