Daniel Chester French film premiere, related events to be held this May
STOCKBRIDGE — Chesterwood, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will mark the centennial anniversary of the Lincoln Memorial with the premiere of a documentary film that explores the life and work of Daniel Chester French (1850–1931), sculptor of the iconic Abraham Lincoln seated beneath architect Henry Bacon’s Parthenon-inspired temple in Washington, D.C.
Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Eduardo Montes-Bradley of the Heritage Film Project, “Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor” will serve as an educational tool, build a worldwide audience for French’s work, and introduce the public to Chesterwood, French’s summer home, studio, and gardens. The film is set to premiere May 26 at 7 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington as part of several nationwide centennial commemorative events. Opening remarks will be presented by Michael Bobbitt, executive director of the Mass Cultural Council and honorary chair of the event. The screening will be followed by a scholarly panel discussion and a benefit dessert reception. Tickets to both the screening and reception are on sale at the Mahaiwe website.
The film will include interviews with several French scholars, including Michael Richman, the curator of the first major exhibition and catalogue of French’s work, and Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer, author of the recently published biography “Monument Man: The Life and Art of Daniel Chester French.” This is the first-ever documentary to focus on French, including his formative years studying with May Alcott, his neighbor in Concord, Massachusetts; apprenticing with American sculptor Thomas Ball in Florence, Italy; establishing a studio in Greenwich Village; and finding his true creative home at Chesterwood. The film will look at the aesthetic and political significance of French’s hundreds of public sculptures, such as the Minute Man in Concord, the John Harvard at Harvard University, the Alma Mater at Columbia University, the Richard Morris Hunt Memorial on Fifth Avenue in New York City, the General George Washington on the Place d’Iléna in Paris, and the universally known seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial.
Immediately following the film screening, Montes-Bradley will be joined by Holzer and American art scholar Dr. Thayer Tolles to discuss the film. Dr. Tolles is the Marcia F. Vilcek Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she served as editor and co-author of a two-volume catalogue of the Museum’s historic American sculpture collection.
RELATED PROGRAMMING
Lincoln Memorial Centennial Celebration on Memorial Day
Chesterwood will celebrate the centennial of the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial on Monday, May 30 from 12–3 p.m. The studio at Chesterwood, which displays the original six-foot model of the seated Lincoln, will be open for touring along with the permanent collections, formal gardens, and woodland walks. Family-friendly activities will include live music by the Berkshire Jazz Collective, a special Lincoln tour, and readings from the dedication event 100 years ago. Families are encouraged to bring a picnic. Admission is free for children under 13 and half-price ($10) for adults. More detailed information will be available in April at the Chesterwood website.
“Lincoln Illustrated” at the Norman Rockwell Museum
“Lincoln Illustrated,” an exhibition created by the Norman Rockwell Museum in collaboration with Chesterwood, will honor the Lincoln Memorial’s centennial in May 2022. This exhibition will highlight the work of illustrators and artists who have incorporated the Lincoln Memorial into their art as a symbolic element — an instantly-recognizable icon upon which to build meaning. Approximately 50 historical and contemporary artworks by noted illustrators and cartoonists will be featured, as will archival photographs, sculptural elements, artifacts, and ephemera. “Lincoln Illustrated” will be on view from May 7–September 4.
—A.K.
* * *
Arts in Recovery for Youth, Berkshire Theatre Group present arts event
PITTSFIELD — “Love Yourself,” a community arts event, will be held March 19–April 18 at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, to promote awareness and prevention of youth suicide. Now in its third year, “Love Yourself” is an exhibit of 45 works of art, including acrylic paintings on canvas, drawings, and digital art. On Saturday, March 19, from 2–4 p.m., the event will also feature music by Rachael Bentz and Grace Proskin, and original poetry by Jack Kelly and Rachael Bentz, at the Colonial. Schuyler Durand will speak about his art zine Neurodiversity and Gender Complexity. Marney Schorr, director of the Arts in Recovery for Youth (AIRY) program, will read excerpts from her upcoming book, “When Art Saves Lives: DBT and Art for Youth Suicide Prevention.”
Proceeds from the sale of artwork will benefit youth and suicide prevention, as well as BTG PLAYS!, Berkshire Theatre Group’s year-round education program. The event is put together by 14 teens and young adults from AIRY’s Expressive Arts Leadership Group, which began in 2019 as part of the nationally-recognized, award-winning arts and skills based youth suicide prevention program, AIRY. Teens and young adults focus on raising awareness about youth suicide prevention, social justice for the LGBTQIA+ community, and racial and economic justice in the Berkshires. Each year, guest mentors in the arts have worked with participants to help them express what matters to them and the issues they face, as well as to help them organize their ideas for change. This year, mentors included poetry therapist Marshall Lyles, songwriter/guitarist Bobby Sexton, and music instructor Dave Brown.
AIRY serves youth ages 13–24, primarily from low-income families throughout the 23 towns in Berkshire County and surrounding areas, who face barriers related to social class, race, economic hardship, transportation issues, and lack of access to resources. Many of the families are isolated or alienated from the community. Additional barriers exist, as 63% of youth in the program are LGBTQIA+, which increases their risk of suicide to five times that of their heterosexual peers. AIRY has served more than 140 youth, with incredibly successful rates of reducing and often eliminating suicidal thoughts and urges. AIRY also provides support to families, conducts outreach, and teaches safe prevention strategies in the community.
—A.K.
* * *
Monterey Democrats to hold caucus March 26
MONTEREY — Democrats in Monterey will hold a caucus Saturday, March 26 to nominate a slate of candidates for the May Town Election. The event will be held in the Monterey Library Conference Room at 10:30 a.m. For registered Democrats who prefer a Zoom link, please email MontereyDems@outlook.com.
—A.K.
* * *
Simon’s Rock to host Worldwide Climate Justice Teach-in March 27–31
GREAT BARRINGTON — As our planet continues to heat up, Bard College at Simon’s Rock is joining more than 300 universities, high schools, and other organizations around the world to focus on a critical question: What can we do this year to help solve climate change while creating jobs and promoting access to clean energy for everyone?
From Sunday, March 27–Thursday, March 31, Simon’s Rock will host an open dialogue on the topic of “Climate Solutions and Justice” in Massachusetts. The complete list of in-person and remote events hosted by Simon’s Rock can be found here. Members of the public can attend remote events via the links in the brochure.
This will be one of many similar events held across the planet in late March, as part of the WorldWide Teach-in on Climate and Justice, sponsored by Bard College in New York. Worldwide, from Austria to Alabama, Kyrgyzstan to Kentucky, Colombia to Colorado, and Malawi to Minnesota, students, teachers, and community members will discuss steps that can help move the needle on solving climate change, while creating much-needed jobs and income. Members of the public can find events around the world and register here.
Here in Great Barrington, the discussion will feature Simon’s Rock faculty, speaking on topics ranging from climate change and indigenous peoples, how artistic disciplines engage with the climate, strategies for local climate action, thermodynamics, mathematical models for understanding climate-based scenarios, and more.
—A.K.
* * *
Kids Need Music benefit concerts at Spencertown Academy
SPENCERTOWN, N.Y. — Spencertown Academy Arts Center will host two benefit concerts for Kids Need Music — one on Saturday, April 2 at 3 p.m. and the other on Sunday, April 3 at 2 p.m. “Metamorphoses: A Recital of Songs by Mozart, Poulenc, and Ives” will feature acclaimed soprano Amanda Boyd accompanied by Timothy Dunne on piano. All proceeds will be used to purchase band instruments to be donated to the Hudson City School District. Tickets ($30 general admission) may be purchased in advance at the Academy website.
Soprano Amanda Boyd has been hailed by critics as one of Britain’s “rising stars.” She trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she won the Susan Longfield prize and was supported by the Countess of Munster Trust. She also trained at the National Opera Studio in London, where she was supported by Friends of Covent Garden and the Foundation for Sports and the Arts. She has appeared in countless operatic and contemporary roles in Rome, London, and at Lincoln Center, as well as locally in Columbia County and Albany.
Composer and pianist Timothy Dunne has written music for orchestra, choir, chamber music, and solo instruments. A native New Yorker, he lived much of his adult life in St. Petersburg, Russia, where as a pianist, he was afforded the auspicious opportunity to give several first performances of important works by Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, and Pierre Boulez — pillars of European modernism and major influences on his own work. A resident of Austerlitz for the past 13 years, he is involved in teaching, researching, and designing alternative approaches to music education.
—A.K.
