Latest Baseball Collectibles Hit the Streets of Pittsfield: Limited-edition Card Decks of Original Work by Professionals and Student Artists

PITTSFIELD, Massachusetts, June 20, 2007 -- Baseball collectibles are all the rage these days, and Pittsfield features a great new twist on collectible baseball cards. Limited-edition baseball cards, featuring professional and student artwork commemorating Pittsfield's historic role the Garden of Eden of baseball, are now available at dozens of downtown merchants.

Unlike many collectibles that have only perceived or emotional value, these artist-designed baseball cards have actual practical value. Those who succeed in collecting the full deck of 31 cards are eligible for merchandise from Art Of The Game, Pittsfield’s two-year celebration of America’s Pastime through the arts. In fact, every card also serves double duty as a raffle ticket for merchandise, professional baseball tickets, and even a week at Dan Duquette's Sports Academy. The raffle takes place at the July 14 Pittsfield Dukes baseball game at Waconah Park and you must be present to win

“For over two centuries now, baseball has exemplified the American spirit of teamwork with individual reward, friendly competition and intense rivalries,” said Mary Rentz, co-chair of the Art of the Game project. “Baseball is played on nearly every high school and college campus, and in virtually every large or small town in the country. And in recent decades, it has become both an important export and a modern melting pot for athletes of all ethnicities. Ken Burns was right: baseball is America.”

The quest for the latest baseball collectibles begins this week, just as "Third Thursdays" debuts in downtown Pittsfield on June 21. Starting this week, and continuing while supplies last, collectors will be visiting any of the Pitsfield locations that carry the cards, as denoted by a special Art Of The Game insignia on the door (see listing at end). One card can be obtained per visit to each place, and no purchase is necessary. 

The deck comprises reproductions of 30 pieces of original art, plus a “mystery card”. Collecting a complete deck of 31 qualifies collectors for limited-edition merchandise from Art Of The Game, including T-shirts, buttons, ball caps, mugs, and the like. Diamond Sponsor The Legacy Banks Foundation and the Massachusetts Cultural Council are sponsors of this public art project, along with major support from the Berkshire Bank Foundation and Greylock Federal Credit Union.

Besides the raffle during the July 14 Dukes game, there will be fireworks afterwards, and a pre-game festivity takes place: the largest human baseball will be assembled and photographed.

A human baseball? Yes, right there on the infield. Hundreds of people decked out in white (and red t-shirts for the stitches) will assemble into the shape of a baseball, be photographed, and the documentation submitted to various records agencies such as the Guinness Book of World Records.

”This public art project represents the best kind of cooperation between the public and private sectors,” said Megan Whilden, director of Pittsfield’s Office of Cultural Development. “It's all a part of an unusual and creative -and admittedly whimsical-- way to celebrate the origins of America's pastime.” The idea came about after discovery of a 1791 city ordinance banning the playing of baseball on the town common, a full 50 years before any other record of baseball, she noted. That  ordinance is now on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

The printing of the cards and associated posters were a pro-bono project of Arrow Press. In addition to the cards that are available throughout the City, posters are available for purchase at the Pittsfield Visitors Center, 111A South Street (Colonial Theatre Annex).

The cards can be obtained at the following downtown business and civic locations: Aerus Electrolux; ArrowPress; Bassball Sports; Bellissimo Dolce; The Berkshire Athenaeum’s Main Circulation Desk and Children’s Library; Berkshire Fine Handcrafts; Berkshire Historical Society at Arrowhead; The Berkshire Museum Store; Berkshire Music School; The Black Market; Carr Hardware; Clique Photography; Deidre's;  Elm Street Hardware and Framing; Ferrin Gallery; Greylock Federal Credit Union; Hancock Shaker Village; James Jewelers; Jilly’s; Jim's House of Shoes; Legacy Banks’ Pittsfield locations; Lichtenstein Center for the Arts; McCormick, Smith & Curry; Miller Supply; Ordinary Cycles; Pasko Frame & Gift Center; Pittsfield City Hall; Pittsfield Visitors Center; Pittsfield Health Store; Reynolds Team Sales at Allendale; RSVP; Richmond Networx; Steven Valenti; Tyler Home Supply; Twin Hearts; US Bluesware; and West Side Clock Shop. Additional venues are expected to be announced throughout the summer.

Besides the personal enjoyment of the collection process itself, visitors can now take a virtual walking tour of baseball art at http://www.artgamepittsfield.org/home.htm. The project website includes the names of all the winning artists, along with information about other events.

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NOTE to Editors: Examples of these cards are available as high-resolution images from Ed Bride, 413-442-7718 or PR@artgamepittsfield.org 

Press contact: Edward Bride, 413-442-7718 PR@artgamepittsfield.org