Bits & Bytes: Blondie at MASS MoCA; Alice Sheppard at Jacob’s Pillow; Nancy Fitzpatrick at Laurel Hill Day; World Breastfeeding Week celebration; Paul Chaleff at Casana T House

MASS MoCA to welcome Blondie

North Adams — Pop-punk icons Blondie will perform at MASS MoCA Friday, Aug. 3, at 7 p.m. Northampton-based indie rock quartet And The Kids will open the show.

Four decades ago, Blondie came howling out of New York City’s downtown scene to storm mainstream radio and nascent MTV at the very moment that punk and new wave launched a hostile takeover of popular music. The band’s major hits “Call Me,” “One Way or Another,” “Heart of Glass” and “Rapture” have since become timeless. With more than 45 million albums sold worldwide to date, Blondie’s indelible influence on music and culture was recognized with its induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. The band’s most recent album, “Pollinator,” was named one of Rolling Stone’s 20 Best Pop Albums of 2017.

Tickets are $55–$75. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact MASS MoCA at (413) 662-2111 or info@massmoca.org.

–E.E.

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Laurel Lawson and Alice Sheppard of Kinetic Light. Photo: MANCC/Chris Cameron

Jacob’s Pillow performance to spotlight disability in dance

Becket — Choreographer and disability arts innovator Alice Sheppard and Kinetic Light will perform at Jacob’s Pillow Wednesday, Aug. 1, at 6:15 p.m.

Sheppard and Laurel Lawson, Sheppard’s dance partner and Kinetic Light collaborator, will present the work “Under Momentum,” which celebrates the joy of being in continuous motion, the allure of speed and the futility of resisting gravity. Performed on and around a set of engineered ramps, the program of solos and duets ranges through explorations of balance, stillness and falls as Kinetic Light’s disabled dancers release into the forces of acceleration, gravity and torque. The program includes a restaged duet from “DESCENT,” an evening-length work exploring wheeled movement that enjoyed a sold-out run at New York Live Arts in March.

As a leader in the dance and disability arts fields, Kinetic Light works with presenting partners to build new audiences for dance and establish an audience engagement goal of at least 20 percent disabled attendees. The Pillow will enhance accessibility along main pathways and around the Inside/Out performance space and an American Sign Language interpreter will be present for Kinetic Light’s welcome remarks and post-show talk. Golf carts will also be available to transport attendees from the parking lot to the performance area.

The performance is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jacob’s Pillow at (413) 243-0745 or boxoffice@jacobspillow.org.

–E.E.

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Nancy Fitzpatrick to speak at Laurel Hill Day

Nancy Fitzpatrick in Oregon. Photo courtesy Laurel Hill Association

Stockbridge — Nancy Fitzpatrick will present “From Boston to Oregon: My Walk Across America” at the Laurel Hill Association’s 165th annual Laurel Hill Day Saturday, Aug. 4, at 2 p.m. at the rostrum on Laurel Hill behind the Stockbridge town offices, 50 Main St.

Fitzpatrick, a resident of Stockbridge for 60 years, walked from Boston, Massachusetts, to Newport, Oregon, over the course of several trips between February 2011 and October 2016. She will discuss the details of her walk, its logistics and tactics, what other small towns are like, how many pairs of shoes she wore out and more.

The event is free and all are welcome. Refreshments will be served. The rain location will be the gym in the town offices. For more information, contact the Laurel Hill Association at info@laurelhillassociation.org.

–E.E.

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Community Health Programs to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week

Great Barrington — Community Health Programs Family Services and South Berkshire WIC will host a celebration of World Breastfeeding Week Thursday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to noon at CHP Family Services.

Breast milk is recommended by the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics as the sole source of nutrition for babies through 6 months of age. Attendees will meet other nursing mothers and learn about the health benefits of breastfeeding as well as about CHP’s breastfeeding resources, support and counseling options. Refreshments will be served and there will be activities for children.

The event is free and open to all area breastfeeding mothers, expectant mothers and their children. Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP to (413) 528-0457 or wic@chpberkshires.org.

–E.E.

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Artist Paul Chaleff to discuss art at Casana T House

‘Round #8’ by Paul Chaleff, stoneware, 2013. Image courtesy Casana T House

Hillsdale, N.Y. — On Saturday, Aug. 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Casana T House, award-winning international artist Paul Chaleff will explain how physics and chemistry mingle with the craft of pottery.

Best known for his colossal sculptures and ceramics, Chaleff has been exhibited and collected by major museums nationally and around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Arts and Design, Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California;AmorePacific Museum of Art and Muju Sculpture Park in South Korea; and others.

The talk is free and open to the public, but registration is required due to limited space. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar, or contact Casana T House at (518) 325-6105 or info@casanatea.com.

–E.E.