THE FEATURED CHEF: Nicholas Browne

Nicholas A. Browne was born in New York City. Raised in the Berkshires, and traveling frequently, he gained an incredible appreciation for cuisine at an early age. He spent much of his adolescent years cooking in restaurants in Massachusetts before attending the French Culinary Institute in New York City. Many adventures ensued and years later he found himself back in the Berkshires. Currently residing in Great Barrington, MA, he continues research and development on local agriculture and cuisine as a private chef. Notably Nicholas is a winner of "Chopped" (Million dollar basket) as well as a former Chef de partie at Noma.

FEATURED ARTIST: Bruno Smith

Bruno Smith was born in New York City in 1990. He has a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Currently he lives and works in New York City.

Smith works with clothing, blankets and upholsteries either donated, found or from his own past purchases. With the raw material already charged with history and personal attachment, Smith then cuts up and collages the textiles, at once both preserving and destroying their sentimental value. The works are composed like an abstract painting, with large shapes of fabric forming a background and thinner strips traversing on top, mimicking broad brushstrokes. In this post-modern take on painting, Smith inverts the expressionistic gestures of Abstract Expressionism into the calmed and slowed process of sewing.