Radioactive Bodega: What a Swell Party It Was

Text and Photography by Seth Rogovoy

(PIttsfield, Mass., March 6, 2010) - As is customary, the annual IS183 Art School of the Berkshires costume-party fundraiser was one of the social hits of the season, with hundreds of attendees getting into the creative swing of the thing in outfits reflecting the theme.

This year, participants were challenged by the cue "Radioactive Bodega." What did it mean? It was variously described as "post-apocalyptic," "Mad Max a la Mexicano," "Tank Girl is the New 'It' Girl," and "Ultraviolet Steam Punk."

As you can see from the photos here and on our full gallery on our Facebook page, attendees didn't disappoint, pulling all stops in creating costumes that evoked a barren, post-nuclear landscape, albeit one laced with color and behavior that bespoke more frolic than panic.

The event took place at East Coast Refinishing, a post-industrial setting located on the appropriately titled Industrial Drive in Pittsfield, and included a silent auction and a bevy of pre-party dinners that helped raise funds for the community art school in the Interlaken neighborhood of Stockbridge, Mass.